Jonathan Frakes & Brent Spiner Share Hilarious Patrick Stewart Memories: “F*** The Universe!”

No one knew Patrick Stewart quite like his Star Trek: The Next Generation co-stars, and Brent Spiner and Jonathan Frakes share some great and hilarious stories about their beloved captain and friend.

Sir Patrick Stewart passed away at 86 on October 28, 2026. The worldwide outpouring of sympathy for Stewart from fans and his peers was a reminder of how respected and inspirational he was. Since meeting on the set of Star Trek: The Next Generation in 1987, Stewart, Frakes, Spiner, and their castmates Marina Sirtis, Michael Dorn, Gates McFadden, and LeVar Burton have remained famously close-knit for nearly 40 years.

Jonathan Frakes and Brent Spiner expressed their sympathy for Patrick Stewart on their social media, and the duo released a special compilation about Stewart on their podcast, Dropping Names… And Other Things. Along with several special guests, Spiner and Frakes shared stories of working with Sir Patrick, including Jonathan’s hilarious tale of prepping a scene for Star Trek: The Next Generation when Stewart began bellowing, “F*** the universe!” See the podcast below:

Dropping Names… And Other Things launched in January, and nearly all of Frakes and Spiner’s guests, from LeVar Burton to Dean Devlin to Joel McHale, dropped Patrick Stewart’s name and told stories about working with or spending time with him. One funny tale came from Alan Tudyk, who once fell asleep and woke up to find Stewart hovering over him.

Academy Award-nominated screenwriter John Logan, who wrote Star Trek: Nemesis, described a star-studded dinner he attended that included Patrick Stewart. Star Trek: Picard season 3 showrunner Terry Matalas mocked his “least favorite moment” in Picard, when Brent Spiner, playing Dr. Adam Soong, ran over Stewart’s Admiral Jean-Luc Picard with a car.

Former Star Trek executive producer Rick Berman naturally had many tales to tell about launching Star Trek: The Next Generation, including the famous story of Patrick Stewart auditioning wearing a wig before he won the role of Captain Picard as his natural bald self. One of the highlights of Dropping Names is hearing Brent Spiner’s spot-on impression of Patrick Stewart’s British baritone voice.

Sir Patrick Stewart will never be forgotten, and the measure of the man he was is evident in the warm, touching, and funny stories his friends from Star Trek: The Next Generation and his peers from the acting world share about him.

Star Trek: The Next Generation‘s 7 seasons, movies, and Star Trek: Picard are streaming on Paramount+

Star Trek: The Next Generation