star trek movies with jean luc picard

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What to watch to prepare for star trek: picard.

The latest entry to the Star Trek universe - the new Star Trek: Picard series - debuts 23 January on CBS All Access in the US and Prime Video in the UK.

The latest entry to the Star Trek universe - the new Star Trek: Picard series - just debuted on CBS All Access in the US and Prime Video in the UK.

It sees Patrick Stewart return as Jean Luc Picard, one of the most beloved captains in Star Trek. The new series focuses on a retired Picard, who now owns a winery and is enjoying his break from Starfleet, but it’s not long before adventure calls, and he must return to the stars.

Stewart last played Picard in 2002’s Star Trek: Nemesis. But, 15 years before that, he had been the captain of the Enterprise for 178 episodes in Star Trek: The Next Generation, as well as in four feature films that he helmed. So, if you want to catch up on all-things Picard before diving into the new CBS All Access series, we think you might have trouble finding the time.

There are hundreds of hours of Picard-centric content you can binge - and that’s without getting into the other characters and plotlines that are likely to surface in Star Trek: Picard. To help you get ready as quickly as possible, we've rounded up a list of episodes from The Next Generation and Voyager, plus a few films, which should cover everything you need to see.

What to watch before Star Trek: Picard

NOTE: THERE ARE SPOILERS.

We recommend watching the episodes and movies below, in this order. To avoid any spoilers, jump to the bottom for our bulleted list version. 

Star Trek: The Next Generation - The Battle

• Season 1 Episode 9

This TNG episode sees the Enterprise pay for a decision made by Captain Picard nine years earlier - when he was in command of the Federation ship Stargazer. They were attacked by an unknown ship. Picard survived the encounter, however, thanks to the first use of what became the Picard Maneuver. This episode hints at Picard’s past and focuses on what makes him unique as a captain.

Star Trek The Next Generation Complete

Star trek: the next generation - the measure of a man.

• Season 2 Episode 9

Picard and his old friend Data (Brent Spiner) might reunite soon - if the trailers for Star Trek: Picard are any indication - making this TNG episode a must-watch. In it, we meet a cyberneticist who wishes to deconstruct Lt Commander Data to see how his positronic brain functions. When Data doesn’t want to undergo the procedure, which could wipe his entire memory, the cyberneticist attempts to have the Federation compel Data, arguing he is the Federation’s property. The ensuing conflict sees a sci-fi courtroom drama take place, with Captain Picard representing Data for the right to have control over his own body.

Star Trek: The Next Generation - The Best of Both Worlds

• Season 3 Episode 26
• Season 4 Episode 1

The Borg is one of the most terrifying villains in Star Trek, and they return in some form for the new Picard series, which is why we’re including this two-parter, which ranks up there with the greatest episodes in any Star Trek series.

The Enterprise responds to a distress signal from a Federation colony only to find everyone in the colony has disappeared. It’s discovered that the Borg, a hive mind that forces all life it meets to assimilate under its control, is responsible for their disappearance. When another Starfleet vessel is attacked by a Borg Cube, the Enterprise heads off to face them, beginning an encounter that will have a lasting impact on Picard.

Star Trek: The Next Generation - Family

• Season 4 Episode 2

Following the battle with the Borg, the Enterprise is docked near Earth to undergo repairs, allowing Picard to return to his family home to see his brother, Robert, who’s running the family’s vineyard. This episode gives us an early glimpse at what we think Picard will be doing at the opening of the new CBS All Access series - running a vineyard - but this episode is important because we see Picard struggling with the horrible things he was forced to do while he was assimilated. He even reveals that he’s considering leaving Starfleet for a position that will keep him on Earth.

Star Trek: The Next Generation - I, Borg

• Season 5 Episode 23

This TNG episode sees the Enterprise discover a wrecked Borg ship with only one survivor, a Borg Drone initially called Three of Five (Jonathan Del Arco). There’s two main reasons to watch this episode. For one, we see Picard still struggling with his hatred for what the Borg did to him while he was assimilated. The normally cool and moralistic Captain spends the episode considering using the recovered Borg as a weapon that could destroy the entire Borg Collective. The second reason for watching this episode is that the recovered Borg drone - which ends up showing signs of its own individualism returning by taking the name Hugh - is slated to appear in Star Trek: Picard.

Star Trek: The Next Generation - Gambit Part I and II

• Season 7 Episode 4
• Season 7 Episode 5

This two-parter from the final season of TNG shows the relationship between Captain Picard and one of his most trusted friends - who’s also confirmed to appear in Star Trek: Picard - William Riker (played by Jonathan Frakes). While searching for a missing Picard, Riker is abducted by a group of mercenaries. When among them, he finds that Picard is actually another captive, and together, the two of them must formulate a plan to escape from their captors with an ancient Vulcan weapon.

Star Trek: The Next Generation - All Good Things

• Season 7 Episodes 25
• Season 7 Episodes 26

The series finale to TNG is particularly interesting because we get a glimpse at the future leading up to Star Trek: Picard. In the finale, Picard finds himself jumping between the present and two different points in time: Seven years in the past, right before the events of the series' first episode, and 25 years into the future when he’s retired to a vineyard, or when Star Trek: Picard is expected to begin.

Star Trek: Voyager - The Scorpion

This isn’t an episode from The Next Generation, and there’s no Picard, but it's still worth watching during your catch-up because it shows the debut of another important character who is featured prominently in the trailers for the new Picard series: Seven of Nine (played by Jeri Ryan).

In this episode, while journeying home, The Voyager is forced to travel through a section of space controlled by the Borg, but in the process, it ends up in a middle of an ongoing war between the Borg and an alien species the Borg calls Species 8472. In order to make it through the area, Captain Janeway (Kate Mulgrew) decides to ally with the Borg, accepting Seven onto the ship in the process.

Star Trek: Voyager - Seasons 1 - 7

Star trek: voyager - endgame.

The original Endgame! This two-part series finale of Star Trek: Voyager sets off events that will surely affect the world of Star Trek: Picard.

An older Captain Kathryn Janeway is seen celebrating the 10th anniversary of Voyager finally coming back to Earth when she devises a plan to return to the past and help the Voyager make it home 16 years faster. But she sets off an encounter with the Borg Collective that should’ve left the hive mind devastated. We should get our first look at what the Borg look like, following the events of this episode, in Star Trek: Picard.

• Star Trek: Short Treks - Children of Mars

CBS All Access has a 12-episode anthology series of short Star Trek stories, and the most recent episode appears to show a key event that happens just before the events of Star Trek: Picard. The 10-minute episode shows an attack by a group of rogue synths on Mars through the eyes of two teen girls on Earth whose parents both work on Mars. At the end, we can see a picture of Picard on the news.

• Star Trek: First Contact (1996)

First Contact is considered one of the best Star Trek films, which makes it worth a rewatch ahead of Star Trek: Picard. But the real reason it’s worth firing up this film is that it shows Picard still struggling with the time he spent assimilated to the Borg six years earlier. He’s forced to confront these feelings head-on when he must travel back in time to prevent the Borg from changing the past and assimilating all of Earth.

star trek: first contact

• Star Trek: Nemesis (2002)

The final Star Trek film featuring Patrick Stewart as Captain Picard sees him face off with a clone of himself, played by an extremely young Tom Hardy. While the film wasn’t exactly an Oscar contender, it does have important details that will have an impact on the events of Star Trek: Picard, such as Lt Commander Data’s death near the end and the reveal that he transferred some of himself into B-4, an android similar to Data himself. There’s also the fact that the Romulans create the clone Picard must stop, which could also factor into the events of the new series.

Star Trek X: Nemesis

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• Star Trek (2009)

The latest Star Trek films from JJ Abrams operate on a completely different timeline from Star Trek: Picard and The Next Generation series. However, there’s one key event that triggers the split timelines and might be the reason Picard leaves Starfleet, and that is the destruction of Romulan by a star going supernova. While Star Trek only shows the effects of that - in terms of a Romulan who survived and heads back in time to seek vengeance on Spock -  Star Trek: Picard should give us our first glimpse at the universe following the dissolution of the Romulan Empire.

Star Trek: 2009 - 2016 [Blu-ray]

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What to watch before Star Trek: Picard (spoiler-free)

Here's the same list as above, in an at-a-glance, bulleted list free of spoilers.

• Star Trek: The Next Generation - The Battle (Season 1 Episode 9)
• Star Trek: The Next Generation - The Measure of a Man (Season 2 Episode 9)
• Star Trek: The Next Generation - The Best of Both Worlds (Season 3 Episode 26)
• Star Trek: The Next Generation - The Best of Both Worlds (Season 4 Episode 1)
• Star Trek: The Next Generation - Family (Season 4, Episode 2)
• Star Trek: The Next Generation - I, Borg (Season 5 Episode 23)
• Star Trek: The Next Generation - Gambit (Season 7 Episode 4)
• Star Trek: The Next Generation - Gambit (Season 7 Episode 5)
• Star Trek: The Next Generation - All Good Things (Season 7 Episodes 25)
• Star Trek: The Next Generation - All Good Things (Season 7 Episodes 26)
• Star Trek: Voyager - Scorpion (Season 3 Episode 26)
• Star Trek: Voyager - Scorpion (Season 4 Episode 1)
• Star Trek: Voyager - Endgame (Season 7 Episode 25)
• Star Trek: Voyager - Endgame (Season 7 Episode 26)

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Check out our Star Trek guide for the ultimate best-viewing order on all the Star Trek movies and shows.

• Cast & crew
• User reviews

Star Trek: Picard

Follow-up series to Star Trek: The Next Generation (1987) and Star Trek: Nemesis (2002) that centers on Jean-Luc Picard in the next chapter of his life. Follow-up series to Star Trek: The Next Generation (1987) and Star Trek: Nemesis (2002) that centers on Jean-Luc Picard in the next chapter of his life. Follow-up series to Star Trek: The Next Generation (1987) and Star Trek: Nemesis (2002) that centers on Jean-Luc Picard in the next chapter of his life.

• Kirsten Beyer
• Michael Chabon
• Akiva Goldsman
• Patrick Stewart
• Michelle Hurd
• 2.8K User reviews
• 78 Critic reviews
• 14 wins & 54 nominations total

Episodes 30

• Jean-Luc Picard

• Raffi Musiker

• Seven of Nine

• Dr. Agnes Jurati

• Cristóbal Rios …

• Adam Soong …

• La Sirena Computer

• Jack Crusher

• Doctor Beverly Crusher

• Captain Liam Shaw

• Ensign Sidney La Forge

• Ensign Esmar

• Titan Computer …
• All cast & crew
• Production, box office & more at IMDbPro

Stellar Photos From the "Star Trek" TV Universe

Did you know

• Trivia The Chateau Picard vineyard first appeared in Family (1990) . It was run by Jean-Luc Picard's brother Robert and his wife Marie, and their son René. Jean-Luc would learn in Star Trek: Generations (1994) that Robert and René had both burned to death in a fire, leaving Jean-Luc as the last in the Picard line.
• Goofs Commodore Oh often wears sunglasses. Star Trek lore establishes that Vulcans have an inner eyelid to protect against harsh sunlight on their desert planet. Oh's shades are a fashion statement, not a protective measure.
• The first season features a Borg cube and the planet Romulus.
• The second season features a Borg ship, a wormhole and hourglass, and the Borg Queen's silhouette.
• The third season does not have an opening titles sequence.
• Connections Featured in Half in the Bag: Comic Con 2019, The Picard Trailer, Streaming Services, and Midsommar (2019)

User reviews 2.8K

• Feb 23, 2024

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• January 23, 2020 (United States)
• United States
• Official site
• Star Trek: Captain Picard
• The Sunstone Villa and Vineyard, Santa Ynes, California, USA (Château Picard)
• CBS Television Studios
• Roddenberry Entertainment
• Secret Hideout
• See more company credits at IMDbPro

Technical specs

• Runtime 46 minutes
• Dolby Digital

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Jean-Luc Picard

• View history

Jean-Luc Picard was a celebrated Starfleet officer , archaeologist , writer , historian , diplomat , and philanthropist , who served throughout much of the 24th century . The highlights of his career were centered around assignments as commanding officer of the Federation starships USS Stargazer , USS Enterprise -D , and the USS Enterprise -E . In these roles, Picard not only witnessed major turning points of recent galactic history, but played a key role in them also, from making first contact as captain of the Federation's flagship with no fewer than 27 alien species , including the Ferengi and the Borg . His successful contact with the Children of Tama resulted in his name being incorporated into the Tamarian language through the metaphor " Picard and Dathon at El-Adrel ".

