Star Trek: Picard's Backstory Completes Patrick Stewart's Character Change
Warning: Article contains discussion of domestic abuse, and spoilers for Star Trek: Picard episode 1.
Star Trek: Picard season 2's opening episode revealed that Jean-Luc has a traumatic backstory, which completes a transformation into a character more like actor Patrick Stewart. Since even before his return to the role was announced, Patrick Stewart has been an integral part of the creative vision for the series. Having previously turned down the opportunity back in 2017, Stewart was keen that, if he was to return, Star Trek: Picard must be politically relevant.
That political relevance was keenly felt in a first season that portrayed a Federation at risk of turning its back on its utopian ideals, ignoring the plight of Romulan refugees. The parallels between this and the immigration debates in the UK and US must surely have resonated with Patrick Stewart, a British actor living in the US during a Trump Presidency while his home country dealt with fallout from Brexit. Picard season 2's new character backstory blurs fact and fiction.
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A harrowing flashback hints at Picard's reason for heading into the stars, partly to honor his mother's wishes, but a darker undercurrent suggests it was a means of escape. Before the flashback ends there are disturbing flashes of violence, suggesting that Picard and his mother experienced physical abuse from his father. This is painfully like Patrick Stewart's own upbringing, and as Picard ponders his own regrets over never finding love, it's clear that this abuse will form the emotional backbone of Picard season 2.
It's established in Star Trek: The Next Generation season 4, episode 2 «Family» that Picard's
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