Warning: SPOILERS for Star Trek: Picard Season 3's premiereTodd Stashwick not only joins Star Trek: Picard season 3 as a brand-new starship captain, but he commands the screen opposite Star Trek: The Next Generation legends Patrick Stewart as Admiral Jean-Luc Picard and Jonathan Frakes as Captain Will Riker.
Stashwick plays Captain Liam Shaw, the commander of the USS Titan-A, in Star Trek: Picard season 3. Shaw is none too pleased when Admiral Picard and Captain Riker come aboard the Titan, and he's strikingly antagonistic towards the former USS Enterprise icons. Shaw's hostility even extends to his First Officer, Seven of Nine (Jeri Ryan), who shows more loyalty to Riker and Picard than to her Captain. Yet there's also intriguingly more to Shaw than meets the eye.
Screen Rant had the pleasure to chat with Todd Stashwick in depth about stepping into Star Trek: Picard season 3 as a new Captain. Stashwick breaks down the events of Picard season 3's premiere, talks about his overall Star Trek and sci-fi fandom, and also reminisces about his previous role as the Vulcan/Romulan Talok in Star Trek: Enterprise.
Todd Stashwick Discusses Star Trek: Picard Season 3's Premiere
Screen Rant: I want to congratulate you on joining Star Trek. Was it a relief when the trailer dropped? And then Terry [Matalas] tweeted out your character's name?
Todd Stashwick: I think, literally, I wrapped on the show a year ago today, which would be the seventh of February-ish. I have had to sit on this for a year. And it was one of those experiences where I would see them rolling stuff out at Star Trek Day. I'd see them rolling stuff out at Comic-Con, [and] it always felt like my family is having a party that I'm not at. It was absolutely a relief to finally not have to bottle up something as fun, and news as big as that was for me a Herculean task.
Tell me about how you found out about the role, and what that feeling was like.
Todd Stashwick: I had worked on four seasons of 12 Monkeys with Terry, so we've had a very close not only working relationship, but a deep friendship. We are cut from the same 80s Kid cloth. And so, I think it might have been July of 2021, he said, "So we're writing a part for you on season 3 of Picard. And of course, my first response is, "That's awesome. I can't wait to get to see who gets to play [it]."
Because as this town goes, as these things work out, you often don't end up being the guy that people say. I have gotten roles that were written for other actors, so I know how the machine works a little bit. Aso I said "Look, it's an honor to at least be thought of. If it doesn't pan out, I'm so glad you at least considered me for the role." But lo and behold, the man is a man of his word, and [in] August it all went through the proper channels, and I was inking a contract, and going to wardrobe, and then touring my bridge.
Did you do any special Star Trek research for the role? Did you look at the movies and TV shows?
Todd Stashwick: There's so many great captains from from Kirk all the way down to Burnham. There's just great captains along the way. I grew up with Kirk. You can see my Meego Kirk action figure right there, which was my first action figure. In 1974, my cousin Torrey gave me Kirk Spock and McCoy. So almost my introduction to science fiction entertainment was Star Trek. So they have lived close to me my entire life. The Next Generation was appointment television, [I] saw all of the movies. I've watched all of the new shows that have come out. So I have a pretty fair understanding.
Initially, what I did brush up on was, more specifically rank and chain of command, and all of the ins and outs of what it means to be a member of Starfleet. I did dig into that. So I understood what positions were what on my bridge and, and who all of my crew members were because you want to feel that sense of ownership over a role. You want to feel connected to what you're doing, and you want to understand which department you're talking to and when. And so that's all more character research.
In terms of a meta sense, my influences to play this character, and many characters, don't always come from the thing itself, right? Like, I wasn't going to ape Patrick Stewart or ape Shatner or ape Janeway. That was not the goal. The goal was to play this guy with his story, his circumstances, his relationships, and play that as authentically and truthfully as possible. And then me as an actor, my influences come from all over the place. Look, I love what Anson Mount's doing on Strange New Worlds. My influences come from Bill Murray and Tom Hanks, and, all those guys. Harrison Ford, all those guys that I came up with, that inspired me as an actor.