He also became the chief contact point with the Q Continuum , and served as Arbiter of Succession of the Klingon Empire , where he presided over the investiture of Klingon Chancellor Gowron . Picard would expose the Romulan Star Empire as backers of Gowron's chief rivals , later aiding a Romulan underground movement of dissidents to gain a toehold on the Romulan homeworld . He continued to serve as captain of the Enterprise -E, the sixth Federation starship to bear the name, until at least the early 2380s . ( TNG : " The Battle ", " The Last Outpost ", " Q Who ", " Darmok ", " Encounter at Farpoint ", " All Good Things... ", " Redemption ", " Redemption II ", " Unification II "; Star Trek: First Contact ; Star Trek Nemesis ; PIC : " Remembrance ")

Following his command of the Enterprise -E, he rose to the rank of admiral , he resigned from Starfleet for a time, after he felt that the organization had strayed from its ideals, before eventually rejoining as the Chancellor of Starfleet Academy . ( PIC : " Remembrance ", " The End is the Beginning ", " The Star Gazer ")

Picard would later retire a second time, but a distress call from Dr. Beverly Crusher called Picard back to action one last time in order to save the son Picard never knew he had from the Changelings and the Borg . Reuniting his old command crew along with the rebuilt Enterprise -D, Picard would bring a final end to the Borg threat before returning to his peaceful retirement. ( PIC : " The Next Generation ", " Disengage ", " Võx ", " The Last Generation ")

• 1.1 Origins
• 1.2 Childhood
• 2.1 Academy years
• 2.2.1 Service aboard the Reliant
• 2.2.2 Other adventures
• 2.3 Service aboard the Stargazer
• 2.4 Meeting Natasha Yar
• 2.5.1 Encounters with the Q entity
• 2.5.2 Encounters with the Borg
• 2.5.3 Kamin and the Ressikan probe
• 2.5.4 Loss of the Enterprise -D
• 2.6.1 Stopping the Borg
• 2.6.2 The Ba'ku and the Son'a
• 2.6.3 Dealing with the Romulans
• 2.7.1 Evacuating the Romulan people
• 3.1 Zhat Vash mystery
• 3.2 "Death" and resurrection
• 4 Return to Starfleet
• 5 Second retirement
• 6 Anything but canon account
• 8.1 Energy vortex encounter
• 8.2 Federation-Klingon War
• 8.3 Nausicaan attack
• 8.4 Quantum fissure encounter
• 8.5 Anti-time encounters
• 8.6 The Nexus
• 8.7 Confederation of Earth
• 9 Holograms
• 10.1 Medical record
• 11.1.1 Jack Crusher
• 11.2.1 Lwaxana Troi
• 11.2.2 Vash
• 11.2.3 Kamala
• 11.2.4 Nella Daren
• 11.2.5 Anij
• 11.2.6 Beverly Crusher
• 11.2.7 Laris
• 11.3.1 Guinan
• 11.3.2 William T. Riker
• 11.3.3 Data
• 11.3.4 Worf
• 11.3.5 Geordi La Forge
• 11.3.6 Ro Laren
• 11.3.7 Elnor
• 11.4.1 James T. Kirk
• 11.4.2 Spock
• 11.4.3 Gowron
• 11.5.3 The Borg / Borg Queen
• 11.5.4 The House of Duras
• 11.5.5 Shinzon
• 12.1 Catchphrases
• 13.1 Quotes about Picard
• 14 Chronology
• 15.1 See also
• 15.2 Appearances
• 15.3.1 Trivia
• 15.3.2 Reception
• 15.4 Apocrypha
• 15.5 External links

Early history [ ]

Origins [ ].

Jean-Luc Picard was born in La Barre , France on Earth to Yvette and Maurice Picard on July 13 , 2305 . ( TNG : " Family ", " Conundrum ")

Childhood [ ]

He and his elder brother , Robert , spent their childhood tending to their family vineyards with their father . Concerned about the preservation of their familial values, Maurice and his wife educated their sons in the ancient traditions, avoiding, in particular, any superfluous technologies . ( TNG : " Family ")

Picard as a young boy

As a young boy, Jean-Luc watched his grandfather " [d]eteriorate from a powerful, intelligent figure to a frail wisp of a man, who could barely make his way home. " ( TNG : " Night Terrors ")

He took piano lessons, but eventually gave it up because he dreaded performing in front of an audience. In his later life, he would regret doing so, because his playing used to please his mother . ( TNG : " Lessons ", " The Perfect Mate ")

Picard had a loving relationship with his mother, Yvette Picard who often played games of hide and seek with him and encouraged him to "look up at the stars." ( PIC : " The Star Gazer ", " Monsters ") Unfortunately, what young Jean-Luc took as mere flights of fancy, was mental illness. At some point in the early 2310s , Yvette lost Jean-Luc while they were playing hide and seek in the tunnels underneath their home. After finding Jean-Luc, whose foot had gotten stuck, Maurice Picard found Yevette and locked her in a room for the night for her safety. Yvette pleaded with Jean-Luc to let her out. He did and the next morning, he found his mother dead by suicide. ( PIC : " Hide and Seek ") Later, as an adult, he'd often picture her as an old woman, inviting him to have some tea with her, and telling him that they would have a "nice, long talk." ( PIC : " Hide and Seek ")

One of Picard's childhood heroes was Dixon Hill , a fictional private detective living in the early 20th century . ( TNG : " The Big Goodbye ")

A fascination of his that intrigued him well into adulthood was the ship in a bottle . As a boy, he built model airships , and even a model of a Promellian battle cruiser . ( TNG : " Booby Trap "; PIC : " The Star Gazer ", " Hide and Seek ") Moreover, he was captivated by the Phoenix , mankind's first warp-capable vessel , which he admired "hundreds of times" at the Smithsonian , but was never able to touch. ( Star Trek: First Contact )

Picard, reverted to the age of 12

In grade school , Picard remembered singing such children's songs as "Frère Jacques". ( TNG : " Disaster ") Like his nephew René , Jean-Luc wrote a ribbon -winning report on starships in school . ( TNG : " Family ") Later in life, he recalled reading about the ancient Bajoran civilizations in his fifth grade reader . ( TNG : " Ensign Ro ")

Although Maurice intended his sons to work at the vineyards, it became obvious very early that Jean-Luc knew he wanted to join Starfleet, something that his father would never condone, up until his death. ( TNG : " Bloodlines ") Jean-Luc would later remember that he devoted his childhood to that end, which was like skipping that age altogether. ( TNG : " Suddenly Human ") His brother would later note that Jean-Luc always sought higher standards, such as becoming president of his school and later a valedictorian and even an athletic champion . Robert was also jealous of seeing Picard being the favored son and getting away after his mischiefs. Sometimes Robert had to bully his younger brother. ( TNG : " Family ")

When Picard joined the poker game with his senior officers for the first time in 2370 , he recalled that " actually, I used to be quite a card player in my youth. " ( TNG : " All Good Things... ")

Starfleet career [ ]

Academy years [ ].

Cadet Picard during his Academy years

Picard caused "quite a stir" by leaving his family's generational vineyard and applying to Starfleet Academy . ( TNG : " Family "; Star Trek Nemesis ) Although he failed to gain entry on his first attempt, Picard succeeded in his second attempt in 2323 . He subsequently became one of the most outstanding cadets in his class. ( TNG : " Coming of Age ", " The First Duty ")

Picard's career at the Academy was difficult, at best – years later, Picard credited Academy groundskeeper Boothby with helping him develop a mature attitude. ( TNG : " The First Duty "; VOY : " In the Flesh ") Among Picard's friends at the Academy were Donald Varley , Cortan Zweller , Marta Batanides , and an acquaintance called " A.F. ", whom he blamed for his failed semester of Organic Chemistry and whose initials Picard carved into Boothby's prized elm . ( TNG : " Contagion ", " The Game ", " Tapestry ")

At the Academy, Picard developed an interest in archaeology . His professor , Galen , encouraged him to continue in this field, but Picard ultimately refused his offer of becoming an archaeologist. He would nevertheless keep his interest in the subject, and became to be considered quite knowledgeable in the field. ( TNG : " The Chase ", " Qpid ") It was also during this time he took great interest in studying the Iconians . ( TNG : " Contagion ")

Picard also excelled in sports . He won the Starfleet Academy marathon in April 2323 on Danula II , becoming the first freshman to win the race. ( TNG : " The Best of Both Worlds, Part II "; Star Trek Generations Picard family album ) During a wrestling match, Picard caught a Ligonian with a reverse body lift and pinned him down in the first fourteen seconds. ( TNG : " The First Duty ")

During his sophomore year, Picard was assigned to training on Morikin VII where he had his first encounter with Nausicaans , who had an outpost on a nearby asteroid . ( TNG : " Tapestry ")

On 4 April 2327 , Cadet Picard joined the Speed of Light Club after he flew three hundred-thousand kilometers per second in level flight on the cruiser USS Leondegrance , commanded by Captain Nyota Uhura . He was awarded a certificate celebrating this occasion. ( PIC : " Remembrance ", " The Star Gazer ")

An Academy photo Picard kept in his study

Picard graduated at the top of his class. He recalled to Wesley Crusher in 2365 that, as he entered the ranks of being an officer , he was " green as hell. And oh, so cocky. " ( TNG : " Samaritan Snare ") Several years after this, in 2379 , Picard showed Beverly Crusher a photograph from his Academy days, asking, "remember him?" She replied that " he was a bit cocky, as I recall. " By that point in his life, Picard considered his younger self as " a damn fool. Selfish, ambitious, very much in need of seasoning. " ( Star Trek Nemesis )

Picard, later told Boothby that if it wasn't for the groundskeeper, Picard would have never graduated. Boothby assured Picard that " you made a mistake. There isn't a man among us who hasn't been young enough to make one. […] You did what you had to do. You did what you thought was best. I just made sure that you listened to yourself. " ( TNG : " The First Duty ")

Early postings and assignments [ ]

Ensign Picard stabbed

Shortly after graduation in 2327, Ensign Picard's promising career nearly ended abruptly while he was on shore leave at Farspace Starbase Earhart . During a bar brawl over a rigged game of dom-jot , he was stabbed through the heart by a Nausicaan, and had to undergo emergency surgery to replace his heart . He later related to Wesley Crusher that he laughed after looking down to see the knife protruding from his chest. This event helped him realize how fragile life could be, and thus made him more willing to take risks and make his mark in the universe, which he only realized when Q proposed him to change this event in 2369 . ( TNG : " Samaritan Snare ", " Tapestry ")

On the day of his first posting, Picard was so nervous he walked a light year in a circle before he mustered the courage to beam aboard. ( PIC : " The Last Generation ")

Service aboard the Reliant [ ]

As an ensign, Picard was posted to the USS Reliant , where he served with Lieutenant Nakamura . ( TNG-R : " The Measure Of A Man ") Picard served on the night watch on board the Reliant . ( PIC : " Broken Pieces ") Also while an ensign, Picard was capable of detecting by ear variations in a ship's torque sensors , as such, he was capable of hearing a three micron misalignment. ( Star Trek: Insurrection )

Other adventures [ ]

As a junior officer , Picard met Walker Keel at an exotic bar on Tau Ceti III , where the two became very close of friends; they later became friends with Jack R. Crusher and his fiancée , Beverly Howard. ( TNG : " Conspiracy ", " Journey's End ", " Attached ")

Picard demonstrated command abilities early in his career, in particular, when he led an away team on Milika III to save an ambassador . This incident would later be mentioned by Q as one of the crucial events forming Picard's personality. ( TNG : " Tapestry ")

As a young lieutenant, Picard attended the wedding of Sarek 's son, where he briefly met Sarek and Spock for the first and only time before the 2360s . ( TNG : " Sarek ", " Unification I ")

In his career, prior to 2365, Picard had been transferred "dozens of times", each of which was preceded by what he called "the practice of the feast before the transfer." ( TNG : " A Matter Of Honor ")

