"In the future, nobody will care."
I wonder if he had that idea before or after Patrick Stewart was cast as Picard.
"In the future, nobody will care"
Rodenberry was already asked this question. That was his answer.
this post was submitted on 12 Jan 2026
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My head canon is that in the Star Trek future everyone knows exactly what causes baldness so it's seen as a sign of masculinity/virility. Why do you think Picard was able to get with all those hotties?
Head canon :D
I wonder if he had that idea before or after Patrick Stewart was cast as Picard.
After/during the casting process. Originally, Gene Roddenberry didn't want a bald actor to play Picard, becausr in his opinion there should be a cure to male pattern baldness in the future. Stewart was even asked to bring a hair piece for the audition. However, Roddenberry was talked out of it by basically everyone else with any responsibility in the casting process (partly because Stewart looked somewhat cursed with a hairpiece).
Stewar[t] looked somewhat cursed with a hairpiece
Here's what that may have looked like as used in flashback from s5e12 "Violations"
There's also this picture:
Yup, often mistaken for a pre-pilot test shot. You can see the metal bit on his right temple.
He looks like he just got caught trying to hide a toad in the teacher's bag.
Given what I've heard about the TNG cast's behavior on set I'd be more surprised if he didn't at some point.
Should have given him a pony tail like pre HL1 Gordon Freeman
I'd blame that on the hairdresser. They didn't have to give him a fivehead.
They didn't have to give him a fivehead.
BWAhahahahahah! Oh shit, I just choked on my coffee!
Thanks for the hearty laugh.. gonna hafta remember this one!
hafta?
"have to" - spelled in a New Englandah's accent. (Bostonian, north to Portland Maine, coastal)
More like this. Considering this is literally him for his final audition, with the wig.
Just added to the other same shot commented:
Yup, often mistaken for a pre-pilot test shot. You can see the metal bit on his right temple.
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The thing is, by this point in their timeline, hair loss isn't a stigma nor considered a deficiency.
Exactly! There is no cure for a thing which is not an ailment. He chooses to have no hair. Probably a lot easier and faster in the sonic shower. And can be on the bridge during an early hour red alert without having bed head.
I'm sure that If he chose to, it would be something like a skin regenerator and he would have a full head of hair within minutes
Dermal rejuvenation.
Just reverse the polarity
Clearly the cure involves a routine, unorthodox use of the deflector dish…
we could reroute power from the warp coil
In my head canon society had developed such that male pattern baldness was seen as natural and not anything that needed to be cured. But the Picard series sort of debunked that
this is correct and we can just pretend the Picard series doesn't exist
Or it could be cured, and Pickard just didn't, as an absolute power move.
iirc that was Patrick Stewart's explaination for it too
There's nothing wrong with being bald
Certainly saves on shampoo.
Funny enough, I'm good friends with the woman who was the lead researcher of Proctor and Gambles' program for a hair growth product back in the 90's. Ultimately, P&G was forced to abandon the effort after many many years.
My friend stated she could grow hair on a cue ball. The only issue was the cue ball wouldn't survive the process.
Short story long... It is possible to cure male and female baldness. The only problem is the patient would not survive the toxic cocktail that growing hair requires.
...there's already a cure for this though? minoxidil, great for filling out beards
Minoxidil has a very narrow efficacy.
P&G's project was aimed primarily to cure baldness in.... Women and not men. Surprising I know, but back in those days baldness in women was viewed as a more lucrative target market. They were also going for much stronger and broader results than what Minoxidil generally provides in order to compete with it. Minoxidil was developed by Upjohn in the 50's.
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When Seven was first rescued, the Doctor talked about stimulating her hair folicals. He called a vicarious experience.
So clearly there is a way to "cure ' it, if someone did want to.
Not everyone cares about being bold. Plus he knows Guinan likes it.
I agree with your statement!
Maybe not everyone does, but I care about equal representation.
To boldly go where no one has gone before requires caring about being bold.
Picard's baldness is a choice, just like Geordi's visor.
Edit: And Kovich's glasses
At least until the films, when LeVar wanted to be able to emote differently. That scene from Insurrection always tugs at the heartstrings.
Choices can change! That's the beauty of Trek!
aside from the others, here's Patrick Stewart talking about baldness and hairpieces : https://youtu.be/bqm_Iq8rFeg?t=93
Star Trek in many ways is completely off the mark wrt to the levels of technology portrayed.
I wonder if he had that idea before or after Patrick Stewart was cast as Picard.
Patrick Stewart showed up wearing his customary toupee. It looked so ridiculous that they asked him to lose it and just go with a bald character.
EDIT:
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