Patrick Stewart wanted Jean-Luc Picard to embrace his inner action hero in Star Trek: First Contact, and not be burdened by tragedy.
Summary
- Patrick Stewart enjoyed playing an action-hero version of Captain Picard in Star Trek: First Contact after the losses his character suffered in previous film.
- First Contact is widely regarded as the best Star Trek: The Next Generation film, where Picard faces off against the Borg and tries to prevent Earth’s first contact with the Vulcans from being destroyed.
- Picard’s family tragedy is briefly mentioned in Star Trek Generations but doesn’t come up again in later films. First Contact allowed Picard to focus on being heroic and leading the troops, putting aside his psychological issues.
Patrick Stewart enjoyed getting to play the action-hero version of Captain Jean-Luc Picard in Star Trek: First Contact, especially after the losses the character suffered in Star Trek Generations. First Contact is widely regarded as the best of the Star Trek: The Next Generation films, and sees Captain Picard face off against his greatest enemy: the Borg. When the Borg travel back in time and attack the Earth of the past, Picard and his crew must stop them from preventing Earth’s first contact with the Vulcans. Not only did First Contact provide Picard with plenty of big action moments, but the film also introduced a new formidable villain in the Borg Queen (Alice Krige).
In the previous TNG film, Star Trek Generations, Captain Picard learns that his brother and nephew have been killed in a fire, meaning the Picard family line will likely end with him. While this tragedy hangs over Jean-Luc throughout Star Trek Generations, the loss of Picard’s family doesn’t come up again in the later films. In the Star Trek oral history, The Fifty-Year Mission: The Next 25 Years by Mark A. Altman and Edward Gross, Patrick Stewart discusses the more action-oriented Picard of Star Trek: First Contact. Read his quote below:
There were aspects of the previous movie that had left me feeling a little uncomfortable when we’d finished. It was interesting to have that thread in there about the brother and nephew’s death, but it added a slight shadow to Picard over the whole movie. If you’re going to satisfy the function of a character like this, essentially what he has to be first and foremost is heroic. That was in everybody’s mind when this script was in development. You’ve got to put Picard back on the bridge of the Enterprise and have him leading the troops and not somebody having to deal with all kinds of psychological issues. Of course, it then became a Borg story and the demons were immediately present.
Interestingly, according to the Star Trek: The Next Generation Companion, it was Patrick Stewart who suggested that both his brother and nephew be killed off. In the original script, Picard’s brother had a heart attack.
Related
10 Ways Star Trek: First Contact Improved The Franchise
Released to celebrate 30 years of the Star Trek franchise, First Contact laid the groundwork for its next 30 years from Enterprise to Picard.
Jean-Luc Picard Finally Got His Family Legacy In Star Trek: Picard
Picard’s lineage continues with his son, Jack Crusher.
Throughout Star Trek: The Next Generation, Jean-Luc was always adamant that he was not a family man and Picard’s discomfort around children was obvious on several occasions. However, in Star Trek: Picard season 1, Jean-Luc grew softer toward children, forming a particularly special bond with a young Romulan named Elnor (Ian Nunney). Picard’s journey to be more open to the idea of a family continued in Picard season 2, as he confronted his childhood trauma. By the time of Star Trek: Picard season 3, Jean-Luc has not only become closer with his friends, but is also open to the idea of romance.
Dr. Beverly Crusher (Gates McFadden) returns in Star Trek: Picard season 3, with her adult son, Jack Crusher (Ed Speleers), in tow. When Beverly reveals that Picard is Jack’s father, Jean-Luc is reluctant at first to bond with the son he didn’t know he had. But as the season progresses, Jean-Luc and Jack begin to get to know one another. By the end of Picard season 3, Jean-Luc, Beverly, and Jack are seen spending time together, giving Picard a chance at family and a son to carry on his legacy. Star Trek: First Contact may have given Picard the chance to be an action hero, but Star Trek: Picard allowed him to save the day and still embrace his inner family man.
