Jan
19
“I think we’re f^@#*%, completely f^@#*%.” — Sir Patrick Stewart, in re the UK leaving the EU
This post might seem at first blush to belong in my “Heroes and Aliens” blog. But, I felt it was too politically-charged, so here we are….
In a recent interview with Variety‘s Daniel Holloway, beloved actor Patrick Stewart discussed a number of topics, including his upcoming “Star Trek: Picard” TV series, in which he reprises his most recognizable role: Captain (now Admiral (Ret.)) Jean-Luc Picard. Some of his comments, however, really irked some of my fellow conservatives.
As the central star and one of the executive producers, Stewart had a lot of input on the tone and direction that the new show — and his character in particular — would go. He maintains that “We are remaining very faithful to Gene Roddenberry’s notion of what the future might be like.” But, he was not interested in doing more of the same, as it were. Rather than the “safe world of respect and communication and care and, sometimes, fun” on the Enterprise, the show will be more somber and revolve around an older Picard who is haunted by and grieving over past events. The Federation will have taken a more isolationist (and perhaps corrupt?) turn. “Picard” will also reflect the frustration that Stewart — and others on the creative team, I suspect — has with current events in the U.S. and U.K.
“‘[This] was me responding to the world of Brexit and Trump and feeling, ‘Why hasn’t the Federation changed? Why hasn’t Starfleet changed?’ Maybe they’re not as reliable and trustworthy as we all thought.'”
Stewart opined that the U.S. was f___ed for now but expressed hope that it would shape up once the current administration has been replaced — presumably with a much more “progressive” one. However, he expects that Trump will be re-elected in Nov. 2020. The U.K., though, he feels is in much direr straits, thanks to new Prime Minister Boris Johnson and his drive to carry out the Brexit strategy. As per Variety, “He points to studies predicting decades-long economic damage inflicted by the country’s looming withdrawal from the European Union.” I’d be curious what those studies were. Being generally pro-Brexit (but admittedly not having investigated it a lot), something tells me I would be very skeptical of such studies, as they typically come from a more “progressive” and globalist mindset.
Now, the article I first read that commented on the Variety interview summarized Stewart’s comments as “The message: Go to hell, you conservatives who might be fans.” It also said “Stewart has absurdly credited the European Union with tearing down the Berlin Wall, ending the U.S.S.R., and quashing Apartheid in South Africa. (For the record, the EU had precisely zero to do with any of that.)” If this is accurate about Stewart’s views, they weren’t mentioned at all in the interview. The second brief article I read about it wasn’t much better.
But, when I read through the actual interview, I found no invective directed against conservative fans or those in general. Perhaps Stewart has made comments to that effect elsewhere? I don’t know. It wouldn’t be surprising, given his political leanings. If so, I’d be saddened, but I’d just chalk it up to another of the Leftist celebritensia making his opinion known. But, again, it wasn’t in the interview that I read. Thus, I am rather disappointed in the way both Godfather Politics and Breitbart handled this particular news item. I also think some of my fellow-conservatives need to chill out a bit.
Though I disagree with Stewart’s politics and the sentiments expressed in the interview, I wasn’t offended by them (F-bombs notwithstanding). Furthermore, as I’ve commented on elsewhere, science-fiction (with ST being a prime example) often serves as commentary on current events. So, I don’t have a problem with that, either. As for the rest of the article, it was actually a nice interview, briefly reviewing both the struggles and highlights of Stewart’s life and career, as well as “Star Trek: Picard”.
I am a Star Trek fan and, yes, I still like Stewart the actor. I try my best not to allow an actor’s personal beliefs or behaviors to color my view of his or her professional work. So, I am still looking forward to watching “Star Trek: Picard”. Even if there are parallels with Brexit etc., as long as it isn’t too heavy-handed in its presentation, I anticipate enjoying an interesting and well-crafted story with (hopefully) enjoyable characters, new and old.
Heck, if I can still enjoy past Star Treks despite the humanist/socialist utopian themes, I think I can handle this one with a not-so-shiny Federation. It wouldn’t be the first time. Besides, in the end, it’s just fiction.