By 2369, he had spent "thirty years of [his] life aboard starships". ( TNG : " Rascals ")

Service aboard the Stargazer [ ]

Picard on the bridge of the Stargazer some years after its loss

Picard was assigned as a helmsman aboard the USS Stargazer . In 2333 , Picard assumed command of the vessel when the captain was killed on the bridge . Starfleet awarded Picard a promotion to the post of captain, making him one of the youngest Starfleet officers ever to attain the position. ( TNG : " Tapestry ") Picard remained in command of the Stargazer for twenty-two years. ( TNG : " The Battle ", " Relics ", " Bloodlines ")

In 2339 , Picard last visited with his archaeology professor, Doctor Galen. At this time in his life, Picard was seriously considering a career in this field of science . ( TNG : " The Chase ")

In 2342 , Picard dated a young woman named Jenice at the Café des Artistes in Paris . Unfortunately, he became afraid of a possible future relationship and stood up Jenice, who later married Paul Manheim . ( TNG : " We'll Always Have Paris ")

In 2346 , Picard met Miranda Vigo on Earth while he was on shore leave; they were introduced by a mutual friend . Picard described it the as being involved for a short time, detailing that the affair was " all very romantic, very intense, probably because we both knew I would be leaving in two weeks . " The two kept in touch for awhile, but never crossed paths again. ( TNG : " Bloodlines ")

During his time in command of the Stargazer Moritz Benayoun was his chief medical officer and undertook a mission to the Fireforest of Calyx . ( PIC : " Maps and Legends ")

During the Cardassian wars , the Stargazer was involved in a truce offering by the Federation. After making contact with a Cardassian warship, Picard lowered the ship's shields as a gesture of good will, but the Cardassian commander ignored the gesture and disabled the Stargazer 's weapons and impulse engines . The Stargazer managed to regroup and flee. ( TNG : " The Wounded ")

Picard in the early 2350s at Starbase 32

In 2353 , Picard was on an away mission when he saved the life of one team member at the expense of another; Jack R. Crusher was lost in the line of duty. Picard met with Crusher's widow, Beverly, on Starbase 32 to present the body; it was one of Wesley Crusher's earliest memories. ( TNG : " Encounter at Farpoint ", " Coming of Age ", " The Bonding ", " Violations ")

In 2355, the Stargazer was seriously damaged in a battle with an unknown enemy vessel , later discovered to be a Ferengi ship. Picard managed to destroy the enemy vessel using the Stargazer 's warp engines in a unique tactical maneuver (later named the " Picard Maneuver "), but was forced to abandon the Stargazer aboard a shuttlecraft , where he and the other survivors travelled for weeks through deep space before being picked up by passing Federation starship. ( TNG : " The Battle ")

His actions during the battle were called into question by Phillipa Louvois , an officer of the Judge Advocate General during his court martial , but he was exonerated by the inquiry board and was later awarded the Grankite Order of Tactics (Class of Excellence) for the development of the aforementioned "Picard Maneuver". ( TNG : " The Measure Of A Man "; Star Trek Generations Picard family album )

The encounter with the Ferengi vessel, later known as the Battle of Maxia , eventually came back to haunt Picard. DaiMon Bok , whose son was killed in the battle, twice tried to exact revenge on Picard. ( TNG : " The Battle ", " Bloodlines ")

Meeting Natasha Yar [ ]

Picard's next command found him responding to a distress call from colonists in the Carnelian minefield around 2363 . During this mission he first met Natasha Yar . ( TNG : " Legacy ")

Commanding the USS Enterprise -D [ ]

Picard, shortly after taking command of the Enterprise

In 2363, Picard was assigned command of the newly commissioned Galaxy -class starship USS Enterprise -D , the most prestigious captaincy in Starfleet. He commanded the flagship for eight years, participating in many important missions. Among these were the defeat of the Borg invasion of 2366 , and his command of the fleet which blockaded the Klingon-Romulan border during the Klingon Civil War .

" Let's see what's out there… "

Picard hand-picked most of his senior staff , such as two young officers who impressed him enough upon first meeting. Geordi La Forge once piloted Picard's inspection tour shuttle and stayed up all night to refit an engine part Picard had made a passing comment on, and Picard witnessed Natasha Yar risk her life to save colonists amid a Carnelian minefield. He had also picked William T. Riker as his first officer and promoted him to commander sight unseen, impressed by the young officer's record of independence. ( TNG : " The Next Phase ", " Legacy ", " The Pegasus "; PIC : " The Star Gazer " commemorative plaque )

Mere months after taking command, Picard was offered a promotion to commandant of Starfleet Academy with the rank of admiral by Admiral Gregory Quinn , but turned it down to retain command of the Enterprise . ( TNG : " Coming of Age ")

Picard on the bridge of the Enterprise in 2370

Although Picard often heatedly defended a strict interpretation of the Prime Directive , he broke it numerous times when he felt it was warranted. Thus, in 2364, he allowed an Edo woman to confront her "god" from space, and in 2366 , Picard brought a Mintakan leader aboard the Enterprise to undo the damage done by cultural contamination . ( TNG : " Justice ", " Who Watches The Watchers ", " The Drumhead ") Furthermore, in 2370 , the Enterprise , by hand of Dr. Nikolai Rozhenko , transported a primitive group of Boraalans into a holodeck from Boraal II before an atmospheric dissipation rendered it uninhabitable. Although in violation of the Prime Directive, Picard ordered that the Boraalans be stealthily resettled, having no other humanitarian options. ( TNG : " Homeward ")

In 2369, when the Enterprise was undergoing a baryon sweep at the Remmler Array , Picard uncovered a plan, by mercenaries, to steal toxic waste from the ship's warp core . He managed to take out all of the intruders by setting traps throughout the various sections of the ship. He even used the Vulcan nerve pinch technique on Devor . ( TNG : " Starship Mine ")

Encounters with the Q entity [ ]

Commanding the Enterprise on her first mission, Picard made first contact with a member of the Q Continuum – Q . Picard and his senior officers had to stand trial for Humanity 's immaturity. To prove their worthiness as a species, Picard had to solve the "mystery of Farpoint Station ." The crew of the Enterprise discovered that the inhabitants of Deneb IV , the Bandi , had captured a space-dwelling being to serve their own purpose. The Enterprise helped to free the creature, and Q, somewhat disappointed by the crew's success, retreated, though he hinted that it would not be their final encounter. ( TNG : " Encounter at Farpoint ")

Q explains to Picard that how Humans respond to a game tells him more about them than a direct confrontation would

Thus, later that year, Q created a bizarre and deadly "game" for the crew of the Enterprise in order to demonstrate that he had given Riker Q-like abilities. Ultimately, Riker rejected these new powers, and Q again disappeared. ( TNG : " Hide And Q ") One year later, in 2365, Q first expressed an interest in joining Picard's crew. When Picard declined, Q tried to show how much he could be of assistance by hurling the Enterprise into the path of a Borg cube . Q was hoping to show that the Federation was entirely unprepared to meet some of the more powerful races that existed in the universe. Ultimately, Picard had to beg for Q's help in escaping from the pursuit of the Borg vessel. ( TNG : " Q Who ")

A fourth encounter with Q occurred in 2366, when the other members of the Continuum had stripped him of his omnipotence and immortality as punishment for his irresponsibility. He sought refuge on the Enterprise and, although Picard and the rest of the crew were initially unconvinced of the sincerity of Q's pleas, the captain agreed to provide Q temporary asylum . As the Enterprise began to suffer from Calamarain attack, Q resolved to end his life to prevent further risk to the Enterprise crew, but another member of the Q Continuum prevented Q from sacrificing himself, and restored his powers as a reward for his selfless act. ( TNG : " Deja Q ")

Late in 2367 , Q returned to the Enterprise to "properly" thank Picard for his role in helping him regain his standing in the Continuum. At the time, Picard was meeting Vash , whom he had met on Risa the year before. Q resolved to teach Picard a lesson about love and cast the captain, Vash, and the Enterprise command crew into an elaborate scenario styled by the ancient legend of Robin Hood . Q himself assumed the role of the High Sheriff of Nottingham . Ultimately, Picard learned his lesson, and everyone was returned to the Enterprise . Intrigued by Vash, though, Q offered to take her on a journey of exploration to explore various archaeological ruins of the galaxy , and she accepted. ( TNG : " Qpid ")

In 2369, Q once again appeared aboard the Enterprise , this time to instruct Amanda Rogers , a Human who was the child of two Q and possessed Q powers herself. Although Q's petulant and acerbic attitude did little to ingratiate himself to Amanda, he eventually convinced her to go with him to the Continuum to learn to use her new-found abilities. ( TNG : " True Q ")

Later that same year, Q appeared to Picard when the latter was critically injured during an ambush from a group of Lenarians . Appearing as " God ", Q told Picard that he had died because of his artificial heart, and offered him the chance to return to the incident in his youth, allowing him to relive the events leading up to his near-fatal injury and change history. Although Picard was successful in changing history, he eventually realized that the event – and his previous nature as an arrogant, brash young man – was a part of his identity, and had helped mold him into the successful Starfleet officer he had become. Although he was uncertain as to whether the experience had been real or simply a vision, Picard was grateful for Q's revelation. ( TNG : " Tapestry ")

" You don't get it, do you, Jean-Luc? The trial never ends. "

In 2370, Q returned to the Enterprise to continue the trial against Humanity. Claiming that the seven-year-old trial had never actually ended, Q proclaimed Humanity guilty of "being inferior" and informed Picard that his race was to be destroyed. He sent Picard traveling through time to his past, present, and future, where he was presented with a temporal paradox in the form of an eruption of anti-time in the Devron system . In this paradox, Picard himself was responsible for the creation of the anomaly that propagated backwards in normal time (anti-time having the opposite properties of normal time), thus destroying Humanity in the past.

In addition to sending Picard jumping through time, Q also provided Picard with hints to understanding the nature of the paradox. Ultimately, Picard determined the solution and devised a way to close the anti-time anomaly in all three time periods. Following the captain's success, Q revealed that the entire experience had been a test, aimed at determining whether Humanity was capable of expanding its horizons to understand some of the advanced concepts of the universe. Departing, Q promised to continue watching Humanity, proclaiming that "The trial never ends." ( TNG : " All Good Things... ")

Encounters with the Borg [ ]

Abducted by the Borg in 2366

In 2365, Q sent the Enterprise 7,000 light years into uncharted space, into the path of a Borg cube . Although the Enterprise suffered losses, it became the first ship known by the Federation to survive an encounter with the Borg, and managed to inform Starfleet of the Borg's existence. ( TNG : " Q Who ")

One year later, in 2366, the Borg launched their first invasion of the Federation. A single cube destroyed the New Providence colony and the USS Lalo , and kidnapped Picard when the Enterprise attempted to intervene. Picard was partially assimilated and became a Borg drone known as Locutus of Borg . The cube proceeded towards Earth and engaged Starfleet in the Battle of Wolf 359 , resulting in the destruction of 39 Federation vessels. On arrival at Earth, an away team from the Enterprise successfully rescued Picard and used his connection to the Borg to implant false data in the cube, destroying it. ( TNG : " The Best of Both Worlds ", " The Best of Both Worlds, Part II ") It was revealed years later that his assimilation and time spent in the Collective had a profoundly disturbing effect on Picard's life. ( Star Trek: First Contact ) Unbeknownst to Picard or Starfleet, the Borg genetically altered Picard while he was Locutus, turning him into a receiver without the need for organic implants. This would result in Picard being able to hear the Borg Collective whenever they were in close proximity to him and later caused his physical death from what was misdiagnosed as Irumodic Syndrome . ( PIC : " Vox ")

Picard as Locutus of Borg, and the Borg Queen

The Enterprise again encountered the Borg in 2368 when they rescued a Borg drone from a crashed Borg shuttle. This drone was cut off from the Collective and slowly regained an individual identity, eventually being named Hugh . Initially, the plan was drafted to use Hugh to destroy the collective in its entirety, although Dr. Beverly Crusher resisted the extermination of an entire race – even if it was the Borg. Picard eventually confronted Hugh, who immediately recognized Picard as Locutus. Picard took the role of Locutus while talking to Hugh, to simulate the authority that Hugh was used to. Geordi La Forge, Data , Dr. Crusher, and other members of the Enterprise crew had a profound effect on the former drone. Even Guinan , who initially wanted nothing to do with Hugh, taught him that resistance is not futile. Guinan's homeworld had been destroyed long ago by the Borg, but the fact that Guinan was still alive was proof of this assertion.

