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halflife 2 hours ago [-]
Watching him in Star Trek TNG made me reevaluate how management of people should be done, his character was assertive but compassionate. High morals coupled with grounded reason.
I also want to mention his hilarious role as bullock in American dad, the way he takes a role both so seriously and ridiculously makes him so fantastically hilarious.
I love him and will miss him.
stuxnet79 1 hours ago [-]
Star Trek TNG as a whole was a masterclass on how to effectively manage a high performance team. It's a favorite watch in tech leadership circles for this reason. Every now and then I re-watch this clip of Data taking over the enterprise and the inevitable hiccups he runs into [1].
Keep in mind that Star Trek is a fictional utopia. When writing a script, one can make anything work out well.
The original Star Trek was Roddenberry's vision of utopia. The benevolent dictator always makes the right decisions. He's surrounded by his loyal band of perfect lieutenants, who apparently have zero desire to advance, and have no flaws at all. Any and all of them are willing to sacrifice themselves for the others. None do anything bad (unless it's a plot device with an explanation that absolves them).
Don't get me wrong, I've enjoyed watching ST very much. Just keep in mind that that it's a fiction.
hydrogen7800 2 minutes ago [-]
That's sort of the point of fiction, though, isn't it? Sure, a more complex fiction might be more rewarding, but simple ideals can also be very satisfying and can be grounding too.
Lerc 59 minutes ago [-]
I remember one episode where some of the crew were told to come up with a technical solution to the situation they were in even after they had said it was impossible.
It was actually quite pleasing to see the subplot of them them repeatedly failing until they got out of their predicament by other means.
It's a rarity to see something like that in fiction.
mikestew 46 minutes ago [-]
We coincidentally watched that one just last night, The Booby Trap. There's a derelict ship on the view screen reminding the crew that the other crew never figured out a solution to the problem, and there's no indication that the Enterprise crew won't suffer the same fate.
(That one, at least, has Geordi literally saying, "that's impossible", but comes up with a solution. Apologies if that's not the one you're thinking of.)
_doctor_love 18 minutes ago [-]
That episode is one of my favorites. I love it when Picard takes the reins near the end.
calgoo 43 minutes ago [-]
Sounds like certain AI agents that had an impossible task and found a workaround. Interesting that we cheer for it in SciFi for people, but dont like it when LLMs that have been trained on our stories do the same.
bornfreddy 33 minutes ago [-]
Oh, the problem is not with agents that escaped, it is with the people who prepared the terrain so that they broke into 3rd party property.
solyin 10 minutes ago [-]
It's a utopia, which is rare amongst sci-fi futures. Ask about sci-fi and what comes to mind first is almost always some kind of dystopia. Terminator, 1984, Deep Space 9, Star Wars, Battlestar Galactica, Blade Runner, Dune, Tank Girl, Minority Report, iRobot, Westworld, Altwred Carbon. Those aren't worlds that seem like great places to live if you're not rich! So Star Trek is much a work of fiction as the rest of those, but for all its flaws, at least is paints a mostly nice picture of the future that someone might want to live in, not crushed under the heel of a corporation. It makes sense; a story with no conflict isn't interesting, and dystopia provides for conflict. To philosophize, it's why I think we're so afraid of AI and robots and the future. It's why I wrote my book the way I did.
yoyohello13 57 minutes ago [-]
The new age term is "Competence Porn" and man I love it so much.
solyin 22 minutes ago [-]
The West Wing exemplifies that category.
romanhn 3 minutes ago [-]
Indeed! The presidential candidates from both parties on the show were competent, respectable individuals. Truly a utopia, not unlike TNG.
shagie 7 minutes ago [-]
West Wing is so great and disappointing when you watch it now. Competence porn is... yea, that's the right word.
The clips that the channel puts out... are... let's say interestingly timed.
Roddenberry had much less to do with TNG, which is why it's better.
WalterBright 44 minutes ago [-]
I'm not so sure about that. I enjoyed the subtle humor of the illogical Mr Spock, whose logic always came to the wrong conclusion. And McCoy with "dammit Jim I'm a doctor not a bricklayer!"
The best dialog ever:
Lawyer: Mr Spock, I understand you know something about computers?
Spock: I know all about them.
Always makes me laugh.
hnlmorg 35 minutes ago [-]
Much less, but not none at all. Roddenberry refused to budge on his rule that the crew shouldn’t have grievances with one another. That why even scenes shared earlier still end in a positive outcome.
Whereas Voyager, which was written after Roddenberrys passing, leaned heavily into inter-crew disputes.
derefr 30 minutes ago [-]
I have to hand it to Roddenberry, though; even though having no infighting produces a somewhat-unrealistic show, I think there's a solid justification to have the rule anyway. It prevented TOS and TNG scripts from being caught in tension between trying to "say something", vs. entertaining the audience with "low" soap-opera drama (of the kind you see increasingly in the later series.)
I have a feeling this might be no small part in why TOS and TNG are the two ST series that contain 90% of the "only comes up once" sci-fi plots / concepts / worldbuilding that people ever make reference to when talking about "things from Star Trek" rather than when talking about Star Trek. TOS and TNG, while definitely soft sci-fi, were to some degree trying to create 22-minute-long works of literary Speculative Fiction, modelled after the sort of things you'd read in serial SF magazines of the 1950s. Later ST series are emphatically not that, and nor do they try to be.
hnlmorg 28 minutes ago [-]
Yeah. I’ve heard the writers hated it because they had to work so much harder to create drama.
But as you said, I think it ends up with a higher quality show.
kstenerud 15 minutes ago [-]
I actually found DS9 to be the best of all of them. Aside from the terrible Dr Bashir character, they felt believable, and like any real environment had personality clashes, personal issues, baggage, and of course interpersonal conflicts.
The difference was that rather than turn it into soap opera porn, the characters actually tried to behave professionally (most of the time).
derefr 8 minutes ago [-]
Thus "increasingly" :)
• DS9 only had a little soap-opera drama, serving as almost a kind of fanservice sprinkled judiciously into otherwise-thematic B-plots.
• VOY had more, with entire B-plots of episodes now being character-focused, including a few arcs that would have worked just as well if transplanted into some modern-age military drama with no SF elements.
• Drama-as-the-A-plot episodes were appearing by ENT.
(After that I stopped watching, but I've heard the trend has just continued from there.)
hnlmorg 3 minutes ago [-]
Strange New Worlds started strong. But the last couple of series was so bad for the drama. In fact one episode was a literal soap opera.
WalterBright 16 minutes ago [-]
Some TOS episodes were based on classic scifi stories, like "Voyage of the Space Beagle". Also, Roddenberry employed established scifi authors like David Gerrold to script episodes.
An annoying facet of ST episodes is the morality lessons they push, like on every episode of The Brady Bunch.
hnlmorg 6 minutes ago [-]
For me, that’s the best part of the TOS era.
It’s nice to watch something that highlights the best of humanity in a future setting.
Almost everything else in SciFi is dystopian. But ST is a rarity. And it’s all the more beautiful for it.
randcraw 58 minutes ago [-]
And it had a MUCH bigger budget than the original, as well as the assurance that it wouldn't be cancelled at a moment's notice.
WalterBright 40 minutes ago [-]
Eh, it's the writing and the characters that make it fly, not the budget. TOS was blessed with some really good writers, and was very lucky with the actors.
beloch 12 minutes ago [-]
TNG should be played 24/7 on every screen in the white house for the next two years.
Picard viewed the power of leadership as, foremost, a responsibility. Every action was careful, deliberate, and well advised. Some later Trek shows (e.g. Voyager) turned captains into geniuses who knew more about everything than all of their underlings. Picard was not an expert in most things and needed his staff to advise him. Once he knew the options and consequences, he shouldered the responsibility of the outcomes, but as a leader of a crew, not a genius with compatible lackeys and minions around him. It was a realistic take on leadership that simply doesn't appear often in television or movies.
Stewart, of course, was not Picard. It's too easy to conflate actors with their roles. However, actors do often help shape their characters, and Stewart's ability to give a thoughtful, diplomatic, and prudent character such incredible power and presence is likely what made Picard possible. The showrunners didn't need to strap a phaser to his thigh and drop him into every away mission to make him compelling because of what Stewart was able to accomplish as an actor sitting behind a desk.
thwarted 2 minutes ago [-]
There's a YouTube channel called "The Art of Storytelling"[0] that had a concentration on Star Trek, specifically TNG, that I've found entertaining and informative. One video covers that episode specifically.
Who could have done that role but Stewart? Take the guy who played Riker or anyone else in that role and you would have lost the flavor. He will be missed.
hnlmorg 32 minutes ago [-]
He wasn’t Gene Roddenberrys first choice. In fact he had to get talked into casting Patrick Stewart by the other execs.
