Patrick Stewart thought he'd be done with 'Next Gen' after a season

By: H&I Staff     Posted: November 16, 2017, 2:40PM   

Knowing what we know now, we can’t imagine there was any doubt that Star Trek: The Next Generation would be a success of massive proportions. However, when Patrick Stewart was cast as Captain Jean-Luc Picard in 1987, he didn’t think it would be much of commitment — definitely not a seven-season, 178-episode commitment.

"It seemed to me an absurd notion to cast a middle aged, bald, English, classical actor in a science fiction TV series," Stewart told The A.V. Club in an interview.

Though Stewart signed a six-season contract when he accepted the role, he was hesitant because he still wanted to do theater. However, his agent told him that it wouldn’t be a problem.

"He assured me, 'The series is not going to work. You’ll be lucky to make it through the first season. You cannot revive an iconic series like Star Trek. So come over, make a bit of money for the first time in your life, get a sun tan, go home.' And it didn’t quite work out that way," he said.

I think we all have Sir Patrick Stewart’s agent to thank.

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