When Picard reminded Hugh that "resistance is futile," Hugh informed him that it was not so. When Picard told Hugh that La Forge would be assimilated, Hugh stated that La Forge did not want to be assimilated. When Picard said that this was irrelevant, Hugh specifically said that he (and Hugh used the word "I") would not assist in the assimilation of La Forge. Picard was stunned that a Borg drone would say such things. He decided that he could not send Hugh back with the file that would destroy the Borg. Picard offered Hugh asylum on board the Enterprise , but Hugh said that the Collective would not stop looking for him until they found him. Hugh agreed to go back to the crash site and to be taken back into the Collective, to protect the Enterprise from harm. ( TNG : " I Borg ")

The individuality present in Hugh spread through the ship he returned to, causing a catastrophic separation of the ship from the rest of the Collective. This rogue mini-collective was unsure how to cope with its freedom, and so fell under the influence of the android Lore . Lore persuaded them to aid his plan to conquer Earth. Using the rogue ship , they attacked several outposts before being tracked down by the crew of the Enterprise -D. They destroyed the Borg ship and were able to persuade the remaining members of the mini-collective of Lore's unreliability. The mini-collective then disappeared into space and has not been encountered since. ( TNG : " Descent ", " Descent, Part II ")

There were some within Starfleet who blamed Picard for the destruction of the task force at Wolf 359 . Benjamin Sisko , who was serving as first officer of the USS Saratoga at the time, lost his wife Jennifer in the attack. Picard and Sisko finally met in 2369 , after the Enterprise was the first Starfleet vessel to arrive at Deep Space 9 . Sisko was, at first, hostile toward Picard, but later came to forgive him. Sisko also gave Picard his letter of resignation, which Picard did not send, feeling Sisko was the right person for command of Deep Space 9. ( DS9 : " Emissary ")

Meeting the Borg Queen again

In 2373 , the Borg launched their second invasion of the Federation, and again the crew of the Enterprise played a major role in their defeat. Initially, the Enterprise was not to have participated in the Battle of Sector 001 , because according to Starfleet Command , Picard would bring an "unstable element into a critical situation." Seeing that the Borg were getting the best of the fleet, Picard ordered the Enterprise to Earth to assist. He was instrumental in defeating both the main invasion and an attempt by the Borg to prevent the formation of the Federation by altering history. ( Star Trek: First Contact )

Kamin and the Ressikan probe [ ]

Picard plays his Ressikan flute in private

In 2368 , the Enterprise encountered a space probe of unknown origin, which emitted a nucleonic beam directly at Picard. This led to his fainting and awakening on an unknown world where he was known as an ironworker named Kamin and was married to Eline . Picard later found out that Kamin was a member of the Ressik community on a planet called Kataan . For five years, Picard clung to his life aboard the Enterprise and searched for ways to return, but eventually settled into his life as Kamin, having two children with Eline and eventually a grandchild. In the approximately thirty-five years Picard spent as Kamin, he learned to play the Ressikan flute , dabbled in astronomy , and analyzed soil samples from the planet, eventually confirming that Kataan was a dying world.

Near the end of his life on Kataan, it was revealed to Picard that Kataan had been destroyed more than a thousand years previously, and the residents of the Ressik community had engineered the probe to share the memory and experiences of their people with someone who could then teach others about their civilization. He awoke on the Enterprise as Jean-Luc Picard once more and discovered that he had lived a lifetime in only twenty-five minutes. The probe was collected by the Enterprise and disassembled. A Ressikan flute was found inside the probe, which Riker then presented to Picard. ( TNG : " The Inner Light ")

Picard considered the flute to be one of his most prized possessions. As of 2379 , he kept the flute on his desk in his ready room aboard the USS Enterprise -E . ( TNG : " Lessons "; Star Trek Nemesis )

Loss of the Enterprise -D [ ]

In 2371 , the USS Enterprise -D was lost over Veridian III , with the vessel's primary hull crash-landing on the planet's surface. Picard also met the legendary James T. Kirk while in the Nexus with him, and recruited him in defeating and killing Dr. Tolian Soran before he could have the chance to destroy the Veridian system. The casualties were light aboard the Enterprise , and most of the ship's senior crew was reassigned to the USS Enterprise -E , the sixth Federation starship to bear the name. ( Star Trek Generations ; Star Trek: First Contact )

Commanding the USS Enterprise -E [ ]

Stopping the borg [ ].

Picard in command of the Enterprise -E in 2373

Picard was installed as commanding officer and given a new authorization code : "Picard-4-7-alpha-tango." After a one-year shakedown cruise , the new Enterprise was nearly lost when the senior staff decided to sacrifice the ship in order to save Earth's future by preventing the Borg on board from changing history. Fortunately, the crew was able to repel the Borg attempt without having to destroy the Enterprise . ( Star Trek: First Contact )

The Ba'ku and the Son'a [ ]

Two years later, in 2375 , Picard ordered the Enterprise -E to the Ba'ku planet in the Briar Patch when it appeared that his operations officer, Lieutenant Commander Data, had malfunctioned and assaulted members of the research team there. Picard was able to capture Data and uncovered a plot by Admiral Dougherty , the Son'a and some in the Federation Council to relocate the Ba'ku against their will. Picard rebelled against Dougherty, bringing word of his actions to the public. Picard was able to protect the Ba'ku and stop Son'a leader Ru'afo from destroying the Ba'ku's homeworld. ( Star Trek: Insurrection )

Dealing with the Romulans [ ]

Picard and a dying Shinzon

Picard continued in command of the Enterprise through 2379 , when the ship was sent to Romulus after the coup by Praetor Shinzon . Shinzon was a clone of Picard created by a former Romulan government – they intended to replace the captain with a spy of their own. Following a change of government and concern that it would lead to war, the plan was abandoned and Shinzon was sent to Remus to die. Instead, he prospered, becoming a highly successful leader during the Dominion War . Shinzon used a thalaron radiation weapon to eradicate the Romulan Senate and had planned to do the same to Earth. He needed Picard in order to repair faults in his own genetic makeup.

In a pitched battle between the Enterprise and Shinzon's flagship , the Scimitar , Picard was eventually able to board the enemy ship and eliminate Shinzon. Data saved Picard's life by transporting the captain back to the Enterprise before sacrificing his own life; he destroyed the Scimitar by firing on the thalaron weapon with a hand phaser , thereby saving the crew of the Enterprise . ( Star Trek Nemesis )

In 2380 , Q remarked that Picard was "no fun, he's always quoting Shakespeare, he's always making wine." ( LD : " Veritas ")

Admiralty [ ]

By 2381 , Picard had been promoted to admiral and was substantially funding the work of independent archaeologist Petra Aberdeen as a patron of the Independent Archaeologists Guild . ( LD : " The Stars At Night ")

Admiral Jean-Luc Picard in 2381

Picard would meet Riker for a celebratory drink to toast Riker and Troi's newborn son Thaddeus . Riker informed Picard of the touch-and-go delivery and how Riker felt like he was about to lose his son then. ( PIC : " Seventeen Seconds ")

Evacuating the Romulan people [ ]

By 2385 , he was tasked with developing a fleet of ships to help rescue the populations of Romulus and other worlds of the Romulan Star Empire that were within the blast radius of an impending supernova . The Romulan government had requested the Federation's aid in this. ( PIC : " Remembrance ")

Sometime later, Picard had managed to help get some of the Romulan refugees to Vashti , in the Beta Quadrant . He visited the planet several times and on one occasion, brought Elnor , a young Romulan boy he had befriended and placed under the care of the Qowat Milat , a copy of the book The Three Musketeers , and on April 5, 2385 , began to teach him to fence. During the lesson, Raffi Musiker informed him that the rescue fleet under construction on Mars was under attack by rogue Synths . Picard, shocked at the news, bid farewell to the Qowat Milat and told them that he would try everything within his power to make sure the rest of their people could be saved. ( PIC : " Absolute Candor ")

Admiral Picard speaks with Commander Musiker about his meeting with the Federation Council

The attack destroyed not only all the ships of the rescue fleet but also Utopia Planitia Fleet Yards and ignited the stratosphere for years to come, rendering the terraformed planet uninhabitable. Picard called the attack, which cost over 92,000 lives, "devastating" in a Federation News Network broadcast at the time. Following this, the Federation chose both to enact a ban on the creation of synthetic lifeforms and to cancel the Romulan evacuation, dooming the majority of the population to death by the eventual supernova in 2387 . Picard met with the Federation Council with a plan for a new fleet, with "mothball ships" and significantly fewer officers but believed the evacuation could still work, he gave the council a choice: his new fleet or his resignation.

In truth, his threat to resign from Starfleet was the last, desperate card Picard had to play to continue the evacuation plan, and he was stunned when the council simply accepted it. Picard called the ban on synths "a mistake." His resignation angered Raffi Musiker, who had believed in his idea and suspected possible Tal Shiar involvement in the attack on Mars. ( PIC : " Remembrance "; ST : " Children of Mars "; PIC : " The End is the Beginning "; Star Trek )

Retirement [ ]

Following his resignation, Picard returned to his childhood home in France where he lived a pleasant but unfulfilling life. Living with him were two Romulan refugees Laris and Zhaban who joined his household about four years later, and also his dog Number One . He spent the next twelve years writing history books and tending to the vineyard. As the years wore on, Picard started to be plagued with dreams of Data and the destruction of Mars. ( PIC : " Remembrance ")

Zhat Vash mystery [ ]

Picard meets Dahj

In 2399 , now ninety-four years old, Picard was sought out by Dahj Asha , an android created from the remaining neural code from Lieutenant Commander Data. After having a dream about Data painting, Picard went to his vault inside the Starfleet Archive Museum to inspect a painting that Data had given him in 2369 . The woman in the painting looked exactly like Dahj, and since Data had named the painting "daughter", Picard concluded that Dahj must be an android, too. Dahj found Picard outside the archive, where he explained to her what he had learned. They were chased by Romulan operatives and Dahj was killed. Picard sought out cyberneticist Dr. Agnes Jurati at the Daystrom Institute to find more information about the deceased young woman. Jurati told him that Bruce Maddox might have managed to create androids based on Data's code, including Dahj and a "twin" sister . ( PIC : " Remembrance ")

Back at Château Picard, Laris , Picard, and Zhaban reviewed the security footage from Starfleet Headquarters where Dahj was killed. The computer told them that there was no trace of Dahj. This led Laris to believe that the Tal Shiar or even the Zhat Vash were behind the attack and were covering up their tracks. Soon after, Picard and Laris investigated Dahj's apartment in the greater Boston area. They discovered that their fears were true and the Zhat Vash were behind the events that were unfolding. Later that night, Dr. Moritz Benayoun visited Picard to inform him that he could not clear Picard for interstellar travel. Picard had passed all the tests Starfleet required, save for the abnormality in his parietal lobe . Picard went to Starfleet Headquarters to speak with Fleet admiral Kirsten Clancy to be reinstated and given a small ship and crew to track down Maddox and the second android. Still angered by the interview Picard gave only days before condemning Starfleet for abandoning the Romulan Rescue, Clancy denied his request. Later, Picard was visited by Dr. Jurati who informed him that Dahj's background had been created within the last few years, and there was no record of her before that time. Picard sought the help of his former first officer, Raffi Musiker , to find an unregistered ship and off the books pilot he could hire to help him track down Bruce Maddox and solve the Zhat Vash mystery. ( PIC : " Maps and Legends ")

