star trek - Is there any significance to Captain Picard's baldness?

Was the fact that Captain Picard has no hair just a random artefact of the fact that Patrick Stewart was the best/chosen actor for the role?

Or was the choice of Patrick Stewart influenced in any way by the fact that the show creators/casters preferred the bald look for some reason before Stewart was cast?

I'm looking for authoritative info, not guesses.

Answer

It look like Patrick Stewart's baldness was a point against him when he was cast as Captain Picard. From Memory alpha :

In the early pre-production stage of the series, TNG producer Robert H. Justman wanted Stewart for the role of Data. (Patrick Stewart: The Unauthorized Biography)
[...]
Stewart was invited to read for the part of Jean-Luc Picard after Robert Justman saw him during Shakespeare readings at a lecture at UCLA. Gene Roddenberry's first thought was that he "can't put a bald head man in the captain's chair". (TNG Season 1 DVD special feature "The Beginning")

Comments

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