It's been a hard year so far for cinematic obituaries, especially in the sci-fi realm. I’ve been so depressed I’ve avoided writing about it. But with Patrick Stewart passing, I had to do something.

By Emad Aysha
We all know, love, and miss Patrick Stewart (13 July 1940 – 28 October 2026) for his legendary role as Captain Jean-Luc Picard in Star Trek: The Next Generation (1987–1994), along with the TNG movies and the divisive Star Trek: Picard (2020–2023).

His real journey with science fiction began earlier with the ill-fated Dune (1984), where he played Gurney Halleck to perfection with his deep, disciplined Shakespearean voice. (Minus the slight Yorkshire accent.) From there, he became the go-to guy for science fiction, also taking on the epic role of Professor Charles Xavier in the X-Men movies.

Ironically, Wikipedia says Patrick Stewart didn’t take science fiction seriously, but he excelled nonetheless and proved SF performances were as valid as any other. He also had a secret love of comedy, a fan of Beavis & Butthead and somebody who positively loved his role in the dark comedy thriller Conspiracy Theory (1997) alongside Mel Gibson and Julia Roberts. That movie technically counts as science fiction too, dealing with brainwashed assassins – if you consider that to be fiction!

Sir Patrick Stewart, I should say, was knighted by Queen Elizabeth II in 2010. He died at the age of 86 peacefully at his home, in California, suffering from both Alzheimer’s and dementia, which he fought successfully at the tail end of his illustrious acting career. He was also a lifelong champion of human rights and we must not forget his fantasy career too with the Arthurian epic Excalibur (1981) that helped birth the cinematic fantasy genre.

INTERNET CHATTER: Tom Skerritt and Lauren Holly from 'Picket Fences', a TV show that was even influenced by 'The X-Files' in one episode, with talk of alien DNA. In reality they were using a cow as an incubator for a human baby - pure SF, right?!

Enter Tom Skerritt (25 August 1933 – 21 October 2026), most notable in SF for his role as Captain Dallas in Alien (1979). He was an established actor before then, but this role elevated him and led to other memorable parts, including Top Gun (1986), Steel Magnolias (1989), A River Runs Through It (1992), and the TV series Picket Fences (1992–1996).

His other genre outings include The Dead Zone (1983), SpaceCamp (1986) and Contact (1997). He often played a cop or other authority figure and projected warmth, sympathy, and moral steadfastness; except in Contact, to be fair. He always projected confidence, which is why everybody loved him so much in Top Gun as Viper alongside Tom Cruise as Maverick.

The last movie I saw him in was Whiteout (2009), set in the South Pole with Kate Beckinsale by his side, ironically playing a bad guy. (A medical doctor who gets involved in a diamond smuggling scheme at the end of his career, with nothing to go back to.) While the movie wasn’t great, Skerritt was still in top form, projecting that fatherly kindness and mentorship so characteristic of him.

He passed away at the ripe old age of 93 in his home in Seattle, Washington, a beloved father and husband and everyone’s best friend on the TV screen.

ROLE REVERSALS 'R US: Sam Neill from the 1980s as Damien Thorn. In his life before Jurassic Park he was the go-to guy for evil-incarnate-type roles. A fitting tribute to his talent and earned respect from the audiences.

Finally, we have Sam Neill (14 September 1947 – 13 July 2026), and this one hurts extra. Who doesn’t remember him in his most loved role of all: Dr Alan Grant in Jurassic Park (1993). It was so satisfying to see him finally get the girl in Jurassic World Dominion (2022), namely Laura Dern as Ellie Sattler.

Who doesn’t love a character that goes up the fatherhood learning curve? The best scenes in that movie, apart from people getting gobbled up by dinosaurs, were of him and the kids, Lex Murphy (Ariana Richards) and Tim Murphy (Joseph Mazzello). He shepherds them and so grows along the way.

Other good guy roles that he is remembered for include Captain Vasili Borodin in The Hunt for Red October (1990), his role in the Australian thriller Dead Calm (1989) alongside Nicole Kidman and Billy Zane, his hilarious role in In the Mouth of Madness (1994) and the true-life Australian drama in A Cry in the Dark (1988) with Meryl Streep.

Less well known, however, are his roles as a bad guy, which he did with equal proficiency. Hence, such minor classics as The Omen III: The Final Conflict (1981) and other noteworthy sci-fi flicks like Daybreakers (2009), Event Horizon (1997) and Memoirs of an Invisible Man (1992).

His greatest performance, by far, was in the ultra-weird horror movie Possession (1981), where he played an out-of-work spy in West Berlin dealing with his insane ex-wife (Isabelle Adjani) and her spaced-out boyfriend. He played it like a child, innocent and torn between two opposing poles, and sadly was overshadowed by the admittedly creepy and over-the-top performance of Adjani.

He passed away in Sydney, Australia, on 13 July 2026, aged 78, after a battle with blood cancer from 2022. His illness didn’t stop him from soldiering on, playing Alan Grant one last time in Dominion. He received a lifetime achievement award in New Zealand and a knighthood from the British Queen for his services as an actor, making him Sir Sam Neill. This along with a slew of Emmy nominations and other well-deserved awards.

Sam Neill died too soon and will be sorely missed, like Tom Skerritt and Sir Patrick Stewart.