Sir Patrick Stewart "got hooked" when he stumbled across an episode of ‘Star Trek: The Next Generation’.
The 79-year-old actor was disturbed in his hotel room while binging on the sci-fi series and feared the member of staff would tell people how "sad" he was to be spending time alone watching his own work as Captain Jean-Luc Picard on the show.
Asked if he ever watches ‘Star Trek’, he admitted: "I don’t look for it, but occasionally I’ll happen upon it.
"There was one night in a hotel when I was flicking through the channels and there was an episode of ‘Star Trek: The Next Generation’, so I watched it for a few minutes, and I got hooked.
"Then the waiter came in with my room service order and he looked at me, then looked at the television and I thought, ‘He is going to go away and tell the entire kitchen that it was the saddest thing he had ever seen – this guy upstairs alone, having room service and watching himself!’ "
The veteran actor has reprised the role for new series ‘Star Trek: Picard’ but it wasn’t something he really wanted to do at first so had strict "conditions" in place before he agreed to the show.
He explained to talk show host Graham Norton: "It’s a big deal for me because I have so many times publicly said, ‘I’m done. Star Trek was wonderful, and it changed my life and my career, but I have said it all and there is nothing more to say.’
"I didn’t just want to say, ‘No. Pass,’ so I went to the meeting to explain to them face-to-face why I couldn’t do it.
"And then they made me an offer I couldn’t refuse! But there were conditions – no uniform and no Enterprise.
"They said they could live with that and they have made a huge commitment to the series. We hope it is amazing."
The full interview airs on ‘The Graham Norton Show’ on BBC One on Friday (27.01.20) night.
Sir Patrick Stewart’s ‘sad’ Star Trek viewing