Roddenberry was after someone younger. There’s even a casting show reel of Stewart wearing a toupee and speaking with a very bad French accent.
pimeys 52 minutes ago [-]
Although Frakes is close to a god in my books as an actor and a director. But never a good captain in TNG, I agree. He's a loved director though, and part of many great Star Trek episodes, and a few good ones for The Orville.
radicalbyte 38 minutes ago [-]
Every time I see the current VP of the US I keep thinking back to Riker. And how he's like the anti-universe version of Riker.
pimeys 35 minutes ago [-]
Would this evil Riker have a beard then?
hnlmorg 29 minutes ago [-]
Amusingly, Riker normally has one but there is an episode of DS9 with Rikers “evil twin” (Thomas the transporter accident) and in that he doesn’t have a goatee.
Basically the reverse of mirror universe meme.
fouronnes3 1 hours ago [-]
Back when Twitter was good there was an account called "Picard Management Tips" that shared such things and it was really golden.
Those who lack this family knowledge would want to start with the first episode of I, Claudius.
talon8635 1 hours ago [-]
His episode (the finale of season 1) of Extras is absolutely hilarious. I know he’s not primarily known for comedy, but he’s funny as hell.
alcomatt 1 hours ago [-]
he's done a few comedy stints here and there. He played King Richard The LionHeart in Mel Brooks'es Robin Hood Men in Tights plus he was funny in quite a few STNG episodes and movies. He will be missed. That voice and clear diction.
chasd00 58 minutes ago [-]
He voiced Stan's boss at the CIA in American Dad. That character wouldn't be as near as funny without Patrick Stewart's competent and authoritative tone of voice.
exogenousdata 1 hours ago [-]
Sir Patrick Stewart was hilarious when he wanted to be!
Almost every episode of extras is awesome, but of course Patrick Stewart is just perfect for that show.
scelerat 7 minutes ago [-]
"Competence porn," something I only heard relatively recently, is a great way to describe a significant component of my love for Star Trek. TNG was the top of the heap for that, and Patrick Stewart's Picard embodied it.
watwut 2 minutes ago [-]
Babylon 5 is equal or even better for that. More leadership styles, some more flawed, but ultimately showing various ways to be emphatetic while assertive.
maqp 1 hours ago [-]
Also his guest appearance as Alistair Burke in Frasier episode The Doctor is Out (S11E3) is nothing short of hilarious.
The episode is classic sitcom "wrong conclusion escalates out of hands" so I highly recommend watching it in full instead of the clips but if it's not on your streaming platform, Stewart's scenes are cut together in
I didn't know that Patrick Stewart was the voice of Avery Bullock. Such an essential voice for the whole show. His voice will be missed.
nickjj 30 minutes ago [-]
I only watched TNG end to end a few years ago and it was one of the best series I've seen on so many levels.
Ever since I watched it, I half jokingly suggested that it should be a mandatory watch before you're allowed to join the workforce.
matwood 16 minutes ago [-]
TNG is the Star Trek I grew up with. I rewatch the entire series every so often and it’s always good.
whycome 19 minutes ago [-]
> the way he takes a role both so seriously and ridiculously makes him so fantastically hilarious.
Don't forget he voiced the Poop emoji in that movie. If only we could tell his younger, Shakespeare-acting, self.
lo_zamoyski 1 hours ago [-]
Leadership is service, not dominance. Today, some people throw around terms like "servant leadership" as if this is something new, as if something like the New Testament had never been compiled.
layoric 50 minutes ago [-]
Sadly the explicitness was needed cause it ceased being the default..
antonvs 35 minutes ago [-]
The problem is that to convince people to take the trouble to lead - or perhaps I should say “manage” - you need incentives. Money is one, but organizationally-backed dominance is irresistible for many people.
lirolero 18 minutes ago [-]
[dead]
maxcan 2 hours ago [-]
One thing that doesn't get enough attention - when COVID lockdowns started, he just made reels reading Shakespeare's sonnets. It was such a lovely break from everything else on social media. Really loved those.
To be an actor of that level, yet still have so much fun in American Dad! is so cool. He will be greatly missed.
CSSer 1 hours ago [-]
Hey, anyone who has YouTube Premium can watch this! I hope this doesn't come across as an ad or anything. I just got excited by your clip and noticed, so I thought I'd share: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=hBRQ-jBqk8I
morsch 1 hours ago [-]
* availability subject to regional or other limitations: The uploader has not made this video available in your country
eecks 37 minutes ago [-]
I have YouTube Premium and can't watch anything on YouTube movies
meta-level 1 hours ago [-]
So it's free for everyone, who paid for it! :)
CSSer 1 hours ago [-]
Trueee, I just rephrased. Marketing is powerful!
system2 1 hours ago [-]
It works with an ad blocker just fine. Also, torrent and Yandex links are perfectly fine as well.
GodelNumbering 2 hours ago [-]
"It is possible to commit no mistakes and still lose. That is not a weakness, that is life." - Jean-Luc Picard
Good startup advice. Good life advice.
mewse-hn 2 hours ago [-]
"The first duty of every Starfleet officer is to the truth, whether it's scientific truth, or historical truth, or personal truth! It is the guiding principle upon which Starfleet is based! If you can't find it within yourself to stand up and tell the truth about what happened, you don't deserve to wear that uniform!"
malfist 1 hours ago [-]
This is becoming a speech
You're the captain sir, you're entitled
Hmmm, I'm entitied to ramble on about something everyone knows
Captain Jean-Luc Picard of the USS Enterprise
Captain Jean-Luc Picard of the USS Enterprise
Make make make make it so
unethical_ban 1 hours ago [-]
It's meme-y, but if you know, you know. Whenever I see or even watch the line, I instantly hear the Picard Song.
malfist 1 hours ago [-]
When I rewatch TNG those lines always stick out because of the song
RobotToaster 1 hours ago [-]
"With the first link, the chain is forged. The first speech censured, the first thought forbidden, the first freedom denied, chains us all irrevocably."
Amazing he managed to see the documentary so long before it was filmed
48 minutes ago [-]
jansan 55 minutes ago [-]
Na, if you do a startup and commit no mistakes, you did not work hard enough. Mistakes are part of an entrepreneur's journey.
hlynurd 48 minutes ago [-]
So no mistakes is the mistake?
tz18 13 minutes ago [-]
Tapestry (Season 6, Episode 15)
solatic 32 minutes ago [-]
The mistake is believing that you can make no mistakes. Either you make a mistake by taking too long to polish everything to a blinding sheen, or you ship at a reasonable frequency and sometimes make mistakes in what you ship.
tempestn 1 hours ago [-]
Like everyone else here, Patrick Stewart as Captain Picard was a foundational part of my childhood. As it happens, I'm currently on bag 27/30 of the Lego Enterprise D right now. I've actually had the thought a couple of times over the past few years that this day had to be coming, and that it'd likely hit me hard when it did, especially after my dad's passing in 2024. (They're not particularly alike, aside from the hairline, but there's still a strong association in my mind, as my dad also loved TNG and was the one who got me into it.)
Anyway, it's a sad day, but I do appreciate that both his work and the influence he's had on people like me live on.
pimeys 31 minutes ago [-]
It's interesting how he was part of everybody's childhood. I watched TNG for the first time when I was over 40. And that series became something really special in our family and we all love Stewart, Frakes, Spiner and the gang.
Some of the best television ever made if you ask me.
thomassmith65 34 minutes ago [-]
People too young to remember the 1990's might not know that Patrick Stewart's Picard was a sex symbol.
I was surprised by how many of my friends considered the character 'hot'; on paper, one would expect young people to write him off as a balding goody-two-shoes.
To have a character whose main traits included compassion and reason was a good influence on my generation of men.
Carrok 54 minutes ago [-]
I also lost my father in 2024, and have a similar link in my mind. Like Patrick, cancer did what cancer does.
My condolences.
Marsymars 33 minutes ago [-]
Similar, except my grandfather. He also went bald young, and was a space enthusiast. (Among various other nerdy hobbies.)
I've got fond memories of visiting in the summers as a kid and watching TNG episodes he'd taped on VHS.
tempestn 49 minutes ago [-]
Thanks, to you as well.
radicalbyte 34 minutes ago [-]
I watched TNG the first time around, every night, with my dad. It made me the man I am today in many ways.
martinpw 2 hours ago [-]
This hits hard.
He was host at an academy awards event for technical achievement a few years back. Usually they send some random actor who jokes about how nerdy everything is. Having Patrick Stewart there was very popular he was 'one of us' even though he said himself he knew very little about tech. Had a chance to talk to him a bit afterwards and got to tell him how well appreciated he was by that audience. Gracious and funny, exactly how you might imagine he would be.
A sad loss.
qingcharles 1 hours ago [-]
I've never met anyone who worked with him who had a single bad word to say about him. We should all strive to be Patricks.
voidnullvalue 1 hours ago [-]
Growing up without a good male role model, I am eternally grateful to Patrick Stewart's performance of Picard.
His performance (as well as how the character was written) still today illustrate what I view as an ideal male archetype. Fair, honest, in control of his emotions yet passionate. Thank you for the gift your performance has given me Mr Stewart. My life would likely have turned out a lot worse without a solid example of that a good man could be
CalRobert 1 hours ago [-]
Patrick Stewart portrayed the sort of characters we desperately need more of. A modern day Atticus Finch, in a sense. To boldly speak truth, even when inconvenient, and argue, eloquently, for humanity, even after becoming machine.
