Walter Koenig and Patrick Stewart, RIP

Walter Koenig died Monday at his North Hollywood home. He was 90. Two days later, Patrick Stewart died at his home in Los Angeles. He was 86.

That’s one week and two bridges of the Enterprise, built twenty years apart, each down a familiar face.

The passage of time that occurs is imperceptible. People who are forever a certain age because of a movie, television show, or an album rarely stay that age. Sometimes it’s hard to separate the actor from the character.

I never met Patrick Stewart, but I did meet Walter Koenig once. At the time, I joked that he was not very tall. He was, however, gracious with his time and made me feel special just for being a fan.

As I got older, it was inevitable that the people I watched on the silver screen or small screen would also get older. And some will inevitably pass away. It’s sad in the moment. However, we can always go back and see them in their prime at the height of their skill and command and remember them.

I, for one, am glad that Star Trek Picard Season 3 was such a success for Patrick, The Next Generation cast, and even Walter, who had a voice cameo in the last episode. I expect seeing Stewart one last time as Professor Charles Xavier in Avengers Doomsday will be hard.

One of my favorite performances of Patrick Stewart is his narration of A Christmas Carol. I’ll be bringing this out again in a few weeks.

Their work survives them and, no doubt, will continue to inspire and delight.