Picard orders Rios to head to warp

Picard was able to get Musiker to agree to help after having a heart-to-heart with her. He apologized for letting her down and not being there when she needed him most. She put him in contact with Cristóbal Rios , the experienced pilot and CO of La Sirena . Picard beamed aboard Rios's ship, where he met the captain and his Emergency Medical Hologram . Picard and Rios discussed the latter's past with Starfleet and the job Picard was offering, which Rios seemed willing to accept. Back at the Château, Picard revealed to Laris that he never really felt at home at the vineyard and always felt he was best suited for life out among the stars. After Zhaban entered with provisions for Picard's journey, the three were attacked by Zhat Vash agents. They managed to defend themselves and dispatch the attackers. When a straggler came into the room after the main group, trying to shoot Picard, he was killed by Agnes Jurati, who had showed up unannounced. Jurati told Picard that Commodore Oh visited her and asked her about her conversations with him. Picard then interrogated one of the Romulan attackers and learned that they believed that Soji was "the Destroyer", " the end of all ". Before Picard and the others could learn more, the Romulan agent committed suicide with an acid capsule hidden in his teeth. Moments later, Rios called Picard to warn him of more trouble headed his way. Dr. Jurati convinced Picard to take her along on his mission, and the two beamed aboard La Sirena . To Picard's surprise, he found that Musiker was there, too. She told Picard that, based on the information he gave her, she had discovered that Bruce Maddox was on Freecloud . Picard ordered Rios to jump to warp to begin their mission. ( PIC : " The End is the Beginning ")

Picard speaks with Elnor on Vashti

A short while into the mission, Picard decided to have Rios change course to Vashti . Ostensibly, he wished to visit the Qowat Milat , an all female order of Romulan warrior nuns, and find a qalankhkai , a sworn blade, to join his cause. Musiker suspected he was really looking for Elnor , a young Romulan Picard had developed paternal feelings towards during the Romulan Rescue Mission. Musiker informed Picard that Vashti had become grimmer since he had last visited, and the destruction of the Romulan homeworld left many with bitter feelings towards the Federation. Once on Vashti, Picard reunited with the Qowat Milat. He was surprised to find Elnor still living among them. Elnor, who had once admired Picard, was now feeling resentful since Picard had abandoned him and his people. Picard asked Elnor to become his qalankkhai , but Elnor refused. While waiting for a transporter window to return to the ship, Picard decided to have a drink in a tavern with a "Romulans Only" sign, which he tore down. A former Romulan senator confronted Picard about the failures of the Federation, and escalated the conflict to a physical fight. Picard refused to fight the man, and was saved by Elnor, who declared himself Picard's qalankkhai . Once the two of them were back on La Sirena , the ship was attacked by Kar Kantar , a local warlord commanding an old Romulan Bird-of-Prey . During the fight, a mysterious ship appeared to help but was nearly destroyed in the process. Once the Bird of Prey was disabled Picard, Rios, and Musiker beamed the pilot on board La Sirena , to discover it was Seven of Nine , who was working for the Fenris Rangers . As soon as she was safe on board, Seven quipped, "You owe me a ship, Picard." and passed out. ( PIC : " Absolute Candor ")

Picard in his bounty hunter disguise

Back en route to Freecloud, Seven and Picard met in his study on La Sirena's holodeck and discussed Picard's mission and Seven's work as a vigilante. Seven thought Picard was on a typical grandiose diplomatic mission, but when he told her he was trying to save someone who had no-one else to help her, Seven agreed to help him. Upon arriving at Freecloud, Picard and the others came up with a plan to extract Bruce Maddox from Bjayzl , the nightclub owner and ruthless merchant of Borg parts who was holding him prisoner. Picard played the part of a bounty hunter who offered Seven of Nine in exchange for Maddox. During the meeting, Seven revealed that she knew Bjayzl and was planning to kill her as revenge for Bjayzl killing Icheb , the ex-Borg who was like a son to Seven. Rios and Picard managed to de-escalate the situation and rescue Maddox. Back on La Sirena , Picard appealed to Seven not to try and seek revenge. Seven asked him if after his time in the Borg Collective he felt he had gained back his humanity. Picard admitted he did not think he had gained back all of it, " but we're both working on it, aren't we? " Seven agreed, but beamed back down to Freecloud to kill Bjayzl anyway. Later Picard met with Maddox in sickbay, and Maddox told him about Soji and revealed that she was on the Artifact . ( PIC : " Stardust City Rag ")

Picard and Hugh share a hug upon meeting again after many years

On the way to the Artifact, Jurati and Picard discussed the death of Bruce Maddox and Picard's past as Locutus of Borg. It became clear that Picard was still traumatized by his time in the collective and he got angry when Jurati suggested the isolated Borg on the Artifact might have changed. He retreated to his holographic study, where he had been researching the Borg Reclamation Project and its director, Hugh , a former Borg Picard had encountered decades earlier. In order to gain access to the Artifact, Picard asked Musiker to use her connection to Captain Emily Bosch to get him diplomatic credentials. Bosch made him a special envoy to the Reclamation Project, but the Romulans refused to let Sirena land and insisted Picard had to beam over alone. Once on board the cube, was plagued by more flashbacks until he was welcomed by Hugh, and the two had a heartfelt reunion. Hugh showed Picard around the Reclamation Project and explained his work and the plight of the xBs . He agreed to help Picard in finding Soji, but when they went to her quarters they found them empty and in disarray. At first, Hugh was unable to track Soji, leading Picard to guess someone might be keeping her hidden. Once Soji freed herself from the death trap Narek set for her, though, her signal reappeared and Hugh and Picard tracked her down. Although Picard told Soji he was a friend of her father's and her sister had come to Picard for help, she was hesitant to trust him. Ultimately, though, she believed him when he said he was trying to help her, and Picard, Hugh and Soji fled from the Romulans that were pursuing them to the queencell . Hugh activated the spatial trajector hidden in the cell to help Picard and Soji escape. When they were accosted by Romulan guards, Elnor came to the rescue, after having gained access to the Artifact despite Picard's orders to stay on La Sirena . Picard told Musiker and Rios he was going to take Soji to Nepenthe and they should rendezvous there. He ordered Elnor to come along, but Elnor refused, insisting he should cover Picard's escape. ( PIC : " The Impossible Box ")

Picard shares a moment with Riker

Upon arriving on Nepenthe, Picard and Soji were greeted by Kestra Troi-Riker , the daughter of William T. Riker and Deanna Troi . Kestra took the two visitors to the Riker residence, where Picard joyfully reunited with Deanna and Will. Picard explained the situation to them and they welcomed him and Soji to stay as long as they needed. During the visit, Picard spent time with his old friends, reminiscing about the Rikers' late son Thaddeus Troi-Riker and discussing Soji and his current mission. Initially, Picard did not want to give away the details, Will was able to guess that Soji was Data's daughter, and thus an android. At dinner, Deanna and Will helped Picard to convince Soji she could trust him, and Soji revealed how Narek had manipulated her into telling him about her homeworld. Going off the details she mentions and with the help of a friend, Kestra was able to identify the planet Soji was describing as Ghulion IV , and they all agreed Picard should get help from Starfleet and take Soji to her homeworld. ( PIC : " Nepenthe ")

Picard speaks with Soji about her past and Commander Data on board La Sirena .

After getting back to La Sirena and making introductions, Picard asked Rios to plot a course for Deep Space 12 and to get him a secure channel to Starfleet Command. In his holographic study, Picard spoke with Admiral Clancy about Soji and the other possible synths and asked for a squadron to travel to the Vayt sector . He proceeded to add arguments to his cause before Clancy bluntly shushed him, telling him that a squadron would meet him at DS12. After this, Picard spoke with Dr. Jurati in sickbay, where told her she would be turning herself in at DS12 for the murder of Bruce Maddox. Jurati told him about the mission Commodore Oh gave her and the Admonition , though Picard remained somewhat skeptical. Soon after, the crew gathered and, guided by Musiker, pieced together the truth about the Zhat Vash, the Attack on Mars, Commodore Oh, and the synths. Realizing she had given the Romulans the means to eradicate her people, Soji tried to hijack La Sirena and change their course to head directly for her homeworld and warn the synths there of the impending attack. Rios was able to regain control of the ship, but Picard agreed with Soji and tried to take command of Sirena himself. He was foiled when he was unable to work the ship's controls. Soji managed to convince Rios to help take her home, and together, they headed for the transwarp conduit that would take them to Ghulion IV. ( PIC : " Broken Pieces ")

"Death" and resurrection [ ]

Upon arriving on the synth homeworld of Coppelius , in which the La Sirena crashed on the surface, Jurati was able to discover the abnormality in Picard's brain, which he revealed to the rest of the crew as being diagnosed as terminal just before La Sirena left Earth. He made a point of saying he would not be treated like a dying man, and they would continue with the mission. As he had promised, he delivered Soji to her people at Coppelius Station , a community of synths led by Dr. Altan Soong , the son of Data's creator Noonian Soong. Picard and Soji told the assembled synths that the Romulans were en route to their world to destroy them. Picard sent a secure message to Starfleet informing them that he had made first contact and requested diplomatic negotiations and Starfleet protection for Coppelius and its inhabitants. The synth community, led by Sutra , had come to another conclusion: They had discovered that the " Admonition " that the Zhat Vash believed to be a warning against synthetics was in fact a message meant for synthetics, to call for help from a hidden race of advanced artificial lifeforms to preserve their existence… even if it meant exterminating organic life in the process. In order to stop him from trying to instill doubt in the others, Soong and Sutra ordered that Picard be held under house arrest. ( PIC : " Et in Arcadia Ego, Part 1 ")

Picard leaving a complex quantum simulation as his consciousness is transferred into a golem

Picard was eventually rescued by Jurati, and the two of them traveled to the La Sirena ; unbeknownst to them, the others had returned to Coppelius Station to stop the construction of the transmitter. Having learned the ship's controls from his observations of Rios, Picard was able to take the ship back into orbit and face down the Romulan fleet, led by Commodore Oh, now revealed as a Romulan general. A fleet of Starfleet ships, led by Riker aboard the USS Zheng He , arrived in response to Picard's transmission, informing the Romulans that Coppelius was under Federation protection. Picard pleaded on an open channel with Soji, who was working to build the transmitter, to not become the "Destroyer" that the Romulans believed her to be. Finally giving in, Soji destroyed the transmitter, leaving the Romulans no choice but to withdraw in the face of the overwhelming Starfleet force. With Coppelius saved, Picard collapsed, his body beginning to fail as the result of his illness. He was beamed to the planet's surface, where he died in the company of the crew he had led on this mission. Soong had been working to create a golem to transfer his consciousness into, and had just completed the work before the Romulans arrived; working with Jurati and Soji, Soong was able to transfer Picard's consciousness and memories into the golem before his brain functions ceased completely. ( PIC : " Et in Arcadia Ego, Part 2 ")

With a second chance at life, he continued on with the crew of the La Sirena , noting along with Soji Asha that with the Federation's synthetic ban lifted, they were both free to travel as they pleased. Notably, the golem 's neural net did not contain the defect in Picard's parietal lobe that caused the death of his Human body. The android body was built to be identical to his Human body in all other ways, lacking any enhanced physical or mental abilities and having the same remaining lifespan Picard's Human body would have had if not for his brain defect. ( PIC : " Et in Arcadia Ego, Part 2 ")

Return to Starfleet [ ]

Picard chancelloring in 2401

By 2401 , Picard was reinstated as an admiral in Starfleet, and appointed Chancellor of Starfleet Academy . He also continued to run Château Picard . At this time, Laris , Romulan refugee under his employ, made her feelings of affection known to him. Despite clearly having romantic feelings for her, Picard's sense of duty left him unable to reciprocate. When Picard suggested that nothing had to change between them following her confession, Laris responded that ruing would be awkward she was too old for awkward.

Shortly after giving the opening statement at Starfleet Academy , Picard was visited by Fleet Admiral Sally Whitley on a very sensitive matter. Whitley explained that an anomaly showed up in space, caused a large spike in Adler-Lasky temporal radiation , and then began to broadcast. She played the initial distorted broadcast, then filters it out to " help us, Picard ". Whitley explained the transmission fell under Article 15 , an entreaty to join the Federation and apparently, they only wished to speak to Picard about it. She held out a combadge for him, which he reluctantly accepted.

Picard boarded the USS Stargazer , now under Rios’s command, in order to initiate contact with the anomaly. When there was no reply to his hail, he tried again, only for a legion of voices to speak his name. Energy spikes caused the consoles and viewscreen to stutter and something began coming through the rift. Rios called for red alert and ordered the helm to give them distance. A massive vessel came through the rift and emitted a shock wave . It soon became apparent that the vessel was Borg. While Picard and others debated whether the Borg should be trusted, the Borg Queen , covered in metallic armor, arrived on the Stargazer and began to take control of the ship. In order to stop the Borg Queen from taking over the vessel, Picard called for the ship to self-destruct .