There is a little bit of a humorous edge to Shaw too, which I really enjoy. He's kind of set up as an antagonist within Starfleet to Picard, Riker, and Seven. And it's so unexpected because we always, especially in TNG, expect Starfleet to get along. But Shaw had this interesting chip on his shoulder.
Todd Stashwick: Well, Starfleet gets along when Starfleet behaves like Starfleet, but Riker and Picard aren't behaving like Starfleet. And they have a peppered history, of breaking the rules, And Shaw is a very, very rules-minded captain. And that's because, as you saw, and I don't want to give anything away, his need to preserve the lives and instill the safety of his crew is paramount.
He uses the structures of Starfleet and the rules to captain this exploratory mission. But also, we are in the final frontier, it is dangerous out there. And so we need these structures in place to keep us alive if we are going to complete our mission. And certainly, that runs deep in him. And so when people with higher ranks than I, people like Picard and Riker, break those rules, it's going to cause conflict.
They're not behaving like Starfleet Officers, which is something I'm actually writing an article about. Shaw is right, because Riker and Picard are lying. They came aboard to hijack his ship and bamboozle him.
Todd Stashwick: Oh, and he smells it miles away! I don't I don't know how profane I can be, but don't bullsh*t a bullshi*tter. Right? Like, it smells. There's something that stinks the minute they show up. And the fact that he knows they're there, they're in cahoots with Seven, it doesn't know what it is. But in that first scene that he sees them, he knows something's up.
He's probably seen other Star Trek movies and seen captains behave like this.
Todd Stashwick: He's watched a lot of Star Trek. He was there day one. [laughs]
Besides Riker and Picard, something else I found really interesting is that usually, the Captain picks their First Officer. And it's based around the idea that they'll get along. But Seven and Shaw are antagonistic, they don't seem to like each other. So there's an interesting story there that I hope we get into.
Todd Stashwick: Going back to what I said, Shaw's goal is to keep his crew alive. And the reason I feel he chose Seven is Seven has the ability to be the voice that he won't allow himself to be. To be more reckless, to shoot from the hip. You don't want it as First Officer a Yes Man or Woman, right? You want your First Officer to be an alternate voice to ultimately carry out your orders, of course, but to be a dissenting opinion, to maybe call you out on stuff.
And so, Shaw is smart enough to go, "I need someone who doesn't see things exactly the way I see them." So in spite of her reckless behavior, he kind of needs that. You need that voice. Ultimately, she can offer up like, "We need to do this X, Y, Z" when they're on the bridge and question his choices so that maybe he can reconsider. And there are moments when you actually watch him reconsider and do things that Seven offers up. Whether he vocally appreciates it or not. He chose her for a reason.
That's why I'm so fascinated by this character and the way these complex relationships work on the Titan's bridge. Let's talk about your first scene, that dinner scene. As an actor, you're in uniform, sitting at a table. To your right, you've got Jeri Ryan and Jonathan Frakes, you've got Patrick Stewart across from you, but you're controlling the scene. What is that like as an actor?
Todd Stashwick: Well, it's just that. I'm an actor. And the scene itself is, you know, I just have to play the truth of the lines in the moment, and the beats, and have all the thoughts and moments and emotions that this character is having in the scene. The fact that I was doing it with these tremendously storied actors was a treat. It's a treat.
I always say be the dumbest guy in the room. So I always want to be with people that raise my game, right? That can outdraw you. And so it keeps you on your toes. Now, I was fortunate that I had worked with Frakes. He was my director on Burn Notice years before. Terry was there. So it was a very warm room, I was introduced as family. Frakes and Terry, they they sort of primed the pump. So when I got there, there wasn't that sort of awkward getting to know you, hope I do okay feeling. I was trusted. And that trust goes far. That feeling of people rooting for you to do your best.
Now, do you have that personal actor insecurity where you go, "I do want to nail this. I do want to feel prepared. I do want to have done my homework. I do want to make sure that I honor the writing and make sure that I honor my scene partners." So yeah. In the moment, because they're so connected, and they're performing. I was never like, "Oh my God, I hope I don't screw this up." They were just playing the scene, and I was just playing the scene. And so there was this tremendous level of home. You know, I was I felt very much at home.
Honestly, it's the heart of the first episode to me.
