38

In Star Trek : Generations, who is older, Captain Picard or Captain Kirk?

enter image description here

Improve this question
6
  • 2
    If this question wants to ignore Kirk's time in the Nexus, that should be noted. Obviously, it would be a game-changer if included.
    – Omegacron
    Commented Jan 12, 2015 at 18:09
  • @Omegacron - Don't get me started on the fact that Picard has been whisked all around time by Q, not to mention various temporal loops, etc.
    – Valorum
    Commented Jan 12, 2015 at 23:00
  • I can't remember if they explicitly say it in the movie but I think it was at least presumed that time does not affect those stuck in the Nexus.
    – suryanaga
    Commented Jan 12, 2015 at 23:08
  • 1
    @sanjaypoyzer - Guinan says it doesn't; "And from his point of view, he just got there too.". Kirk entered The Nexus in 2293 and exited in 2371. From his subjective perspective, only a few minutes passed.
    – Valorum
    Commented Jan 12, 2015 at 23:12
  • @Richard - lol, that IS true. However, if we stick with age according to linear timeline, the fact that Kirk was essentially in stasis for 70+ years would definitely make him the older of the two. If we're ignoring that period and only counting "active" years, Picard is the older of the two.
    – Omegacron
    Commented Jan 13, 2015 at 1:24

1 Answer 1

Reset to default
45

Picard is chronologically the elder, by 6 years.

James T. Kirk was born in 2233 and was reported dead in 2293 (when he entered the Nexus) at 60 years of age.

Jean-Luc Picard was born in 2305. Since Star Trek : Generations takes place in 2371, that makes him 66 years of age.

Out-of-universe, it's perhaps worth noting that at the time of filming, neither actor was portraying their correct age. Patrick Stewart was actually 54 and William Shatner was 63.

Improve this answer
6
  • 5
    What's scary is that Mr. Stewart already looked like 60 when he was 41 ("Excalibur"). Luckily he doesn't look much older now that he's 74.
    – Damon
    Commented Jan 12, 2015 at 14:29
  • 14
    But Damon, Patrick Stewart hasn't showed signs of aging in 25 years.
    – corsiKa
    Commented Jan 12, 2015 at 14:40
  • 3
    @Damon - Queen Elizabeth hates him so much, she tried to chop his head off; moviecitynews.com/wp-content/uploads/2011/10/…
    – Valorum
    Commented Jan 12, 2015 at 15:24
  • 1
    Patrick Stewart is a little like Anthony Hopkins, Tommy Lee Jones, and Ian Holm, in terms of his ageing pattern. When they were middle-aged, they all looked older than their age, but they seemed to stop ageing any further after that! (And they are all still alive: Patrick Stewart is currently 74, Anthony Hopkins is 77, Tommy Lee Jones is 68, and Ian Holm is 83!)
    – Praxis
    Commented Jan 12, 2015 at 22:36
  • 2
    Also, I was always a little shocked about how dramatically different William Shatner looked between TOS and The Motion Picture....
    – Praxis
    Commented Jan 12, 2015 at 22:38

Your Answer

By clicking “Post Your Answer”, you agree to our terms of service and acknowledge you have read our privacy policy.

Not the answer you're looking for? Browse other questions tagged or ask your own question.