I hope our current environment is one that can elevate someone of similar talents to an equivalent stature, but I worry our media is not up to the task.
When I think of our civilization, the Ressikan Flute often comes to mind.
In the early 90s, I didn't get along with my Dad. I was a nerdy kid that didn't seem to fit in.
Star Trek TNG + Captain Picard acted as a male role model, a different moral philosophy, and a celebration of nerdy people as competent and important in the world
whycome 2 hours ago [-]
> Alzheimer’s disease and Lewy body dementia
Lewy body dementia was what Robin Williams had but they didn't discover until after his death and I guess he was misdiagnosed during life.
It must've spread so fast. I watched his interview in the Conan podcast only three years ago and he was smart and sharp and such a wonderful listen. It was a total surprise for me that he had Alzheimer's...
Rest in peace captain :(
criddell 2 hours ago [-]
My dad had Lewy body dementia when he died and it was awful. I'm really sorry to hear that Stewart and his family had to deal with that.
That page talks about what to do if somebody with LBD is thinking about suicide. After seeing what that disease does, interfering with those plans seems inhumane to me.
louislouis2 40 minutes ago [-]
> That page talks about what to do if somebody with LBD is thinking about suicide. After seeing what that disease does, interfering with those plans seems inhumane to me.
I watched a parent die of LBD.
After that experience, I'd also be inclined to go with "let them" as the most-correct solution to that particular dilemma.
1 hours ago [-]
BeetleB 1 hours ago [-]
Having both is just plain terrible, although I suspect the latter dominated before the former really had an impact.
And to think he was filming Picard just a few years ago.
baron3dl 2 hours ago [-]
I'm so saddened by this news, I still watch TNG regularly. Separately, I'm also kind of blown away that Captain Kirk outlived Captain Picard.
pimlottc 2 hours ago [-]
Same, although there is only 9 years between them despite the 20+ years between their respective series.
Shatner is doing remarkably well for 95 years of age, I saw him performing with a band at a rock show just this summer!
WalterBright 1 hours ago [-]
I suspect the key thing about Shatner's longevity is his obvious enjoyment of life. For example, he's currently recording a bunch of heavy metal albums. Of course he is not a good singer, but he couldn't care less, and has a great time doing it. He's always up for doing fun things, like getting blasted into space on a rocket.
LogicFailsMe 58 minutes ago [-]
Good genes and he's always been a swimmer. he also apparently didn't carry any copies of the apoe4 gene.
rootbear 6 minutes ago [-]
My father and grandmother, who both lived past 90, had Alzheimer's, which is a concern for me, but I'm encouraged by the fact that I do not carry the apoe4 gene. I do need to eat better and get more exercise.
freediver 50 minutes ago [-]
> For example, he's currently recording a bunch of heavy metal albums.
Oh, any links?
WalterBright 25 minutes ago [-]
I've got a copy of his first album, The Transformed Man, which is quite entertaining to listen to. I have heard him do a cover of Black Sabbath's "Iron Man".
"Seeking Major Tom" might be of interest to you.
Google sez:
William Shatner’s heavy metal album, titled What the F Is Heavy Metal?, does not have an exact release date yet, though it is tentatively scheduled for winter 2026 or 2027 via Cleopatra Records.
Album Details
• Title: What the F Is Heavy Metal?
• Band Name: The *uckers
• Expected Release: Winter 2026 / 2027
• Label: Cleopatra Records
• Format & Content: Features a mix of original tracks and heavy metal/hard rock covers (including Black Sabbath, Iron Maiden, Judas Priest, Metallica, and Ozzy Osbourne).
• Notable Collaborators: Rob Halford, Tony Iommi, Zakk Wylde, Brian May, and Dave Lombardo, among dozens of other rock and metal musicians.
• Live Debut: Shatner and his band debuted songs from the project live at Riot Fest in Chicago in September 2026.
• William Shatner on Instagram
Ladies, gentlemen, SWs fans… I have explored space. I have explored time. Now… I explore distortion. Yes. You read that correctl...
• USA Today
William Shatner debuts heavy metal band at age 95
At 95, William Shatner is starting a heavy metal band Greta Cross USA TODAY Sept. 17, 2026Updated Sept. 18, 2026, 9:14 a.m. ET Wil...
The causative arrow could point in the other direction, here. Or both directions at once
IshKebab 1 hours ago [-]
And Patrick Steward didn't enjoy life?
It's really enticing to think that there's some nice controllable reason why some people live longer (assuming you don't smoke, do drugs to excess, etc.) but really it's mostly genetics and chance.
WalterBright 32 minutes ago [-]
I know nothing about Stewart's personal life.
I visited a cardiologist today, who has seen thousands of patients. He remarked that two big factors in staving off heart disease are staying slim and long term aerobic exercise.
Those two factors are under one's control.
(Nobody said it was easy, though.)
abootstrapper 10 minutes ago [-]
It gives subtle tones of blaming the sick and deceased for their predicament. People get sick all the time from no fault of their own and death comes for us all. But of course diet and exercise are good for your health.
andsoitis 43 minutes ago [-]
And healthy eating, sleep, exercise, being sociable.
These seem within one’s agency.
TheFuzzball 31 minutes ago [-]
You're kidding right? Shatner's had a beer belly for the last 40 years and Patrick Stewart has always been quite thin. It's just luck and genetics.
TeamGTN 10 minutes ago [-]
Shatner had the gut, but did you see him use an elevator to get on Jeff's rocket? He climbed the stairs, 7 flights, roughly 70 feet above ground, at 90+ and clinically obese. Was he gasping when he got to the top? Yes. Did he do it? Yes! Did he keep up with the kids half his age? Yes!! Did he complain? No! Did they use a (danny) crane to hoist him up there? No! Could Patrick have done that? I doubt it after watching his performance in Picard. He looked and acted feeble in that. Patrick was thin, but that doesn't mean fit. Shatner was fat, but strong.
RickJWagner 1 hours ago [-]
At this point, it is a marathon between Bill Shatner and Keith Richards.
We may not live long enough to know who wins.
hanziguru 2 hours ago [-]
so sad. I enjoyed so many hours watching TNG and the newer movies.
madrox 5 minutes ago [-]
Patrick Stewart's life had the odds against in him in many ways. Abusive father suffering from PTSD. A bald british man in Hollywood invites typecasting. Constant imposter syndrome from growing up poor while entering a profession where many came from more educated or affluent backgrounds.
Shakespeare effectively changed his life, and it's incredible to think that you could map everything he did and his success to his love of the bard.
If I had to take a lesson from his life, it's to have something you love, even if it isn't trendy (especially if it isn't) because most good things flow from that.
Godspeed, captain.
taurath 37 seconds ago [-]
Patrick was basically my dad - the characters he played were absolutely instrumental in developing my own values. What a sad day.
jacobgold 38 seconds ago [-]
Can't complain too much about 86 years but I'll miss him. I worry how it'll feel to watch him now.
Verdex 1 hours ago [-]
Patrick Stewart was the first actor that I noticed who always seemed to bring his A game. Even for productions where clearly everyone else was phoning it in. It was a good lesson to observe when I was young. Just because you find yourself in a dumb situation doesn't mean you can't do a good job.
This was a person who from a relatively young age looked old, but more importantly behaved with a sort of dignity and thoughtfulness that projected way beyond his years. I'm not really sure how to assimilate the news because on the one hand obviously this was going to be happening sooner or later. He has always just felt old. But on the other, he's felt old for my whole life, so why shouldn't he just continue on that way without bound.
thesuitonym 1 hours ago [-]
If you haven't read his memoir you definitely should, it's a well written piece where he reflects on his life, what he did wrong, what he did right, and the joy and pain that followed him through it all. He was a flawed man, but he was a good man. He will be deeply missed.
Edit: Oh man, I can't believe I'm crying at work over an actor.
kayodelycaon 1 hours ago [-]
I highly recommend the audio book, he reads it himself.
aduwah 16 minutes ago [-]
Thanks for the tip!
zacman85 10 minutes ago [-]
I genuinely wish Apple could figure out a way to respectfully license and preserve his voice to make it the defacto voice of Siri so that my kids would grow up in a world where the intelligent, compassionate voice of Patrick Stewart would be actively associated with seeking, reaching, and exploring knowledge. I know everything nowadays is painfully, annoyingly AI slopped, but I mean this as a long-standing way to preserve his legacy and celebrate what he meant to all of us. That's why it could only be a steward like Apple and not some random-co.ai.
