Sir Patrick Stewart on reuniting with Star Trek's Jean-Luc Picard two decades later: “He feels that he failed”

(Image credit: CBS All Access)

He was was arguably the definitive Star Trek captain, a man who exuded so much authority that ‘what would Jean-Luc Picard do?’ is a pretty good mantra for life. When we meet the USS Enterprise’s former commanding officer in Star Trek: Picard, however – nearly two decades after the events of Star Trek: Nemesis – he’s in a very different place. 

These days, Picard’s plagued with feelings of guilt about the death of Lt Cdr Data, his android friend and colleague, and haunted by the failure of a mission to save the inhabitants of Romulus from a supernova. And to make matters worse for the 92-year-old Picard, the Federation and Starfleet are no longer as comfortable inhabiting the moral high ground as they were in The Next Generation era. 

“We’re living and working in a different world,” reveals Sir Patrick Stewart, returning to the role that made him a Hollywood star. “Picard’s world is so different, he is no longer part of Starfleet, and the Federation also has been undergoing changes. There are conflicting bodies within the Federation, and Starfleet seems to have some subterranean plans of how its fleet should be used. 

"Picard has walked away from it all, and is living on his chateau, growing grapes – he’s living with the two wonderful people who care for him [Romulans Zhaban and Laris], and his dog [Number One]. But he is discontented, angry and guilty, he feels that he failed. Not only did he fail Starfleet and the Federation, but he failed his great friend and colleague Data as well – Data died when he believes that it ought to have been Picard.”

While Data is no more, the android’s presence will be heavily felt in Star Trek: Picard – not least because Next Generation star Brent Spiner has come back to wear those yellow contact lenses once again.  

“Data is our sort of classic artificial intelligence,” says Star Trek: Picard executive producer Kirsten Beyer, “and in Star Trek we’re always addressing that question of what that means. ‘Is he a living thing? What kind of rights does he have? Is he a machine? Is he a tool? Does he belong to us?’ That’s a conversation Star Trek: The Next Generation was having in its very first season, so now, 20 years later the most important and sort of interesting facet of that was the love that Jean-Luc Picard developed for Data, no matter what he was, and the way that that relationship stayed with him long after Data’s death in Nemesis. 

"In our early conversations with Patrick, realising that was one of the biggest holes left in Picard’s heart, and a piece of unfinished business, was really powerful and impactful. It really affected the subsequent direction [of the show] a great deal.”

GamesRadar+ also spoke to the Picard team about where the show fits on the Star Trek timeline and how the Borg will play a key role in the show. Our sister publication SFX also spoke to Stewart about his future in the Star Trek universe, with the actor revealing he would love to work with Quentin Tarantino. We've also put together a guide on how to watch Star Trek: Picard online.

Star Trek: Picard airs in the US on CBS All Access from January 23, and in the UK on Amazon Prime Video from January 24. 

Richard is a freelancer journalist and editor, and was once a physicist. Rich is the former editor of SFX Magazine, but has since gone freelance, writing for websites and publications including GamesRadar+, SFX, Total Film, and more. He also co-hosts the podcast, Robby the Robot's Waiting, which is focused on sci-fi and fantasy. 

Latest in TV
The Punisher holding two machine guns in the rain
Daredevil: Born Again - Learn the bullet-riddled comic book history of the Punisher before he officially joins the MCU
Pedro Pascal as Joel in The Last of Us
The Last of Us is "better" than 28 Days Later, says movie writer Alex Garland: "This is so much more sophisticated and moving"
Diego Luna as Cassian Andor in Andor season 2
Andor season 2 showrunner talks the much-anticipated Star Wars moment that we haven't seen on screen before: "It's a very significant part of our show"
Fallout
Fallout season 2’s dazzling and dystopian New Vegas is coming to life in a new leaked video
Diego Luna as Cassian Andor
The first three episodes of the best Star Wars show are now available to watch for free ahead of the Andor season 2 premiere
Penn Badgley and Charlotte Richie in You season 5
You season 5 trailer introduces Joe's new love interest and teases familiar faces in the final installment of the Netflix thriller
Latest in News
Silent Hill f
After 2 years of silence, the next mainline Silent Hill game is getting a dedicated stream this week with "the latest news"
Original Xbox console
Former Microsoft exec says the first Xbox was killed early in favor of 360 because it was "losing money left right and center," but luckily "we could afford to hemorrhage cash"
A Monster Hunter Wilds character holding binoculars.
Despite Monster Hunter Wilds suffering monstrous performance problems on PC, it still outsold the PS5 and Xbox Series X versions in the US
Jordan A. Mun looks at herself in a mirror in just a vest in Intergalactic: The Heretic Prophet screenshot
The Last of Us creator Neil Druckmann says Intergalactic: The Heretic Prophet will also be about "being lonely," as if his zombie apocalypse wasn’t isolating enough: "I really want you to be lost"
A screenshot of Jordan drinking a soda during the reveal trailer for Intergalactic: The Hertic Prophet.
Intergalactic: The Heretic Prophet is "a game about faith and religion," which Neil Druckmann jokes will surely get less hate than The Last of Us 2
Pedro Pascal as Joel in The Last of Us
The Last of Us is "better" than 28 Days Later, says movie writer Alex Garland: "This is so much more sophisticated and moving"