Star Trek: Picard Calls Back To Creator’s Issues With Casting Patrick Stewart

It looks like Star Trek just made fun of Gene Roddenberry's original issues with casting Patrick Stewart as Jean-Luc Picard.

Trekkies might find it a bit difficult to imagine anyone other than Patrick Stewart playing Jean-Luc Picard but as it turns out, Star Trek creator Gene Roddenberry initially had doubts about the actor's suitability for the role.

According to Screen Rant, Roddenberry initially had issues casting Stewart as Picard because of the actor's British nationality. Picard was supposed to be a character from France, and so the Star Trek creator had reservations on whether the British actor could play the part. At first, the producers for Star Trek The Next Generation wanted to have Stewart play the role with a French accent, a detail that was soon nixed after a rehearsal session proved that the accent didn't quite work.

Now, it seems like Picard has decided to call back to the Frech accent. In the latest episode of the new Star Trek series, fans get to hear Patrick Stewart speaking in a faux French accent. While it might seem like a glitch to some, the French accent an obvious call back to the original casting issue in The Next Generation.

It's an interesting little treat for fans who've been following Stewart's time in Star Trek. We're just glad that Roddenberry finally gave in and allowed Stewart to play Picard the way he wanted to. Picard became the iconic character he was not only because of TNG's writing but because of Stewart's acting skills.

Star Trek: Picard airs its next episode "The Impossible Box" on February 27, 2020, on CBS All Access.

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