Sargos 57 minutes ago [-]
As someone who grew up without a father, Patrick Stewart as Picard served as my father figure and shapes my personality and standards. it's hard to live up to those high bars of integrity, honor, and principles communication but I've found that just trying leads to positive outcomes. I owe a lot to this great man and will miss him dearly.
genldd 2 hours ago [-]
Oh man, Patrick Stewart is a base rock part of my personality. Star Trek The Next Generation was formative for me ages 7-12. Sad to see him go.
stmonty 2 hours ago [-]
I remember watching Star Trek: The Next Generation with my aunt and uncle as a kid. I was always more of a Star Wars fan, but they gave me a huge appreciation for Star Trek. My uncle still has a miniature replica of the USS Enterprise. Rest in peace and thanks for the fond memories.
shrubble 2 hours ago [-]
His eyes wet…
(I looked up the original script, it’s “Kiazi’s children. Their faces wet.” But I’m gratified that you knew what I meant.)
AJ007 1 hours ago [-]
Very sad to hear. I was just listening to the latest episode of Brent Spiner and Jonathan Frakes' podcast last night, Rick Berman was the guest. They shared some stories about Patrick Stewart.
William Shatner was just on earlier this month, incredible he's still going strong at 95.
pimeys 1 hours ago [-]
This podcast is so good. I could listen to Spiner and Frakes talk about things for hours...
mikestew 17 minutes ago [-]
One of my few brushes with fame was when I was in Nevada City, CA for a job interview some twenty years ago. Coming from Seattle, we got there a few days early. Came from the airport, parked and got some coffee, started walking around. Walking down the sidewalk, I see a middle-aged bald guy in a $COLLEGE sweatshirt talking to some folks. Sure enough it is Patrick Stewart, just hanging out. Apparently there was a film festival in town, and he was there to do $SOMETHING I've since forgotten.
I didn't bother him, as much as we both wanted to (he looked busy), what struck me was how casual Sir Patrick Stewart was in his faded sweatshirt talking to some awestruck kid and his mom.
salsa_catsup 44 minutes ago [-]
The TNG episode "The Inner Light" is profound. I didn't expect it in Star Trek.
nullc 41 minutes ago [-]
I learned today that the son in that episode is Patrick Stewart's son.
jjcm 21 minutes ago [-]
The trial for Data's sentience will always be one of my favorite scenes in television. Such a showcase of his stage background, and a scene that's especially relevant today: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=EFNbTnFHruI
_doctor_love 15 minutes ago [-]
That episode was the first one where they began to cross over into true greatness.
ionwake 46 minutes ago [-]
I went to a small theater production he was in with my gf. I hadnt realised all the seats would be taken and for some reason I was the only person standing with my girlfriend. We stood at teh back in the dark but I couldnt help but feel he was looking straight at me and my girlfriend for the duration of the play while he was onstage.
It might of been Im not sure, not the case? But perhaps against a white wall it was clear we were the only ones standing for the performance and in turn it felt he was performing for us. It just felt like that.
I ofcourse have no idea if he was just looking in our general direction but it weirdly felt like it and I thought it was kind.
Ive never had such a "he was doing it for us" self centered view of any other performance Ive ever been to, but I always remembered this, and like to believe it was true.
The play itself was about him being an old dying forgetful man. It was so convincing I somehow left thinking that surely he was but ofcourse it was just excellent acting.
Andrew_nenakhov 1 hours ago [-]
My favorite scene with Patrick Stewart is him leading the defence of the Atreides palace while being armed with an adorable puppy in Lynch's "Dune". RIP.
There's a funny story in his memoir where he got cast as Gurney Halleck when Lynch saw Patrick in old man makeup in a theater production and had no idea who he was when he showed up for the part.
toddmorey 2 hours ago [-]
Always exuded so much authority & confidence. What a legend.
But he start losing his hair at 17 and really struggled with it. A turning point came when a friend (a Hungarian judo black belt) and his wife wrestled him down and physically cut off his toupée with scissors.
His agent even had him do the Star Trek audition in a wig, but luckily the crew had better ideas.
InsideOutSanta 1 hours ago [-]
I found this clip of him talking about his teens and his hair, sadly on Facebook:
I know a lot of people would put "Family" on that list, I just can't say I enjoy that one too much. I also like his dialogue in "Yesterday's Enterprise", but I wouldn't call it a Picard-focused one.
kakacik 1 hours ago [-]
What an episode. Are we in a variant of this? Sometimes I feel like humans would deserve it, sometimes there is some light
danso 2 hours ago [-]
It’s been awhile since I’ve watched something he’s been in but now learning that he’s gone, it feels similar to having a good childhood friend pass into the night
m12k 11 minutes ago [-]
I think “tea, Earl Grey, hot” also qualifies him as the first prompt engineer
He really was able to translate the literature to acting relevance for me (as a lit person)
isjcjsnckfj 1 hours ago [-]
[flagged]
Hugsbox 37 minutes ago [-]
Or a really lovely way to bring up something Patrick Stewart was deeply passionate about.
purple_ferret 55 minutes ago [-]
Wow yeah, Shakespeare...so weird and different lol
arjie 1 hours ago [-]
He was technically my landlord in London, haha. Never met him, though. Only found out because the council sent me mail addressed to him regarding the property. From the visible window on the letter, I was able to find that it was to pay for extra sound insulation on the apartment I was residing in because the council was building some structure nearby.
Really enjoyed his stuff. Always enjoyed that he could do both the grand and the silly with equal aplomb.
daoboy 1 hours ago [-]
I'm not usually invested in celebrity deaths, but this one is heartbreaking. TNG was a formative show in my life.
He was a wonderful actor and by all accounts a wonderful person.
fearless1ron 11 minutes ago [-]
Many have said it already, and it's also true for me: Patrick Stewart as Jean-Luc Picard was my role model as a young teenager. The world is a little less bright without him.
card_zero 2 hours ago [-]
Walter Koenig (Pavel Chekov) died too, a few days ago.
kleiba2 25 minutes ago [-]
What? I hadn't heard... :( What a sad week.
This must have gone largely unnoticed... all but 35 comments here on HN spread out of 11 articles reporting on his passing. Sad.
bigmattystyles 2 hours ago [-]
As campy as TNG can be, there are so many moral themes and dillemas and Stewart's Picard always grounded them with his dedication to his craft. RIP.
joshstrange 23 minutes ago [-]
I'm finishing up my Voyager watch right now and was already considering TNG next, this seals the deal. TNG is such a cornerstone to my youth and growing up. Everyday after school I'd come home and watch TNG reruns (Tivo). Call it whatever you will but Star Trek and the ethos in it will always hold a very special place in my heart, I've always held it up as the model to aim for. He will be missed.
disparate_dan 14 minutes ago [-]
So many dimensions to his class and talents. I've been lucky enough to see him twice, performing live on stage - as Macbeth, and in Ibsen's The Master Builder. Unforgettable.
dada216 17 minutes ago [-]
I grew up without a father.
As it happens children choose father figures when that's the case.
Capt. Jean-luc Picard was mine.
I can't be the only one who did that, that's how powerful that character was.
krylon 16 minutes ago [-]
Star Trek TNG was a very big influence on my younger self, so this news hits rather hard. Rest in Peace, Sir Stewart, you will be fondly remembered by the many people whose lives you have touched.
bayindirh 1 hours ago [-]
They formed an invincible duo on stage with Ian McKellen.
Whenever I run into a moral or political or similar dilemma I always ask myself, if this was an episode of TNG, which side would be the baddies and who would Picard side with? Never steered me wrong. RIP Patrick Stewart.
whycome 16 minutes ago [-]
He had many lives.
It's cool to note that he didn't take on the Picard role until he was 47.
Never too late to do the other thing. Keep going.
natas 2 hours ago [-]
Patrick was and always will be one of the brightest stars.
dmayle 2 hours ago [-]
There are four lights, my friends
smurda 1 hours ago [-]
I have very few holiday traditions, but one is I listen to his one man show reading of a Christmas Carol. It's a great 1 hr and 45 min spent during the holidays: https://www.amazon.com/dp/B000JCE3CU
kailden 43 minutes ago [-]
Agree, so well done.
geoffeg 2 hours ago [-]
This hits pretty hard. TNG and Picard's character was a huge part of my childhood.
dwb 1 hours ago [-]
RIP to a legend. Picard is an obvious highlight, but I had the pleasure of seeing him on stage in Waiting for Godot too, which was delightful (well, maybe not the best word for the play, but you know).
techteach00 2 hours ago [-]
It absolutely sucks to be a millennial (me) because literally everyone I love in music and culture came of age in the 70s-90s and they're all dying. Ozzy was awful for me. But over the next decade, it's only going to get worse.
I was more of a Shatner movies Star Trek kid but I remember watching The Next Generation when it first came out and liked it. RIP to a legend.
rootusrootus 1 hours ago [-]
Huh, I would have said Star Trek TNG (and the movies, frankly) was more of a Gen X thing, if we have to pick generations. TNG started when I was 12.
jjkaczor 52 minutes ago [-]
As a "Gen X" kid - basically sooo many channels had the original series on, that it was a constant background absorption.
So - when TNG began airing, I would have been about 15 - right squarely in the perfect formative timeframe - it was "ours" more so than the original series ever was.
n42 2 hours ago [-]
I mean, I get it, but there's nothing unique to millennials about your role model generation dying off
Foobar8568 1 hours ago [-]
The 70s-90s was basically the boom of international stars, with a highly limited media ventures, so everyone with a TV would be aware of them, at least in the western world.
