Star Trek: Pulitzer-Winning Author Fanboys Out Working With Patrick Stewart on Picard Series

It likely isn't uncommon for Star Trek fans to find themselves starstruck in the presence of [...]

It likely isn't uncommon for Star Trek fans to find themselves starstruck in the presence of Patrick Stewart, the actor who played Captain Jean-Luc Picard in Star Trek: The Next Generation. It turns out that extends even to fans who are professional Star Trek writers and Pulitzer Prize-winning authors.

Michael Chabon is known for writing novels like The Amazing Adventures of Kavalier and Clay and The Yiddish Policemen's Union. He made his Star Trek writing debut with the Short Treks episode "Calypso." His next mission is to help craft Stewart's return to Star Trek in the new CBS All Access Picard series.

Speaking to IndieWire, Chabon reveals how challenging it is to contain his inner fan while working with Stewart on the series.

"To be sitting in the room with Patrick Stewart, just sitting there next to me — I tried to be cool about it," he said. "I think we all tried to be cool about it. He's a lovely man. He's really smart, intuitive, friendly, and warm, and generous, and everything… Then, all of a sudden, it's like deep inside me this fanboy voice would be like, 'Oh my god. You're sitting next to Jean-Luc Picard and Professor X at the same time.'

"I just tried to keep that really to myself and be like, 'Haha, that's so funny, Patrick.' On the inside, I was screaming."

As far as the series itself, Chabon says development is going well and credits a lot of that to Stewart's involvement, which he says, is "one of the reasons it's going to be as good as it is going to be…He's been involved pretty much from the beginning. His voice has been a very, very important and useful voice. He's been a great resource for us. We're so lucky to have him and that he wanted to participate to the extent that he has."

In another interview, Chabon gave a more detailed update on the show.

"That project is ongoing now and the photo was us getting started with Patrick," Chabon said. "He was in the room for two weeks. It was fantastic. That was sort of in the preliminary writers room that we had going before it expanded to the full room that it is now with a bunch of writers in there. I'm up in Berkeley and they are down in L.A.

"That time with Patrick as a resource and as a very willing and literate resource, I think it's going to make the show

Are you excited about the new Picard series? Let us know in the comments!

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