Patrick Stewart can still remember the feedback he got in 1987 when he was offered the chance to first play Captain Jean-Luc Picard in Star Trek: The Next Generation.
RELATED: Deadline Contenders Television 2023 Arrivals & Panels Gallery
“I was advised by people who knew our industry very well that there was little chance that this show, whether I did it or not, was going to be a success,” Stewart recalled Saturday during a panel for Paramount+’s Star Trek: Picard at Deadline’s Contenders Television. “You cannot revive an iconic show like Star Trek, you can’t do it. You’ll be lucky to make it halfway through the season.”
But Stewart relished the idea of coming to California to “get a sun tan and meet some girls.” More importantly, he was about to make some money for the first time in his life “which I had never done. I was a stage actor. I was happy to be working. Based on what I was being advised, that I was not going to complete the first season, I said yes. it’s the smartest thing, except for marrying my American wife, that I have ever made.”
And now Picard will wrap its third and final season this coming Thursday.
RELATED: The Contenders TV – Deadline’s Full Coverage
“We all love one another very much,” Stewart said of the cast. “You can’t be part of this show, even though for 20 years we didn’t make Star Trek, we were away from it for a very long time. It has held on. It’s been strong. That’s a lot of people who are responsible for that. We’ve been very, very lucky with the people writing and directing our shows. It has been extraordinary.”
Produced by CBS Studios in association with Secret Hideout and Roddenberry Entertainment, Terry Matalas is showrunner and exec produces Star Trek: Picard alongside Alex Kurtzman, Stewart, Akiva Goldsman, Heather Kadin, Aaron Baiers, Rod Roddenberry, Trevor Roth, Doug Aarniokoski and Dylan Massin.
RELATED: Contenders Television: 40 Panels Over Two Days Showcasing Buzziest Shows Of Awards Season
Check back Tuesday for the panel video.
Deadline Contenders Television is sponsored by Apple TV+, Coverfly, Eyepetizer, Final Draft, Los Siete Misterios, Michter’s, and Village Roadshow Entertainment. Partners include: Four Seasons Resort Maui, The American Pavilion, Julia Wong Designs and Pampring.