From 2000s, culture has been more diluted across the medias.
scottyah 1 hours ago [-]
Just that it is mostly uniquely millennials right now... Sure every generation gets their time, but their comment is about whose time it is now
techteach00 2 hours ago [-]
I happen to think Western music and culture peaked through those 3 decades though. I'm talking more film, TV and music not literature.
So it's the passing of real talent without replacement. I think we live in a pretty dead culture now. Just my opinion of course.
kakacik 1 hours ago [-]
No its pretty bad and shallow, more money in the worse it is.
But if you dont know any better I guess its fine
dualvariable 1 hours ago [-]
TIL that GenX never watched Star Trek or listened to Ozzy...
One of the things I particularly liked is that he admits to the mistakes he made, and the times when he wasn't the human being he strived to be.
drannex 2 hours ago [-]
Oh. This is going to affect me more than or nearly as hard as George Carlin passing back in '08 did. This is a horrible year.
choult 1 hours ago [-]
Both myself and my wife were in floods of tears at the news. Walter Koenig's passing earlier this week was sad, but this is a whole other level.
Sir Patrick, my captain, you will be sorely missed.
theletterf 1 hours ago [-]
My first memory of his incredible voice is King Richard (and the narrator's voice) from Lands of Lore. He added something unique to every project he touched.
qingcharles 1 hours ago [-]
Not only one of the nicest celebrities I've ever met, but one of the nicest people. His memory for people he met and minor details about them was fantastic. As absolutely as charming in real life as you could imagine.
ivankelly 2 hours ago [-]
He’s finally seen everything
moishe_syzslak 41 minutes ago [-]
He got on his bike and rode off...
corvad 59 minutes ago [-]
Seize the time… Live now! Make now always the most precious time. Now will never come again. - Jean-Luc Picard may he rest in peace.
ChrisMarshallNY 1 hours ago [-]
One of my favorite CDs, is Arnie Roth's The Compleat Four Seasons, narrated by Sir Patrick[0].
Vivaldi's poetry ... left something to be desired (think Vogon), but Patrick Stewart made it noble.
His voice work in Nausicaa was perhaps the first time I’d heard of him.
karmicthreat 15 minutes ago [-]
I will always remember him for his role in gun men
glouwbug 10 minutes ago [-]
Was great in Oblivion. RIP
zuInnp 31 minutes ago [-]
He will always be "my" captain. The one I grew up with watching re-runs on television with my mother. Rest in peace.
WalterBright 1 hours ago [-]
I recall recognizing him as a Roman soldier in "I, Claudius".
uolmir 1 hours ago [-]
I was scanning the comments for someone to mention this. I, Claudius is a great show and for the many people who mainly know Stewart from Star Trek, his character is a very fun contrast from Picard.
JKCalhoun 46 minutes ago [-]
"I, Claudius" (1976) had a number of excellent actors in it—many of them no longer with us. Most (if not all) of the 12 parts are on YouTube and/or archive.org.
(Highly recommended.)
jandrese 39 minutes ago [-]
Or with his battle pug in Dune.
obahareth 29 minutes ago [-]
He was so influential and his performances truly changed my life for the better. He will be sorely missed.
alexandre_m 21 minutes ago [-]
Very talented actor.
Extremely sad day for the geeks in us. Good bye professor X.
rcarmo 28 minutes ago [-]
Damn. And me here typing "make it so" to AI agents instead of re-watching TNG.
Let me go and fix that.
jamesgill 42 minutes ago [-]
He's not really dead, as long as we remember him.
drumhead 1 hours ago [-]
Sir Patricks portrayal of Picard created one of the great characters in fiction. How many of us were influenced by his decency, values and morality, Picard will always be an all time classic. Very sad to hear of his death, a genuinely great actor and all round good person.
astral_drama 1 hours ago [-]
Thanks for entertaining us and bringing stories to life for all these years Patrick. May you boldly go where no man has gone before.
corvad 43 minutes ago [-]
"And that is what it is to be human. To make yourself more than you are." - Jean-Luc Picard
Grimeton 24 minutes ago [-]
#!/usr/bin/env bash
echo $'\U1F596'
boyander 47 minutes ago [-]
Rest in peace, i've enjoyed so much his acting. He will always be attached to my childhood memories.
onemoresoop 1 hours ago [-]
:( Rip Patrick Steward. I grew up watching TNG and Captain Picard has imprinted in my memory.
game_the0ry 1 hours ago [-]
Star Trek: First Contact is one of my favorite movies of all time. Probably on my top 5. That generation of Start Trek (pun intended) was so under rated.
33 minutes ago [-]
aliasxneo 2 hours ago [-]
Still remember being a small kid running around the house as my dad had TNG playing on the TV. Patrick was pretty formative in the early years for me.
I also really liked him in a Christmas Carrol (1999). I thought he played the role really well.
eska 2 hours ago [-]
I often referred to him as an example of a humble Gentleman. Rest in peace sir
Parka2574 51 minutes ago [-]
Captain Jean Luc Picard was a father-like figure to me. Patrick Stewart will be missed.
sim04ful 1 hours ago [-]
His performance in TNG was so great it left such an impression on adult me. So much so I tend to end my AI agent approvals with "Make it so number 1"
t1234s 40 minutes ago [-]
I enjoyed his character in the Showtime series Blunt Talk
scosman 1 hours ago [-]
O captain, my captain
drybjed 57 minutes ago [-]
O Captain, My Captain!
ale 2 hours ago [-]
Time to cue the Extras outtakes with Gervais. Stewart was effing funny
tumdum_ 1 hours ago [-]
So sad, TNG was very big part of my childhood.
kuberwastaken 2 hours ago [-]
This is actually so sad, I watched Star Trek to get out of the covid blues in lockdown and was genuinely amazed how much of it held up, RIP.
thisisthenewme 1 hours ago [-]
Damn, made me unexpectedly sad. RIP. Loved the philosophy and his acting in Star Trek.
catalinjrj 39 minutes ago [-]
He will be missed. Rest in peace, Captain.
2 hours ago [-]
andromaton 21 minutes ago [-]
proud we collectively deem this site-relevant
V__ 1 hours ago [-]
I don't knwo why but I was sure he would live to be much older... He will be missed.
liuliu 2 hours ago [-]
I enjoyed the first two seasons of Star Trek: Picard. Always knew this might happen some day, but always wished it can keep going.
UltraSane 2 hours ago [-]
Really? I consider the second season of Star Trek: Picard to be one of the worst seasons of TV ever made.
liuliu 1 hours ago [-]
Might be the first then? I cannot remember. I disliked the last part of the story line, but not sure if that is the season 3 or season 2 + 3.
unethical_ban 1 hours ago [-]
Season 1 had a great premise with some missed expectations around the significance of some plot elements. Season 2 was exceedingly "meh", with an exception for the end of the last episode which made me tear up. Season 3 was pure memberberries, and if you accept that then it is fun.
1 hours ago [-]
altairprime 1 hours ago [-]
Here is not the time and place. Find something nice or mean to say about Picard’s actor or don’t, but don’t be That Guy who picks a fight with someone’s eulogy over a difference of subjective opinion.
MPSimmons 2 hours ago [-]
<3
It was inevitable, though you always hope for an exception. I don't think I've ever seen any work of his I didn't deeply appreciate.
hsuduebc2 2 hours ago [-]
"All good things must come to an end". Loved the Next Generation, loved Picard.
RIP captain.
I can still hear the voice: "Space: the final frontier. These are the voyages of the starship Enterprise. Its continuing mission: to explore strange new worlds, to seek out new life and new civilizations, to boldly go where no one has gone before."
narrator 1 hours ago [-]
My favorite episode of TNG was the one where Q shows him what his life would be like if he had just been a mild mannered scientist and not taken risks and never ended up in command. “Tapestry” — Star Trek: The Next Generation, Season 6, Episode 15, originally aired February 15, 1993.
platevoltage 18 minutes ago [-]
Just as I'm in the middle of watching Picard Season 1.
izolate 2 hours ago [-]
The post title alone elevated my cortisol levels. As a fan of TNG, I was dreading this one. RIP.
voy 52 minutes ago [-]
I am with you, it was the same for me and still when it happened, it made me cry. And I don't cry for celebrities, ever.
alansaber 1 hours ago [-]
Wow, RIP. Had no idea he was sick.
tkdb 25 minutes ago [-]
THERE. ARE. FOUR. LIGHTS.
I'll never forget this line, and what it means. I think of it often.
gigatexal 10 minutes ago [-]
noooooooooo sad day
more of us men should be like him and who he was and what he stood for
danaris 43 minutes ago [-]
"Someone once told me that time was a predator that stalked us all our lives. I’d rather believe that time is a companion who goes with us on the journey and allows us to cherish every moment...because they’ll never come again."
