Only Patrick Stewart made a specific kind of Star Trek history with Star Trek: Picard, thereby proving the greatness of his signature character, Jean-Luc Picard. Stewart passed away at 86 on October 28, 2026. What Stewart left behind was a legacy unmatched in Star Trek that will resonate into the 24th century and beyond.
Following the success of Star Trek: Discovery, Paramount+ gave executive producer Alex Kurtzman a mandate to make more Star Trek series. Naturally, the top priority was coaxing Sir Patrick Stewart to return as Jean-Luc Picard, whom he last played in 2002’s Star Trek: Nemesis. Stewart’s Picard comeback to lead his own yet-unnamed Star Trek series was announced at the 2018 STLV: Trek to Vegas convention to thunderous applause.
Star Trek: Picard ran for three seasons, contractually decided upon by Stewart, who was entering his 80s, and ended on its own accord. Instead of the Star Trek Stage at Pinewood Studios, Toronto, Picard was the only new live-action Star Trek series to film in and around Los Angeles, so that Sir Patrick could be close to home.
While fan response to the first two seasons was mixed, Star Trek: Picard season 3 is not just the best of the series, but largely considered the finest of any Paramount+ Star Trek show.
Patrick Stewart Starred In The Only Star Trek Series Named After His Character
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There are a dozen Star Trek TV series and 14 Star Trek movies (with more on the way), but Patrick Stewart holds an historic record: Star Trek: Picard is the only Star Trek TV show or film named after an iconic character. The magnitude of Jean-Luc Picard in Star Trek lore may also result in Stewart’s record never being broken.
Three Star Trek TV series are named after their hero starships: Star Trek: Voyager, Star Trek: Enterprise (originally simply Enterprise), and Star Trek: Discovery. Star Trek: Prodigy became the fourth by launching the Protostar-class USS Prodigy at the end of season 2. Two Star Trek shows are named after their locations: Star Trek: Deep Space Nine and Star Trek: Starfleet Academy.
Only Jean-Lic Picard stands apart with the name recognition and universal respect to have a series named after him. Evidently, Stewart’s Paramount+ series was always going to be named after Picard. On his podcast, Dropping Names… And Other Things, Jonathan Frakes recalled telling Stewart that his show had to be named “Picard” because of the hard consonant. Either way, Patrick’s show was to be named either “Picard” or “Jean-Luc.”
Looking at Star Trek‘s pantheon of characters, only Captain James T. Kirk and Mr. Spock hold equal stature to Jean-Luc Picard. And it’s not likely that a new TV series will be named after either of them, given Skydance’s plans to take Star Trek in a new direction. Even Strange New Worlds’ proposed Kirk (Paul Wesley) and Spock (Ethan Peck) spinoff would have been named Star Trek: Year One instead of after the Captain and the Vulcan Science Officer.
Why Captain Picard Means So Much To Generations Of Star Trek Fans
Captain Jean-Luc Picard was decidedly different from the Star Trek Captain mold established by William Shatner’s Kirk. This not only gave Star Trek: The Next Generation its own identity, but over time, Patrick Stewart’s Picard redefined what it meant to be a Star Trek Captain. The captains created for the succeeding Star Trek series executive produced by Rick Berman followed Stewart and Picard’s gold standard, not Kirk’s.
Patrick Stewart’s Captain Picard was the kind of leader generations of Star Trek fans didn’t know they wanted or needed until they experienced him. Jean-Luc was a father figure and a stern authority who demanded excellence from his crew and himself. While Picard could be intimidating, he was admirably intelligent, honorable, ethical, compassionate, and wisely sought the counsel of his trusted senior staff before making (the right) decision.
In her Variety tribute to Patrick Stewart, Gates McFadden, who played Dr. Beverly Crusher in Star Trek: The Next Generation and Star Trek: Picard, brilliantly summed up the kind of leader Captain Picard was, and why Jean-Luc continues to resonate:
“What a breath of fresh air to have a leader who cared about the ethics of what he said! The result was eloquence. Seriousness. Intellect. The character of Jean-Luc Picard, which Patrick played brilliantly, was the antithesis of many of our leaders today.”
“What a breath of fresh air to have a leader who cared about the ethics of what he said! The result was eloquence. Seriousness. Intellect. The character of Jean-Luc Picard, which Patrick played brilliantly, was the antithesis of many of our leaders today.”
More than ever, we yearn for leaders whose word we can trust, who will do the right thing, even when it’s difficult, and who will put the betterment of the whole over his own desires.
For 39 years, from Star Trek: The Next Generation to Star Trek: Picard, Patrick Stewart’s Jean-Luc was that leader and never failed at the task. There will never be another Patrick Stewart, and he deserves the honor of being the lone actor with a Star Trek show named after his character.
Star Trek: Picard is streaming on Paramount+
Star Trek: Picard
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