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On Oct. 28, Patrick Stewart died in his wife’s arms. How perfect, I thought. That is how Patrick would have wanted to die: in the arms of his beloved Sunny Ozell. Quite a beautiful, peaceful way to die. Other than his wife,
Patrick loved the theater more than anything. I could easily envision Patrick’s final moments on planet Earth occurring while acting in a play, dying on stage in the middle of a performance.
There have been precedents. The great French playwright Molière died in front of an audience during the middle of a scene from his play, “The Imaginary Invalid.” He died doing what he loved: acting in a play. Everyone in the audience was laughing and applauding, thinking Molière’s intense coughing fit was comedic gold, until their laughter turned to horror. The audience was left reeling, but I suspect Molière went out thinking it was one of the best performances he’d ever given.
For a final performance for dear Patrick, as opposed to the beautiful and peaceful death he apparently had, I suggest it might have occurred in “A Christmas Carol,” near the beginning of his meeting the Ghost of Christmas Present. On the other hand, dying onstage as a wronged Shylock in “The Merchant of Venice” would certainly have been unforgettable. His portrayal of Shylock was perhaps my favorite onstage performance of his I ever saw.
Why do I even suggest such a thing? Because it would have allowed me to see him for a final time. How I wanted that!
Many of us would have loved to have seen him once more. Even though I knew he was very sick, somewhere in my mind, I hoped I would see him again. So imagining two magnificent dramatic death scenes helps me visualize him doing what he so loved.
One thing is for certain: Patrick’s reach across the continents was massive. After word of his death surfaced, the internet, not surprisingly, was filled with thousands of tributes of admiration and overflowing love for the Yorkshire man. He touched so many people in so many ways. Not only was he the captain of the Enterprise crew, he seems to have been everyone’s captain because of how he walked in the world.
What a breath of fresh air to have a leader who cared about the ethics of what he said! The result was eloquence. Seriousness. Intellect. The character of Jean-Luc Picard, which Patrick played brilliantly, was the antithesis of many of our leaders today.
What struck me as I scrolled through the hundreds of tributes was how much we humans desire good leaders. How, if we respect someone, we will work hard for them because of their principles. We follow them, emulate them because they enlighten us. They give us hope. Their dedication to fairness and righteousness inspires us. We begin to believe there may be solutions to seemingly impossible problems. That was Jean-Luc Picard and the modus operandi of the crew who supported him. Of course, the vision itself was the collective vision of Gene Roddenberry and all the writers and producers of “Star Trek,” but Patrick fulfilled that collective dream, our collective dream, by the way he acted the character of Picard and by how he carried himself in public. Patrick understood the need people have for heroes.
We want to believe in our leaders. Society suffers when we do not. If we fear retribution and feel there is no choice but to live in blind obedience to those in power, we lose our way. We lose belief in our institutions. Good leaders are those who urge us to step up and demand justice and truth. They spark our imaginations with their visions of a better future. They educate us. Without a belief in the basic goodness of our leaders, we lose faith in ourselves and our collective future. Our standards and principles take a dive.
A leader is also great when they understand sacrifice and responsibility. This is why, I believe, people tune into “Star Trek” or listen to Shakespeare, music or art of any kind. We are searching for hope and elevation from the daily numbness or despair. A desire to do good in the world works better with both kindness and focus — and it works better when we are surrounded by art and invention that lifts us. Jean-Luc Picard embodied that ideal. Patrick’s death means the loss of Picard, which for some hurts even more than the loss of Patrick Stewart. Jean-Luc gave us hope.
Gates McFadden played Dr. Beverly Crusher in the “Star Trek” franchise for decades opposite Stewart, including all but the second season of “Star Trek: The Next Generation”; the films “Star Trek Generations,” “Star Trek: First Contact,” “Star Trek: Insurrection” and “Star Trek: Nemesis”; the third season of “Star Trek: Picard”; and cameo appearances in “Star Trek: Prodigy.”
