McAvoy Pitched Young Picard 'Stargazer' Series — SkimNews
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- James McAvoy revealed on the Happy Sad Confused podcast that he pitched a Star Trek limited series titled "Mutiny On the Stargazer" about a young Captain Picard, saying the project "nearly" got made before "logistical issues" prevented it.
- McAvoy said the series would have explored Picard taking command of the Stargazer and uncovered "the secret he's been holding his entire career," describing the concept as a one-off standalone season.
- McAvoy previously succeeded Patrick Stewart as Professor Charles Xavier in the X-Men prequels First Class (2011), Days of Future Past (2014), Apocalypse (2016), and Dark Phoenix (2019).
- Patrick Stewart originated the live-action Picard role in Star Trek: The Next Generation, which ran in syndication from 1987 to 1994, and reprised it across three seasons of Star Trek: Picard (2020–2023).
- Picard's first command was previously explored in Michael Jan Friedman's six-book Star Trek: Stargazer novel series, published between 2002 and 2004 — a storyline McAvoy's proposed series would have adapted.
- McAvoy joked that "all I really want to do in my career is play young versions of Patrick Stewart," framing the Picard pitch as part of an ongoing pattern of succeeding Stewart in iconic roles.
Why it matters: With Stewart back as Xavier in Avengers: Doomsday (Dec. 18), the actor who has already played young Stewart twice is publicly telling Paramount he's ready to do it a third time — and the plot McAvoy described (Picard's secret from his first Stargazer command) would have filled a narrative gap the franchise never actually dramatized on screen.
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