Picard suddently found himself in an alternate timeline where the Federation had been replaced by a militaristic Confederation of Earth whose goal to eliminate all other life in the galaxy. He was then visited by Q who reminded Picard about the words that he said to him when they last parted ways, " the trial never ends. " Q reminded Picard about how he had talked about second chances and told him that he was now at the " very end of the road not taken. " ( PIC : " The Star Gazer ")

Picard soon discovered that he wasn’t alone in this timeline – Q had brought Rios, Agnes, Raffi, Elnor, and Seven as well. A captured Borg Queen, scheduled for execution, revealed that, since the Borg have insight into various timeline ]s, she knew the when the timeline divergence occurred—the year 2024 . After hooking up the Queen to the CSS La Sirena .

Thanks to a Watcher named Tallinn , Picard discovered that the focal point of the divergence was his ancestor, Renee Picard who was scheduled to depart on the Europa space mission. ( PIC : " Watcher ") Tallinn informed Picard that Renee suffered from debilitating bouts of depression, which reminded Picard of his own mother who suffered from the same condition. ( PIC : " Monsters ")

Ultimately, the entire scenario was Q’s effort to help Jean-Luc deal with the trauma of his mother’s suicide when he was a child. The timeline was restored, and Q sent the group, minus Rios, who elected to stay in 2024, back to the Stargazer just before Picard called for the self-destruct. He quickly realized that the mysterious Borg Queen was Agnes, who’d been assimilated by the Queen in 2024. Her intent was not malicious – it was to warn the Federation of the real threat the anomaly posed. Though the Queen knew how the anomaly could be defended against, she didn’t know the nature of the threat and asked for provisional membership in the Federation so that she could be "the guardian at the gate."

Picard returned to the Chateau and discovered that Laris arranged for the solarium to be restored to its former glory. She also began preparing to leave the chateau for good. Having come to understand the origin of his difficulties regarding long-term relationships, Picard admitted his foolish behavior and asked Laris for her forgiveness and a second chance. Laris agreed. ( PIC : " Farewell ")

Second retirement [ ]

Picard's original body

Later that year, Picard retired from Starfleet again and made preparations to accompany Laris to Chaltok IV where she would be setting up diplomatic security. The plan changed when he received an encrypted message from Dr. Beverly Crusher, asking for his help. ( PIC : " The Next Generation ")

Subsequently, Picard was reunited with his old command crew and Seven of Nine on the USS Titan -A and discovered that Jack Crusher , the target of Vadic and a rogue faction of the Changelings , was actually his son.

Vadic had stolen Picard's body from where it was stored at Daystrom Station in order to extract a part of his brain. Ultimately, his body was destroyed along with Vadic and her ship, the Shrike . ( PIC : " The Bounty ", " Surrender ", " Võx ")

Following the defeat of Vadic, it was discovered that Picard had been genetically altered when he was Locutus of Borg to be a Borg receiver. This resulted in Picard subsequently being able to hear the Borg Collective even without implants in the years following his rescue from assimilation. The alteration had been misdiagnosed as Irumodic Syndrome and was what had actually killed him. Jack inherited this genetic abnormality from Picard, but he instead become a transmitter capable of communicating with the Collective. The Changelings used the abnormality, extracted from Picard's original body, to allow the Borg to take over Starfleet officers and begin the assimilation of the Federation, virtually unchallenged.

With the Titan -A falling under Borg control, Seven and Raffi Musiker fighting a rebellion, and Jack captured, Picard, Beverly, Will Riker, Worf, Data, Deanna Troi, and Geordi La Forge retreated to the Fleet Museum , which was under La Forge's command. Geordi revealed that he had spent the last twenty years secretly rebuilding the destroyed USS Enterprise -D, the saucer section of which had been recovered from Veridian III to avoid impacting the planet's development in accordance with the Prime Directive. As an older ship, the Enterprise was not linked into Starfleet's mainframe and its modern fleet automation system and was thus unaffected by the Borg takeover. Picard resumed command of his old ship to once again fight the Borg, humorously accepting a field demotion to the rank of captain after the Enterprise computer identified him as Captain Jean-Luc Picard, due to the long-outdated crew manifest . ( PIC : " Võx ") He, in turn, ordered everyone to take their stations and to set course for Earth.

Under Picard's leadership, the Enterprise engaged a Borg cube over Jupiter , where Jack was held and used to communicate with all assimilated Starfleet officers. Picard beamed aboard the Borg ship to rescue Jack, while Riker and Worf boarded to locate a beacon used to command the compromised fleet. Picard was confronted by his old enemy, the Borg Queen. She revealed that the Borg Collective had been decimated to the point of near destruction by the neurolytic pathogen spread by an alternate timeline version of Admiral Kathryn Janeway decades earlier ( VOY : " Endgame "). The Queen resorted to cannibalism to survive; the collective had been reduced to a handful of drones, a single cube, and the aged and starving Queen.

In an effort to save his son, Picard linked with Jack, who eventually broke free as the Enterprise destroyed the beacon. With a chain reaction desolating the cube, Deanna took the Enterprise helm to intercept and retrieve the away team. She detected their position via her mental link with Riker, beaming Picard, Jack, Worf, and her husband out at the last moment. The Enterprise raced free of the cube as it exploded, ending the Borg once and for all and breaking their control over Starfleet. As a reward for saving the Federation, Picard and his crew all received full pardons for their criminal actions while Seven was promoted to the rank of Captain.

A year later, Picard and La Forge returned a fully-restored Enterprise- D to the Fleet Museum for display. Picard, having returned to his retirement, enjoyed a drink and a game of poker with his old command crew at 10 Forward Avenue . He also accompanied Jack to the former Titan -A to see his son off on his first assignment as a Starfleet ensign . Now under the command of Captain Seven, the ship was rechristened the USS Enterprise -G in honor of the actions of Picard and his command crew. While on the Enterprise -G, Jack was visited by Q, who revealed that while the trial of humanity was over for Picard, it had just begun for Jack. ( PIC : " The Last Generation ")

Anything but canon account [ ]

A 24th century photo of Jean-Luc Picard being viewed in the late 32nd century

By the 32nd century , Picard's personal files were still part of the Federation and Starfleet databases that survived the Burn . In 3189 , the USS Discovery 's chief science officer , Commander Michael Burnham , examined his files and saw his encounter with her brother Spock on Romulus. ( DIS : " Unification III ", " Terra Firma, Part 1 "; TNG : " Unification II ")

In 3190 , Hugh Culber cited Picard's resurrection as the first successful implementation of the Soong Method when he was preparing to use it to provide Gray Tal with a new body. Following the success with Picard, there was a low success rate with other people, and it was eventually abandoned. ( DIS : " Anomaly (DIS) ")

In 3191 , Doctor Kovich told Burnham about Picard's involvement with the discovery of the Progenitors and showed Burnham footage of Picard receiving the Progenitors' message. Kovich revealed that following Picard's discovery, Doctor Vellek -- one of the Romulans present when Picard uncovered the Progenitors' message -- had subsequently discovered the technology used by the Progenitors to create humanoid life. Starfleet had also kept the discovery top secret for centuries out of fear of what might happen should the technology fall into the wrong hands. The discovery of Vellek's science ship started a treasure hunt for the Progenitors' technology. ( TNG : " The Chase "; DIS : " Red Directive ")

Alternate realities and timelines [ ]

Energy vortex encounter [ ].

Picard from six hours in the future

In 2365 , the Enterprise -D was pulled into an energy vortex and could not return to normal space. In order not to be pulled even further, La Forge had to hold the ship at maximum warp, but such power drainage threatened to destroy the Enterprise . Thinking that the vortex recognized him as the "brain" of the ship and wanted him, and not the Enterprise , Picard boarded the shuttle El-Baz and left the vessel. The Enterprise was still destroyed, and the El-Baz was pulled six hours back in time, where it was picked up by that time period's Enterprise . Picard encountered his past self, who wanted to discover what would happen to the ship in the future and how to prevent it. Frantic, the future Picard tried to depart in the El-Baz again, but his past counterpart decided that it was time "to end the cycle" and killed him with a phaser. The Enterprise was then able to escape the vortex. ( TNG : " Time Squared ")

Federation-Klingon War [ ]

A wartorn Picard making a final stand against a Klingon attack

In 2366 , the USS Enterprise -C emerged from a temporal rift . Its disappearance from the year 2344 caused an altered timeline, where the Federation was losing a war against the Klingon Empire . Picard was still the Enterprise -D's commanding officer, though more toughened due to the horrors of war. Upon Guinan's advice, Picard decided to send the Enterprise -C back to the past. After Captain Rachel Garrett was killed during a Klingon attack, Picard allowed Richard Castillo to assume command and return the Enterprise -C to 2344 . ( TNG : " Yesterday's Enterprise ")

Nausicaan attack [ ]

Lieutenant junior grade Jean-Luc Picard

In an alternate timeline created by Q, Picard was given the chance to walk away from his fight with the Nausicaan that caused serious injury to his heart, forcing a bionic replacement to be installed. When he returned to the present, Picard was a mere lieutenant junior grade , with Worf as his supervisor. This was because his near-death experience made the young Picard realize just how fragile life was and how important it could be, thus making him even more determined to make his mark in the universe and take risks; as it was, all Picard learned from the incident was to play it safe and not take risks. Picard convinced Q to allow him to correct the damage to his timeline and returned to his reality (although it was never confirmed whether this actually happened or if it was just a near-death hallucination). ( TNG : " Tapestry ")

Quantum fissure encounter [ ]

Picard from another quantum reality

In 2370 , Lieutenant Worf encountered a quantum fissure which caused him to begin shifting between quantum realities . In several universes, Picard was still captain of the Enterprise and attended a surprise birthday party for Worf, though his services were stated to be required on the bridge. In the final universe in which Worf arrived, William Riker was the captain, as Picard was lost in the Borg encounter of 2367 . In another reality, the Borg had invaded the Federation and the Enterprise was one of the few ships left. Worf was finally returned to his own quantum reality and the quantum fissure was sealed. ( TNG : " Parallels ")

Anti-time encounters [ ]

Picard in an alternate timeline

Also in 2370, while standing trial by Q, Picard's consciousness was shifting between three alternate timelines. In an alternate 2364 , Picard disobeyed Starfleet orders from the moment he arrived on board the Enterprise at Earth Station McKinley. He called a red alert while docked at the station, ordered the ship to the Devron system instead of to Farpoint Station and took the vessel into a temporal anomaly there. In an alternate 2370 , Picard was diagnosed with Irumodic Syndrome by Dr. Crusher. This caused her to reconsider her relationship with Picard, and she reversed her earlier decision to remain just friends. The Enterprise was dispatched to the Devron system near the Romulan Neutral Zone where it discovered the temporal anomaly. In an unknown, alternate future timeframe , Picard found himself at his family's vineyard with Geordi La Forge. Picard contacted Riker, now an admiral and commanding officer of Starbase 247 , for help in investigating the anomaly, but Riker refused to allow him passage to the Neutral Zone, thinking Picard had been affected by his Irumodic Syndrome and was delusional. Later, Picard convinced his ex-wife, Beverly Picard, to take her medical ship, the USS Pasteur , to investigate the anomaly. The Pasteur was attacked and destroyed by Klingon battleships , but the Enterprise , under command of Admiral Riker, arrived to rescue the crew and fight off the Klingons. Picard once again pleaded with Riker to return to the Devron system , but he was then sedated and returned to quarters. Armed with new information gathered from the other two timeframes, Picard woke and went to talk to Riker and the other former Enterprise officers, and convinced them that the anomaly existed. The Enterprise returned just in time to watch it form, and Riker ordered the Enterprise into the anomaly, where it used a static warp shell in concert with the other Enterprise s to collapse it. After the anomaly was sealed, the timelines were erased, and only Picard retained memory of those events. He told his staff of his experiences in the future, in hopes that things such as the conflict between Worf and Riker that followed Deanna Troi's death never happen. ( TNG : " All Good Things... ")

The Nexus [ ]

Picard in the Nexus

In 2371 , Picard was briefly trapped in the Nexus during a mission to stop renegade El-Aurian scientist Dr. Tolian Soran from destroying the Veridian system . In the perfect world in the Nexus, his nephew René (who had recently died in a fire) was still alive, and he had a wife and four children. Realizing that it wasn't real, he rejected the reality offered to him and left the Nexus to defeat Soran with the aid of Captain James T. Kirk. ( Star Trek Generations )

Confederation of Earth [ ]

A young Jean-Luc Picard

In an alternate timeline created by Q where Earth had become the Confederation of Earth by the 25th century , Picard was a ruthless and highly successful general in the Confederation Corps . During his years of service, he subjugated and conquered hundreds of species and annihilated several planets, such as Qo'noS . At one point, he had either overseen or directly commanded the CSS World Razer .

