Patrick Stewart’s 80th Birthday Is Being Celebrated by Star Trek Fans Across the Universe

Sir Patrick Stewart is now 80 years young, and the legendary actor’s colleagues from the Star Trek universe are celebrating the occasion on social media along with Stewart’s many, many fans. A veteran of the big and small screens alike for decades, Stewart is particularly well known for his long-running role as Jean Luc Picard on Star Trek: The Next Generation, a role which he recently reprised for the new CBS All Access series Star Trek: Picard. Now that he’s turned 80, social media has been filling up with posts paying tribute to Stewart for his special day, including some from Stewart’s TNG co-stars.

Gates McFadden, who also starred on Star Trek: The Next Generation as Beverly Crusher, posted a kind video tribute for Stewart on Twitter. “Happy 80th Birthday! Here is my sonnet to YOU about beautiful friendships,” she states in the caption. Jonathan Frakes, who played William Riker on the classic series, also posted a birthday message for Stewart attached to a photo of the two of them together on Picard. Data actor Brent Spiner also acknowledged the birthday of the man who played his Captain on TNG, posting to Twitter: “Happy Birthday to my pal, PStew! A mensch for all seasons!”

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The tributes to Patrick Stewart from the Star Trek universe aren’t limited to The Next Generation. The original series actor George Takei also posted about Stewart online, tweeting, “A very happy 80th birthday indeed to @SirPatStew . Welcome to my box, Admiral!” Meanwhile, fellow Starfleet captain William Shatner posted a tweet about Stewart’s birthday, though his is a bit more amusing. “Love the typo,” Shatner writes, including an image of Patrick with the caption erroneously noting the actor “turns 800 today.”

Recently, Stewart has been pretty active himself on Twitter, posting a series of sonnets personally read by the actor in video clips. “Sonnet 80 arrives on the eve of my 80th birthday,” Stewart wrote in the caption of a video posted on the day before his birthday. Using the hashtag #ASonnetADay, Stewart has been uploading a new video each day, and you can watch the most recent one acknowledging his 80th birthday below.

Just this year, Stewart returned to the iconic role of Jean Luc Picard for the new Star Trek series Picard, which also brings in other fan favorite actors from the franchise. The series has already been renewed for a second season, and there’s a good chance we’ll be seeing even more big names from previous Star Trek shows appearing for a special appearance or two. For now, the first season can be binged by fans on CBS All Access.

Oddly enough, today also marks the birthday of another legendary actor and sci-fi movie franchise icon. Harrison Ford, who famously played Han Solo in the Star Wars universe, is turning 78 today as well. Many posts online from fans are wishing a happy birthday to both Stewart and Ford as two of the most beloved performers in movie and television history. Below, you can take a look at some of the many Twitter posts acknowledging this special birthday.

Topics: Star Trek: The Next Generation, Star Trek