“There are fewer and fewer available roles as we get older.”
In 2023, Star Trek: Picard beautifully wrapped up the decades-long storyline of Jean-Luc Picard (Patrick Stewart) and the crew of the USS Enterprise-D and E in the streaming series finale “The Last Generation.” And although it appears Stewart has portrayed the iconic character for the final time, don’t rule out the possibility of his return just yet. After all, Stewart “can’t imagine ever officially retiring.”
Stewart, who first portrayed Captain Jean-Luc Picard nearly 40 years ago in The Next Generation’s 1987 premiere “Encounter at Farpoint,” said during an interview with TV Insider: “As any actor my age will tell you, there are fewer and fewer available roles as we get older."
Stewart continued by saying:
"That being said, I still continue to receive interesting offers, and I love being challenged by new work, like voicing a pig’s head in Riz Ahmed‘s brilliant new series Bait. I can’t imagine ever officially ‘retiring.’ I’ll always and forever be an actor.”
Stewart mentioned the Prime dramedy Bait, but I imagine most Star Trek fans like me would rather he suit up again in his Starfleet threads as Admiral Picard for another voyage through the final frontier. However, if that shouldn’t come to pass, the 86-year-old actor isn’t going out with a whimper.
While Stewart is best known for portraying Jean-Luc Picard, the actor will be returning to the Silver Screen this December as Charles Xavier in the highly anticipated Avengers: Doomsday. I just hope comic book and superhero enthusiasts like myself don’t have to watch Professor X die on screen yet again, as he did in X-Men: The Last Stand, Logan, and most recently in Doctor Strange in the Multiverse of Madness.
Who wants to see Stewart “make it so” and reprise the role of Jean-Luc Picard once more? I can’t think of a better way for the master thespian to avoid retiring too soon. Share your thoughts and comments with us on the matter via the Redshirts Always Die Facebook and X pages.
Live long and prosper, Trekkies!
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