‘Star Trek: Picard’s Todd Stashwick Just Plays a Jerk on TV

Captain Liam Shaw is a jerk. Todd Stashwick, the actor who plays him on Star Trek: Picard, is not. And in fact, he is beyond grateful to have the chance to (once again) join the storied space franchise.

“The way I see it, I am Aragorn and they will always have my sword,” Stashwick told Decider. “I am forever a part of this legacy, and they have me if they need me in any capacity. If all I ever get to do in the franchise is those episodes of Enterprise and season three of Picard, man, what an embarrassment of riches.”

On this week’s episode, titled “Imposters”, the crew of the Titan seems to finally be in the clear after a climactic battle with villain Vadic (Amanda Plummer) in the previous episode. Instead, the screws tighten (no pun intended) even further as the shape-changing Changelings are revealed to have infiltrated nearly every level of Starfleet. By episode’s end — and spoilers past this point — the cantankerous Shaw has once again been convinced by Riker (Jonathan Frakes) and Picard (Patrick Stewart) to buck protocol and take the ship on the run.

Before that, though, we talked to Stashwick about last week’s stand-out monologue, what it’s like tearing into Sir Patrick Stewart, and this seasons not-so-stealthy 12 Monkeys reunion.

Decider: I have a theory that I wanted to throw by you. Captain Shaw comes off as a rigid jerk, but unlike Riker and Picard, he goes from saying, “No way am I helping you” in the premiere to actively helping them. So he’s actually the most flexible character on the show right now. Would you agree with that?

Todd Stashwick: I love your theory. It’s a great theory.

Well, what is it like absolutely ripping into Patrick Stewart in every single scene?

Well, obviously the reality is I’m not ripping into Patrick Stewart. It is Shaw ripping into Picard. Beyond that, it’s two actors having a laugh and having a good time playing meaty scenes, right? So, that’s the kind of stuff that you long for. As opposed to just playing a yes or no-sir character. You long for those scenes of conflict and struggle where the characters have to wrestle with each other. As far as what goes on between Patrick and myself, you know, working with him raises my game. He’s a knight of the realm, so I recognize the gravity of which he carries with him. But the reality is, he’s a playful artist who loves to get into it and mix things up.

I talked to Jonathan Frakes about this last week, and he said your monologue in the bar where you’re telling Picard about the Borg attack, and your experience with it, was his favorite scene from the entire season.

Oh, wow.

So what was it like playing that? He gave his perspective as director. I’m curious to hear from you as an actor.

It’s several levels, right? So the first level is, “Oh my gosh, they gave me a meal.” Like, as an actor, again, you long for these kinds of scenes where you can play all the notes in the symphony. There’s even a laugh at the end of it, when I say asshole for charm, there’s a, there’s kind of a melancholy chuckle in that. So that, A, getting amazing material. B, I was fortunate to have a two-part episode called “Best of Both Worlds” to be able to visualize the event, from at least externally what I would’ve seen out of a port window, to see what the sky was doing and what the Borg cube was doing to Starfleet. And then me as an actor had to create, visually, the events so that I could see them again in my mind’s eye, and then those images lead to thoughts, those thoughts lead to emotions. So, it’s a process of building that monologue.

And then having amazing scene partners like Ed Speelers and Patrick there… Even though they don’t really say anything in the scene, just looking at their eyes and looking at the effect that those words are having on them, and that this man’s pain, they are sympathetic to… Jack is defensive of his father at one point, and then Picard just heartbreakingly taking it all, and understanding my pain. It was just one of those moments you never forget as an actor. And then to have Patrick walk over to you and give you that little arm squeeze of approval and say some kind words, it’s just like… You never know how it’s going to go, and then Jonathan behind the camera giving me all the room to play, and then also then letting me do it from beginning to end every time. And so then sliding the dials. Make it hotter here. Pull back here. Just kind of conducting it like a conductor from the side, just playing with different reads, but then giving me the full run of it every time so I got to reset and do it again, and reset and do it again, so that I could build the shape of the thing each time.

He obviously he has a very personal connection to the Borg thing, but in this episode there’s a great scene in the elevator where he’s standing with Riker and Picard and basically lists through all the insane things they have done in various episodes and movies. I know it’s a bit, you know, it’s a comedy bit, but at the same time, he knows a lot about them. Do you think there’s a level that he’s a little jealous of their experiences? Or how does he feel about it?

