CAPTAIN ON THE BRIDGE

UNLIKE HIS ON-SCREEN PERSONA, TODD STASHWICK IS VERY EXCITED TO BE ON BOARD THE TITAN WITH THE CAST OF STAR TREK: PICARD

-  DARREN SCOTT

THE GENESIS OF LIAM SHAW, Captain of the USS Titan-A, goes back almost a decade, to when Star Trek: Picard showrunner Terry Matalas cast Todd Stashwick on Syfy series 12 Monkeys. "We immediately got on like we've known each other our whole lives," the actor recalls.

It was August 2021 when Matalas contacted his friend and said, "So we've got a role for you in season three of Picard that we're writing." Stashwick says his immediate response was, "Well, great, I can't wait to see who's going to play it..." joking that things never pan out when people say they're writing a role for you. "But Terry being a man of his word, about a month later, I got all the paperwork and was showing up for my fitting" He laughs when he recalls that fateful day.

"I walked in and on the wall, they had all of the concept art and they had Photoshopped my big noggin on to my captain's uniform. Already, I was over the moon.

"My first action figures in 1974 were Spock, Kirk and McCoy. So Star Trek has been in my blood since 1974. If somebody had told that kid in '74 he would be wearing the uniform, I would have said, 'Yeah, that totally tracks. Because I was playing Star Trek back then. So there's not much difference between 50-something me playing Star Trek now," he says.

Regarding those figures, he gives a knowing look and states, "Don't think that I don't have them again." As for potentially being a Star Trek figure himself? "Then I will just walk into the ocean because all will be complete."

MONKEYING AROUND

Shaw's not an immediately likeable character; from his first meeting with Picard and Riker, he makes it perfectly clear that he's not impressed with the Starfleet legends.