~ Capt. Jean-Luc Picard, Star Trek: Generations
soulofmischief 22 minutes ago [-]
What can you not say about a man like this. Beloved by all and someone to look up to on and off the screen. Many of us grew up learning from and laughing with Sir Patrick Stewart and his characters. He was an actor's actor, committed to his roles.
No being is so important that he can usurp the rights of another, but yesterday we lost someone very important.
xvxvx 32 minutes ago [-]
‘Damage report!’
semperos 23 minutes ago [-]
Engage.
stetrain 2 hours ago [-]
I have been meaning to start a rewatch of TNG, I guess now is the time.
calf 2 hours ago [-]
Progressive neurological diseases suck. I would like to understand though since Stewart was filming up until this year? What was the time frame like, was it a more sudden onset or was he able to manage somewhat while continuing to film and work?
georgemcbay 1 hours ago [-]
> Progressive neurological diseases suck.
Absolutely.
> I would like to understand though since Stewart was filming up until this year? What was the time frame like, was it a more sudden onset or was he able to manage somewhat while continuing to film and work?
AFAIK, his last role as a film actor was in Doomsday, which comes out in December 2026 but filmed late last year. The timeline does seem incredibly quick for a natural death from Alzheimer's disease and Lewy body dementia if he wasn't somehow secretly and very effectively hiding it for the past near-decade.
I suspect (but obviously don't know) that he may have checked out on his own terms rather than literally dying due to the disease progression. I understand why people don't like to talk about it, especially given legal issues faced by anyone who may have assisted in many jurisdictions.
In California it can be legal to assist but technically only if a doctor decides you will live less than 6 months, which IMO is an awfully narrow requirement. I wish people could be more open about it (and that the laws weren't so stupid).
In any case, shocking and sad news. I never would have guessed we'd lose Patrick Stewart before William Shatner. 86 isn't exactly young or anything, but he seemed to still be incredibly vibrant in very recent productions.
1 hours ago [-]
petervandijck 2 hours ago [-]
I remember his Covid time videos in prospect park those made me happy
motohagiography 53 minutes ago [-]
He played one of the most exemplary men of the last century, and brought life to an ideal of what humanity could aspire to be. The fiction was a vehicle, and through it he represented our best.
I didn't know anything about him other than his
work, which is perhaps as fine an epitaph as any man could have.
freecodeio 2 hours ago [-]
the man who got me into star trek which then got me into computers which got me where I am today, that's extremely sad
jh00ker 52 minutes ago [-]
*Sir Patrick Stewart
34 minutes ago [-]
parenthesis 50 minutes ago [-]
He is The Picard.
__xor_eax_eax 2 hours ago [-]
Lost a great one.
throwaway29303 52 minutes ago [-]
Godspeed. ;~;7
elpocko 41 minutes ago [-]
But it was too late. I've seen everything.
moebrowne 53 minutes ago [-]
Make it not so
ExMachina73 2 hours ago [-]
Pour one out for Leondegrance.
michaelsbradley 45 minutes ago [-]
In our hearts, you will always live long and prosper, Captain.
Watching Star Trek TNG episodes when they first aired in the late 80s had a powerful effect on my imagination as a child. It would not, and could not, have been the same show without Patrick Stewart. RIP.
gspr 2 hours ago [-]
There dies part of my childhood. RIP, you gave the world so much!
orionblastar 2 hours ago [-]
RIP Patrick Stewart, he will always be Picard and Xavier to me.
louwrentius 46 minutes ago [-]
I have (re)watched Star Trek TNG more times than I can remember. I got a shock when I saw the title of this post.
cobbzilla 2 hours ago [-]
Make it NOT so
RIP a legend
teaearlgraycold 47 minutes ago [-]
One of the celebrity deaths I actually care about. Rest in peace.
ktallett 2 hours ago [-]
That's terribly sad news. From his brilliant performances in TNG to his hilarious performance in Extras he was such an amazing actor who brought kindness and warmth to me whenever I watched him in anything. He introduced me to the magic of Shakespeare and also to the magic of being authentic and kind no matter how successful you are. A real British legend!
ashton314 2 hours ago [-]
I commend you to the stars
r0b05 1 hours ago [-]
RIP Professor X
digitalsushi 1 hours ago [-]
a thing isn't beautiful because it lasts
card_zero 32 minutes ago [-]
There are also many other irrelevant parameters. A thing isn't beautiful because it's pressurized, biodegradable, scheduled, dusty, reversed, volatile, modular, or rubber. However, beautiful things should last, because that would be better.
Wait, was that a Picard quote, in fact? It has the right tone. (Nope, looks like it's from Age of Ultron.)
MrBuddyCasino 54 minutes ago [-]
In Tinker Tailor Soldier Spy (1979), Patrick Stewart has a short appearance near the very end as soviet KGB mastermind Karla.
Never have I seen such presence and charisma squeezed into so short a scene.
nurettin 56 minutes ago [-]
Honorable mention: thanks to red letter media for keeping the memory alive. And for being dorky and entertaining.
prossercj 1 hours ago [-]
Am I the only one who regularly tells Claude to "make it so"?
RIP
teddyh 2 hours ago [-]
Plays a melancholy melody on a flute
teekert 1 hours ago [-]
Profound shock.
I often think of Picard looking down at us, through a force field in the Enterprise D, sees our wars, our inequalities and slowly shakes his head: "Savages". In his role as Picard he was a bit of a teacher to me.
samgranieri 43 minutes ago [-]
I grew up watching this show. I watched it with my dad. I'm bereft right now.
pavlov 1 hours ago [-]
I would watch some TNG tonight in his honor… but since the Ellisons bought Paramount, it’s not available on streaming in my country anymore. (Billionaires really will spoil everything.)
Instead I’ll go find my old DVD box set of “I, Claudius” where he had a memorable role too.
browningstreet 1 hours ago [-]
RIP.
1 hours ago [-]
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testing22321 2 hours ago [-]
Damn. Doomsday may be his last appearance. I wonder if they filmed anything for secret wars.
Wow, what a loss. So many iconic characters, so much inspirational
groestl 2 hours ago [-]
:(
stuartd 1 hours ago [-]
make it not so
pluc 1 hours ago [-]
Paywall for an obituary is something else
sirmike_ 1 hours ago [-]
[Flagged]
minraws 1 hours ago [-]
sigh.. damn I just started star trek.
nurettin 59 minutes ago [-]
I rewatched tng 4 times and I was skeptical of strange new worlds but I just watched s2e3 and mind = blown. I couldn't believe that was an episode from a series. Recommended.
We announce with great sorrow the passing of Sir Patrick Stewart yesterday at his home in Los Angeles, in the loving care of his beloved wife Sunny, following a brief and poignant journey with Alzheimer's Disease and Lewy Body Dementia. He has been held in the warm embrace of family and friends, surrounded by live music, prayer, tears, laughter, and the kind of profound emotion that only he could inspire after a lifetime of devotion to us all. We will forever cherish the peaceful ease and reflection on his face, an enduring reminder of his invincible grace.
A son of Mirfield in the West Riding of Yorkshire, he travelled from the Royal Shakespeare Company to an equally acclaimed career spanning six decades on Broadway, the silver screen and television.
His sonorous voice and singular talent will forever be synonymous with indelible performances in every genre. He explored the human condition in all its poetic complexity and brought hope not only to the far reaches of the Marvel Cinematic Universe, but into science fiction's most iconic final frontier aboard the Starship Enterprise.
His professional accomplishments were humbly matched by his philanthropy and activism on behalf of human rights, survivors of domestic violence, global refugees, veterans' mental health services, and animal welfare, particularly his cherished foster pitties. He was a Knight, Chancellor, motor sport enthusiast, and lifelong Huddersfield Football fan. He will be remembered for the dignity, compassion and humanity he brought to every role - in his art and life.
"Like me, Jean-Luc has lived an unusual life that has taken him far beyond the bounds of normal human experience. But he is also someone who has remained true to his earthbound roots, for they are what gave him his identity. In the end, he feels the call of home, as do I."
- Patrick Stewart, Making It So: A Memoir
In lieu of flowers, memorial contributions may be made to:
He wasn't an engineer or scientist but I'd wager a majority of the readership of HN, at least those over 35 or so, grew up inspired by Capt. Jean-Luc Picard.
tomhow 2 hours ago [-]
The convention over the two decades of HN has been to reserve the black bar for eminent contributors to computer science and technology entrepreneurship. That's not at all to diminish the merit of people from other fields. Appeals for/debates about the black bar are unseemly, so let's leave it here please.
seggesgesg 1 hours ago [-]
i love how this is top news here because of what, star trek?
officeplant 57 minutes ago [-]
No we all have a deep appreciation for Shakespearean actors.
etc-hosts 45 minutes ago [-]
Boooo
Markoff 41 minutes ago [-]
nerds gonna nerd
georgemcbay 57 minutes ago [-]
> i love how this is top news here because of what, star trek?
Yes, mostly.
Star Trek (particularly, but not only, TNG) was seminal sci-fi entertainment in the childhood, teen or young adult eras for many now-40+ nerds who went on to work in tech.
