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Patrick Stewart voice

KirkPicard

Captain
Captain
As with any mortal, we age and our vocal cords alter with the course of time. In recent years, Sir Patrick's baritone voice sounds strained at times and not as resonant and mellifluous as in the TNG years as Jean-Luc Picard. Anyone else observe this and can they identify when the shift began? I believe it may have been hastened after returning to stage work and projecting night after night.
 
Someone else's ears are keener than mine, when it comes to this question, but in Nemesis, Sir Patrick Stewart's voice sounds noticeably husky, gravelly. He could still project his "Picard Voice," though, like during his speech, at the wedding. Particularly when he got past the "all what I've done with My LIfe" part and started directing it towards his friends. He sounded pretty good, mostly.

For the rest of the movie, it sounds like he's been gargling with Draino. I don't know at what point before that movie his voice went. But it was damned depressing. He looked like he was a hundred and two, besides. If you listen to him in the TNG series saying shit like, "Warp 9 - any heading - Engage!" it's larger than Life. Very commanding and authoritative. Listening to him croaking his lines in Nemesis, frankly ... it broke my heart.
 
Yeah there was a change by Nemesis that I noticed, and certainly by The Last Stand. I have to say that in Days of Future Past though, he was looking pretty amazing for 74.
 
Someone else's ears are keener than mine, when it comes to this question, but in Nemesis, Sir Patrick Stewart's voice sounds noticeably husky, gravelly. He could still project his "Picard Voice," though, like during his speech, at the wedding. Particularly when he got past the "all what I've done with My LIfe" part and started directing it towards his friends. He sounded pretty good, mostly.

For the rest of the movie, it sounds like he's been gargling with Draino. I don't know at what point before that movie his voice went. But it was damned depressing. He looked like he was a hundred and two, besides. If you listen to him in the TNG series saying shit like, "Warp 9 - any heading - Engage!" it's larger than Life. Very commanding and authoritative. Listening to him croaking his lines in Nemesis, frankly ... it broke my heart.

It's my understanding the issue with Nemesis was that every actor was struggling to not grit their teeth every time Stuart Baird opened his mouth. Maybe that, or even just Baird's directorial choices (i.e. he *wanted* gravelly), is how you ended up with the final product.
 
Someone else's ears are keener than mine, when it comes to this question, but in Nemesis, Sir Patrick Stewart's voice sounds noticeably husky, gravelly. He could still project his "Picard Voice," though, like during his speech, at the wedding. Particularly when he got past the "all what I've done with My LIfe" part and started directing it towards his friends. He sounded pretty good, mostly.

For the rest of the movie, it sounds like he's been gargling with Draino. I don't know at what point before that movie his voice went. But it was damned depressing. He looked like he was a hundred and two, besides. If you listen to him in the TNG series saying shit like, "Warp 9 - any heading - Engage!" it's larger than Life. Very commanding and authoritative. Listening to him croaking his lines in Nemesis, frankly ... it broke my heart.


I've seen that scene countless dozens of times and I still get emotional when he starts talking to Riker and Troi.

Wonderful scene.
 
I've been to so many weddings, since I was a little kid ... I've heard so many horrific Best Man speeches, it's staggering. So, a part of me wants to be charitable about Picard's long-winded speech, but ... as far as speeches go, it wasn't all that entertaining. Picard took over Troi's Wedding Reception, like Grant took over Richmond. And then ... THEN ... we're treated to Data's stealing the spotlight with some obscure ditty lifted from out of The Public Domain.

Where's the beautiful bride? To what is she up? Making cutesy faces at her brand new Husband - and that's it. Now, to be fair, I don't know that Sir Patrick Stewart did not fight for his friend Marina to have some fun with her own scene (besides which, it would've benefitted the film, itself), but I'm not under the impression Stewart raised that concern. It just comes off as his going, "... give me pages! Keep giving me pages."
 
Look forward to the return of Picard, just anticipating a less baritone voice than was heard in TNG which is understandable with a 25 year difference between these series.
 
Elated to have Picard return and hope his voice maintains some bombast, as we fleetingly hear in the clip in the Admiral's office from the trailer.
 
He's been working on it - he knows that his voice isn't as booming as it used to be (but it's still beautiful of course). And he can still channel its old power for a limited amount of time should it be needed (which it most likely will on his new show, given how upset Jean-Luc can become at things and how ill-tempered he seems to be now, lol).

But, I have to say, it also adds a nice touch to the whole thing about Jean-Luc aging along with Sir Patrick. It really would be odd if Older!Jean-Luc sounded exactly like EncounterAtFarpoint!Jean-Luc.
 
I don't know, I think he adds a touch of class to the show :)

Pee Wee Herman, post "incident", would add a touch of class to the show. Never cared for the spinoffs of Family Guy, which went south after its second season but found a larger following as a result. All that helped lead to the chance to make "The Orville", which may have been influenced by Trek (almost too much in one or two stories) but is still its own self.
 
1st noticed some tone & timbre differences myself in his narration for Ted, back in 2012. Then a few years later I saw promos for Blunt Talk & it was just glaringly obvious to me it was deteriorated badly
 
1st noticed some tone & timbre differences myself in his narration for Ted, back in 2012. Then a few years later I saw promos for Blunt Talk & it was just glaringly obvious to me it was deteriorated badly
It makes me sad.
But we all age and age differently.
My dad is 90 but on the phone, you'd think you were talking to a 45-50 year old.
 
He ages, and so does his voice (I get that it might be frustrating for some to see him age, but it is the way it is, unfortunately). However, he has had issues for quite some time now - even when everything still sounded the way it used to he had issues when he was doing theater work since there was more than one occasion on which he simply lost his voice because of all the talking. He just loves to talk so much, both on stage and off stage. ;)
 
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