The Lowdown
Stephen Macht could have been the voice telling the Enterprise to engage. The actor Suits fans know as Professor Gerard was a serious Picard contender, according to producer Rick Berman. His eventual route through Star Trek took him somewhere considerably less comfortable than the captain’s chair.
Key Takeaways
- Rick Berman named Stephen Macht as Picard’s runner-up, while saying only Patrick Stewart received an offer.
- Macht recalled Gene Roddenberry wanting him for the role and his own hesitation about it.
- He later played General Krim on Deep Space Nine and Professor Gerard opposite his son Gabriel on Suits.
The Connection
Before Picard sounded like Patrick Stewart
Imagine The Next Generation with Stephen Macht leading the briefing room. That alternate Enterprise came closer to happening than you might think.
Producer Rick Berman identified Macht as Picard’s runner-up in a 2017 StarTrek.com interview. He also said the role was offered only to Patrick Stewart. Macht was a serious contender, even if the familiar version of the story, that he simply turned the job down, skips over an important wrinkle.
Macht remembered a very enthusiastic Gene Roddenberry. In a 2008 Soap Opera Digest interview, he recalled the creator telling him he wanted him for the part. Macht described his own skepticism about the premise and admitted that fear had played a role in his reaction.
His later account to Cryptic Rock included a studio meeting and his refusal to read. Those memories and Berman’s account leave us with a tantalizing near-miss, rather than a clean story of an offer accepted or rejected.
His Star Trek command came later
Macht did eventually give orders in Star Trek. As General Krim in Deep Space Nine’s “The Circle” and “The Siege,” he led Bajoran forces against the station. The episode credits put him in the final two installments of the second season’s opening trilogy.
Krim also gets a change of heart. Once Cardassian involvement in the coup comes to light, he relinquishes the station to Sisko, as Keith R. A. DeCandido’s rewatch explains. Macht missed out on commanding the Enterprise and ended up playing an officer who had to rethink whose orders he was following.
The Suits connection is a family affair
If you recognize Macht from Suits, you’re probably hearing Professor Henry Gerard’s voice now. The Harvard Law ethics professor shares the series with Harvey Specter, played by Macht’s real-life son, Gabriel. USA Network confirms the family connection; their characters are not father and son.
Macht’s film credits also include The Monster Squad and Graveyard Shift. But the Picard possibility is a particularly good casting what-if. Picture that same stern authority on the Enterprise bridge, then try hearing “Make it so” in a different voice.
Who’s Who
- Stephen Macht: Picard contender; General Krim in Deep Space Nine; Professor Henry Gerard in Suits.
- Patrick Stewart: Jean-Luc Picard.
- Rick Berman: The Next Generation producer.
- Gene Roddenberry: Star Trek creator.
- Gabriel Macht: Harvey Specter in Suits; Stephen Macht’s son.
Where It Happened
- Star Trek: The Next Generation: casting Jean-Luc Picard.
- Star Trek: Deep Space Nine: “The Circle” and “The Siege,” Season 2.
- Suits: Stephen and Gabriel Macht on the same series.
Other actors considered for Picard
These four actors appear alongside Patrick Stewart in an April 1987 casting memo. Being considered did not necessarily mean receiving an offer; Rick Berman said Stewart alone received one.
Mitchell Ryan
Listed as “Mitch Ryan” in Paramount’s April 1987 memo, Ryan was among the leading Picard possibilities. Rick Berman later placed him among the top half-dozen actors the producers were interested in. Casting source ↗
Photo: NBC Television / Wikimedia Commons · Public domain (U.S.). Displayed without additional cropping.
Patrick Bauchau
The memo says Bauchau’s reading went well, naming him and Stewart as favorites at that point. Pictured with Bigas Luna and Enrique Viciano. Casting source ↗
Photo: Eduardo.seligra / Wikimedia Commons · CC BY-SA 4.0. Displayed without additional cropping.
Roy Thinnes
Thinnes appears on Paramount’s April 13, 1987 list of actors being considered for Picard. The document establishes consideration, not that he received an offer or reached the final two. Casting source ↗
Photo: NBC Television / Wikimedia Commons · Public domain (U.S.). Displayed without additional cropping.
Yaphet Kotto
Kotto appears on the April 1987 Picard list. Separate casting notes show the team was still awaiting word on an in-person visit or audition tape, so “considered” is more accurate than “rejected.” Casting source ↗
Photo: John Mathew Smith / Kingkongphoto & www.celebrity-photos.com / Wikimedia Commons · CC BY-SA 2.0. Displayed without additional cropping.
