Todd Stashwick is an American actor and writer, best known for his role as Captain Liam Shaw in the final season of Star Trek Picard. Prior to that he worked with Picard showrunner Terry Matalas on 12 Monkeys, where he played Deacon, and the two are now working together on the MCU’s upcoming Vision series. As a writer, he co-created the comic series Devil Inside and has written for several video games, including the upcoming Marvel game 1943: Rise Of Hydra. He’s also a passionate D&D fan, and creator of the upcoming ProgCore Fantasy: Dark Age of Theer. He’s currently filming in the UK, so STARBURST recently took the chance to geek out with him…

STARBURST: For people who don’t know, what are you doing over here in the UK?

Todd Stashwick: Currently, I am working on the third in the WandaVision series. It’s the Vision show from Marvel and Disney+.

We’re sure you’re not going to answer this, but can you please tell us the entire plot of Vision Quest? Don’t worry about your NDA.

So, there’s a man named John McClane, and he gets trapped in the Nakatomi Tower, and terrorists take over, and he’s got to rescue his wife.

That sounds completely plausible. Anyway, you’ve got very impressive nerd credentials. Are you an MCU fan?

I am, I love it! My favourite MCU film is probably The First Avenger. I think my favourite MCU character is Tony Stark. I love the Guardians films. And I do love the character of Vision.

You should probably get him in there somewhere! This is your third collaboration with Terry Matalas after 12 Monkeys and Picard. What’s the appeal of working together for the pair of you?

Terry and I met at an audition for 12 Monkeys in 2014, and the thing about Terry is he and I are cut from the same cloth. We share sensibilities, and so we have an absolute great shorthand together when he needs to communicate to me direction, ideas, and thoughts. And we share a very similar sense of humour as well, and so that alone makes for a very collaborative working relationship.

Going back to Picard, how did the role of Captain Shaw come around? Were you offered it, or did he make you audition?

Terry called me, and he said, “So we’re writing the role of a Starfleet captain for you.” And I said, “Well, that’s great. I can’t wait to get to see who plays it.” Because it never works out in LA that when someone writes a role for you that you actually get to play it, because so many other parties weigh in with with the network and the studio. But he was a man of his word, and it was, you know, what a gift of a role.

It’s you second Trek role. I’m guessing this probably meant more to you than the role on Enterprise? [Stashwick appeared in season four playing a Romulan].

Enterprise was really fun, but I thought that was going to be it. There it is. There’s my contribution to Star Trek. And then, along came Shaw. And Shaw was a big arc, and a big deal to be part of that cast.

Was there anything in particular about Picard that made you geek out?

Having a bridge of my own ship. That was pretty darn cool. That was really cool, going “yep, it’s my ship, that’s my captain’s chair.” So much fun! And I had my crew. It’s cool.

Did you get to visit the Enterprise-D?

I walked the set, yeah, and I sat in his [Picard’s] chair, because he certainly sat in mine. So, payback. Had to pay it back. And then I did get to just sort of privately walk the Enterprise-D, which was cool.

Were you at all worried taking on kind of an antagonistic role and going up against really popular characters, or did you just really get into it as much as your character did?

Yeah. I mean, that’s, that’s the stuff you want to do. You want to get into it, butt heads with these characters and mix it up, as opposed to just sort of going “here’s your tea, Mr. Picard.”

You weren’t worried about maybe alienating fans?

Quite honestly, I think the fans loved it. They say they hated me, but they loved it. They loved the feeling. I mean, we want those kinds of scenes with meat on the bone. And so, I think they appreciated the character was such a thorn in their side.

I think they liked the way he grew throughout the season. When he started off, he really was the dipshit from Chicago.

Well, that’s how he was written. You needed to start there so there would be a place to go.

Your biggest scene in the whole series was probably the holodeck scene where you talk about Wolf 359. What are your memories of filming that?

So, Jonathan Frakes was the director of that episode, and I was obviously working with Patrick and Ed Speleers, and it was such a beautifully written piece of television. And then Jonathan allowed me every time to reset the monologue when we have to do different sizes and move in and push up and closeups. He let me reset the monologue from the very beginning and do it all again so that I could go through all of the changes in the piece rather than trying to pick it up in the middle. I could do the arc of it the whole time.

