These days, it's hard to believe anyone in the Star Trek franchise could tell Patrick Stewart what he can and can't do. Jean-Luc Picard is one of the most iconic characters of the franchise and yet, at the end of Star Trek: The Next Generation, Paramount was unwilling to give its series' star his very own uniform to take home.
As unbelievable as that may be, Patrick Stewart told the story during a recent interview. Stewart, who played Jean-Luc Picard for seven seasons on the Star Trek series, gave some details on what happened, which only sounds more impossible when he tells it.
I was kind of cross. I had gone to the production office and said ‘Look: I would like to have one of my uniforms. And whatever it costs to make these uniforms, I will reimburse that cost. [Paramount] wouldn't sell it to me. Even though I had numerous uniforms.
Patrick Stewart offered to pay Paramount for one of the many Starfleet uniforms he wore on Star Trek: The Next Generation, and they turned down his offer. The actor, who recently took a chair of some significance from the set of Star Trek: Picard, didn't share a specific reason with THR why the studio didn't want him to have a uniform, despite there being plenty for him to take.
The actor was disappointed about not being able to take a uniform from the set, and he was not silent about it. Patrick Stewart revealed he told the story of being shot down by Paramount on a talk show and, when he returned to that show some time later, there was a surprise for him.
I went on the same show to do an interview, and halfway through the interview I was told: ‘Oh, by the way, we have something for you.' And onto the set walked out an executive from Paramount, with my uniform in his hands.
Paramount did the right thing in the end, though it still stands to question why Patrick Stewart wasn't able to get a uniform at the end of Star Trek: The Next Generation. By that point, he had starred in 178 episodes of that series, and the movie Star Trek: Generations came out that same year. Even if this happened before the additional movies and Star Trek: Picard, I don't think there were many who doubted Stewart was worth enough to get a Starfleet uniform to take home!
Of course, studios can be protective of costumes and props. It's often why stars will "borrow" props from the set and, occasionally, it's something random or weird. The reason may have been something as simple as giving Patrick Stewart one could have led others in the cast to ask as well. Giving away one uniform may not be a big deal, though Paramount may have had a problem giving each of the main cast members uniforms of their own.
Star Trek: Picard recently completed Season 1, and anyone who missed it can now stream it on CBS All Access for free. Be sure to stick with CinemaBlend for more on television and movies in the coming months, and for the latest news in enteratinment at large.
