In more than fifty years of existence, the Star Trek franchise has known seven series (now eight!), 13 films, hundreds of novels, comics, games, fanfics, billions of dollars in revenue ... but how many captains? If Captain Kirk often comes first in mind, from the original TV series with William Shatner to the JJ Abrams reboot with Chris Pine, fans often favor another: Jean-Luc Picard. Although French, the captain of Stargazer then of Enterprise , hero of the series Star Trek: The New Generation and four films, does not always enjoy with us, at least with the general public, the notoriety that it deserves . Of his leadership, his kindness and his humanism, he remains above all a meme facepalm.
But his interpreter Patrick Stewart is him, a star among the stars, from the height of his 79 years. While he had, like his character, to sink a peaceful retreat in the countryside, here he is putting on his uniform to explore other facets of Picard, to plunge into full nostalgia (there is even a museum), and glimpse the future of the saga. The aptly named Star Trek: Picard series debuts on Amazon Prime Video on Friday, and 20 Minutes has taken charge of an interview with the captain.
Did you imagine one day going back to the “Star Trek” universe and incarnating Captain Jean-Luc Picard again?
No. Never. It was not at all on the agenda, or even on the horizon, then there were contacts made, proposals made. Proposals that I never thought I would consider. For me, we had told our story, the story of Picard. There was nothing else to say, and so many other roles to explore, things to do.
But one day, author-producer Alex Kurtzman told me about his idea, to create a completely different world, taking into account the twenty years that have passed since the film Nemesis . Because our world has also changed, we live in dark hours, that's what fascinated me. May the man I played for twelve years no longer be the same. He made mistakes in his life, when Romulus was destroyed by a supernova and the attempt to save the Romulans, and he paid the price [an event told in the 2009 film and recalled in the first episode of the series]. This is where we find it at the start of Star Trek: Picard .
You said that the character of Picard and his impact on the fans were what also made you decide to take over the role.
I know that Jean-Luc Picard has brought comfort and hope to the lives of many people, from Star Trek: The Next Generation spectators. I have heard it so many times in the past three decades. But he is no longer the same, he is disappointed and angry, he is banished from society and has been mistreated for his choices, his "mistakes". I was very interested in exploring this facet of the character. Twelve years of Picard live in me, they will always be there, so the challenge was to see who he would be today, how and why the world needed him. More than ever.
The poster shows Picard without a uniform, his feet firmly on the ground, and he doesn't even look at the stars. A sign that the series will be more down to earth?
That is true. In the beginning. This is not necessarily what he wanted. But he ruined his career, he became complicated, infrequent. And he found nothing to replace this life, even if he has a large castle and a beautiful vineyard in France. And a nice dog. But this is not his world and he will soon be called elsewhere, to find himself.
A first poster for #StarTrekPicard. After playing for seven seasons in the series Star Trek: The New Generation, Sir Patrick Stewart resumes his iconic role of Jean-Luc Picard for this new series to come on Amazon Prime Video. pic.twitter.com/kDiHtE4JLJ
- Premiere (@PremiereFR) July 11, 2019When the fans stop you in the street, is it more for Captain Picard or Professor Xavier?
It's mostly for Star Trek . I had, of course, not anticipated being part of two cult franchises. I am often told that there is me and Harrison Ford, with Star Wars and Indiana Jones , and that's it. What an honor! But I must clarify that unlike Star trek , there will be no other X-Men . The film Logan ended this story in the most beautiful way. Throughout my career, I have been able to reflect the world through different artistic forms, cinema, theater, television, it is not given to all actors. I'm really lucky.
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