Star Trek Talent Mourn Patrick Stewart: 'Captain Picard Stood For the Best of Us'

Sir Patrick Stewart’s friends and colleagues from the world of Star Trek have taken to social media to share their tributes to the late Jean-Luc Picard actor, who died Thursday at the age of 86 from Alzheimer’s disease and Lewy body dementia.

William Shatner, the iconic actor who portrayed Captain James T. Kirk in the original series, posted the following message on Facebook .

“What a heartbreaking week it has been,” Shatner wrote, referring to the death of Chekov actor Walter Koenig on Monday. “Sir Patrick Stewart was a friend, a colleague, and a magnificent actor. From the stage to the bridge of the Enterprise, he brought intelligence, grace, and a deep sense of humanity to everything he did. Captain Picard stood for the best of us, and so did the man who played him. I was filled with affection and admiration for him and his work. My heart goes out to Sunny and his family. He will be deeply missed.”

George Takei, who played Hikaru Sulu in the TV series and films featuring the original crew of the USS Enterprise, posted on Bluesky :

“Fans across the world mourn the passing of a true and irreplaceable legend. As Captain Jean-Luc Picard, Patrick Stewart took the starship Enterprise to places it had never gone before. He inspired a whole next generation of star-gazers who looked longingly ahead to a brighter future for all humanity. Our hearts are heavy, indeed. Rest in the heavens, Captain.”

Stewart’s TNG co-stars Jonathan Frakes (Will Riker) and Will Wheaton (Wesley Crusher) also posted tributes online. Frakes wrote in an Instagram story, “Rest in peace, my friend.” Wheaton posted a photo of himself with Stewart, writing: “Godspeed, Captain.”

Akiva Goldsman, co-showrunner and co-creator on Star Trek: Picard, posted on X : “Safe Journey Dear Friend.”

Goldsman elaborated in a statement provided to Variety : “Patrick was not only a true lion of the profession, he was the rarest of alchemists, one who could literally turn the written word into flesh and blood. Patrick was kind, strong, fiercely intelligent, collaborative, vulnerable and wise. His Captain Jean-Luc Picard permanently expanded the universe of Star Trek without measure. He will be deeply missed by this one fan and by so many more.”

Stewart’s Picard co-star Jeri Ryan posted on Threads : “Ouch. This hurts, (heart emoji) Rest well, Patrick. (Vulcan hand salute emoji).”

Picard showrunner Terry Matalas posted a photo of Stewart smiling , with the caption: “Oh Captain, my Captain. This is how I’ll always remember you…”

Star Trek: Voyager’s Robert Picardo wrote : “Too much tragedy. Rest in peace, captain.”

Fellow Enterprise captain actor Anson Mount wrote in part: “Patrick was a friend. Not a close one, mind you, but it was a friendship, an “acquaintanceship” perhaps, that spanned more than half my life…“

Alex Kurtzman, the current overlord of the Star Trek Universe who brought Stewart back with the series Picard, posted photos of himself and Stewart together with the caption:

“This was the day Patrick announced his return to Star Trek. It’s hard, impossible really, to express how grateful I am to have shared this moment with him. Grateful in a “once in a career” kind of way.

Right from our first meeting, he made it known that the only reason to play Picard again was to break new ground. His challenge was clear: Picard needed to be the man we knew and loved, but also entirely different, just as Patrick himself was 30 years after last wearing the uniform. The world of the Federation had to feel fresh and mirror many of the big issues the world faces today, issues that he wanted to face as a human and an artist, which meant interrogating an ideal to expose something more honest.

He demanded truth. And in perhaps the trickiest high wire act, he wanted to reward fans with the nostalgia they would rightly demand, while subverting their expectations. More than anything, he wanted to be proud of the work because he knew that Jean-Luc Picard would be his legacy.

I am heartbroken, and also deeply proud, to know that legacy lives on as of today. A legacy that also includes being fearless when it came to speaking out about the things he believed in. A legacy that includes the way he loved his wife and cared for his family. A legacy that was so beautifully evident in the way he’d snuggle up to any pitbull he saw, and the way these supposedly fearsome creatures simply snuggled back.

He was magic. He was my colleague. He was my friend. He taught me what Star Trek was really about. And in the end, he was and always will be, my captain.”