There are few people who had as strong of a grip on my youth as Jean-Luc Picard. My nanny was a trekkie, and as a result, many an afternoon was spent with that bald, commanding Brit acting as babysitter. And who better? Behind the fearless leader of the free world (and beyond) existed a sensitive soul, more apt for Shakespeare and the stage than heading a Starfleet. His heroes growing up were both knights (Sirs Laurence Olivier and John Gielgud) and he worked aside one in X-Men with Ian McKellan, so it’s about time Patrick Stewart was awarded the honor in his own right. Dedicating it to his English teacher Cecil Dormand, who encouraged him to take up acting and introduced him to Shakespeare as youngster, Patrick was very humble while accepting the title from the Queen at Buckingham Palace. Trouble imagining him outside the Enterprise? Check him out here in PBS’s recent rendition of “Hamlet”, alongside Dr. Who’s David Tennant.