Why did Picard wiggle his index finger when saying "Engage"?

[indolover]

Was this by accident? Or was it something consciously devised by Sir Patrick Stewart?

 

[Brikar99]

He's really making a dirty joke.

 

[Santa Kang]

I thought he was pointing. A visual way of say "lets go!"

 

[Finngle Bells]

Yeah. All I remember is pointing...

 

[HoneyBLilly]

I don't remember wiggling, I always thought that he firmly pointed.

 

[Warped9]

Whatever it was I find it always looks so self-conscious. It looks ridiculous.

 

[lurok]

^ As commited an actor as he is, I suspect Stewart found it ridiculous too! But it differentiated him from the Shat. I guess it's an emphatic gesture, something to underline the staccato aspect of 'engage' and Picard's more formal approach to Kirk's laid-back? But hey, I'm not an actor. Did he ever say alternatives? "Lay in a course"? "Take us out of here" ?

 

[marillion]

I actually think Stewart may have come up with it himself as a bit of improv.. It puts a punctuation mark on the statement.. I'd be interested to see the script from the first time he does it and see if it's actually something on there as far as direction.

 

[Jonas Grumby]

Hey, there are worse things he could have wiggled.

 

[Chris_Johnston]

Yeah, I've been rewatching some episodes lately, and that gesture's really been getting on my nerves. I find myself saying, "Dude, nobody's watching you, waiting for the hand to come down!"

 

[GNDN]

Did he ever say alternatives? "Lay in a course"? "Take us out of here" ?

"Shtep on it"

Also, the finger point could have used a little phonetic punctuation to make it even more effective.

 

[DonIago]

Given that Stewart's frequently appeared on "American Dad", where I believe the writers take particular glee in having him spout outrageous lines (and he does it so well), I somehow doubt that the finger-point was a particular concern for him, unless he's let his hair down more (ha!) over time.

 

[Gary7]

No wiggle. No wiggle. He's pointing. To make it so. Where to go. Follow the Captain's finger. ENGAGE!


Out of context, I could see it looking ridiculous. But it's just a very subtle form of emphasis. It goes with his British roots, even though he's playing a Frenchman with an English accent.

 

[Chris_Johnston]

Given that Stewart's frequently appeared on "American Dad", where I believe the writers take particular glee in having him spout outrageous lines (and he does it so well), I somehow doubt that the finger-point was a particular concern for him, unless he's let his hair down more (ha!) over time.

When he was being interviewed by Mark & Brian one time, they had him read the lyrics to a rap song as if it was a work of Shakespeare.

 

[Forbin]

This may be the single most important question ever asked on these bboards!

 

[DonIago]

Mmm. Thread is useless without pics, though.

 

[Rom's Sehlat]

Engage.

 

[Mr_Homn]

I think it's badass.

 

[KirkPicard]

[yt]http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=3jd1Ih8EUmw[/yt]


The gesture is one unique to Picard. A pity no other Captains were suave enough to emulate it.

 

[GNDN]

The gesture is one unique to Picard. A pity no other Captains were suave enough to emulate it.

Ahh, Kirk started it, Picard just made it all fussy and formal

[yt]http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=irEx_LHg7co[/yt]