Captain Jean-Luc Picard on Star Trek: The Next Generation has become an iconic part of the Star Trek franchise, but creator Gene Roddenberry originally had a very different idea of how he wanted the character to look. Star Trek: The Next Generation ran from 1987 to 1994, and was the first Star Trek show to air after the cancelation of Star Trek: The Orignal Series in 1969. The Next Generation paved the way for the rest of the Star Trek franchise and introduced fans to many new stories and characters that are still beloved to this day.
One such character was Captain Jean-Luc Picard, played by legendary actor Sir Patrick Stewart. Picard was a very different Captain than Captain Kirk, but the character became just as much of a fan-favorite with the audience during The Next Generation's seven-season run. It might surprise some fans to learn then that, originally, Star Trek creator Gene Roddenberry was unhappy with the casting of Patrick Stewart in the role. Stewart himself has spoken about this fact, stating that while he and Gene Roddenberry warmed up to each other as the series progressed, Roddenberry initially did not want Stewart playing the main character of his new show.
For people who do not know anything about Roddenberry's original vision for the character, this fact might come as a shock. However, the series "bible" for The Next Generation makes it clear just why Roddenberry wasn't originally a fan of Stewart playing Picard. A series bible is a document created for a television show by the creative team that outlines everything someone might need to know about the show. This includes character guides, basic premise/story, designs for common sets, props, and costumes. In the TNG bible, the original character description for Jean-Luc Picard is very different from the character Patrick Stewart would ultimately come to play in some key ways.
While Picard's French heritage is reflected in his name and was occasionally referenced in a storyline during the course of the show, Gene Roddenberry's original intention was to make the character more noticeably French. Roddenberry's notes on Picard state that he was supposed to be born in Paris, France, and retain a slight French accent as well as reverting to his mother tongue in times of stress or "deep emotion." In an interesting character quirk reminiscent of Pavel Chekov on Star Trek: The Original Series, the bible also states that Picard should often jokingly pretend to believe that France represents "the only true civilization" and will happily debate this idea with anyone who wants to argue that another culture is superior.
While Star Trek: The Next Generation certainly did not throw Picard's French heritage out altogether, Patrick Stewart's Britishness overshadowed Roddenberry's original plan for how French he wanted Picard to be. Although Picard's name was not changed when Stewart was cast, Stewart was allowed to keep his British accent for the role. This coupled with other quintessentially British traits Stewart brought to his portrayal of Picard meant that the character's French heritage became something of an afterthought as the show progressed, a state of affairs that likely would not have happened had a different actor been cast or if Roddenberry's original vision for the character had not changed.
Another thing Patrick Stewart brought to the role of Picard was some hobbies that were never originally outlined. From the description in the bible, Roddenberry's original version of Picard was a man who was wholly focused on his career, having already served 22 years as Captain of the deep space ship USS Stargazer. Roddenberry makes it clear that, because of this long tenure on the Stargazer, Picard's entire focus is on his career as a starship captain by the time he is given command of the Enterprise-D. Any other interests outside of Starfleet are not discussed. This does not necessarily mean that Roddenberry did not intend to introduce hobbies for the character as the show progressed, but it does seem as though they were a secondary thought if they were something that he thought about at all while creating Picard.
The Jean-Luc Picard that fans came to know and love also served on the Stargazer, but the character also ended up having few deep and abiding interests outside of his Starfleet career, most notably archeology and a love of Shakespeare. Both of these hobbies were incorporated heavily into Picard's personality, and his interest in archeology was even used as the basis for several subplots throughout the series. While it is unclear exactly where the idea for Picard to be interested in archeology came from, his interest in Shakespeare is almost certainly something that came from Patrick Stewart, who is a notable Shakespearian actor in addition to his Star Trek career. The inclusion of the interest in Shakespeare seems to be another instance of Patrick Stewart's influence overshadowing Gene Roddenberry's original plans for Picard.
It is clear from the bible that Gene Roddenberry originally intended to make Picard much more similar to Captain Kirk from Star Trek: The Original Series in terms of personality and character traits. Before his death, Roddenberry revealed that he used Horatio Hornblower, the main protagonist of a series of novels by C. S. Forester as inspiration for both characters. Patrick Stewart has discussed how Roddenberry instructed him to look at Hornblower for inspiration if he needed help crafting Picard as a character, and Hornblower's traits, such as his courage and skill but also his introspection and reserve, are present in both Kirk and Picard as characters.
It is interesting then, that the two captains are often seen as polar opposites. It would make sense for two characters inspired by the same thing to be much more similar, but ultimately, the fundamental difference between Kirk and Picard is the actors who played them. It is clear from Roddenberry's writing in the TNG bible that he intended for Picard to have Kirk's same charisma and personable traits, but actor William Shatner's magnetism is entirely different than Patrick Stewart's. While Shatner's Kirk possesses a similar stoicism to Stewart's Picard, Kirk is charming and much more open with his feelings where Picard is reserved, displaying a good example of the trope of the British "stiff upper lip." This seems to be yet another thing that Stewart brought to the role all on his own since the idea of Picard being so reserved is not mentioned at all in the original character description.
Of course, as Star Trek: The Next Generation progressed, Picard's stoic mask began to crack a bit. By the end of the series he was a much less reserved character, and in some ways closer to what Gene Roddenberry had imagined in his initial creation. Of course, some aspects of the original Picard would have been interesting to explore, such as the incorporation of more of the character's French heritage. The Jean-Luc Picard that ultimately captivated fans, however, makes up an important part of Star Trek history, and it is hard to imagine the character any other way, especially with a different actor than Patrick Stewart.
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January 29, 2021 at 05:50AM
