Stewart says he was afraid of getting fired.

[Gary7]

Mostly, a joke told by a person of a certain racial persuasion about their own race will go over OK if delivered well, but if told by someone of another race would flop with severe embarrassment (there are exceptions, but require a very talented comedian that can walk the line). It could be that Stewart tried to do just that, and it was taken the wrong way. I don't get the sense at all that he has any racial prejudices, from all of the interviews I've seen of him and his sincere behavior with fans of non-Caucasian persuasion. Plus, it looks like he had a very good friendship with Levar during the series.

Back to the OT... I saw some interview where Stewart had misgivings about how things were going after the first season. We all look at TNG with the success it achieved, but that was not a certainty early on. To me, it looks like midway through season 2, things started to get much better and then the changes for season 3 really cemented the success pattern. From what I saw, the cast became very enthusiastic for the series at that point, which probably showed in their performances (they got much better, IMHO).

 

[Cyke101]

Mostly, a joke told by a person of a certain racial persuasion about their own race will go over OK if delivered well, but if told by someone of another race would flop with severe embarrassment (there are exceptions, but require a very talented comedian that can walk the line). It could be that Stewart tried to do just that, and it was taken the wrong way. I don't get the sense at all that he has any racial prejudices, from all of the interviews I've seen of him and his sincere behavior with fans of non-Caucasian persuasion. Plus, it looks like he had a very good friendship with Levar during the series..

That reminds me of the Office, when new boss Will Ferrell was pressuring Ed Helms/Andy to tell a joke. Andy got so nervous that he was about to tell a "What do African Americans say when..." joke when he was saved by the bell and Ferrell was called for something else. Andy breathes a sigh of relief, but Craig Robinson/Darrell is standing at the other side of the room and asks, "Andy, what DO African Americans say?" Commencing the squirming


But throughout the last couple seasons, Andy and Darrell's friendship has been slowly developing, and Darrell's usually one of the most clever and practical of the staff.

 

[Sean Aaron]

Back to the OT... I saw some interview where Stewart had misgivings about how things were going after the first season. We all look at TNG with the success it achieved, but that was not a certainty early on.

No surprise there. I watched the pilot and the Naked Now and was amazed they came back for a second series. It was when I happened to catch the episode where Riker is an exchange officer on a Klingon ship that I realised the show wasn't utter crap and worth watching.

 

[Gary7]

No surprise there. I watched the pilot and the Naked Now and was amazed they came back for a second series. It was when I happened to catch the episode where Riker is an exchange officer on a Klingon ship that I realised the show wasn't utter crap and worth watching.

That exchange episode (A Matter of Honor) was one of the few really good ones from that early period. Glad you brought it up. It was an important one that established a lot of Klingon characteristics that carried forward for the rest of the series, into DS9, and onto the movies. "Gagh" anyone?

 

[Sean Aaron]

Series 2 was definitely hit-and-miss, but a lot more watchable episodes than the first one. When I re-watch I skip all of the first series bar the last couple of episodes.

 

[Alrik]

I don't see where he says he was worried about getting fired, he seems to be saying what he has said for years. That first year, he didn't see the show getting picked up. I recall that in several interviews over the years he makes light of the fact that during that first season, he never bothered to unpack his suit case, figuring that the plug would get pulled, and he'd be on his way back to England.

 

[indranee]

Mostly, a joke told by a person of a certain racial persuasion about their own race will go over OK if delivered well, but if told by someone of another race would flop with severe embarrassment (there are exceptions, but require a very talented comedian that can walk the line). It could be that Stewart tried to do just that, and it was taken the wrong way. I don't get the sense at all that he has any racial prejudices, from all of the interviews I've seen of him and his sincere behavior with fans of non-Caucasian persuasion. Plus, it looks like he had a very good friendship with Levar during the series.

Back to the OT... I saw some interview where Stewart had misgivings about how things were going after the first season. We all look at TNG with the success it achieved, but that was not a certainty early on. To me, it looks like midway through season 2, things started to get much better and then the changes for season 3 really cemented the success pattern. From what I saw, the cast became very enthusiastic for the series at that point, which probably showed in their performances (they got much better, IMHO).