A holographic recording of General Picard

By 2401 , General Picard had obtained a synthetic body, as a result of his battle with Gul Dukat . That year, Picard was to speak at the Eradication Day ceremonies on Earth, where he was to publicly execute the Borg Queen and receive the title of " Borgslayer ".

General Picard had a large home on Earth, maintained by android servants and Romulan slaves. In one room of the house, he maintained a large trophy room . ( PIC : " The Star Gazer ", " Penance ")

Holograms [ ]

Picard as an Admiral in Barash's holoprogram

• As part of Reginald Barclay 's holo-addiction , he had created at least two programs that had recreations of Jean-Luc. One was a recreation of the Enterprise -D, the other, Barclay Program 15 , had Picard as one of The Three Musketeers . ( TNG : " Hollow Pursuits ")
• A Jean-Luc Picard hologram was in Barash 's holoprogram , this future Picard was a full admiral. ( TNG : " Future Imperfect ")

Personal life [ ]

Picard in a Dixon Hill holographic novel

Picard held diverse intellectual interests and recreational pursuits. He was a lifelong avocational archaeologist, inspired by his Academy instructor, Galen, having studied the Iconian culture since his cadet days. Picard even addressed the Federation Archaeology Council as keynote speaker in 2367 , on the subject of his oft-studied Tagus III ruins.

He also had a deep love of Terran literature, from the works of William Shakespeare to detective stories featuring Dixon Hill , and preferred to read them in their written form rather than on a holo-visual display. Picard had studied semantics and kept his Latin fresh. ( TNG : " The Chase ", " Qpid ", " Hide And Q ", " Clues ", " The Game ")

Other subjects that enthralled Picard were physics and celestial mechanics. He kept up with the Atlantis Project on Earth through journals. Picard was fascinated to be the first to reveal an ancient Promellian battle cruiser , as visiting such an elegant craft was always a dream of Picard's, a dream he had held on to ever since he was a child when he used to build model airships and starships in bottles, surmising that he likely had a Promellian battle cruiser in his collection. ( TNG : " Family ", " Booby Trap ")

Picard, while painting on the Enterprise

After his experience with the Kataan probe, Picard began to play the Ressikan flute and was good enough to perform works by Mozart . He considered the flute to be one of his most prized possessions. It represented, to him, an entire lifetime he lived in only 25 minutes. As of 2379 , Picard kept the flute on his desk in his ready room aboard the Enterprise -E. His attempts at painting were less successful. ( TNG : " The Chase ", " Family ", " The Inner Light ", " A Fistful of Datas ", " A Matter of Perspective "; Star Trek Nemesis )

Despite Picard being a rather private person, he maintained a good relationship with the members of his senior staff on board the Enterprise , but only joined in their weekly game of poker after seven years. ( TNG : " All Good Things... ")

When enjoying the comforts of home on the Enterprise , Picard drank Earl Grey tea . He delighted in fencing , horseback riding , and his scale models of various Starfleet vessels. His opponents in fencing included Lieutenant Dean and Guinan , whom Picard coached in the sport. She initially lost one of their matches and said she did not think she liked the sport. Picard replied she liked it well enough two weeks prior, when she scored him two touches. ( TNG : " We'll Always Have Paris ", " I Borg ")

Picard on holiday

Only rarely did Picard take extended time off to relax. In 2366 , several of the members of his crew persuaded him to go on holiday on Risa . While intending to just relax in the suns, reading a book, he ended up going on a treasure hunt for the Tox Uthat , an artifact from the future. ( TNG : " Captain's Holiday ")

Philosophically, Picard saw life and death as more than two choices of eternal or momentary existence. In fact, he believed there was another concept yet beyond Human understanding due to the marvelous complexity and the clockwork precision of the universe. In 2364 , confronted by Q, Picard quoted from Shakespeare: " What a piece of work is man? How noble in reason? How infinite in faculty, in form, in moving, how express and admirable. In action, how like an angel, in apprehension, how like a god… " Upon Q's interruption that surely he did not see his own species like that, Picard answered that he saw Humankind one day becoming so. In Picard's opinion, genetic engineering with its predetermination robbed Humanity of the unknown factor that makes life worth living. ( TNG : " Lonely Among Us ", " Hide And Q ", " The Masterpiece Society ")

Medical record [ ]

Picard always remained in excellent health, thanks to a regimen carried over from his days as an athlete, and at the age of seventy-four (in 2379), was still a vibrant and healthy man. Even twenty years later, Dr. Moritz Benayoun told Picard, "For a relic, you're in excellent shape." ( Star Trek Nemesis ; PIC : " Maps and Legends ")

Despite his captaincy of the Enterprise , Picard still found time for fencing, racquetball , and equine sports, usually on the holodeck . Nevertheless, he did show a tendency to overwork, avoided formal vacations, and had reported bouts of insomnia . Additionally, Picard usually tried to avoid his annual physicals, to the great irritation of Dr. Crusher. ( TNG : " We'll Always Have Paris ", " Pen Pals ", " Suddenly Human ", " Captain's Holiday ", " Allegiance ")

At a very young age, Picard was diagnosed with Shalaft's Syndrome , a rare congenital defect that left him hypersensitive to any kind of sound. His condition was treated, but his hearing was still highly acute. As an ensign, Picard could sense subtleties as faint as a starship's torque sensors out of alignment by three microns. ( Star Trek: Insurrection ; Star Trek Nemesis )

Picard lost his hair by the 2350s , although he was known to have had a shaved head for some time as a student at Starfleet Academy . ( TNG : " Rascals ", " Tapestry ", " Violations "; Star Trek Nemesis )

Undergoing cardiac replacement surgery in 2365

Owing to a near-fatal stabbing through the heart in 2328 , an artificial heart was implanted to save Picard's life. The unit required replacement when it malfunctioned in 2365 , overseen at Starbase 515 by Dr. Katherine Pulaski . Four years later, the unit was damaged and again replaced following a near-fatal Lenarian compressed tetryon weaponry attack. ( TNG : " Samaritan Snare ", " Tapestry ")

Following his assimilation by the Borg in 2366, Picard was formally declared dead as a casualty of war by Admiral J.P. Hanson . The ruling was rescinded six days later when Picard was recaptured by the crew of the Enterprise . Along with the physical recovery, the incident took an enormous emotional toll and required several weeks of intensive counseling. Even after over thirty years since his assimilation, Picard would tell Seven of Nine that he didn't feel as if he had regained all of his humanity since his liberation from the Collective . Picard underwent similar, though less lengthy, recuperation following his capture and torture by Cardassians in 2369 . ( TNG : " The Best of Both Worlds ", " Chain Of Command, Part I ", PIC : " Stardust City Rag ")

In an alternate future timeline, Jean-Luc developed Irumodic Syndrome , and in the corresponding alternate "present" timeline in 2370 he became aware of his future condition due to being shifted through time by Q . When Picard asked Dr. Crusher to perform medical scans on him in regards to this apparent fate, Crusher confirmed that Picard had a small structural defect in his parietal lobe that could possibly lead to Irumodic Syndrome, among other possible disorders. ( TNG : " All Good Things... ")

In 2399 , Picard asked Dr. Moritz Benayoun to provide him with a certificate for interstellar service . Picard's results were at or above Starfleet standards in every category ( cardiovascular , metabolic , and cognitive ), but the defect in his parietal lobe had developed further. Dr. Benayoun said the defect indicated one of several syndromes, all of which were fatal. ( PIC : " Maps and Legends ") He ultimately died just after the Defense of Coppelius due to the defect, only continuing to live on when his consciousness was transferred into a golem lacking the defect but otherwise identical to his Human body. ( PIC : " Et in Arcadia Ego, Part 2 ") It was later revealed that Picard did not in fact have Irumodic Syndrome as was previously believed, but rather it was a false positive. In reality, Picard's condition was a result of the Borg changing him on a genetic level when he was Locutus of Borg . This turned Picard into a receiver for the Borg Collective , meaning that he could hear them even without his implants, and it was inherited by his son Jack Crusher as a transceiver. Even as a golem, Picard retained this residual link to the Collective. This was a part of the Borg Queen 's long-term plans. ( PIC : " Võx ", " The Last Generation ")

Personal relationships [ ]

Picard shows Deanna Troi his family photos

Picard claimed that he was able to trace his family's roots in western Europe back to the time of Charlemagne in the 8th century . He had "never been a family man," and was thus long uncomfortable with the presence of children aboard the Galaxy -class Enterprise . The orphaned son of Lieutenant Marla Aster again raised his concern about the vessel's civilian family contingent, although his unease with children had lessened since being stranded with three youths during a shipboard quantum filament crisis. His time on Kataan also affected his views concerning family and children, as he admitted not being able to imagine a life without them. His initial reaction to family was also reflected in the friction with his father, and later his older brother, over leaving the family business. Upon the sudden accidental deaths of his brother Robert and his nephew René, the issue of lineage and Picard's lack of offspring caused a strong yet brief period of depression. ( TNG : " Journey's End ", " The Bonding ", " Disaster ", " The Inner Light ", " Family "; Star Trek Generations )

In 2370, DaiMon Bok threatened Jason Vigo , claiming that Jason was Picard's son. It was soon revealed that Jason was not actually Picard's son. As a parting gift, Picard gave Jason an archaeological artifact of significant sentimental value. ( TNG : " Bloodlines ")

Jack Crusher [ ]

Jack Crusher in 2401

Picard's romance with Beverly Crusher produced a son, Jack Crusher. Jack grew up never knowing he was Picard's son as Beverly kept Jack's father's identity a secret. Following the Changeling and Borg crisis on Frontier Day , the two grew close with Picard accompanying his son to his first assignment on the USS Enterprise -G . ( PIC : " The Next Generation ", " Disengage ", " The Last Generation ")

Romance [ ]

Lwaxana troi [ ].

Picard and Ambassador Lwaxana Troi in 2365

When Ambassador Lwaxana Troi visited the Enterprise in 2365 , she had just entered her Betazoid phase , and so she set her sights on several male crewmembers as potential mates, including Picard. She announced her " wedding " with William Riker on the bridge of the Enterprise shortly before moving on to Picard. Following an intimate dinner with the ambassador, Picard hid himself on the holodeck in a Dixon Hill holonovel . Lwaxana continued to teasingly flirt with Picard during her future visits to the Enterprise . On one occasion, Picard pretended to be in love with Lwaxana in order to save the ambassador's daughter, Deanna Troi, and Riker from Ferengi captivity. Lwaxana was most impressed with his Shakespearian poetry. ( TNG : " Manhunt ", " Ménage à Troi ")

Picard had a relationship with an "adventurer" and some-time criminal named Vash . They initially met when Picard aided her attempts to find a rare artifact. Over the course of their adventure, the two developed an intimate relationship. Vash later returned to the Enterprise as part of an archaeological advisory team and was upset to find that Picard had not told his friends about their relationship. At the same time, Q appeared on the ship, and in return for Picard's aid in getting back to the Q Continuum, he created a Robin Hood fantasy world in which Picard (Robin) had to save Vash ( Maid Marian ). Eventually, Vash and Picard parted on good terms, as she decided to travel the universe with Q. She later reappeared one last time on Deep Space 9 after being unceremoniously abandoned by her "partner" Q. ( TNG : " Qpid "; DS9 : " Q-Less ")

In 2368 , while mediating negotiations between the warring planets Krios and Valt Minor , Picard encountered Kamala , an empathic metamorph intended as a gift for Valtese Chancellor Alrik . Due to premature emergence from stasis, Kamala underwent her bonding phase before the marriage could be completed. When circumstances placed Picard and Kamala in close proximity to each other, she eventually bonded with the captain. Having adapted to be perfectly compatible with Picard, Kamala found that her sense of duty demanded that she proceed with the marriage rather than pursue a relationship with Picard. Picard was deeply affected by Kamala, as shown by his reaction to Ambassador Briam 's inquiry about the experience. ( TNG : " The Perfect Mate ")

Nella Daren [ ]

Picard and Nella Daren in 2369

In 2369 , Lieutenant Commander Nella Daren came aboard the Enterprise to become head of the ship's Stellar sciences department . In her new role, she was very forthright in her requests for ship resources to support her department's studies. Soon after coming aboard, she and Picard met. A friendship quickly formed, based on their shared love for music. Daren accompanied the captain on a portable piano while he played the Ressikan flute. Their friendship soon blossomed into love. The crew reacted differently to Picard and Daren's romance: Deanna Troi was happy for Picard and gave her blessing; Beverly Crusher seemed jealous; and Riker felt that Daren was asking for special treatment because she was the captain's "girlfriend."

