Summary

• Patrick Stewart's directorial episodes of "Star Trek: The Next Generation" focused heavily on the character of Lt. Commander Data, reflecting his admiration for actor Brent Spiner.
• While "Hero Worship" lacked standout moments, it showcased strong performances and Stewart's ability to create the right circumstances for his actors.
• "A Fistful of Datas" demonstrated Stewart's comedic skills as a director and his personal connection to exploring complicated relationships, like that of Worf and his son Alexander.

As well as playing Captain Jean-Luc Picard, Patrick Stewart directed five episodes of Star Trek: The Next Generation of varying degrees of quality. The five episodes of TNG are Stewart's only directing credits, in contrast to his co-star Jonathan Frakes, who has become a prolific director of film and television. Stewart got a great deal of support from Frakes during his time in the director's chair, and still holds his TNG Number One in high esteem. Looking at the five TNG episodes that Patrick Stewart directed, it's interesting to see links between their themes and elements that would later recur in Star Trek: Picard decades later.
Interestingly, four out of the five Star Trek: The Next Generation episodes directed by Patrick Stewart focused on the character of Lt. Commander Data (Brent Spiner). The interest that Stewart clearly had in the character of Data and admiration for Brent Spiner as an actor clearly carried over into Star Trek: Picard. Spiner played multiple roles across all three seasons of Picard, culiminating in the return of Data in the TNG reunion season. However, Data isn't the only recurring theme in Stewart's episodes that would later factor into Star Trek: Picard.

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