This just in: Doctors agree that Star Trek: The Next Generation is officially bad for your health. Well, at least, it was if you were a cast member for the show, according to Patrick Stewart's recent Q and A session with Newsweek magazine. On the plus side, the adoration of your fanbase may make up for whatever injuries and deformities you suffered as a result of appearing on the series.
Stewart admitted that he was not a fan of the neat-fitting bodysuit that he had to wear during the start of his tour of duty on the starship Enterprise:
I came to loathe it. We actually got rid of it after the second season thanks to my chiropractor, who said if they don't take you out of that costume we are going to slap a lawsuit on Paramount for the lasting damage done to your spine... They were made from Lycra and one size too small. The producers wanted to have a smooth, unwrinkled look. It put a terrible amount of strain on the shoulders, neck and back.
Finally, an explanation for the stiffness of Jonathan Frakes' acting - He was in pain the entire time. Not that Stewart would be a fan of me saying something like that; turns out that he's still very defensive about the show and its fans:
When you're onstage, aren't you worried about weird Trekkie fans in the audience?
Oh, come on, that's just a silly thing to say.
But they are weird.
How many do you know personally? You couldn't be more wrong. Here's the thing: if you say the fans are weird, that means there is something essentially weird about the show, and there is nothing weird about it. I'm very passionate when people like you snigger.
Admit it. You kind of have a crush on Patrick Stewart right now for standing up for you like that, right?
Image from Costume Craze
Mr. Stewart Loves His Trekkies [Newsweek]