I wasn’t the biggest “Trekkie” growing up, but I grew up being fond of sci-fi and seeing in Captain Jean-Luc Picard of the starship “Enterprise” an example of leadership, strength of character and morale in my formative years of TV consumption. I look back on this as we now learn that Sir Patrick Stewart, the actor who played him and the man who imprinted on me as an example of what humanity and compassion looks like in the vast and unforgiving dimensions of outer space, passed away on Wednesday, per the latest post on the actor’s Instagram citing a brief battle with Alzheimer’s Disease and Lewy Body Dementia.
Of course, Stewart’s career extends beyond the captain’s bridge with numerous TV and film appearances like Dune, Gunmen, Conspiracy Theory, A Million Ways To Die In The West, Green Room, The Kid Who Would Be King, and so much more. Of course, Stewart would be the one to etch in one of the most memorable and longstanding comic book roles in history, translating the character of Professor Charles Xavier in X-Men, a comic book franchise that takes matters of racial and social justice and carries it into a propulsive sci-fi adventure where mutants battle to coexist in everyday society; Just as with Star Trek, Stewart would get to reprise the character on multiple occasions, including recently on Logan, Doctor Strange in the Multiverse of Madness, and ultimately in his final entry as the character in the upcoming Avengers: Doomsday which opens in December.
Stewart’s presence in my life as an entertainer carries a great weight with a legacy that lives on in his work and the fandoms that will remember him. Gosh. I’ve been up since three and today was hard enough. Sigh.
Our condolences go out to the friends, family and colleagues of the celebrated stage and screen legend.