Patrick Stewart Revealed Which ‘Star Trek’ Movie Was His Favorite Before His Death

Patrick Stewart spent decades as the face of Captain Jean-Luc Picard, so it’s no surprise that fans are now revisiting everything he said about the franchise. Few of his opinions carry as much weight as the one about Patrick Stewart’s favorite ‘Star Trek’ movie. The actor died on October 28 at his home in Los Angeles at the age of 86, following a battle with Alzheimer’s disease and Lewy body dementia.

Stewart’s legacy stretches far beyond a single role, from Shakespeare on the stage to Professor Charles Xavier in the ‘X-Men’ films. But Picard remains the part that defined him for generations of viewers. He played the captain in 179 episodes of ‘Star Trek: The Next Generation’, 30 episodes of ‘Star Trek: Picard’ and 4 feature films.

With that many hours in the captain’s chair, he had no shortage of material to choose from when he was asked to rank the big-screen outings. And when the question came up, he didn’t hesitate. Stewart’s pick was ‘Star Trek: First Contact’, the 1996 film that sent the Enterprise crew back in time to stop the Borg from rewriting history.

Stewart told The Hollywood Reporter in 2020 that the movie was “outstanding and was the best of our four movies.” He later repeated the sentiment in 2024 on the ‘Happy Sad Confused’ podcast, noting that the ‘Next Generation’ cast made several films of varying quality after the series ended. In his view, the one that stood above the rest was the 2nd film, directed by Jonathan Frakes.

That wasn’t a throwaway answer. Stewart also said he liked the film because of the arc it gave Picard, who gets to be intense, emotional and openly furious while facing the Borg. He even wrote in his 2023 memoir ‘Making It So’ that rewatching his performance reminded him how technique is supposed to work.

Part of the reason Stewart rated the film so highly comes down to the man behind the camera. Frakes, who played William Riker, knew the cast inside out, and he had already directed episodes of ‘The Next Generation’, starting with ‘The Offspring’. Stewart has called him one of the people who influenced him most on the show, thanks to his experience and his understanding of how complicated a production can be.

That familiarity shows on screen. Frakes grasped the core idea behind the franchise: spectacle only goes so far, but give the audience a reason to care about the characters and a friendly face on a starship becomes more compelling than another big explosion.

Today, most fans agree that ‘First Contact’ sits among the best entries in the entire franchise, with ‘The Wrath of Khan’ usually named as its only true rival. Critics back that up, too. Its 93% approval rating on Rotten Tomatoes towers over the 55% earned by ‘Star Trek: Insurrection’, which Frakes also directed.

Back in 1996, though, the film was something of a gamble. ‘The Next Generation’ had already wrapped up, and newer series such as ‘Deep Space Nine’ and ‘Voyager’ were struggling with ratings. The franchise also risked feeling dated next to flashy sci-fi blockbusters of the era.

‘First Contact’ answered that challenge with a more cinematic look and an action-thriller structure that opened Trek up to a broader audience. Stewart said in his memoir that after its release he was convinced the cast was on the threshold of building a potent movie franchise. Unfortunately, the later films never reached the same heights, and the series came to a halt with ‘Star Trek: Nemesis’.

Hearing Stewart name ‘First Contact’ feels especially poignant now. It’s a film that captures everything people loved about his Picard: the dignity, the vulnerability and the sheer force of will when the stakes were highest. For many viewers, it’s also the perfect entry point for anyone who wants to understand why the character endures.

Stewart’s final film role is reportedly ‘Avengers: Doomsday’, but his place in science fiction history was secured long before that. Whatever the ranking debates look like in the years ahead, it’s clear which movie the captain himself would choose.

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