As Captain Jean-Luc Picard in Star Trek: The Next Generation, Sir Patrick Stewart won a legion of fans the world over.
But despite being in one of the biggest TV shows of the 80s and 90s, the British actor has admitted it wasn’t something he went out of his way to watch.
However, ahead of Amazon Prime’s Star Trek: Picard arriving on our screens, the star recalled one of the times he did actually catch himself in the iconic role.
During an appearance on Friday’s edition of The Graham Norton Show, the 79-year-old reveals he was “hooked” when he came across an episode of Star Trek: The Next Generation on a hotel TV, but things didn’t end well.
Asked if he ever watches Star Trek, he says: “I don’t look for it, but occasionally I’ll happen upon it.
“There was one night in a hotel when I was flicking through the channels and there was an episode of Star Trek: The Next Generation, so I watched it for a few minutes, and I got hooked.
“Then the waiter came in with my room service order and he looked at me, then looked at the television and I thought, ‘He is going to go away and tell the entire kitchen that it was the saddest thing he had ever seen – this guy upstairs alone, having room service and watching himself’.”
Patrick also tells Graham that he didn’t initially want to return to the role of Captain Picard in Star Trek’s latest TV outing.
“It’s a big deal for me because I have so many times publicly said, ‘I’m done. Star Trek was wonderful, and it changed my life and my career, but I have said it all and there is nothing more to say’,” he explains.
“I didn’t just want to say, ‘No. Pass,’ so I went to the meeting to explain to them face-to-face why I couldn’t do it. And then they made me an offer I couldn’t refuse!
“But there were conditions – no uniform and no Enterprise. They said they could live with that and they have made a huge commitment to the series. We hope it is amazing.”
Watch the full interview with Patrick on The Graham Norton Show on Friday 17 January at 10.35pm on BBC One. Star Trek: Picard debuts on Amazon Prime on 24 January.
