Patrick Stewart says 'Star Trek' has saved people's lives

• Patrick Stewart says the "Star Trek" franchise has saved people's lives.
• Stewart plays Captain Jean-Luc Picard in "Star Trek" TV shows and movies.

"Star Trek" isn't just a media franchise — it has a positive impact on the lives of its fans too, according to Patrick Stewart.

In a new interview with NPR, Stewart — who began playing Captain Jean-Luc Picard in the television series "Star Trek: The Next Generation" in 1987 — opened up about his time on the show and how the franchise has influenced a whole generation of viewers.

"Its impact on so many people has been extraordinary, ranging from people saying that it became their education to others who said, 'I was going to end my life, but I couldn't because I wouldn't be able to see 'Star Trek' anymore,'" Stewart told NPR.

He added that part of the reason "Star Trek" had such a profound — almost spiritual — impact on viewers was that it touched on morals and values people held dear to themselves.

"It was about truth and fairness and honesty and respect for others, no matter who they were or what strange alien creature they looked like," Stewart said. "That was immaterial. They were alive. And if they needed help, Jean-Luc Picard and his crew, his team, were there to give it."

When asked how fans treat the show with "religious reverence," the 83-year-old likened his and his costars' roles to that of a religious ministry: "So, yes, in a sense, we were ministers," he told NPR.

Through the years, many fans have even shared with Stewart how "Star Trek" has shaped their lives.

"And I have heard now so many times from individuals who have been honest enough and brave enough to tell me aspects of their life, of their health, of their mental health, and how it was all saved and improved by watching every week," the actor said.

Stewart added that "it didn't feel at all incongruous" that he had been ascribed such serious responsibility even though he was just an actor playing a role in a show.

"And to feel like that as a person was such a reward for what we were doing because we were enjoying our work, our job," Stewart said. "But at the same time, we were changing people's lives."

In Stewart's memoir "Making It So," published in October, he wrote that his friend Ian McKellen had initially tried to dissuade him from joining "Star Trek."

"Ian shook his head sadly, as if I were enlisting in the army, but, nevertheless, wished me good luck and gave me a big hug," Stewart wrote in his memoir.