I really dislike writing laments so I don’t want to labour this, but the news of Patrick Stewart’s death has come at quite a blow. I had settled down to watch a film last night when I suddenly got a message from my friend/comrade Katie suggesting that I check the news. It came completely out of the blue and was quite a shock. Of course, I have written here many times about my love for Star Trek and especially my admiration of Jean-Luc Picard. Meeting Sir Patrick in 2014 will always be one of the highlights of my life, and is still something I think about practically every day. I grew up watching Star Trek The Next Generation on TV, and it has always acted as one of the guiding narratives of my life in terms of my sense of morality, justice and honour. The fact that this great actor, this great man, is no longer here is frankly devastating.

Farewell Captain Picard. You will be missed.