Patrick Stewarthas played the same role for two decades, and the nature of the project with which he boasts such a long tenure makes it especially confusing that he was never given the chance to appear in a show that ended recently that would have been perfect for him.
While best known for his role as Captain Picard inevery season ofStar Trek: The Next Generation, Stewart has had a more varied acting career than some might expect. His autobiography,Making It So, reveals that, despite his strong ties to the genre,sci-fi was never really a passion of his before being cast as Picard.
Still, the actor’s relatively recent return to the franchise to lead theStar Trek: Picardcastproves he still has an affinity for sci-fi storytelling. However, after starring so heavily in one of thebest adult animated shows, I can’t help but wonder why Patrick Stewart was never called upon for a very similar project.
Every season ofStar Trek: Lower Deckswas filled with special guest cameos that acknowledged various eras of the iconic sci-fi franchise.The animated comedy recalled severalStar Trekactors to their original roles, sometimes decades after they were last involved with the saga. Sadly, Patrick Stewart was never called upon.
What I find especially odd about this is thatPatrick Steward has voiced Avery Bullock inAmerican Dad!since the show’s inceptionin 2005, and continues to bring the character to life. WhileStar Trek: Lower Decksis still part of the franchise’s main canon, it is primarily an animated comedy, with the latter criterion also being true forAmerican Dad!
I have no doubt the actor would have knocked it out of the park as Picard in the animatedStar Trekcomedy.
While not identical,Star Trek: Lower DecksandAmerican Dad!have similar comedic vibes. Plus, just as Bullock’s physical appearance is based on Patrick Stewart’s, the same would presumably have been true had the actor been cast inLower Decks. So, I have no doubt the actor would have knocked it out of the park as Picard in the animatedStar Trekcomedy.
Why Jean-Luc Picard Never Appeared In Star Trek: Lower Decks
Star Trek: Lower Decksended in 2024, meaning the chance to allow Patrick Stewart to reprise his role in such a cool context has passed the franchise by. That said, there is a very good in-universe explanation for why Picard never showed up inLower Decks, and it comes down to when the show was set.
Picard had already been promoted to admiral by the beginning ofStar Trek: Lower Decks, meaninghe was busy overseeing Starfleet’s efforts to evacuate Romulusas its sun threatened to go supernova. WhileLower Decksoften poked fun at relatively serious storylines from across the franchise, this one was probably a little too tricky to inject with much comedy.
Star Trek: Lower Decks Still Missed The Perfect Chance To Cast Patrick Stewart
The Purple Universe could have introduced a new version of Captain Picard
Jean-Luc Picard fromStar Trek’s Prime Timeline was busy undertaking a mission not really suitable forLower Decks' lighthearted sensibilities, but the show could still have brought Patrick Stewart into the cast in a very similar role.Star Trek: Lower Decksseason 5 was basically one big multiverse saga, which opened the door for Stewart’s animated franchise debut.
In episode 7, “Fully Dilated,“Star Trek: Lower Decks' final season introduced a version of the USS Enterprise-D that seemed identical in every way to its Prime Timeline counterpart…except that it was purple. Brent Spiner appeared in the installment as Purple Data - or at least his head - sothere was definitely an opportunity for Stewart to voice Purple Picard.
Purple Picard could still have been a captain rather than an admiral, free from the burden of evacuating Purple Romulus.
The purple Enterprise-D seemed to be from a universe that was running behind the Prime Timeline, so the events ofStar Trek: The Next Generation, or events very similar, were probably still taking place in the Purple Universe. Therefore, Purple Picard could still have been a captain rather than an admiral, free from the burden of evacuating Purple Romulus.
Even away from “Fully Dilated,” the various universes referenced and visited inStar Trek: Lower Deckspresented numerous potential openings for Patrick Stewart to play a multiversal variant of Jean-Luc Picard. Nevertheless,the character is only ever referenced inLower Decksand never directly features.
He Isn’t Known For It, But Patrick Stewart Is A Great Comic Actor
Stewart has appeared in several comedy roles
Roles like Captain Picard and Professor X from theX-Menmovieshave established Patrick Stewart as a dramatic actor with a lot of gravitas. He is fantastic in those kinds of roles, but he shines just as brightly in comedy projects. As well as appearing inAmerican Dad!,Stewart has also lent his iconic voice to severalFamily Guycharacters, including a parody of Captain Picard.
Seth MacFarlane is Stewart’s most frequent comedy collaborator, and their collaboration ventures beyond the TV industry.Patrick Stewart was also the narrator for 2012’sTedand the 2015 sequel,Ted 2. These two movies are still Stewart’s most prominent comedy performances on the big screen.
Patrick Stewart also led the cast ofBlunt Talkfor both seasons. As Walter Blunt, Stewart was responsible for many of the show’s funniest moments. However, perhaps my favorite comic performance byPatrick Stewartis a scene as a fictionalized version of himself inExtras, which always cracks me up no matter how many times I watch it.
Star Trek Lower Decks
Cast
The animated comedy series Star Trek: Lower Decks follows the support crew on one of Starfleet’s least significant ships, the U.S.S. Cerritos, in 2380. Ensigns Mariner (Tawny Newsome), Boimler (Jack Quaid), Rutherford (Eugene Cordero), and Tendi (Noël Wells) have to keep up with their duties and their social lives often. At the same time, the ship is being rocked by a multitude of sci-fi anomalies.
