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Star Trek Online<\/em> players held a virtual memorial to honor Patrick Stewart, who played Captain Jean-Luc Picard in Star Trek: T<\/em>he Next Generation <\/em>and other Star Trek projects. Armadas of Galaxy-class starships assembled in the MMORPG. Some players launched fireworks from orbit, while others gathered on the ground for candlelit vigils. Stewart passed away Oct. 29 after a brief battle with Alzheimer\u2019s disease and Lewy body dementia.<\/p>\n <\/p>\n Redditors documented the vigils and left comments about what Stewart\u2019s performance as Picard meant to them. \u201cI think he was a hero,” u\/Zoberraz wrote. “Not in the conventional sense, like a first responder or a soldier, but in another way that matters: he inspired us to aspire to something better. Through Jean-Luc Picard, he gave us a vision of leadership grounded in wisdom rather than force, strength guided by compassion, and authority exercised with humility rather than arrogance. Someone who valued knowledge, respected others, and held fast to his principles even when doing so was difficult. And Patrick Stewart made that vision believable. He made it something worth aspiring to.\u201d<\/p>\n The sentiment was echoed across other social media platforms, including by Star Trek great William Shatner. \u201cCaptain Picard stood for the best of us, and so did the man who played him. I was filled with affection and admiration for him and his work. My heart goes out to Sunny and his family. He will be deeply missed,\u201d he wrote on X.<\/p>\n Ian McKellen, who met Stewart at the Royal Shakespeare Company before starring alongside him in the X-Men films as Magneto to Stewart\u2019s Professor X, left his own heartfelt goodbye to the actor on social media. \u201cHe wore his heart on his sleeve, which made him a man to rely on, to admire and in my case, love.\u201d<\/p>\n <\/p>\n Some players have called on Star Trek Online<\/em> developer Cryptic to add an in-game statue to honor Stewart and Picard, as the studio did after the death of Leonard Nimoy, who played Spock. Another Redditor suggested that Cryptic introduce Picard’s family vineyard to the game as a place to remember the performer.<\/p>\n Cryptic posted its own tribute to the actor on X. \u201cIn an era where no one was sure whether Star Trek HAD a future, your warmth and your sturdiness gave us hope. For seven years, you were the Captain of the Enterprise, and you held yourself with that dignity in all walks of life. A knight in the truest sense of the word, and a man who will never be forgotten. Rest in Peace, Sir Patrick Stewart.\u201d<\/p>\n It has been a particularly brutal week for Trekkies. On Oct. 25, Walter Koenig died at 90. He was known for playing Ensign Pavel Chekov in Star Trek: The Original Series<\/em>. Star Trek Online<\/em> players similarly mourned his loss with an in-game vigil.<\/p>\n\n Fans ask for an in-game memorial
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