Patrick Stewart gives an update on Picard’s second season, talks saying goodbye to Data
Patrick Stewart admitted to feeling “braver now” than when he “was much younger,” and discusses the emotional toll Commander Data’s farewell took.
It’s Emmy Awards push season, and with Star Trek: Picard’s successful first season completed, CBS is hoping the popular series will receive several nods. Patrick Stewart has never been nominated for an Emmy for his work on Star Trek: The Next Generation, and it would be lovely to see the acclaimed, knighted actor receive his due for his powerful work on Picard. In fact, the groundbreaking series has only been nominated for one Primetime Emmy.
Patrick Stewart spoke with TNG’s Wil Wheaton during a special “Away Mission” of Wheaton’s after show series The Ready Room.
With the entire first season of Picard now streaming on CBS All Access, Shakespearean actor Stewart reflected on returning to the role that made him famous, and his favorite moments from Picard’s fascinating first season. One scene in particular stood out, saying goodbye to the beloved character of Commander Data, the most poignant moment of the first season for me.
"“We were talking about his life and what he expressed as the one thing that he most missed in his life was knowing that he would die,” said Stewart, according to Comicbook.com. “Because of my relationship with Brent [Spiner], which is very special, as are my relationships with the entire crew of the Enterprise, my principle colleagues, and there was a moment in that scene where I had to stand up out of the chair and prepare to leave the room knowing what I had agreed to do, the last thing I would do to help Data. And I had to turn and say, ‘Goodbye, Commander.’ We did that shot several times because I’d get to my mark and I couldn’t say it because it was just too emotional.“In the scene with Brent, it was also that we’d had such a long and complicated character history that, to be saying farewell to him for the very last time, was quite potent.”"
In the meantime, season two will be underway soon, which is exciting news for fans of the series.
“I had some encouraging news only yesterday about when we might be starting again,” said Stewart, via Trekmovie.com. “All these predictions are based on the best possible circumstances. I can tell you that CBS is utterly committed to another season of our show … It’s going to happen. Other than that … I don’t have much to tell you.”
You can watch the entire interview with Stewart here:
Patrick Stewart will turn 80 next week, and he talked about the satisfaction of coming back to the role of Jean-Luc Picard at this age.
“I’m braver than I was when I was 35. I am not averse to risk-taking, and I don’t judge myself. I used to do that so much,” Stewart said, in a Fresh Air interview on NPR. That gets in the way of spontaneity. … So I’m braver now than I was when I was much younger.”
The entire interview is worth checking out, and you can hear him speak with the wonderful Terry Gross here, including a funny tidbit about signing on for the original six-year contract with TNG because his agent said it would never make it past year one. (Star Trek: The Next Generation ran for seven, thank you very much, and he just wrapped up year eight as Picard — not counting the films — and is filming year nine.)
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You can watch Star Trek: Picard season one in its entirety on CBS Access. There’s no word on when season two will drop, but is expected in all likelihood sometime in 2021.