The monologue is based on the U.S.S. Indianapolis speech from Jaws…

It’s inspired by it. That’s why my character was called Shaw.

Did you look at it for reference?

[Shakes head] I know it so well. I grew up with it.

Terry’s said that if Legacy ever happens, he’s got plans for bringing you back. Has he told you what it is, and have the two of you talked about Legacy recently?

Yes. Recently? We talk about it all the time. We want to do it so bad. And we’ve got ideas, definitely. You haven’t seen the last of this dipshit from Chicago.

You did look pretty dead.

Well, so did Spock!

True, but it’s Star Trek. You can get better…

I’m saying. I bounced.

As a genre fan, do roles in shows like Trek, Buffy, and Terminator mean more to you than non-genre roles?

Look, I did a show called The Riches, which I loved, with Eddie Izzard – Suzy now – and Minnie Driver. It’s always only about the writing. If the writing is good, it’s good. But I do love doing genre roles, because those are the things that inspired me to want to become an actor.

Any other roles or shows on your bucket list?

I would love to do a Star Wars, definitely. I would love to do a Lord of the Rings. I’d go to Middle-earth.

So, this is awkward. I want to ask you about 12 Monkeys. I’ve got to admit, I’ve never seen 12 Monkeys.

That is an awkward one. It’s the finest science fiction show ever made! As a nerd, I can say without any reservations it is one of the best time travel shows, if not the best. It might be the best time travel show ever made. The characters, you care deeply about them, and it’s funny and it’s scary and it’s thrilling and it’s heartfelt, and it’ll bring a tear to your eye and put a smile on your face. It’s so good, you’ll be like, “why did I wait so long?”

You’re also a writer. You’ve done a comic series, Devil Inside…

I did a comic series for years, and then I write video games. I worked on a Star Wars video game that never came out. I’m currently working on a Marvel video game with Captain America and Black Panther called 1943: Rise of Hydra. I wrote on a game called Forspoken. So, yeah, I really enjoy it. And then now I’m currently working on a Dungeons and Dragons project called ProgCore Fantasy: Dark Age of Theer.

We were going to ask you about ProgCore. How’s it going?

Well, the Kickstarter has closed, and now we are working on the book, the animation and the music. The candle is finished, and the actual play will be shot in August.

What is the appeal of D&D to you?

It’s gathering with friends to make up a story and have a laugh, have a snack, have a drink, and a fantastic memory that can only be witnessed by the people in the room at that night. It’s the best.

We have to ask you about your nerd lair. It looks amazing. Can you describe it?

I wanted to spend my adult life living the childhood of my dreams. And so, I wanted to recreate a ‘70s basement. I’ve got the orange shag carpet. There’s a there’s a brown wood table. I’ve got a CRT TV. I’ve got an Atari 2600, I’ve got stand-up arcade games. I wanted it to feel like this because D&D started for me in 1979, and that’s where my sort of nostalgic heart lives. So, I bring all my toys, I put them in this room. I have a fridge full of drinks and snacks, and it is where me and my friends and family go to play.

I remember seeing the video on Instagram of when you had Jeri Ryan in there. She looked terrified.

She wasn’t terrified, she was playing it up for the camera! She had a blast. She was laughing her butt off. She had a great time.

Finally, you’re really not going to tell us the entire plot of Vision Quest are you?

Everyone keeps calling it Vision Quest. That’s just what they’re calling it. I don’t know if it has an official title. What can I tell you? I’m having a blast watching the fan speculation, so I follow them down the rabbit hole, and it’ll be interesting to see how people react when it comes out. But I have a Disney sniper trained on me and a cyanide pill that I have to bite if I say too much!

The Vision show is coming to Disney+ in 2026. Star Trek Picard and 12 Monkeys are available to stream now. To learn more about ProgCore Fantasy: Dark Age of Theer (and to see Todd’s magnificent nerd lair) visit its Kickstarter page.