Oct 30, 2026, 12:12 AMWho was that literal white guy? Or the big dude with the lumpy head? Why's that woman wearing a purple dress? And who's the bald man in charge? Because he clearly was in charge. Even as a primary school kid who knew none of these people, there was no question about that whatsoever.
Obviously, I was watching Star Trek: The Next Generation, a show I had no interest in or awareness of.
2/8
Oct 30, 2026, 12:12 AMSo I don't know how or why I spent the next 40 minutes glued to the screen, on tenterhooks, as these creepy cyborgs in a cubic ship threatened to destroy everything. And then they kidnapped the bald boss, and TURNED HIM INTO ONE OF THEM! I don't know if I've ever been so invested into a TV show, before or since.
And then the most horrifying thing appeared on the screen. The words 'To Be Continued'. It was terrestrial TV in the South Wales valleys in the early 1990s.
3/8
Oct 30, 2026, 12:12 AMI had NO CLUE when this show would be back on or if I'd get to see it. But I kept seeking it out even so.
This turned me into a dyed-in-the-wool Trekkie (he said, to the sound of zero surprise), but also is my earliest memory of suddenly liking science, and finding it interesting. All those big complex words, all the technology, all the 'figuring things out', all the questions like 'Could you *really* connect peoples brains through computers?" And this enthusiasm stuck.
4/8
Oct 30, 2026, 12:12 AMAnd so, the course of my life was set.
It's only with his passing that I realise the impact Patrick Stewart, as Picard and beyond, had on me. Remember that he did for the Trek franchise what Robert Downey Jr did for the MCU, and then some. But he was such a powerful, compelling presence on screen, and this was used for good over and over, to deliver many vital messages.
That discussion and dialogue *are* important and impactful, and not boring or pointless.
5/8
Oct 30, 2026, 12:12 AMThat one's principles are more important when it would be easier to abandon them, not less. The profound point that "It is possible to make no mistakes, and still lose". Presenting resorting to violence as a failure to be avoided at all costs, and that it's possible to find common ground with even the completely alien.
6/8
Oct 30, 2026, 12:12 AMAnd Stewart carried this over into reality, by essentially becoming the avatar of positive masculinity, in so many different ways, from passionately advocating for women's rights and against domestic violence, to his meme-generating bromance with this gay bestie. All the more important and impressive when so many others view being a prominent old rich white guy as a blank cheque for being the worst possible human imaginable.
7/8
Oct 30, 2026, 12:12 AMBasically, if anything I've ever done has been of use to you or anyone you value, you can ultimately thank Sir #PatrickStewart for it happening. I've no doubt the same applies to countless others.
Godspeed, my Captain. You made it so.
8/8
@Garwboy I was born in '78, and I remember camping out in front of the TV after school until the TNG pilot came on.
For a geeky British kid, seeing a Brit in charge of a starship relying on intelligence and acumen, rather than a bombastic American leaping over polystyrene rocks to punch aliens in the face before kissing the girl was absolutely transformative.
He'll always be mon capitaine.
Oct 30, 2026, 10:54 AM@xtaldave I think you'll find he was French!!!
But otherwise, yes
@Garwboy La Barre France, via West Yorkshire.
@Garwboy Me too! I was in middle school when TNG premiered and it's where I got my lifelong love of Star Trek.