Star Trek's Patrick Stewart Still Owns A Hilarious Prank Created By Data Himself

Prior to his job playing Captain Jean-Luc Picard on "Star Trek: The Next Generation," actor Patrick Stewart wasn't terribly well-known in the United States. One might have recognized him for his supporting roles in high-profile genre films like John Boorman's "Excalibur," David Lynch's "Dune," or Tobe Hooper's "Lifeforce," but the vast bulk of his career up to that point was on the British stage, or throughout the vast network of BBC television. Starting in 1966, Stewart began starring in productions for the Royal Shakespeare Company, appearing as the Player King in "Hamlet" (opposite David Warner) and as the Dauphin in "Henry V."  His status as a go-to player of well-known American fantasy characters wouldn't begin in earnest until 1987.

In his new autobiography "Making It So: A Memoir," Stewart recalls how the American publicity machine viewed him when he first started working on "Star Trek: The Next Generation." He and his co-stars on the show were all happy to be working, of course, and happy for the money, but weren't so thrilled when it came to actor accommodations. It seems that the trailers in which actors could rest were tiny little boxes on the Paramount lot, only distinguishable from one another by the nameplates on the doors.

Most of the "Next Generation" cast were unknown at its start. The show's biggest stars in 1987 were Wil Wheaton, the star of the recent hit drama "Stand By Me" and LeVar Burton, star of "Roots" and the host of "Reading Rainbow." As such, when publicity began to circulate about the cast, Stewart discovered an amusingly dismissive description of himself. One publication, it seems, called Stewart an "unknown British Shakespearean actor."

This description tickled Stewart's co-star Brent Spiner, leading to the creation of a cute — and cherished — nameplate for Stewart's door.

Brent Spiner, of course, played the android Data on "Star Trek: The Next Generation" and, as the show progressed, Spiner and Stewart would emerge as its most written-about characters. Prior to "Next Generation," Spiner appeared in multiple Broadway and Off-Broadway plays before moving to L.A. to make small appearances on TV and in movies. One might recall his recurring role as a hillbilly on the absurd sitcom "Night Court." Spiner, it seems, was keenly aware of how actors react to press releases about themselves and knew Stewart would be paying attention. Stewart recalled the early days of "Next Generation" and described his tiny trailer as follows: 

"I'd had better accommodations in regional theater. Each of us was afforded a small, boxlike cabin with a ledge running down one side, upon which lay a thin mattress of the type you might find in a prison cell, plus a small table and a hard, uncomfortable chair. And no toilet or sink. We had to share the facilities with everyone else on the lot."

While in that tiny trailer, Stewart remembers the notorious write-up in the L.A. Times and the subsequent relabeling of his trailer. He wrote:

"Early on, the 'TNG' cast was written up in the arts-calendar section of the Los Angeles Times, and I was referred to as an 'unknown British Shakespearean actor.' [...] But I was mature enough to take this description in stride, and my peers were quick to play it for laughs. The day after that article appeared, I arrived at my trailer to find taped to its door a notice reading 'BEWARE: UNKNOWN BRITISH SHAKESPEAREAN ACTOR.'"

It seems Spiner was having a little joke at Stewart's expense.

Stewart continued: 

"This, I quickly learned, was the work of Brent Spiner, an indication of his burgeoning status as the cutup of our group. Incidentally, this sign came up for auction a few years ago, and I had to inform the auction house in question that they had a fake on their hands. I have the certified Spiner original, which is a cherished part of my personal archive." 

It seems that Stewart had told this story in public before, leading some enterprising forgers and plagiarists to make fake versions of Spiner's sign. Know that if you enter an auction house or memorabilia shop that claims to have the original "Warning" sign, you have encountered a fake. You will only get the original if you purchase it from Stewart directly, and it seems like the kind of thing the actor would rather not sell, thank you very much.

Naturally, one can occasionally buy costumes worn by Stewart on "Star Trek: The Next Generation" as those belong to the Paramount costume department and are the studio's to sell as it pleases. Stewart once expressed regret that he hadn't been allowed to keep one of his on-screen uniforms, until a generation American talk show host, Craig Kilborn, presented him with a costume he would be allowed to take home. As far as anyone knows, Stewart still has that costume as well.

One might hope Stewart kept Spiner's prank on his mantlepiece.