Patrick Stewart was a celebrated actor whose career spanned decades of film, television, and theater. He became a household name playing Professor Charles Xavier in the X-Men films, but his work also included decades of live performances with the Royal Shakespeare Company and memorable roles as Gurney Halleck in Dune (1984) and King Richard in Robin Hood: Men in Tights (1993). But, of course, for millions of fans, he'll always be Captain Jean-Luc Picard in Star Trek: The Next Generation.
Now, players of No Man's Sky are finding a fitting way to honor the late actor, who died this week at the age of 86. Across the game's vast universe, fans have begun naming planets and entire star systems after Stewart, creating virtual memorials that celebrate his life and career. The tributes began gaining traction on Reddit, where one player called on the community to name a planet in their current star system after Stewart, wherever they happened to be exploring.
The post urged players to “spread his name across the No Man's Sky universe.” It closed with a line that should sound familiar to any Star Trek fan: “Make it so.” The idea has caught on, with the post collecting around 1,900 upvotes and players sharing the planets and memorials they've created. One player named a planet “Picard's Rest” and placed a small cross beside a communication beacon bearing the inscription “Sir Patrick Stewart 1940-2026.” They also shared the planet's coordinates, so other players could visit and pay their respects. Others have gone a step further by dedicating entire star systems to Stewart.
One player located an unexplored system in the Euclid galaxy, complete with several planets and a paradise world, and named it the “Sir Patrick Stewart Memorial System.” They invited fellow players to visit and leave their own contributions, signing off with another fitting Star Trek reference: “Boldly go, Captain.” Naturally, many of the tributes draw on Stewart's other roles, too. Players have suggested naming planets after Halleck from Dune, Professor X from X-Men, and Avery Bullock from American Dad. Other fans have suggested recreating Kataan, the planet from the fan-favorite Star Trek: The Next Generation episode “The Inner Light,” while some are planning to build memorial bases or leave communication beacons with messages for Stewart.
One player even proposed organizing a flyby of player-built Enterprise-style ships. For a game centered on exploring strange new worlds, discovering new life, and charting the unknown, the tributes are an especially fitting way to celebrate Stewart's legacy.
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