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Screenshot of vox.com: Patrick Stewart taught us what good men do with power

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Patrick Stewart taught us what good men do with power

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Vox essay by Ian Millhiser reflecting on Patrick Stewart's death and how Jean-Luc Picard modeled responsible use of power in a post-Cold War era.

What HN thinks

A memorial thread that quickly became a captain's log of DS9 rankings, Expanse grievances, and whether Data would hate Sam Altman.

Competent, decent characters are rare
Many cherish Picard and TNG for portraying people who are good and good at their jobs, and lament that modern TV and later Trek favour grim anti-heroes or weak writing.
Credit belongs to writers too
Several argue Roddenberry and the TNG writers deserve much of the credit, while others say Stewart's gravitas made the vision believable.
Power needs checks, not saints
A political tangent argues good leaders are no substitute for accountability and limits on power, in government and in the private sector.

Consensus: Commenters broadly agree that Picard was an unusually admirable portrayal of principled leadership and that TNG and DS9 remain high points of Star Trek, with standout episodes like The Drumhead, Darmok, Tapestry and The Measure of a Man.

Recommended in the comments

Solar Clipper series ↗ (book): Recommended as a story about a decent, competent person doing ordinary work well.
Star Trek: Lower Decks (other): Called the best recent Trek show, clever and clearly made by TNG fans.
The Expanse (book): Suggested reading the books, which one commenter says improve as the series goes on.
Dirk Gently ↗ (other): Offered as better sci-fi than The Expanse.

Summarised by Claude from the comment thread 10 hours ago.

Points: 382
Comments: 291
Best rank: #3
Posted: 2026-11-01 by rhaynes
Category: Culture society

star-trek patrick-stewart jean-luc-picard leadership liberalism obituary

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