I'm an old school fan and I believe his paranoia. I was in college back then and I remember watching the new bald, wimpy-looking captain, the wierd-eyed android and the grooveheaded Kilngon with the stick up his a$$ in the student center with all my dormmates and all of us going -- FLOP!!! Frankly, the best scene (and the one I was most looking forward to) in Encounter at Farpoint was the one with DeForest Kelley.

The third season, bearded Riker, and brand new balls on Picard changed all that.

 

[indranee]

I don't see where he says he was worried about getting fired, he seems to be saying what he has said for years. That first year, he didn't see the show getting picked up. I recall that in several interviews over the years he makes light of the fact that during that first season, he never bothered to unpack his suit case, figuring that the plug would get pulled, and he'd be on his way back to England.

THIS. he's said this many times, I think.

 

[doubleohfive]

He covers a lot of this in The Captains as well as gracefully dancing around the dissolution of his marriage at the time.

 

[Mister Spock]

That reminds me of the Office, when new boss Will Ferrell was pressuring Ed Helms/Andy to tell a joke. Andy got so nervous that he was about to tell a "What do African Americans say when..." joke when he was saved by the bell and Ferrell was called for something else. Andy breathes a sigh of relief, but Craig Robinson/Darrell is standing at the other side of the room and asks, "Andy, what DO African Americans say?" Commencing the squirming

If you haven't already, definitely check out the British version of The Office where David Brent is made to awkwardly finish his joke, which involves the Queen and has the punchline of "a black man's willy", in front of a black colleague.

Anyway, back on topic. I remember hearing somewhere that Patrick Stewart was so unsure of The Next Generation that he initially lived in a hotel for his first two years on the show. He only bought a property when the show became successful.

 

[Admiral Bear]

I have a hard time imagining that stewart would say anything overtly racist to him. The man is a true professional.

I've heard rumours over the years that Stewart has a certain reputation in British theatre for being an utter letch around young women.

Now, while I'd hate for any of this to be true, rumours of wandering hands and racist jokes aren't good.

A while back, I was told something very shocking, albeit not utterly surprising, about Shatner. And it trumps all of his previous well known behavioural indiscretions by a long way.

Perhaps there's something about playing Star Trek captains.

 

[Marc]

Anyway, back on topic. I remember hearing somewhere that Patrick Stewart was so unsure of The Next Generation that he initially lived in a hotel for his first two years on the show. He only bought a property when the show became successful.

Think it was the behinds the scenes/finale documentry that was done around the time the series came to an end where Stewart said he spend the first few months living out of a suitcase in the expecation of cancellation after about 6 eps.

 

[Lance]

I have a hard time imagining that stewart would say anything overtly racist to him. The man is a true professional.

I've heard rumours over the years that Stewart has a certain reputation in British theatre for being an utter letch around young women.

Now, while I'd hate for any of this to be true, rumours of wandering hands and racist jokes aren't good.

A while back, I was told something very shocking, albeit not utterly surprising, about Shatner. And it trumps all of his previous well known behavioural indiscretions by a long way.

Perhaps there's something about playing Star Trek captains.

IIRC it stems from an interview with Patrick Stewart himself, where he admitted he made a comment without realising that it had racist connotations in the USA. It was one of those Britain/America things where the term, whatever it was, isn't seen as harshly on the other side of the Atlantic as it is in America. My interpretation of the interview is that Stewart genuinely didn't mean any offence, and he was genuinely contrite and apologetic about it when he had it explained to him.

 

[Makarov]

I hate the idea of Riker being front and center with Picard taking a back seat and being a mentor. I much prefer what we got. It transcended the image of bald older people being boring sex driveless mentors that can't kick ass - although a lot of people still want him to just be that. Riker's great but he can't draw the line like Picard can.

That's not to say I don't want a Riker spinoff though, that would be awesome. But not a friendly, charming Kirk-like Riker - that's boring to me. Angry Riker that yells at everybody... that's cool. "You're not capable of that level of incompetence!"

 

[Orphalesion]

IIRC it stems from an interview with Patrick Stewart himself, where he admitted he made a comment without realising that it had racist connotations in the USA. It was one of those Britain/America things where the term, whatever it was, isn't seen as harshly on the other side of the Atlantic as it is in America. My interpretation of the interview is that Stewart genuinely didn't mean any offence, and he was genuinely contrite and apologetic about it when he had it explained to him.

