Gene Roddenberry is responsible for one of the biggest science fiction shows to hit the small screen. Even today, his is legacy continuously expanded through new shows such as Strange New Worlds and Picard (which has just had its season three trailer released). Despite him creating the entire franchise, Roddenberry has had a few questionable moments of the years. During The Next Generation,, he made executive decisions and went over the writers' heads to include various elements, and take out a lot more. One such decision, which was thankfully overruled and ignored, was that Patrick Stewart should not play Picard. Today, this sounds like a ridiculous concept for a man whose face has become synonymous with the entire franchise.
Obviously not knowing how influential Stewart would become, and the great things he and his English classical background would bring to the show, Roddenberry was not keen on him after his audition. There was nothing wrong with his acting. Stewart was classically trained, with a vast amount of acting experience and a gravitas that only comes with projecting Shakespeare at theater. The issue, then, was that Roddenberry not only had a very particular vision for the universe of Star Trek, but also for the characters found within it.
Roddenberry's clear vision built upon what he had created and set up in The Original Series. But thankfully, at the time of creating TNG, his influence over the show had diminished somewhat. He was still a vital part of the production, writing, and overall decision-making, but he did not hold total sway over who got cast. It was because of this that Stewart was cast as Picard, overruling Roddenberry’s complaints that he did not fit the utopian vision he was so desperate to portray. Roddenberry is quoted saying: “What the hell? I don’t want a bald, middle-aged Englishman” playing the main protagonist. The idea was that whoever commanded the ship should have the same Kirk-like attraction and personality that the very attractive cast of the Original Series had. Roddenberry felt that Stewart didn’t fully embody this.
Roddenberry not getting his way on this was potentially one of the best decisions of the franchise. While another Kirk-like character would have been great, it would have just felt like a reboot of the old show, rather than something brand new and exciting. Stewart brought something unexpected to Star Trek. Kirk was outlandish and loud, always ready for a fight and wearing his passions on his sleeve. Picard, meanwhile, was the opposite, a quiet and reserved figure of sometimes strict authority. He had the same father-like ability to only raise his voice on rare occasions, and when he did, audiences knew he was really serious. His soft, more speculative personality fit perfectly with the rest of the cast, but also with the main mission that Star Trek is all about: to observe, learn, and only act when necessary.
After getting cast, the relationship between Stewart and Roddenberry started fairly rocky. The creator begrudgingly accepted the actor's presence in his ‘masterpiece.’ Stewart himself spoke about their strange relationship. At the start, he felt out of place and uncomfortable, and felt that Roddenberry really didn't want him thereor understand why he was cast. In Stewart's words, he would often ‘[…] catch him [Roddenberry] looking at me with an expression on his face which said, ‘What the f*** is this guy doing in my show?’
Their relationship improved somewhat after production got into full swing, but it was clear that Roddenberry never fully accepted Stewart as his leading man. While uncomfortable, this awkwardness between the two would not last. Roddenberry began experiencing health issues, and as a result, he was around less and less. Finally, production continued much without his input (but only after a truly disastrous first season).
While it may be impossible for many to imagine anyone other than Stewart playing the titular starship captain, Roddenberry had reportedly always envisioned the James Bond villain actor Patrick Bauchau as Picard, another classically handsome actor reminiscent of William Shatner. Stephen Macht was also a great contender, but he turned down the role when asked, worrying that featuring on a sci-fi TV show would damage his career. (Ironically, the same thing was also told to Stewart.)
What’s sad is that, if Roddenberry had lived to see how successful Steward’s Picard has become with fans today, he would have openly acknowledged he was wrong, and that there could have been no other who would have done it the way Steward did it. Bauchau could have made a great Picard, but it would have been very different. It would have been more akin to the old shows, rather than boldly going where no one had gone before.