Star Trek: The Next Generation and Gilgamesh

In the Star Trek: The Next Generation fifth season episode, “Darmok,” Captain Picard, played by the fabulous Patrick Stewart, summarizes The Epic of Gilgamesh for an alien commander.  In Picard’s account, the focus is not on Gilgamesh’s quest for immortality, but rather on the grief Gilgamesh experiences at the loss of his friend, Enkidu.  Gilgamesh’s grief foreshadows Picard’s grief when his alien friend dies.  You can see Patrick Stewart telling the story here:

“Epic of Gilgamesh in two minutes by Patrick Stewart.” Youtube, uploaded by paul f, 9 Dec. 2012, https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=WCmwClf0F8g.

Author: mdamey

I am an English professor with expertise in medieval and modern retellings of the stories of King Arthur. I have taught high school, college, and university courses over a a range of topics including Utopian and Dystopian fiction, Harry Potter, Science Fiction and Fantasy literature. View all posts by mdamey