America does seem to obsess about this kinda stuff. Remember the Hey Hey, It's Saturday thing a few years back when the American guest celebrity threw a fit about those guys doing a "Jackson 5" performance wearing skin paint? In hindsight it was a bit tactless, but at the time I was seriously wondering what he got so worked up about.

 

[Cyke101]

IIRC it stems from an interview with Patrick Stewart himself, where he admitted he made a comment without realising that it had racist connotations in the USA. It was one of those Britain/America things where the term, whatever it was, isn't seen as harshly on the other side of the Atlantic as it is in America. My interpretation of the interview is that Stewart genuinely didn't mean any offence, and he was genuinely contrite and apologetic about it when he had it explained to him.

America does seem to obsess about this kinda stuff. Remember the Hey Hey, It's Saturday thing a few years back when the American guest celebrity threw a fit about those guys doing a "Jackson 5" performance wearing skin paint? In hindsight it was a bit tactless, but at the time I was seriously wondering what he got so worked up about.

Making a mistake is fine. That's how we learn. If Stewart really did make a racist comment but realized why it was hurtful because of his relationship with Dorn and Burton and increased his awareness of others, then that's a positive lesson learned, especially if it helped tighten the bond between the three of them. Outright censorship doesn't quite teach that. By ignoring it, it makes the topic taboo and can cause even more damage. To me it's the same way how Stewart campaigns against domestic violence -- a noble cause to be sure, but he'll (respectfully) call out those who trivialize domestic violence, not just to keep them in check, but to educate and build relationships.

But America is unique in that it's supposed to be the world leader in racial tolerance, when in reality there's a long way to go -- police brutality, medical care availability, media exposure, our class system, public education, etc. all have institutional, systemic racism built in, which doesn't go away overnight or just through sweeping it under the rug. It took decades to get to that point and it would take decades more to get rid of it. So if it's an obsession, it's because it affects people's lives on a daily basis, and sometimes costs them their lives (like Walter Scott). A racial minority worries obsesses about racism the same way that a swimmer in the middle of the ocean obsesses about drowning.

 

[FormerLurker]

We won't live in a more racially tolerant, better world until a white guy can call an african-american a negro, and no one cares.

To qualify, way back when the african-american cared because it called him out as 'different' in a way that marked him as less. When no one sees it as anything but "Oh, you have darker skin. Cool", the world will be a better place.

 

[Orphalesion]

Skin colour should count no more than hair colour, for example, or the shape of one's nose, an aspect of physical appearance, nothing more. I agree that political correctness can contribute to people being more aware of "races" "ethnicities" whatever you want to call those imaginary categories the human species insists on dividing itself into.
In a perfect world we would all react like Uhura in Savage Curtain when Lincoln called her a negress.

Now I'm not black , I'm gay and I have been called my share of words in my time, so I do not deny that words can't hurt. But only changing the words, without changing the underlying thinking that leads to them....that's merely treating the symptom and not the cause, like trying to fix a rusting metal door by giving it a shiny new coat of paint.

 

[IrishNero]

Stewart looked awful in the first minutes of the pilot episode. He definitely looked nervous. If you watch a few episodes of the final season then go back to watch the pilot, you will actually wince because the acting by all is not good. Not that that wouldn't be expected to happen.

 

[BeatleJWOL]

I've heard rumours over the years that Stewart has a certain reputation in British theatre for being an utter letch around young women.

Now, while I'd hate for any of this to be true, rumours of wandering hands and racist jokes aren't good.

A while back, I was told something very shocking, albeit not utterly surprising, about Shatner. And it trumps all of his previous well known behavioural indiscretions by a long way.

Perhaps there's something about playing Star Trek captains.

Patrick Stewart and William Shatner are both very prolific very well known actors who I'm sure more than a few people have an ax to grind against, Shatner most likely more than Stewart.

IIRC it stems from an interview with Patrick Stewart himself, where he admitted he made a comment without realising that it had racist connotations in the USA. It was one of those Britain/America things where the term, whatever it was, isn't seen as harshly on the other side of the Atlantic as it is in America. My interpretation of the interview is that Stewart genuinely didn't mean any offence, and he was genuinely contrite and apologetic about it when he had it explained to him.

Benedict Cumberbatch just did the same thing. It happens.