Patrick Stewart Was “The Silliest,” Remembers LeVar Burton In Loving Tribute

Published Nov 9, 2026, 10:06 PM EST

John Orquiola is a TV Editor, Senior Writer, and Interviewer with a special focus on Star Trek. John has over 5,000 published articles at SR, and he has interviewed the biggest names in Star Trek on the red carpet and VIP events, among other beloved shows, movies, and franchises.

Sign in to your ScreenRant account

LeVar Burton lovingly remembers his Star Trek: The Next Generation captain, Patrick Stewart, as the "silliest."

Sir Patrick Stewart passed away at 86 on October 28, 2026. The outpouring of sympathy for the beloved actor and his family was global. Stewart's iconic performances in as Captain Jean-Luc Picard in Star Trek, Professor Charles Xavier in the X-Men movies, and his many roles on stage and screen touched millions of lives. Remembered for his Shakespearean gravitas, Sir Patrick's sense of humor was also legendary, which his Star Trek: The Next Generation cast brought out.

Appearing on CBS Mornings to promote his new book, "Take My Word for It: A Memoir," LeVar Burton reiterated his tribute to Patrick Stewart after his friend's death: "Of all the dames and all the knights I've met... he was the silliest." Burton credits their Star Trek: The Next Generation family, who broke the serious actor down until "he went with it." Read Burton's quote below:

LeVar Burton: “Patrick was one of the greatest artists of our time. And with all the accomplishments, all of the accolades, all of the lauding that he got over the years, he was still one of the silliest human beings I’ve ever met in my life… Of all the dames and all the knights I’ve met, he was the silliest... And he didn’t come to us that way… We had to break him down, The Next Generation family. And we did, and he went with it. We had so much fun.”

Watch LeVar Burton on CBS Mornings below:

Star Trek: The Next Generation's main seven actors: Stewart, Burton, Jonathan Frakes, Marina Sirtis, Gates McFadden, Michael Dorn, and Brent Spiner, have been famously close for 40 years. They consider themselves a family, spend holidays together, and maintain a group chat. Naturally, TNG's core cast knew that Sir Patrick was ill in the weeks before his death.

For four decades, Star Trek: The Next Generation's cast have recounted how unruly they were on set, which, at first, rankled the very serious Shakespearean veteran, Patrick Stewart. Gradually, however, Patrick was worn down, and let his "silly" flag fly. Plenty of bloopers exist of Stewart and his cast causing chaos and rolling around in uproarious laughter while filming TNG. Burton describes how Sir Patrick softened:

LeVar Burton: "We could all use a little softening, right?. And he went with it. He didn't really resist it. It was so comfortable. Us being together was always a joy. We laughed so much. And now we are one fewer. We will still get together, we will still tell stories of one another, and we will still laugh."

Stewart has indulged his comedic chops and brought down the house with his "silly" performances in The Simpsons, American Dad, Saturday Night Live, Blunt Talk, Extras, and his many talk show appearances, such as Conan O'Brien and The Graham Norton Show. Sir Patrick proved he was as great a cut-up as he was a serious dramatic actor.

When Star Trek: Picard began, Sir Patrick Stewart did not want to repeat Star Trek: The Next Generation and surrounded himself with a new cast. However, Stewart relented for Picard season 3, and he was happy to admit that he was wrong. By all accounts, Sir Patrick had a ball reliving old times with his TNG cast reunited in Picard, and their old hi-jink and silliness were back in full form.

As LeVar Burton says, they are now "one fewer" with the loss of Patrick Stewart. Yet Star Trek: The Next Generation remains a family, and the most close-knit of all of the Star Trek casts. Most fans remember Patrick Stewart as a serious actor, but thanks to Burton for bringing light to Sir Patrick's "silly" side.

Star Trek: The Next Generation is streaming on Paramount+