Jean-Luc Picard is a fictional character in the Star Trek franchise, most-often seen as the captain of the starship USS Enterprise (NCC-1701-D). Played by Patrick Stewart, Picard has appeared in the television series Star Trek: The Next Generation (TNG) and one episode of Star Trek: Deep Space Nine, as well as the feature films Star Trek Generations (1994), Star Trek: First Contact (1996), Star Trek: Insurrection (1998), and Star Trek: Nemesis (2002). He is also featured as the central character in the show Star Trek: Picard (2020–present).

After the success of the contemporary Star Trek feature films, a new Star Trek television series featuring a new cast was announced on October 10, 1986.[1] Star Trek creator Gene Roddenberry named Picard for one or both of the twin brothers Auguste Piccard and Jean Piccard, 20th-century Swiss scientists.[2][3]

Patrick Stewart, who has a background of theatre at the Royal Shakespeare Company,[4] was initially considered for the role of Data.[5] Roddenberry did not want to cast Stewart as Picard, since he had envisioned an actor who was "masculine, virile, and had a lot of hair".[6] Roddenberry's first choice was Stephen Macht, and it took "weeks of discussion" with Robert H. Justman, Rick Berman, and the casting director to convince him that "Stewart was the one they had been looking for to sit in the captain's chair"; Roddenberry agreed after auditioning every other candidate for the role.[6][7] The other actors considered included Yaphet Kotto, Patrick Bauchau, Roy Thinnes and Mitchell Ryan.[8]

Stewart was uncertain why the producers would cast 'a middle-aged bald English Shakespearean actor' as captain of the Enterprise.[9] He had his toupee delivered from London to meet with Paramount executives, but Roddenberry ordered Stewart to remove the "awful looking" hairpiece. Stewart's stentorian voice impressed the executives, who immediately approved the casting.[6] Roddenberry sent Stewart C. S. Forester's Horatio Hornblower novels, saying the Picard character was based on Hornblower,[10] but Stewart was already familiar with the character, having read the books as a teenager.[11]

As the series progressed, Stewart exercised more control over the character's development. By the time production began on the first Next Generation film, "it was impossible to tell where Jean-Luc started and Patrick Stewart ended",[10] and by the fourth film, Stewart stated: