10 Best Individual Performances In Star Trek
5. Sarek
Star Trek: The Next Generation: Sarek (S3EP23)
Patrick Stewart was given an unenviable task in the episode Sarek. Here, he must first go head to head with Mark Lenard, one of the original stars of Star Trek, a man who originated the Romulans and, of course, played Spock's father. The episode shows the man succumbing to the rigors of Vulcan old age, named here as Bendii Syndrome.
As there are crucially important negotiations to take place, Sarek's wife, Perrin, requests that he and Picard mind-meld. This would give Sarek all of Picard's emotional control, though it would leave Picard with Sarek's turmoil. So begins a painful scene to watch.
Stewart is fantastic, playing the aging Vulcan, even as he remains in the guise of Picard. He cries out for Perrin, for Amanda, and indeed for Spock. Tears stream down his face and he decries the pain of aging.
It is a brutal scene to watch, though it is one of the many, many examples of Stewart's gift to Star Trek.