Todd Stashwick: It sets up the grit that makes the pearl, doesn't it?
What a great way to phrase it. Shaw obviously has a backstory, and what I really love about that dinner scene is that when you find out Shaw's deal, it totally tracks. It's a whole different experience. Because it all makes sense now.
Todd Stashwick: His story is a little heartbreaking. A little heartbreaking. And you go from going, "This guy's in an a-hole" to "Oh, I kind of get it." I kind of get it. And they crafted such a beautiful arc for this character that, you know, I just had to get out of its way, right? And let it kind of spool out.
When you find out Shaw's story, it makes sense why he's so protective of his crew.
Todd Stashwick: Yeah, it's like he has to be this aloof, hard outer shell in order to muscle through his own trauma; muscle through his own pain, and see to it that what happened to him doesn't happen to other people.
There are people online who, as soon as they saw Shaw, were like, "Oh, this guy's not going to be around for very long." You've probably seen the tweets and stuff. What do you say to that?
Todd Stashwick: I'm having a blast with that. I mean, some people are like, "He doesn't make it out of act one." I mean, it stands to reason when you have these legacy characters. I get why they're saying it. Ultimately, I think they will be pleasantly surprised to come on the ride and experience the journey of this character.
I think the beauty of the season is it's not Star Trek: The Next Generation. It's Star Trek: Picard. It's its own show that is bringing back these legacy characters, but there are also other characters that are part of Star Trek: Picard, Raffi, myself, and Ed Speleers' character, that have their own arcs that are part of the Star Trek: Picard season 3 story that aren't just about the legacy characters. It's all part of the big tapestry. That's what makes this not just a retread. That's what makes this an original story. And fresh.
Obviously, The Next Generation cast is really, really tight. It's legendary how tight they are. And they've been at it for 35 years. Jeri and Michelle [Hurd] have been in Picard since season 1. Were you and Ed and Ashlei [Sharpe Chestnut] like a little newbie club?
Todd Stashwick: It didn't feel cordoned off at all. It felt like we were all making this. In fact, one of my favorite stories that I told a couple of times, is that I was sitting there in the captain's chair, and we were in between setups. And Brent Spiner was on set because he was doing a makeup test. And he walked over [while] Patrick was sitting next to me. And Brent came over, he's sort of playfully choking Patrick, and they're having a little moment reunion. They hadn't seen each other. And then Patrick stands up, and he goes, "Oh, Brent, have you met Todd Stashwick?" And then he leans over to both of us [and] he goes, "He's one of us."
I was like, "Oh, okay. Okay. I can just go home now. We're good." I was never treated -- and nobody was, again, the entire crew. Everybody was treated like we are the family of this show. Everybody was honored. Everybody was treated. It wasn't like we're the new cast and this is the legacy cast. The legacy cast was us and we were them. And it was such a little -- I get verklempt thinking about it -- We made some special together.
That's beautiful. You actually were already part of the Star Trek family. You're in Star Trek: Enterprise. What are your memories of working on that set?
Todd Stashwick: And actually my dear friend, Kara Zediker, played T'Pau. I love to take moments to just kind of soak in and appreciate the opportunities that I've had in my life and in my career. I've had these moments because like I said, I'm an 80s kid. I'm a Lucas, Spielberg, Star Trek kid. To have these moments where I'm like, "I have to appreciate this." So I was there in my Vulcan-slash-Romulan ears, with my eyebrows, in my silver jumpsuit, with my Lirpa, and I'm like, "I'm on Vulcan. I'm on Vulcan. I'm going to appreciate that right now. This isn't Halloween. I'm not dressed up for a convention. I am a Romulan, I am on Vulcan, I am now part of this legacy that came long before me and will go on long after me."
Quite honestly, I thought, "I've punched my Star Trek ticket". And that's wonderful. I've contributed to a canon that I find beloved. And so I was satisfied. It was wonderful. And Scott [Bakula] was great. And I got to work with him again, on Men of a Certain Age. I've not seen Jolene [Blalock] since then. I've seen Kara Zediker since then. It was pretty special. And so I never thought something could exceed that experience. And then the universe said hold my beer.
You've come full circle in Star Trek, and now you're back. You're back at the highest level possible. There's nothing bigger than Picard.
