Patrick Stewart's 'Star Trek' Pay Seems To Be Unjust For This Reason

June 2024 ยท 4 minute read

As one of the most legendary franchises in history, Star Trek hardly needs an introduction. The shows are the backbone of the franchise, but the movies have been huge, too, even though some aren't as good as others.

For decades, Patrick Stewart has been playing Jean-Luc Picard in the franchise. Stewart's time with Marvel has been amazing, but Star Trek is what put him on the map. Trekkies know a lot about Stewart's time in the franchise, even his pay, which some have voiced displeasure about.

Let's hear why fans think that his pay for The Next Generation was unjust.

What Went On With Patrick Stewart's 'Star Trek' Pay

In 2020, Star Trek fans everywhere we glued to their television sets to watch the premiere of Picard, a series focused on one of the franchise's greatest characters. The fandom didn't know what to expect from the show, but this didn't stop them from tuning in to see how things would play out.

Starting Patrick Stewart in one of his most iconic roles, Picard has been quite the ride for fans. The second season of the show just got underway, and it has been confirmed that season three, which is set for a 2023 release, will be the final season of the series.

Critically, Picard is sitting with an 87% on Rotten Tomatoes, which is solid. Fans have not been as thrilled as critics, as their score is sitting at a 72% Despite the division in the fandom, Picard is off and running with its second season, and it will be expanding the story as much as possible before its series finale in 2023.

It's been great to see Patrick Stewart in the role, which he began playing decades ago.

Related: Fans React To 'Star Trek' Star William Shatner Going To Space Thanks To Jeff Bezos

Patrick Stewart Has A Long History As The Character

Back in 1987, Patrick Stewart began his time playing Jean-Luc Picard on Star Trek: The Next Generation. Stewart was perfect for the character, and it cemented him as one of the greatest performers in the history of the franchise.

For 7 seasons and 178 episodes, Patrick Stewart played Jean-Luc Picard to perfection. To be fair, the entire cast was exceptional, but Stewart's work as the character was able to shine in each episode.

Following the series, a franchise of films got underway, and Stewart was able to continue playing his iconic character. These movies certainly divided critics and fans at the time of their release, but many of them were quite successful at the box office.

It's nice having Stewart back in tow as the character, and he's making quite a bit to star on Picard. Historically speaking, however, his pay for playing Jean-Luc Picard has not always been great.

Related: Who From The Cast Of 'Star Trek: The Original Series' Is Still Alive In 2021?

Stewart's Interesting Pay For Playing The Character

When it comes to playing a major character, the subject of pay is always a popular one. Fans have heard stories of stars landing the big bucks for their TV work for years, and occasionally, stories emerge about a star who might not have been making as much as some would expect. This could certainly apply to Patrick Stewart's time playing Picard in The Next Generation.

According to IMDb, "Sir Patrick Stewart was paid nearly as much for Star Trek Nemesis as he made in the entire run of Star Trek: The Next Generation."

This is a mind-blowing fact, especially when taking into consideration just how long he played Picard in The Next Generation. In spite of his seemingly low pay for the show, the films really shelled out the big bucks for the legendary actor.

Fortunately, he has been making substantially more for his time on Picard. Fans may have mixed feelings on the show, but they're happy to see Stewart making a wad of cash.

As one Reddit user noted, "I hate ST:P and I'm angry that Patrick Stewart even agreed to it, but I'm totally fine with him being set for life for doing TNG. Nemesis wasn't great, but Patrick Stewart was not the reason for that. So he got a nice paycheck, i'm okay with it. Remember, he was just a random actor doing stage work without a regular paycheck for most of his life. He was already pretty old when he joined the TNG cast. He put in his time, and turned in an epic performance for TNG. I hope he's enjoying his extended retirement and hitting all the nicest beaches."

Related: 'Star Trek: Discovery' Showrunner Walks Fans Behind The Scenes Of New Season

Patrick Stewart was able to make a substantial amount of money in the entertainment industry, but it's still shocking to see that his pay was so low while playing an iconic character.

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