“Captain Picard stood for the best of us, and so did the man who played him.”
Star Trek legend William Shatner is mourning the loss of his friend and fellow on-screen captain of the USS Enterprise: Sir Patrick Stewart. Sadly, the news broke today (Oct. 29) that Stewart died on Wednesday, Oct. 28, and Shatner took to social media shortly after the heartbreaking announcement to honor the late actor’s memory.
Shatner posted a picture of himself and Stewart together from the set of the former's 2011 documentary, The Captains, and wrote the following (via Instagram), which fans can check out below.
“What a heartbreaking week it has been. Sir Patrick Stewart was a friend, a colleague, and a magnificent actor. From the stage to the bridge of the Enterprise, he brought intelligence, grace, and a deep sense of humanity to everything he did. Captain Picard stood for the best of us, and so did the man who played him. I was filled with affection and admiration for him and his work. My heart goes out to Sunny and his family. He will be deeply missed.”
The two Star Trek legends worked together on the franchise for the first time in 1994’s feature film Generations which teamed up Captain James T. Kirk (Shatner) and Captain Jean-Luc Picard (Stewart) at the end of the movie to thwart the diabolical plans of Dr. Tolian Soran (Malcolm McDowell).
In retrospect, these two accomplished actors could have very well hated one another given the magnitude of some human egos. Instead, Shatner and Stewart became good friends while shooting Star Trek Generations which lasted throughout the remainder of the latter’s life.
Personally, I would have enjoyed seeing Picard and Kirk both form a similar lifelong friendship, too. However, Shatner’s iconic Enterprise commander as inexplicably killed off at the end of Generations.
The short time those characters did share on screen together, though, gave fans a glimpse of another incredible Star Trek power duo, which sadly never came to fruition.
For more Star Trek content and to remember the incomparable Sir Patrick Stewart, visit the Redshirts Always Die Facebook and X pages. On those platforms you can share your favorite Stewart moments from Trek with us in the comments section.
Rest in peace, Sir Patrick Stewart.
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