Gauntlet thrown? Stewart calls for "more time watching Star Trek"

[BeatleJWOL]

Most may have seen this in the sidebar but I thought his comments were quite interesting:

“I wish that politicians would spend more time watching Star Trek: The Next Generation,” said Stewart. “Because unlike my predecessor, Captain James T. Kirk, Jean Luc Picard believed first and foremost in negotiation. He was a diplomat before he was a warrior. Talk, talk, talk and keep on talking. That would be a great message for the world to absorb.”

http://www.trektoday.com/content/2015/08/stewart-to-politicians-more-trek/

Is this another case of the actor not quite understanding the role (or, perhaps, another role) as much as the fans do?
Is he right, more or less?
Is anybody facepalming when considering the "Action Picard" stereotype from the movies?



(short answers: probably, kinda, nah )

 

[Kilana2]

Picard is more diplomatic during the run of TNG.

Donald Trump has never watched TNG as it seems. He should remedy that.

IMO there are cases where diplomacy is a waste of time - sadly - and only weapons speak. I like how Picard handles most of the critical situations. None of the other Starfleet captains have ever been assimilated by the Borg, then saved and returned to duty. The action Picard from the movies? As skilled as he is as diplomat, there is also a warrior in Picard. He acts depending on how it is required.

 

[ModusOperandi]

Stewart is more intelligent than the stereotype of an emotional, dramatic "thespian", and his correspondence over the years has shown that he had some good insight into his character on TNG, as well as American politics. He's right that a lot of ignorant people in the world would improve their outlook by digesting a little more TNG.

However, the idea that Kirk was brash, trigger-happy, and undiplomatic is a common misconception that is not really born out by the episodes and movies. Here's an example of a good essay debunking that: http://ksarchive.com/viewstory.php?sid=1750&warning=2.