Todd Stashwick: It's not lost on me. Like I said, I was pretending to be a captain at six years old. And now 54 I still got to pretend to be a captain.
You worked with Terry on 12 Monkeys prior to Star Trek. What does Terry bring to Star Trek that Picard was maybe missing in prior seasons?
Todd Stashwick: I will cast no aspersions on any other version of Star Trek. I love everyone. Everyone. There is a Star Trek for everyone. I think Terry Matalas brings his heart and what moves him. I think what Terry does, and what I feel like any of the directors that I have responded to, and creators and writers that I responded to [do is], they want to deliver for an audience the things that they weren't inspired by when they first saw these things. He was part of DS9 and Voyager and Enterprise, and he loves the Nicholas Meyer films, and he loves The Original Series.
I think what he brings is: "I want to move an audience in the way that I was moved". And so, "These are the things that I feel are essentially Star Trek." I think Terry's love of the military aspect, the ranks, just going from the boatswain whistle introducing captains, to the whatever you have. You feel the chain of command. You feel that sort of reality of Starfleet, and I think he brings that. He also brings a tremendous sense of cinema. He wants it to be cinematically fun.
These are space adventures. Yes. Are they thoughtful polemics on the dynamics between humans? Of course, they are. Are there problems solved through science? Of course, there are. Are there shootouts with phasers? Of course, there are. Are there space battles? Of course, there are. So he wants you to get all of it. He wants deep heartfelt moments between characters, and he wants spectacular space battles. He wants all of it. And I think he, along with the entire writing staff and crew, cinematographers, makeup department, everybody's hearts were in it. And we knew the minute we read that first episode, we were in for something special.
Let's do a little bit of a "Coming up on Star Trek: Picard..." What can you tease us about what's to come?
Todd Stashwick: Oh, Good Lord. Expect the unexpected. There are some wonderful, surprising cameos, even. Not just visual cameos, but vocal cameos. Keep your ears peeled for some vocal cameos. What else can I tease? I don't want to give anything away other than say, pop your popcorn. Sit down. And it's a 10-hour movie. In the spirit of, you know, I just rewatched Undiscovered Country. I love it and Wrath of Khan. I feel like what those films were to the original cast, this is to the Next Gen cast. It has that spirit.
Because when the Next Gen cast movies came out, they weren't really reunion movies, right? They were just kind of extensions of what we had seen, right? It was like, "Okay, let's take this universe and just sort of extended it onto the big screen." But now enough time has passed that bringing them back together gives you that feeling that you had when you saw Wrath of Khan or Undiscovered Country or Voyage Home, or any of those. It gives you that warmth of how it just feels good to see them again. And to learn what happened to them. And to see that they still have tricks up their sleeve.
100% agreement. I really feel this is the best TNG movie. It's one of the best Star Trek movies, but it's also a 10-hour epic. It's so deep. It's so respectful.
Todd Stashwick: It's respectful, and it's not a slavish Valentine. It does nod to the past, but it also looks forward. It gives you new things. It gives you new characters, it gives you new experiences, and new villains. And just... Amanda Plummer. Hoo.
My last question for you is: Are you ready to go to cons and see people cosplaying as Liam Shaw?
Todd Stashwick: Oh, I don't know if that's gonna happen.
Oh, I think it will.
Todd Stashwick: I'll just assume that they're Riker because I'll see some dude with a beard and go, "Great Riker costume!" I have been going to cons for the better part of the last 15 years. I am a convention goer myself. So the ability to go as a custodian of Star Trek is very exciting. That's very exciting to me to be able to represent this show and this little special moment in time that I got to boldly go. So it's an honor, and it's a treat and, hopefully, an opportunity to just see these people that I got to work with again. Those become family reunions for me, and then to connect with the fans of the franchise, being one of them.
About Star Trek: Picard Season 3
The third and final season of Star Trek: Picard features Admiral Jean-Luc Picard during the 25th century as he reunites with the former command crew of the USS Enterprise, who are being hunted by a mysterious new enemy, Captain Vadic.
Check out our red carpet interviews with the cast and crew of Star Trek: Picard as well.
Star Trek: Picard season 3 streams Thursdays on Paramount+.