Star Trek's Patrick Stewart Scolds Gritty for Breaking Prime Directive at Stephen Colbert's Super Bowl Party

Patrick Stewart stopped by Stephen Colbert's Super Bowl party last night. He brought an unexpected guest along with him in Philadelphia Flyers mascot Gritty.

As seen on CBS' special post-game presentation of The Late Show, Stewart is big into American Football. He even gets violent while watching Maroon 5's halftime show.

The party ends when Colbert realizes that he's supposed to be hosting the show. Colbert asks Stewart if he can beam him over to the studio. Stewart insists that isn't a real thing, but then Gritty pulls out a device and energizes Colbert. Stewart then chastises Gritty for breaking the prime directive.

You can watch the entire bit in the video above.

Stewart played the iconic Capt. Jean-Luc Picard of the Starship Enterprise in Star Trek: The Next Generation. He's returning to the role for a new Star Trek series on CBS All Access. In a recent interview, Stewart revealed that even he was surprised to find himself agreeing to the return.

"I agreed to a meeting with the people who were going to produce this new version of Star Trek only because I wanted to seriously and respectfully explain to them why I was turning the project down," Stewart recalls. "But in that first meeting, which lasted an hour and a half or so, I heard just enough to realize this was something very unusual, and I was intrigued."

Stewart then asked to get something on paper about what they planned to do with the series.

"What I was afraid of was … this was going to be jokey, and I didn't want to do that," he says. "I respect the work we did on Next Generation and also it changed my life in every way.

"I asked a lot of questions and the answers were all very satisfying I was struck by how clever these people were I was talking to, who could tell a narrative very well and seemed to be tuned into what an actor might need to hear. So I signed on."

He announced his return at the Star Trek Las Vegas convention in 2018 while at the same time releasing a statement on social media.

"I will always be very proud to have been a part of Star Trek: The Next Generation, but when we wrapped that final movie in the spring of 2002, I truly felt my time with Star Trek had run its natural course," Stewart wrote. "It is, therefore, an unexpected but delightful surprise to find myself excited and invigorated to be returning to Jean-Luc Picard and to explore new dimensions within him. Seeking out new life for him, when I thought that life was over.

"During these past years, it has been humbling to hear many stories about how The Next Generation brought people comfort, saw them through difficult periods in their lives or how the example of Jean-Luc inspired so many to follow in his footsteps, pursuing science, exploration and leadership. I feel I'm ready to return to him for the same reason – to research and experience what comforting and reforming light he might shine on these often very dark times. I look forward to working with our brilliant creative team as we endeavor to bring a fresh, unexpected and pertinent story to life once more."

What do you think of Stewart's appearance on The Late Show? Let us know in the comments!

The new Picard series is expected to debut on CBS All Access in late 2019.