When I heard the news that Patrick Stewart died, I started thinking about one of my favourite episodes of Star Trek: The Next Generation, Season 5, episode 25: “The Inner Light”. In that episode, Captain Picard is struck unconscious by an energy beam from an alien probe which embroils Picard’s mind into experiencing the complete life of a alien man and his doomed civilization in the span of 25 minutes.
The YouTube channel Art of Storytelling provides a fantastic review of this remarkable episode and explains why it was so memorable (and also why Stewart is so good in it):
For more on Stewart’s death, Aaron Couch has a piece with The Hollywood Reporter:
Patrick Stewart, the sophisticated actor who brought a Shakespearean touch to Star Trek and X-Men as he made an otherworldly transformation from British stage veteran to sci-fi icon, has died. He was 86.
Stewart died Wednesday at his home in Los Angeles following “a brief and poignant journey with Alzheimer’s disease and Lewy body dementia,” longtime spokesperson Kelly Bush Novak announced.
Most Star Trek fans have their favourite captain. For me that was Picard because he was smart, wise, firm, curious, empathetic, and all around just awesome. By all accounts those same adjectives apply to Stewart himself.
Jason Kottke has more in his lovely write-up about Stewart.
(Previously: Patrick Stewart on the Extras)