Was Picard always intended to have an interest in Shakespeare, or did this come along with (classically trained Shakespearean actor) Patrick Stewart?
It's a huge part of his character, but was it always the plan?
Was Picard always intended to have an interest in Shakespeare, or did this come along with (classically trained Shakespearean actor) Patrick Stewart?
It's a huge part of his character, but was it always the plan?
Captain Julien Picard (later then renamed to Jean-Luc) was originally envisioned to be much more "french", with no hints to Shakespeare at all. The earliest characterisation I could find describes him as a "distinguished man in his 50s"
(Source: Starlog 118)
"The Bible", a document that summarises all the characters for the authors, shows no hint of Shakespeare, but instead emphasises his pride of his French heritage:
(Source: The Next Generation Writer's Guide)
Besides Stewart, four actors were cast for the role of Picard, none of which have a strong Shakespearian background:
The latter was a favourite of Roddenberry, which is unsurprising; his Belgian background would make a convincing Frenchman. Bauchau also has no Shakespeare training.
(Source)