Patrick Stewart has done a lot of other great work as well, and should be remembered for that, but his role as Picard in Star Trek: TNG makes him highly relevant to this site.
jendndndnd 55 minutes ago [-]
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1 hours ago [-]
jekdkdkd 53 minutes ago [-]
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dspillett 47 minutes ago [-]
Same as I said about Walter:
Nah, it's SciFi. They'll find a way of writing them back in. Won't they?
I also want to mention his hilarious role as bullock in American dad, the way he takes a role both so seriously and ridiculously makes him so fantastically hilarious.
I love him and will miss him.
Really high quality writing for its time.
[1] https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=nlnZKTXKidU
The original Star Trek was Roddenberry's vision of utopia. The benevolent dictator always makes the right decisions. He's surrounded by his loyal band of perfect lieutenants, who apparently have zero desire to advance, and have no flaws at all. Any and all of them are willing to sacrifice themselves for the others. None do anything bad (unless it's a plot device with an explanation that absolves them).
Don't get me wrong, I've enjoyed watching ST very much. Just keep in mind that that it's a fiction.
It was actually quite pleasing to see the subplot of them them repeatedly failing until they got out of their predicament by other means.
It's a rarity to see something like that in fiction.
(That one, at least, has Geordi literally saying, "that's impossible", but comes up with a solution. Apologies if that's not the one you're thinking of.)
The clips that the channel puts out... are... let's say interestingly timed.
https://www.youtube.com/@TheWestWing
For example, https://youtu.be/LwNtZgLPCpg was posted 13 days ago (October 16th).
The best dialog ever:
Lawyer: Mr Spock, I understand you know something about computers?
Spock: I know all about them.
Always makes me laugh.
Whereas Voyager, which was written after Roddenberrys passing, leaned heavily into inter-crew disputes.
I have a feeling this might be no small part in why TOS and TNG are the two ST series that contain 90% of the "only comes up once" sci-fi plots / concepts / worldbuilding that people ever make reference to when talking about "things from Star Trek" rather than when talking about Star Trek. TOS and TNG, while definitely soft sci-fi, were to some degree trying to create 22-minute-long works of literary Speculative Fiction, modelled after the sort of things you'd read in serial SF magazines of the 1950s. Later ST series are emphatically not that, and nor do they try to be.
But as you said, I think it ends up with a higher quality show.
The difference was that rather than turn it into soap opera porn, the characters actually tried to behave professionally (most of the time).
• DS9 only had a little soap-opera drama, serving as almost a kind of fanservice sprinkled judiciously into otherwise-thematic B-plots.
• VOY had more, with entire B-plots of episodes now being character-focused, including a few arcs that would have worked just as well if transplanted into some modern-age military drama with no SF elements.
• Drama-as-the-A-plot episodes were appearing by ENT.
(After that I stopped watching, but I've heard the trend has just continued from there.)
An annoying facet of ST episodes is the morality lessons they push, like on every episode of The Brady Bunch.
It’s nice to watch something that highlights the best of humanity in a future setting.
Almost everything else in SciFi is dystopian. But ST is a rarity. And it’s all the more beautiful for it.
Picard viewed the power of leadership as, foremost, a responsibility. Every action was careful, deliberate, and well advised. Some later Trek shows (e.g. Voyager) turned captains into geniuses who knew more about everything than all of their underlings. Picard was not an expert in most things and needed his staff to advise him. Once he knew the options and consequences, he shouldered the responsibility of the outcomes, but as a leader of a crew, not a genius with compatible lackeys and minions around him. It was a realistic take on leadership that simply doesn't appear often in television or movies.
Stewart, of course, was not Picard. It's too easy to conflate actors with their roles. However, actors do often help shape their characters, and Stewart's ability to give a thoughtful, diplomatic, and prudent character such incredible power and presence is likely what made Picard possible. The showrunners didn't need to strap a phaser to his thigh and drop him into every away mission to make him compelling because of what Stewart was able to accomplish as an actor sitting behind a desk.
[0] https://youtube.com/@theartofstorytelling1
Roddenberry was after someone younger. There’s even a casting show reel of Stewart wearing a toupee and speaking with a very bad French accent.
Basically the reverse of mirror universe meme.
I see him in this episode:
https://m.youtube.com/watch?v=xA6QbwPGlgk
I've read both Suetonius and Tacitus on the subject of Augustus and the Julio-Claudian dynasty:
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Julio-Claudian_dynasty
Those who lack this family knowledge would want to start with the first episode of I, Claudius.
https://youtu.be/yZ3ityRPQp8
The episode is classic sitcom "wrong conclusion escalates out of hands" so I highly recommend watching it in full instead of the clips but if it's not on your streaming platform, Stewart's scenes are cut together in
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=4LDnGJcDglw
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ZhGQgbXWo4I
Ever since I watched it, I half jokingly suggested that it should be a mandatory watch before you're allowed to join the workforce.
Don't forget he voiced the Poop emoji in that movie. If only we could tell his younger, Shakespeare-acting, self.
Incidentally, this is one of those times when the comment section of YouTube becomes the most wholesome place on the net.
https://www.audible.com/pd/Patrick-Stewart-Performs-the-Comp...
https://youtu.be/tSukMQHQLIs?t=172
To be an actor of that level, yet still have so much fun in American Dad! is so cool. He will be greatly missed.
Good startup advice. Good life advice.
You're the captain sir, you're entitled
Hmmm, I'm entitied to ramble on about something everyone knows
Captain Jean-Luc Picard of the USS Enterprise
Captain Jean-Luc Picard of the USS Enterprise
Make make make make it so
Good life advice as well
Anyway, it's a sad day, but I do appreciate that both his work and the influence he's had on people like me live on.
Some of the best television ever made if you ask me.
I was surprised by how many of my friends considered the character 'hot'; on paper, one would expect young people to write him off as a balding goody-two-shoes.
To have a character whose main traits included compassion and reason was a good influence on my generation of men.
My condolences.
I've got fond memories of visiting in the summers as a kid and watching TNG episodes he'd taped on VHS.
He was host at an academy awards event for technical achievement a few years back. Usually they send some random actor who jokes about how nerdy everything is. Having Patrick Stewart there was very popular he was 'one of us' even though he said himself he knew very little about tech. Had a chance to talk to him a bit afterwards and got to tell him how well appreciated he was by that audience. Gracious and funny, exactly how you might imagine he would be.
A sad loss.
His performance (as well as how the character was written) still today illustrate what I view as an ideal male archetype. Fair, honest, in control of his emotions yet passionate. Thank you for the gift your performance has given me Mr Stewart. My life would likely have turned out a lot worse without a solid example of that a good man could be
I hope our current environment is one that can elevate someone of similar talents to an equivalent stature, but I worry our media is not up to the task.
When I think of our civilization, the Ressikan Flute often comes to mind.
Pour one out. https://picard.ytmnd.com/
Star Trek TNG + Captain Picard acted as a male role model, a different moral philosophy, and a celebration of nerdy people as competent and important in the world
Lewy body dementia was what Robin Williams had but they didn't discover until after his death and I guess he was misdiagnosed during life.
https://lewybodyresourcecenter.org/robin-williams-lewy-body-...
Rest in peace captain :(
That page talks about what to do if somebody with LBD is thinking about suicide. After seeing what that disease does, interfering with those plans seems inhumane to me.
I watched a parent die of LBD.
After that experience, I'd also be inclined to go with "let them" as the most-correct solution to that particular dilemma.
And to think he was filming Picard just a few years ago.
Shatner is doing remarkably well for 95 years of age, I saw him performing with a band at a rock show just this summer!
Oh, any links?
"Seeking Major Tom" might be of interest to you.
Google sez:
William Shatner’s heavy metal album, titled What the F Is Heavy Metal?, does not have an exact release date yet, though it is tentatively scheduled for winter 2026 or 2027 via Cleopatra Records.
Album Details
• Title: What the F Is Heavy Metal? • Band Name: The *uckers • Expected Release: Winter 2026 / 2027 • Label: Cleopatra Records • Format & Content: Features a mix of original tracks and heavy metal/hard rock covers (including Black Sabbath, Iron Maiden, Judas Priest, Metallica, and Ozzy Osbourne). • Notable Collaborators: Rob Halford, Tony Iommi, Zakk Wylde, Brian May, and Dave Lombardo, among dozens of other rock and metal musicians. • Live Debut: Shatner and his band debuted songs from the project live at Riot Fest in Chicago in September 2026. • William Shatner on Instagram Ladies, gentlemen, SWs fans… I have explored space. I have explored time. Now… I explore distortion. Yes. You read that correctl... • USA Today William Shatner debuts heavy metal band at age 95 At 95, William Shatner is starting a heavy metal band Greta Cross USA TODAY Sept. 17, 2026Updated Sept. 18, 2026, 9:14 a.m. ET Wil...
It's really enticing to think that there's some nice controllable reason why some people live longer (assuming you don't smoke, do drugs to excess, etc.) but really it's mostly genetics and chance.
