Star Trek Family Pays Tribute to Patrick Stewart: 'Godspeed, Captain'
The officers of the starship Enterprise have paid tribute to their late captain. Cast members from across the Star Trek franchise honoured Sir Patrick Stewart, who played Captain Jean-Luc Picard, after his death at 86 was announced on Thursday, 29 October, Entertainment Weekly reported. Stewart had died the previous day at his home in Los Angeles.
Shatner: “A magnificent actor”
William Shatner, who starred as Captain James T. Kirk in the original Star Trek series, led the tributes, Entertainment Weekly and USA Today reported. The two captains appeared together in the 1994 film Star Trek Generations, USA Today noted.
“What a heartbreaking week it has been,” Shatner wrote on X, according to Entertainment Weekly. “Sir Patrick Stewart was a friend, a colleague, and a magnificent actor. From the stage to the bridge of the Enterprise, he brought intelligence, grace, and a deep sense of humanity to everything he did.”
He continued: “Captain Picard stood for the best of us, and so did the man who played him. My heart goes out to Sunny and his family. He will be deeply missed.” Sunny Ozell was Stewart’s wife, USA Today reported.
Frakes and Wheaton remember their captain
Jonathan Frakes, who played Commander William T. Riker on Star Trek: The Next Generation, reposted Stewart’s obituary with the words “Rest in peace my friend,” Entertainment Weekly reported. He told USA Today: “There is no one on this planet that I have acted with or directed more often than my late great friend Patrick Stewart.”
Wil Wheaton, who played Wesley Crusher on The Next Generation, posted an old photograph of himself and Stewart smiling together, Entertainment Weekly reported, captioned: “Godspeed, captain.” The official Star Trek account called Stewart “a captain unlike any other,” USA Today reported.
The X-Men family speaks
Hugh Jackman, who played Wolverine alongside Stewart’s Professor Xavier in seven X-Men films, shared photographs of the friends embracing, USA Today reported. “We lost one of the greats of stage and screen today,” he wrote. “I will miss you, Patrick Stewart, all of my days.”
Famke Janssen, who played Jean Grey in the X-Men films, told USA Today: “Patrick was a legend. One of the greats.” She had first worked with him when she played Kamala opposite his Captain Picard, and later as Jean Grey opposite his Professor X. “You will be missed, Patrick, but never forgotten,” she said.
A captain who became part of him
Stewart first played Picard in Star Trek: The Next Generation (1987–1994), Entertainment Weekly reported, returning in four films and in Star Trek: Picard. In his 2023 memoir Making It So, he wrote of Picard: “Like me, Jean-Luc has lived an unusual life that has taken him far beyond the bounds of normal human experience.”
Sources: Entertainment Weekly, 29 October 2026; USA Today, 29 October 2026.