Actor Patrick Stewart as Captain Jean-Luc Picard.Credit: RGR Collection/Alamy
Researchers have joined the chorus of Star Trek fans expressing grief over the death of actor Patrick Stewart, who played the legendary Captain Jean-Luc Picard.
Stewart, who died on October 28 at the age of 86, played Picard in Star Trek: The Next Generation from 1987 to 1994 and in various films in the franchise. As captain of the USS BusinessPicard led his crew on an intergalactic exploration in the 24th century as they encountered new worlds and new civilizations. For many scientists, Captain Picard embodies the qualities of a good scientific leader.
“His first thought was to consider all angles and ask questions,” says Sarah Bickerton, a public policy researcher at the University of Auckland in New Zealand. But more importantly, Bickerton says, Picard consulted his Business crew members – regardless of rank – before making decisions. This shaped Bickerton’s leadership approach. She says she makes a point of consulting with her research assistants and graduate students on important decisions.
One film in the franchise that had an impact on Bickerton was Star Trek: First Contact (1996), in which Picard travels back in time to the 21st century and explains that in the future, money does not exist. “We work to improve ourselves and the rest of humanity,” says Picard.
Bickerton says: “For scientists, this really resonates. What motivates us is to improve ourselves and the rest of humanity through the pursuit of knowledge and simply to learn and understand.”
Other researchers have also drawn inspiration from Picard’s leadership style. In a 2025 interview with Kentucky Alumni magazine, Tracy Drain, a flight systems engineer at NASA’s Jet Propulsion Laboratory in Pasadena, Calif., said she liked how the character models what a great leader could be. “He was equal, respectful, kind to everyone,” she said. “He encouraged his team to think outside the box and supported them in what they needed to do. »
Picard’s influence
On social media, scientists spoke about how the character of Picard influenced their scientific careers.
Jordan Harrison, a psychologist in Ann Arbor, Michigan, wrote on Bluesky: “I can trace my early interest in science, my love of space and astronomy, the seeds of an ethic of care for others different from me, and my earliest memories of bonding with my father over pop culture in Star Trek: TNG and Patrick Stewart’s portrayal of Captain Jean-Luc Picard. This one hurts.”
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