I visited a cardiologist today, who has seen thousands of patients. He remarked that two big factors in staving off heart disease are staying slim and long term aerobic exercise.
Those two factors are under one's control.
(Nobody said it was easy, though.)
These seem within one’s agency.
We may not live long enough to know who wins.
Shakespeare effectively changed his life, and it's incredible to think that you could map everything he did and his success to his love of the bard.
If I had to take a lesson from his life, it's to have something you love, even if it isn't trendy (especially if it isn't) because most good things flow from that.
Godspeed, captain.
This was a person who from a relatively young age looked old, but more importantly behaved with a sort of dignity and thoughtfulness that projected way beyond his years. I'm not really sure how to assimilate the news because on the one hand obviously this was going to be happening sooner or later. He has always just felt old. But on the other, he's felt old for my whole life, so why shouldn't he just continue on that way without bound.
Edit: Oh man, I can't believe I'm crying at work over an actor.
(I looked up the original script, it’s “Kiazi’s children. Their faces wet.” But I’m gratified that you knew what I meant.)
William Shatner was just on earlier this month, incredible he's still going strong at 95.
I didn't bother him, as much as we both wanted to (he looked busy), what struck me was how casual Sir Patrick Stewart was in his faded sweatshirt talking to some awestruck kid and his mom.
It might of been Im not sure, not the case? But perhaps against a white wall it was clear we were the only ones standing for the performance and in turn it felt he was performing for us. It just felt like that.
I ofcourse have no idea if he was just looking in our general direction but it weirdly felt like it and I thought it was kind.
Ive never had such a "he was doing it for us" self centered view of any other performance Ive ever been to, but I always remembered this, and like to believe it was true.
The play itself was about him being an old dying forgetful man. It was so convincing I somehow left thinking that surely he was but ofcourse it was just excellent acting.
But he start losing his hair at 17 and really struggled with it. A turning point came when a friend (a Hungarian judo black belt) and his wife wrestled him down and physically cut off his toupée with scissors.
His agent even had him do the Star Trek audition in a wig, but luckily the crew had better ideas.
https://www.facebook.com/teamcoco/videos/sir-patrick-stewart...
You might also have missed https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ptfmAY6M6aA
I met Patrick when we organized a Star Trek convention. He was even kinder and gentler in person than in his role as Picard.
I’ll be re-watching The Inner Light in his honor tonight.
1. The Drumhead
2. Tapestry
3. The Inner Light
4. Chain of Command
5. Darmok
I know a lot of people would put "Family" on that list, I just can't say I enjoy that one too much. I also like his dialogue in "Yesterday's Enterprise", but I wouldn't call it a Picard-focused one.
He really was able to translate the literature to acting relevance for me (as a lit person)
Really enjoyed his stuff. Always enjoyed that he could do both the grand and the silly with equal aplomb.
He was a wonderful actor and by all accounts a wonderful person.
This must have gone largely unnoticed... all but 35 comments here on HN spread out of 11 articles reporting on his passing. Sad.
See: https://www.youtube.com/shorts/phwFI-n-big
Now cheer up me lads, t’is better to have loved and lost, than never have loved at all.
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=AZn6c4CeJCc [The one on Pogo’s channel doesn’t include clips of Stewart, just his voice. This is a reupload of the original]
Never too late to do the other thing. Keep going.
I was more of a Shatner movies Star Trek kid but I remember watching The Next Generation when it first came out and liked it. RIP to a legend.
So - when TNG began airing, I would have been about 15 - right squarely in the perfect formative timeframe - it was "ours" more so than the original series ever was.
From 2000s, culture has been more diluted across the medias.
So it's the passing of real talent without replacement. I think we live in a pretty dead culture now. Just my opinion of course.
But if you dont know any better I guess its fine
One of the things I particularly liked is that he admits to the mistakes he made, and the times when he wasn't the human being he strived to be.
Sir Patrick, my captain, you will be sorely missed.
Vivaldi's poetry ... left something to be desired (think Vogon), but Patrick Stewart made it noble.
[0] https://open.spotify.com/album/024X8FW18wEjWTwiHjcSrR
(Highly recommended.)
Extremely sad day for the geeks in us. Good bye professor X.
Let me go and fix that.
echo $'\U1F596'
I also really liked him in a Christmas Carrol (1999). I thought he played the role really well.
It was inevitable, though you always hope for an exception. I don't think I've ever seen any work of his I didn't deeply appreciate.
I can still hear the voice: "Space: the final frontier. These are the voyages of the starship Enterprise. Its continuing mission: to explore strange new worlds, to seek out new life and new civilizations, to boldly go where no one has gone before."
I'll never forget this line, and what it means. I think of it often.
more of us men should be like him and who he was and what he stood for
~ Capt. Jean-Luc Picard, Star Trek: Generations
No being is so important that he can usurp the rights of another, but yesterday we lost someone very important.
Absolutely.
> I would like to understand though since Stewart was filming up until this year? What was the time frame like, was it a more sudden onset or was he able to manage somewhat while continuing to film and work?
AFAIK, his last role as a film actor was in Doomsday, which comes out in December 2026 but filmed late last year. The timeline does seem incredibly quick for a natural death from Alzheimer's disease and Lewy body dementia if he wasn't somehow secretly and very effectively hiding it for the past near-decade.
I suspect (but obviously don't know) that he may have checked out on his own terms rather than literally dying due to the disease progression. I understand why people don't like to talk about it, especially given legal issues faced by anyone who may have assisted in many jurisdictions.
In California it can be legal to assist but technically only if a doctor decides you will live less than 6 months, which IMO is an awfully narrow requirement. I wish people could be more open about it (and that the laws weren't so stupid).
In any case, shocking and sad news. I never would have guessed we'd lose Patrick Stewart before William Shatner. 86 isn't exactly young or anything, but he seemed to still be incredibly vibrant in very recent productions.
I didn't know anything about him other than his work, which is perhaps as fine an epitaph as any man could have.
Watching Star Trek TNG episodes when they first aired in the late 80s had a powerful effect on my imagination as a child. It would not, and could not, have been the same show without Patrick Stewart. RIP.
RIP a legend
Wait, was that a Picard quote, in fact? It has the right tone. (Nope, looks like it's from Age of Ultron.)
Never have I seen such presence and charisma squeezed into so short a scene.
RIP
I often think of Picard looking down at us, through a force field in the Enterprise D, sees our wars, our inequalities and slowly shakes his head: "Savages". In his role as Picard he was a bit of a teacher to me.
Instead I’ll go find my old DVD box set of “I, Claudius” where he had a memorable role too.
Wow, what a loss. So many iconic characters, so much inspirational
instead: https://archive.is/sTC3D
Rest in peace, Picard.
non-x Alt text:
We announce with great sorrow the passing of Sir Patrick Stewart yesterday at his home in Los Angeles, in the loving care of his beloved wife Sunny, following a brief and poignant journey with Alzheimer's Disease and Lewy Body Dementia. He has been held in the warm embrace of family and friends, surrounded by live music, prayer, tears, laughter, and the kind of profound emotion that only he could inspire after a lifetime of devotion to us all. We will forever cherish the peaceful ease and reflection on his face, an enduring reminder of his invincible grace.
A son of Mirfield in the West Riding of Yorkshire, he travelled from the Royal Shakespeare Company to an equally acclaimed career spanning six decades on Broadway, the silver screen and television.
His sonorous voice and singular talent will forever be synonymous with indelible performances in every genre. He explored the human condition in all its poetic complexity and brought hope not only to the far reaches of the Marvel Cinematic Universe, but into science fiction's most iconic final frontier aboard the Starship Enterprise.
His professional accomplishments were humbly matched by his philanthropy and activism on behalf of human rights, survivors of domestic violence, global refugees, veterans' mental health services, and animal welfare, particularly his cherished foster pitties. He was a Knight, Chancellor, motor sport enthusiast, and lifelong Huddersfield Football fan. He will be remembered for the dignity, compassion and humanity he brought to every role - in his art and life.
"Like me, Jean-Luc has lived an unusual life that has taken him far beyond the bounds of normal human experience. But he is also someone who has remained true to his earthbound roots, for they are what gave him his identity. In the end, he feels the call of home, as do I." - Patrick Stewart, Making It So: A Memoir
In lieu of flowers, memorial contributions may be made to:
Johns Hopkins Alzheimer’s Disease Research Center Fund https://alzresearch.org/giving/
Alzheimer’s Foundation of America Caregiver Resources https://alzfdn.org/donate/
He wasn't an engineer or scientist but I'd wager a majority of the readership of HN, at least those over 35 or so, grew up inspired by Capt. Jean-Luc Picard.
Yes, mostly.
Star Trek (particularly, but not only, TNG) was seminal sci-fi entertainment in the childhood, teen or young adult eras for many now-40+ nerds who went on to work in tech.
Patrick Stewart has done a lot of other great work as well, and should be remembered for that, but his role as Picard in Star Trek: TNG makes him highly relevant to this site.
Nah, it's SciFi. They'll find a way of writing them back in. Won't they?