does anybody know the answer to this?

I came across some rumours that at some point during the filming of TNG, Patrick Stewart apparently said something ill-considered which really got up the noses of Michael Dorn and Levar Burton, and relations between those actors became somewhat strained as a result. When pressed on the matter in an interview, he refused to elaborate.

I can only think that whatever he said must have been inadvertently racist since it happened to annoy specifically his two black co-stars; I say inadvertently because Mr.Stewart really strikes me as a very fair-minded man outside of his role, not just in it, and absolutely not the type of person to harbour any such attitudes. Whatever he said must have gone down the wrong pipe; but does anybody know what it was??

My own private theory has always been some remark along the lines that black actors were the best to play Klingons.

 

No idea, but it must have been something inadvertent - I can't believe he would have said anything deliberately offensive or harbours any racist views.

 

Nobody knows and as long as neither of the three men want to talk about it, we'll never find out.

According to Memory Alpha, Stewart didn't get along very well with Michael Down anyway. And I guess even Patrick Stewart is capable of saying something stupidly racist. Maybe being a Brit, he was also unfamiliar with American sensibilities regarding race. Who knows... as long as it was only a single incident over a seven-year period, I don't see a problem. People make mistakes sometimes.

 

So all of the cast saying they hang out a lot and consider each other their best life friends is just a show?

I know Michael Dorn and Levar Burton didn't get on initially, but are on record as saying they are now close. Similar with Dorn and Marina Sirtis.

It seems though that the TNG crew generally got on the best. I've seldom heard Avery Brooks or Colm Meaney say that the DS9 crew still hang out, or Mulgrew or Russ for Voyager.

 

It's not just a rumor, Stewart himself has copped to the incident...but as far as I know, no one has repeated what it was that he said. I'd be willing to bet it's fairly innocuous, something he said before thinking.

 

He strikes me as the kind of man who sees everything.

 

I think it'll be something blown way out of proportion by fans since it happened.

Patrick Stewart is driven by equality and diversity, he believes in the vision of Gene and Star Trek.

Besides, he and Burton kissed at the recent reunion. I'm sure if Stewart were racist, Burton wouldn't want to go anywhere near him.

 

Not since as a Mandinka warrior, he experienced the effects of racism first hand.

 

I never heard that Stewart did not get along Dorn. Did Dorn say this, how did you come by this information?

 

its just as likely michael dorn was being a baby about something and patrick stewart just acted like the bigger man and apologized

 

Yeah he told the story in the S1 extras about Levar and how much he regretted the incident.

 

http://en.memory-alpha.org/wiki/Patrick_Stewart#Relationships_with_other_Star_Trek_cast_members

 

There is always conflict in collaborative art. And for every rumor you hear about, you can bet that there were ten other conflicts that you will never hear about. Conflict between actors, musicians, painters, etc. that are working on something together is natural.

 

conflict is part of life. I doubt many fans seriously believe that all performing artists get on all of the time. We're not that stupid.

 

IIRC, it was some comment or phrase Stewart had heard somewhere and was unaware of the racial historical background that Dorn and Burton had to bring to his attention.

 

Stewart talks about it in the S7 extras, that one documentary about him reminiscing about the cast.

 

I seem to recall him saying he'd said something not realizing the racist context, & that it was not received well, & then later explained to him, at which time he was apologetic of his ignorance

 

you have to remember these guys were working up to 16hrs a day 6 days a week for 7 years.... sure they would have got on each others nerves, but who wouldn't when you're spending that long with people. As long as they can look back and laugh now, it really doesn't matter!

 

he probably said something fairly innocuous like "hey that klingon makeup makes you looks like a gorilla" and the politically correct americans got bent out of shape about it.

 

I think in season 1, they were still finding their feet and didn't really get on well.

It's probably not until the later seasons that they became an almost second family. They're probably unique amongst all of the crews that they are the closest post-production (bar perhaps the original series, as Shatner and Nimoy are friends and the late James Doohan and DeForest Kelley were close with other cast members).