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Sir Patrick Stewart starred as Captain Jean-Luc Picard inStar Trek: The Next Generation, which gained a huge fan following and introduced the franchise to a whole new generation. The show made Stewart a huge star, who was only known for his stage work until then. He went on to play the role of Professor X in theX-Menfilms.
Stewart reprised his role as Picard in the films featuring theTNGcast. The actor reportedly tried to have a rewrite of the script of the filmStar Trek: First Contactand brought in his own writer. However, things did not go as planned and the bestStar Trekfilm remained untouched.
Patrick Stewart Brought In His Own Writer To RewriteStar Trek: First Contact
Patrick Stewartis known for his impeccable discipline in his craft, which reportedly made him the perfect candidate to play the diplomatic yet assertive Captain Picard inStar Trek: The Next Generation. The actor reportedly shouted at the cast in the initial days of shooting due to their lethargic way of working, which encouraged them to be better at their craft.
“This android element is really irritating”: Just Like Star Trek Fans, Patrick Stewart Found the Most Controversial Change in ‘Picard’ a Harrowing Ordeal
Though the star eventually became accustomed to the way of working, he still reportedly wanted some rewrites and hence, brought on his own writer for the filmStar Trek: First Contact. Though writers Brannon Braga and Ronald D Moore had drafted a script, Stewart wanted a rewrite, which led to producer Rick Berman letting go of them for Stewart’s writer.
However, the new writer reportedly did not work out for the team and they had to let him go, leading to some awkwardness between the actor and the crew. Moore mentioned toTHR,
There was a point where Patrick wanted some rewrites of his scenes, and he pressed Rick to bring on his own writer to do that. Rick did it, and Brannon and I were not happy. I wasn’t particularly aggrieved about it, but then, that didn’t work out.
The new rewrites were reportedly thrown out and Moore and Braga were brought back in.
Patrick Stewart And TheStar TrekCrew Had An Awkward Confrontation
Star Trek: First Contactis often regarded as one of the best films of the franchise. The film featured theTNGcast and saw Jonathan Frakes make his feature directorial debut after the script was reportedly rejected by Ridley Scott and John McTiernan (viaScreenRant). Many fans still consider it to be one of the greatest films of the franchise, behind only toThe Wrath of Khan.
“We have faith in you”: Brent Spiner Pleaded Star Trek: TNG Boss to Cut Him Some Slack after Horrifying Work Schedule, Her Response Proves Spiner is a Living Legend
However, the filming process was reportedly marred by one experience where Patrick Stewart’s writer was fired by the crew as they were unimpressed with the work. Despite the awkwardness, the actor reportedly had an interesting response to the ordeal. Writer Ronald Moore mentioned,
I remember Patrick at the outset just said something like: ‘It’s good to see you. I hope that we can all move on from the things that have happened, and now let’s just concentrate on the work.’
And I took that in the spirit it was given: [He] wants to move on from this, he’s not going to apologize outright, but he kind of is apologizing. And it was never spoken of again. So we just moved on.
The film was also nominated for an Oscar for Best Makeup and received a great opening upon release.
Star Trek: First Contactis available to stream on Hulu.
Nishanth A
Senior Writer
Articles Published :2417
Nishanth A is a Senior Entertainment Writer at FandomWire, majorly focusing on TV shows with over 2,000 articles published. He has been an entertainment journalist for the past two years and a scriptwriter at various corporations before that, working on educational content. With a Communications, English Literature, and Psychology triple major, Nishanth usually covers news and analyses on Star Trek, particularly Strange New Worlds and The Next Generation; Doctor Who, the DCU, and more.A Nolan fan, Nishanth spends his time exploring the filmographies of various directors with an auteurial style or can be found making short movies of his own. He has also contributed as a feature writer for Film Companion, focusing on the South division.
