James McAvoy recently revealed the plot of a “Star Trek” story he pitched that never made it to the screen. The storyline he pitched would bring his expertise of portraying a young version of the late Patrick Stewart’s characters to the screen. McAvoy wanted to play a young version of Captain Jean-Luc Picard.
McAvoy spoke about his love for science fiction on “The Happy Sad Confused Podcast with Josh Horowitz.” His appreciation for “Star Trek” led him to pitch a show to Paramount.
“I’ve got a whole story about an early Picard,” McAvoy shared. “All I really want to do in my career is play young versions of Patrick [Stewart]. I’ve got this whole story about a young Picard that I love.”
McAvoy called the pitch “Mutiny on the Stargazer.” The title refers to an important backstory element of Stewart’s iconic character on “Star Trek: The Next Generation.”
The ‘Star Trek’ Prequel That Never Was
McAvoy said he pitched the “Mutiny on the Stargazer” storyline as a “one-off standalone season.” The story would have followed Picard “when he took over as captain of the Stargazer and what actually happened, and the secret that he’s been holding his entire career.”
The Stargazer and its fate plays a crucial role in several “Star Trek” characters’ backstories. Captain Picard served aboard the Stargazer and took command of the vessel when the ship’s captain was killed in an incident. Starfleet looked so favorably on Picard’s actions that they appointed him as the new commanding officer. He served for 22 years as its captain, with Jack Crusher on his crew, the late husband of Beverly Crusher (Gates McFadden) and father of Wesley Crusher (Wil Wheaton) in “The Next Generation.”
The Stargazer was severely damaged in an attack by an unknown vessel, which Picard successfully destroyed, and had to be abandoned. Picard was court-martialed for the loss of the vessel but all charges against him were cleared. After a few interim years, Picard became the captain of the newly-commissioned Enterprise-D at the beginning of “The Next Generation” series.
Though McAvoy joked about always wanting to play young versions of Stewart, he already has a strong background in that type of role. McAvoy portrayed a young Professor X in the prequel timeline of the iconic “X-Men” franchise. His version was not a one-off character; McAvoy has at least four credited appearances as Stewart’s telepath across “X-Men.”
Why Did McAvoy’s Pitch Never Make it to the Screen?
The reason that the show never made it to the screen came down to logistical issues, McAvoy said.
“I just pitched it to [the “Star Trek” people at Paramount], talking to them, and they were well in it, but we had logistical issues that meant we couldn’t do it,” McAvoy explained. Even though the pitch never took off, he says he has not stopped thinking about it. “I love that story, I just go to bed and think about it at night,” he admitted. Horowitz agreed with the actor, saying he would be thinking about it, too.
A ‘Star Trek’ Story Following A Young Picard ‘Nearly’ Happened, Says James McAvoy