Patrick Stewart has boldly gone where a number of men have gone before. But few have done so with such grace and humility.

"Star Trek: The Next Generation" and "X-Men" star Patrick Stewart took to the streets of south London on Monday as one of the bearers of the Olympic torch running up to the 2012 Olympic games.

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Stewart's message to a reporter on the scene? Forget helming the starship Enterprise -- bearing the torch for the Olympics is the real out-of-this-world experience.

"I didn't realize how much it meant until it started ... and saw the thousands of people on the streets and the sense of exhilaration that brought, and the evident pleasure in everyone who was witnessing it and feeling that they were sharing in something extraordinary," Stewart marveled. "Which they are."

Stewart added, "I have the feeling that the spirit that we see exhibited here is going to grow and grow in the weeks ahead."

Watch Stewart carry a torch for the collective experience in the video below.