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November 12, 2002

Patrick Stewart recently held a press conference in Germany. Here's a snippet:

"It is an especially rewarding event to see that even after 15 years the DVD sets are so successful," the actor told German journalists. "This shows that the enthusiasm for the show is still big after such a long time. That should be considered a compliment for [...] Gene Roddenberry, who created the 'Star Trek' universe and had a continuous influence on television and science-fiction-entertainment. I'm very proud to be one of the five Captains."

Stewart says initially, he didn't want the role of 'Captain Picard', fearing the committment of a drama series. "I did reject the offer at first because I didn't have the intension to connect myself to a drama series for such a long time," he said. "As it made the round that I had rejected the offer, they tried to convince me by saying that 'The Next Generation' wouldn't have a chance to be successful at all. They would guarantee us one year but after that it would be very unlikely that the series would be continued. Maybe a second year because something like the revival of such a famous TV show like 'Star Trek' hadn't happened before. So I was told I could sign the contract with a good conscience because there just wasn't an opportunity that the show would run seven years. So much for good advice!"

But he says refusing the role would've been the mistake of a lifetime and he's grateful the show's prospects for success weren't clearly known at the time. "If I had known that I would stand on the bridge of the Enterprise for seven years, I would have indeed never accepted the role. I'm glad now, that I didn't know because it would have been the wrong decision to reject the role. It turned out that it changed my career and also my life."

[...]

Stewart says Picard stood for many values he cherishes. "I'm glad that I have had the opportunity to say things through the Captain that are important for me and our society," he said. "Especially during the last years of the show my personal preferences, like my love for Shakespeare or the support of democratic organizations of the world, have been expressed through 'Jean-Luc Picard', and I'm very thankful for that."

Finally, the titan British actor says there's one piece of "Treknology" he wishes he could have for his own use: "Besides the transporter, that would be the replicator, and like I've heard, [the] realization of such a device isn't that far in the future. As a possessed tea drinker, especially in the morning, it would be nice for me just to stay in bed and say 'Tea, Earl Grey, hot...'"

To read more, click on the link below:

http://talk.trekweb.com/articles/2002/11/10/1036939866.html

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