Obituary: Sir Patrick Stewart (1940 - 2026)

While I had seen the original Star Trek series when broadcast after school, I didn't regard it with the same fondness as Battlestar Galactica or Buck Rogers in the 25th Century. It wasn't until as a teenager that a good friend insisted I watch an episode of Star Trek: The Next Generation that I began to slowly embrace the franchise as a whole. This was made all the easier thanks to the standard of writing and quality of performance delivered by The Next Generation's lead, Patrick Stewart.

His voice demanded attention no matter what he was saying, a talent honed from years of work as a classically trained Shakespearean actor which stood to him in the role as master and commander of the worlds most famous starship. He delivered a performance with such grace and empathy that few who heard or watched him could not help but listen and accept the words written for him as a mantra, ideals to aspire to.

Later knighted by Queen Elizabeth II for services to drama, Sir Patrick brought his charm and wit to dozens of other memorable roles over the years such as Professor Charles Xavier of Marvel's X-Men franchise, Gurney Halleck in David Lynch's Dune and a cameo as King Richard in Robin Hood: Men in Tights. He also lent his voice to animation such as CIA Director Avery Bullock in American Dad! and video games where he portrayed Emperor Uriel Septim VII in Bethesda's The Elder Scrolls IV: Oblivion and Zobek in Capcom's Castlevenia: Lords of Shadow.

Sir Patrick held the belief that if only old white men are ever listened to, he would use this power he had for good. To this end he became a champion against domestic violence for Amnesty International, a patron of domestic violence charity Refuge, supported the arms forces charity Combat Stress and rescued several dogs in partnership with the ASPCA.

Sir Patrick sadly lost a short battle with Lewy body dementia and Alzheimer's on Oct 28th leaving behind a family, generations of fans and a body of such remarkable work that it will immortalise him for many years to come. May he rest in peace.