I don’t think he is jealous. No, I don’t think he is jealous. I think he sees from his perspective, the fact that Picard got taken by the Borg in the first place was a sign of their reckless engagement. And that behavior led to the pain that he’s suffering to this day. So when he cycles through those things, albeit playfully, he’s actually hoping for some kind of recompense. And it’s their recklessness, in his perspective, that led to the harrowing events of the last few days. They impulsively do what they want, from his eyes. They smash and grab, they’re space cowboys, and it leads to death to him. So no, I don’t think he’s jealous of it at all, I think it’s quite the opposite. I think he actually thinks they need to have some kind of accountability for their behavior. And what I also love is that even though they came to this place of understanding and then Shaw intervened to help Jack out, still doesn’t let them off the hook. He’s still the same character even though he had this huge confession. He’s still the same guy that didn’t want them to take his ship in the first place and resents them for being space cowboys.

There’s obviously big movement on the changeling plot this episode. Jack may or may not be a changeling, literally anybody can be a changeling. I swear, I’m not trying to fish for spoilers or anything, I’m just curious: given that fact, how much did they tell you about the overall plot and who was or was not a changeling, so potentially you could craft your performance in that direction?

Obviously they’re building things and shaping things, but I think they had plotted out the whole arc, that’s the best way to craft a story, anyway, in the writers’ room, is to put it all up on the board and go and then you write the scripts as you go, and you’re filling in the story. But I knew early on the big arcs of the story. There might’ve been individual, smaller moments that they were massaging and figuring out, but the big chunks of who was who and who was what, I knew about those things.

Obviously this whole season is a big Next Generation reunion, but it’s also a stealth 12 Monkeys reunion at the same time. Kirk Acevedo shows up in this episode, for example. Did you get to interact with any of the old cast at all?

No, because their stuff was shot on completely different days, on a completely different set. I was very much on the Titan, and so no, I never got to… I actually was just trading texts with Kirk Acevedo this morning as I reviewed this episode for these interviews. I’m just tickled by everybody’s work, and tickled by seeing my friends step out of their traditional way that a lot of people see them. Especially 12 Monkeys fans. To see Aaron Stanford as the slimy, slimy Ferengi, and then to see Kirk who’s still playing a tough guy, but a tough guy who adheres to Vulcan logic, and with his Vulcan speech mannerisms and stuff, it was just–it’s such a treat. I delight when I see my friends just doing great work.

Now I am asking for spoilers: Is Emily Hampshire going to show up at some point in the season?

I’m trying to remember…Cause again, I didn’t work with everybody. Uh, I don’t believe so.

Alright, ok. I’ll lower my expectations on that side. You mentioned that there’s been some great feedback from the fans… There’s actually been a lot of clamoring for a Titan spin-off. Have there been any discussions about that? Is that something you would want to return for?

Oh, look, the way I see it, I am Aragorn and they will always have my sword, right? The story I tell is that Jeri Ryan was saying that when she started on Voyager they gave her a t-shirt with the Star Trek delta that had bars in front of it that said “Lifer.” So, like, I am forever a part of this legacy, and they have me if they need me in any capacity. If all I ever get to do in the franchise is those episodes of Enterprise and season three of Picard, man, what an embarrassment of riches.

Well, on the other end of the spectrum, I know that you’re a pretty prolific writer. Would you want to jump over onto the other side and maybe do a Liam Shaw comic for IDW, or something like that?

I certainly would entertain the idea. I have been fortunate in my career to be able to ply my craft in other IPs such as, I did a draft of Suicide Squad 2, and I wrote on a Star Wars video game, and I’m currently writing on a Captain America/Black Panther game for Skydance New Media and Marvel, so I love digging in and finding the voice of IP that are beloved to me. So I  certainly would entertain the idea, absolutely. That could be a lot of fun.

What can you tease about what’s coming up for your character over the rest of the season?

For Shaw, well, again, obviously they’re really turning the heat up. Episode five almost starts a whole new act, right? It’s a new chapter. And so they really turn the heat up as things ramp up and Shaw is in the thick of all of it as the action and intrigue increases. That’s all I’ll say.

This interview has been edited for clarity and length.

Star Trek: Picard streams Thursdays on Paramount+.