During the early days of the pandemic, Stewart recorded himself reciting Shakespeare's sonnets.

And from 1996, he riffed on Hamlet on Sesame Street: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=hA7lv1SDzno

Watch a young Patrick Stewart opposite Alec Guinness in the BBC Tinker Tailor Soldier Spy to see how an actor can command the screen while doing almost nothing (he even out-nothings George Smiley)

Among the many wonderful things about Patrick Stewart was how forcefully he campaigned against domestic violence. He grew up in a home where his dad beat his mom, and Sir Patrick spent his life trying to make sure no other kid had to experience that. Hearing him speak about it was extremely moving.

Remembering Patrick Stewart, An LGBTQ+ Ally Who Never Needed To Be Asked.

In February 2014, The Guardian mistakenly described Stewart as gay in a column about actor Elliot Page's coming-out speech and quickly ran a correction. Stewart took to Twitter to joke that he had "five or even SEVEN hetero friends" who "totally drink beer and eat lots of chicken wings." He later told The Advocate he was "utterly flattered by that assumption" and that the first message he got about it came from McKellen, who emailed simply, "Congratulations!"

Same. There was something that felt really radical about having a TV hero whose superpower was not just intelligence but thoughtfulness, and a kind of moral seriousness. Who showed from that first episode that you “win” by seeking to understand what seems like a threat.

I am bereft. I’ve had two strong male figures in my life. My father and Captain Picard. The former introduced me to the latter and I carry them both with me. 

Rest in peace, Patrick Stewart:

Each Starfleet captain is a story that we tell ourselves about what leadership should look like. At times Star Trek, as an overall franchise, has unfortunately reflected any and all bigotries that exist in the world. But through it all, Stewart, as Picard, projected an image of masculinity that was …well, it was usually kind of wonderful. Picard wasn’t a violent, angry, manipulative or deceptive man. He listened to everyone — really listened — regardless of their rank, gender, race, or where they came from. His relationship with a strong, intelligent woman – Beverly Crusher – was one of the best parts of TNG. But beyond her, in general, people followed Picard all over the galaxy and into battle because he led and made decisions with intelligence and compassion — and both parts of that formula mattered.

this really does feel like losing a member of my family

In 2008 we both lived in the same hotel for a while & were afternoon regulars at the restaurant. He always sat alone by the back corner window & read. One day we went down at the same time & while we waited for the hostess he struck up polite conversation & invited me to join him since we were 'neighbours.' He asked why I was living there & I told him I'd been drifting around Europe, ended up in France for my father's birthday (we had a complicated relationship) & came back with no idea of what to do next, so I was hiding out here to figure it out. Turned out he & my dad had the same birthday, but more than that we both had fathers who were in France during WW2 & came out of it carrying similar issues that had harsh effects on their families. We talked about that for a long time & he helped me understand my dad in a way only someone with his perspective (& years) could. He also gave me some much-needed guidance on what to do next, which I took. He couldn't have been more kind or gracious with his time or words to some unknown 34-year-old. I saw him at a handful of events over the years & he never forgot my name. That's class. He was a great one.

PS that line about him wondering how a middle-aged pacifist captain with a French name & a British accent could possibly succeed made me laugh because as one (minus the captain) it feels like he's sending another wink that things always work out.

Sir Ian McKellen on his friend Patrick Stewart:

Before everything else, Patrick was defined by being born and bred in Yorkshire, the proud county in the north of England which he loved to the end. You could hear it in his accented voice and in the stern honesty with which he told you what he thought and felt. Yorkshiremen have no truck with half-truths or avoidance of big issues. He wore his heart on his sleeve, which made him a man to rely on, to admire and in my case, love.

We first met as ambitious young actors with the Royal Shakespeare Company half a century ago but we weren’t in the same productions. My first strong memory was a few years later, meeting him in the street in central London when he told me about an offer to take over a leading part in 'Star Trek'. “But Patrick think of your stage career in the UK. Do you really want to risk—getting lost in Hollywood for years and years?”. Well, he took the risk and thank goodness for us all that he did for not just his devoted Trekkies but film and theatre audiences, who marvelled at his using international celebrity to star in a string of cinema successes ('X-Men' of course) and in great classical plays by Shakespeare, Ibsen, Arthur Miller, Peter Shaffer, Pinter and Beckett at Stratford-upon-Avon, in London’s West End and on Broadway.

America was his adopted home, where he met his adored Sunny who has cared for him through sickness and health, through thick and thin. But he never forsook his origins: and the proudest achievement of the most respected and beloved actor of his generation on either side of the Atlantic, was his appointment as Chancellor of Huddersfield University in Yorkshire.

His farewell performance in 'Avengers: Doomsday' is yet to be seen.

SNG was a staple of my teenage years… and Picard a hallmark of strength, restraint, dignity and compassion.

My junior year of HS, winter (so late ‘92 or early ‘93) I was on the N early evening but past rush hour.  I had my eyes down, listening to my Walkman … lost in some idle thoughts.

For no particular reason I lifted my gaze and by sheer happenstance and  serendipity locked eyes with not-yet-Sir Patrick Stewart!  It seemed like I was the only one who recognized him (despite a decently populated car).  

I think I probably gawked for a few seconds that seemed like minutes … and managed a grin and a subtle “Picard point”.

To my absolute delight he responded with a jaunty (or maybe wry) smile and mouthed the word “Engage”.   I was probably beaming … but then dropped my gaze and went about my night.

Every single time I see him on a screen or hear his dulcet tone, that moment tickles my heart.   

Go gently into the night, Captain.

Patrick Stewart: A Life in Pictures.

I worked at a tech company where the CEO was a big Trekkie who brought Patrick Stewart out for a company event, where he interviewed him in full uniform. Sir Patrick was very polite about the Star Trek questions and made a point of saying that billionaires are not good for society

RIP to a real one

A great interview.

I was lucky enough to see PS twice live. Once in Godot with his dear friend Ian McKellen. A sublime show. 

But what I will remember more is his one-man Christmas Carol that I saw on New Year’s Eve 1992. At one point Stewart was describing a party, all the characters who attended — each with a different posture, a different voice. And then when it came time for these characters to dance, Stewart bounded around the stage, twirling, gliding — all the while continuing to narrate, changing cadence and character as he whirled. Soon he almost disappeared entirely and damned if we all didn’t see — right there on the bare stage with just a solitary man on it — an entire Victorian Christmas ball attended by dozens. Everyone in their finery. All dancing and laughing. It was magnificent. It was a spell he cast, an incredible illusion he made us all, for just a few moments, believe. And he accomplished this miracle with only his words and his body. I’m getting choked up just recalling it. RIP sir.  

This is a tough one and I’m thankful to have lived at the same time as this stellar human. My dad loved TNG and that was my exposure to PS until seeing himself at BAM (Brooklyn Art Museum) in 2008 and that was the true sublime. He was riveting. There will never be a greater MacBeth production however the beauty of art and life will prove me wrong. Rest well good man.