Nerd fame is a strange thing. The sheer passion with which people relate to you, or to something you’ve created, is a lot to handle, even for the most seasoned actor or creator. For the cast of a phenomenon like Star Trek, it must be even more overwhelming.
That intensity is part of what makes this interview, conducted by BBC Radio 1, so fun to watch. Talking to film critic Ali Plumb, Sir Patrick Stewart and Jeri Ryan, promoting Picard, have a relaxed and playful discussion about their experiences with fandom and Star Trek. Along the way, they discuss action figures, getting mistaken for other celebrities, and spandex.
Not just spandex, but catsuits, as Sir Patrick, apparently not a viewer of Deep Space Nine, learns for apparently the first time just what they had Jeri Ryan wearing in her original appearance as Seven of Nine. Fortunately, she’s wearing something more comfortable in Picard, and Star Trek has ditched the spandex just about entirely. But there will always be fans around to remind Ryan of that costume, for better or worse.
This interview is a really fun watch—not for any particular information about Picard, but to get some insight into how fandom treats some of its biggest, most influential names. Fortunately, both Stewart and Ryan seem to have a lot of fun with it.
Star Trek: Picard airs exclusively on CBS All Access.
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