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Make it so, Number One: Remembering Patrick Stewart

From Picard to Xavier, Sir Patrick Stewart built our love of the fantastic

By
Patrick Stewart
20th Century Studios

When was the first time you saw Sir Patrick Stewart in a film or show? Was it when he became the first man in the Captain’s chair on the Starship Enterprise after William Shatner vacated it? Or how about in a wheelchair teaching mutants to blend into society and protect it? On the day we lost one of the most remarkable human beings to ever grace the stage and screen, we look back on the times he shared with us and the lessons he left with us.

His career included Shakespeare on stage and in film, space exploration, genetic superheroes, supernatural interventions, and unexpected laughs. There are few who ever could have reached the heights of his accomplishments. And almost none could do so with the grace and the dignity of who I always referred to as The Stew.

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Here are just a few of my favorite roles and what I took with me from each.

If someone says, ‘Give me one word of advice,’ I say, ‘be fearless.’ And knowing without any shadow of a doubt that what they have to give—who they are—is totally unique and not shared by anybody else. – Sir Patrick Stewart

Star Trek

Patrick Stewart
Paramount

Nerd or not, you can’t start anywhere other than Star Trek: The Next Generation. When the original Star Trek ended and moved to the big screen, there was a starship-sized hole left in the sci-fi TV world. Of course, producers and studios aren’t the kind to leave opportunity on the table, are they? But who in the heck could fill the shoes of Captain James T. Kirk? Nobody could, which is why they blasted into the future and gave the ship to Captain Jean-Luc Picard. This series was a little less cheesy and a lot deeper in the writing, and the messages left for young people. But for a man who learned almost everything he needed from the TV, Picard sometimes felt like a fictional father figure. And the phrase I take with me forever, saying over and over, “Make it so, Number One.”

It is possible to commit no mistakes and still lose. That is not weakness; that is life. – Jean-Luc Picard

X-Men

Patrick Stewart
20th Century Studios

In 2000, the world of the superhero movie was relatively non-existent. Wesley Snipes had brought Blade to the screens in a dark and gritty way, but there wasn’t a lot of call for a big-budget superhero movie after the decline in interest when Superman IV: The Quest for Peace and Batman and Robin tanked. But apparently all you need is an unknown Australian and Patrick Stewart to inject new life into the superhero genre and change the world of cinema for the next three decades. Not only did they prove they could work, but they laid the groundwork for what later became the Marvel Cinematic Universe. Stewart? Well, remember that fictional father figure? That was the role he ended up playing. He was the father for those who didn’t have one. The caregiver for the ostracized. The home for the out-a-doored. Stewart seemed on screen the same as he did in life, a safe place for those who needed it. A place of comfort in a world of chaos and fear.

Just because someone stumbles and loses their way doesn’t mean they’re lost forever. – Professor Charles Xavier

A Christmas Carol

Patrick Stewart
Warner Bros

A year before he became Professor X, I saw Patrick Stewart for the first time as Charles Dickens’ most iconic character, Ebenezer Scrooge. A Christmas Carol is one of the most famous and retold stories in history, following a bitter man as he spends an evening with spirits schooling him on the error of his ways and changing his heart. Stewart was the first iteration of that story and the introduction to one of the themes most prevalent in mine (and I would hazard a guess yours as well) life: Redemption. I was a junior in high school when this came out and had already made a lot of mistakes; some were huge, and I was still paying for them. This movie (aired first on TNT) was the first real lesson I had in a man grasping the idea that it is never too late to course-correct and become better.

And you, my dear? Can you forgive a stupid old man who doesn’t want to be left out in the cold anymore? Will you take me in? – Ebeneezer Scrooge

Robin Hood: Men in Tights

Patrick Stewart
20th Century Studios

Finally, here is something that I feel like most people just don’t know about the late Stew: he had a fantastic sense of humor. In the last couple of years, he made numerous appearances on press tours, and every time he had a great story. One of my favorites was on the Graham Norton Show, where he had an argument with his wife on whether or not he was circumcised. Come to find out, he went to his doctor only to discover he was, in fact, not circumcised. He was also seen in a lot of comedies and heard at the beginning of Ted as a narrator (one of the best parts of the movie). But my favorite role he played in a comedy was a surprise cameo as King Richard in Robin Hood: Men in Tights. The spoof was stellar all around, but Stewart declaring King John as the new namesake for all the toilets in the kingdom was comedy gold.

For a serious Shakespearean actor, this was so uncommon. He proved that you could be extremely good at your job and not take yourself too seriously.

From this day forth, all the toilets in the kingdom shall be known as… Johns! – Patrick Stewart

The world lost one of the greatest humans to ever human today, and adds to a long list of great names 2026 has stolen from us. So today, I declare this Sir Patrick Stewart Day. Make it so, Number One.

Mark D McKee
Mark D McKee
Editor
Mark cut his teeth in the men’s style world when he sold suits first at box stores such as Men’s Wearhouse and Jos. A. Bank… Read Full Bio
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