When a fire storm threatened the Bersallis III Federation outpost, Daren suggested a plan to shield the outpost against the heat while the Enterprise evacuated the colonists. Eight crewmen lost their lives, but Daren survived. Afterward, it became obvious to Picard and Daren that it would be extremely difficult to continue their relationship while serving on the same ship, thus Daren requested a transfer. As they said goodbye, they promised to keep seeing each other, but knew their relationship would never be the same. ( TNG : " Lessons ")

Picard and Anij on Ba'ku

In 2375 , Picard developed a short, though intimate relationship with the Ba'ku woman Anij , while protecting her planet from the combined Starfleet- Son'a threat. Anij, while over three hundred years old, appeared as a woman in her late thirties. Despite their intimacy, Picard returned to the Enterprise after the planned relocation of the Ba'ku was averted. Shortly before leaving, Picard said he had 318 days of vacation time coming, and that he planned on using them. ( Star Trek: Insurrection )

Beverly Crusher [ ]

Picard and Crusher in the captain's ready room

Beverly Crusher and Picard maintained a close friendship while serving on the Enterprise -D, usually sharing their morning meal together. Crusher usually tried to serve a new and exotic food, although both she and Picard preferred something simple. ( TNG : " Attached ")

Their relationship stayed platonic, for the most part. They considered one another close friends and would give each other advice when dealing with difficult decisions. While Crusher was in anguish over Odan 's failing health while the symbiont was in Riker's body, Picard gave her a hug, and assured her that he would always be her friend and be willing to help her any way he could. ( TNG : " The Host ")

Crusher's anger over the treatment of Kamala led to Picard spending time with her, where he quickly learned that he was falling for the metamorph. Crusher did not know what to say, but reciprocated the emotional support he had offered the year prior. ( TNG : " The Perfect Mate ")

Picard tried to make Crusher realize that the deaths of Jo'Bril and later Reyga were not her fault and that she should not try to rush her investigation. Crusher was too upset and preoccupied to understand his words, and Picard was extremely disappointed when she broke the Prime Directive and performed an autopsy on Reyga. ( TNG : " Suspicions ")

Picard knew that Crusher's odd decisions after meeting Ronin were not normal and confronted her on Caldos colony . Although Crusher initially resisted his demands for an explanation, she broke free of Ronin's influence after he attacked Picard. ( TNG : " Sub Rosa ")

Early on, Crusher and Picard experienced several romantically close calls. Once she was under the influence of the Psi 2000 intoxication , Crusher flirted with Picard and attempted to seduce him on the bridge of the Enterprise . Later, Crusher seemed hopeful for some time alone with Picard in the Dixon Hill holodeck simulation, but Picard seemed oblivious to her and invited Data and Whalen as well, much to Crusher's dismay. Commander Dexter Remmick interrogated Crusher about Picard in mid- 2364 and questioned her about her true feelings towards Picard. Crusher refused to answer, claiming that they were irrelevant to the operation of the ship. ( TNG : " The Naked Now ", " The Big Goodbye ", " Coming of Age ")

In 2366 , a duplicate of Picard replaced the captain in order to learn about Human relationships. The replica had all of the memories and experiences of Picard but his behavior was different from the captain. He was more outgoing and especially flirtatious with Dr. Crusher, inviting her to dinner, where the two had a romantic evening, including dancing. Once the duplicate had enough information, it unceremoniously bade Crusher farewell. She teasingly held the real Picard responsible for his duplicate's actions when he was returned to the Enterprise . ( TNG : " Allegiance ")

Several times, Crusher began to explain her true feelings to Picard, once while they were held captive on Rutia IV , and another time with Picard's duplicate in the warp bubble universe, but she was interrupted in both instances. Both also displayed some jealousy when the other found a love interest, such as Crusher with Odan or Picard with Jenice Manheim and Nella Daren . ( TNG : " The High Ground ", " Remember Me ", " The Host ", " We'll Always Have Paris ", " Lessons ")

Crusher and Picard telepathically attached on Kesprytt

In 2370 , Picard and Crusher were taken captive on the planet Kesprytt , and linked together by psi-wave devices in order to decrease their odds of escaping. The devices transmitted their thoughts to one another, where they learned each other's most intimate secrets. Crusher stayed up one night to listen to Picard's dreams, and Picard discovered that Crusher almost always had some biting comment at the ready, although she had learned to repress the urge to say them out loud. One night, Crusher brought up her late husband Jack , and feelings of guilt washed over Picard. She finally learned that he, too, felt an attraction, but did not act on it out of respect for his dead friend. Once they returned to the Enterprise , Picard expressed desire to further their relationship. Crusher ultimately decided that she did not want to ruin their friendship or be placed in a conflict of interest, and they decided to remain mutual friends. ( TNG : " Attached ")

In an unknown, alternate future timeframe , Picard and Crusher were married, but eventually separated. Dr. Beverly Picard agreed to take her ex-husband to the Romulan Neutral Zone aboard the USS Pasteur , an Olympic -class medical vessel of which she was in command. They shared a kiss in the "present" during that time. ( TNG : " All Good Things... ")

Sometime around the early 2380s , Picard and Crusher entered into a relationship. In lieu of wine or roses, Picard made her a compilation of classical music. Eventually, the two had a falling out and the two did not speak to one another for nearly twenty years . Picard later found out that Crusher bore his son, Jack Crusher and the fractured family unit was briefly reunited. It's unknown if they resumed a romantic relationship following the conclusion of the Changeling and Borg crisis, but Picard and Crusher were at the very least co-parenting Jack together a year later. ( PIC : " The Next Generation ", " Disengage ", " The Last Generation ")

Laris in 2401

Following the Romulan supernova , the former Tal Shiar agents Laris and her husband Zhaban were employed by Picard at his family’s Château Picard . Following Zhaban’s death in 2400 Laris and Picard developed romantic feelings for one another. Despite this, when she confessed her feelings Picard’s childhood trauma left him unable to enter into a relationship with her. He tried to assure her that nothing had to change between them; she disagreed and began planning to leave the Château for good. ( PIC : " The Star Gazer ")

During Picard’s stint in 2024 Q and Tallinn were able to help him work through the rota of his trauma-the death of his mother Yvette . He apologised to Laris and asked for a second chance, which she was open to. However, their plans were interupted by a distress call from Dr. Beverly Crusher which Laris instructed Picard to respond to, promising to be waiting for him when he returned. ( PIC : " Farewell ", " The Next Generation ")

Friendships [ ]

With Guinan in her quarters in 2371

Guinan and Picard shared a long-term relationship, which, according to her, went "beyond friendship and beyond family." ( TNG : " The Best of Both Worlds ") She also once said to Geordi La Forge that she was attracted to bald men. ( TNG : " Booby Trap ") In return, Picard once observed Guinan to be "very selective about whom she calls a friend." ( TNG : " Ensign Ro ")

Guinan originally met Picard in 1893 when he, Data, Riker, La Forge, Troi, and Dr. Crusher had traveled back in time from the 24th century to stop some Devidians from stealing energy from Humans in the 19th century . Guinan, learning of their predicament from Data who had thought she was the Guinan from the Enterprise -D, agreed to help in any way she could. When she was injured in the confrontation with the Devidians, Picard stayed behind to make sure she was all right. Samuel Clemens , returning from the 24th century, helped Picard return. ( TNG : " Time's Arrow, Part II ")

In 2365 , Data's rights as an individual were challenged when cybernetics expert Commander Bruce Maddox wanted to disassemble the android for study. Picard challenged Maddox's assessment before the local Judge Advocate General . As the hearing neared its end, Picard admitted to Guinan he feared he was losing the case. Guinan asked what Maddox gained if he would be successful in disassembling and reassembling Data, and Picard responded he would possess the ability to build many more androids. He remembered Guinan's words that the decisions made today have implications for the future, and so Picard reasoned that if it would be decided that Data was indeed Starfleet property, all future androids would be also. Guinan noted there was an ancient word for that: slavery . Eventually, Picard won Data's case by pointing out that an entire race of Datas would be used as slaves, strictly against Federation principles. ( TNG : " The Measure Of A Man ")

In 2367 , Guinan played the role of Gloria in one of Picard's Dixon Hill holonovels . She was not much impressed with the program. ( TNG : " Clues ")

Besides joining Picard on the holodeck, they would occasionally share a game of chess , and Guinan was also coached in fencing by Picard in 2368 , begun when she considered exercise to strengthen her arm. Shortly prior to their match, the Enterprise had taken a Borg drone, later named Hugh , on board. Although Guinan initially questioned Picard's decision to have done so, she was convinced by La Forge to speak with the former drone. She could not, but acknowledged this Borg was developing a personality, becoming an individual. Upon her conversation with Hugh, she convinced Picard to speak with him as well. ( TNG : " I Borg ")

In 2400, Picard and Guinan reunited when he showed up at Ten Forward to ask her for advice regarding his changing relationship with Laris and his fear of pursuing her. Guinan listened to his troubles and supported him in opening his heart to love again. ( PIC : " The Star Gazer ")

When Picard and his friends were thrown into 2024 by the machinations of Q, he encountered a younger version of Guinan. She had grown disillusioned with attempting to help humanity and was prepared to leave Earth. At first, this version of Guinan did not recognize him and threatened him. Picard told her about the bond they would share in the future, and convinced Guinan to help him find the contact he needed, a Watcher. She led him to the person he needed, and then left, so that the Watcher could feel comfortable speaking to him alone. Before she left, Picard pleaded with her not to leave the Earth "just yet". ( PIC : " Watcher ")

William T. Riker [ ]

Picard with Riker in 2364

When choosing a first officer prior to the launch of the Enterprise -D in 2363, Picard accessed the records of a number of candidates for the job. He eventually came across the record of one William T. Riker. Picard saw it as a glowing record filled with statistics and the Letter of recommendation that he felt told him nothing about the kind of officer Riker actually was. Picard was about to move on to the next candidate's record but stopped when he saw that a notation in Riker's record regarding an incident that took place on board the USS Hood in which Riker refused to allow Captain Robert DeSoto to beam down to Altair III . Picard was impressed that Riker would challenge his captain's authority if needed, and put the safety of the captain and the crew ahead of his own career if the need arose. This was a major factor in Picard's selection of Riker as his first officer – Picard wanted an officer who would not be afraid to stand up to him and be more concerned about the safety of the ship and mission than his personnel records. ( TNG : " The Pegasus ")

Picard and Riker on the holodeck

Picard was very cold towards Riker during their first meeting and ordered the manual docking as a test of Riker's abilities. When he performed the docking with great expertise and skill, Picard formally greeted Riker, requesting that his new first officer make sure that he not allow Picard to "make an ass of himself" in front of the many children aboard the ship. One year later, Picard felt as if he had not done a good job of congratulating Riker, so he did it once more, this time making his feelings clear. ( TNG : " Encounter at Farpoint ", " The Icarus Factor ")

Eventually, Riker and Picard became very good friends. With the best of intentions, Riker suggested that Picard vacation at Risa in 2366 , asking him to return with a horga'hn . Picard did not realize the history behind the statue and kept it with him after purchasing it for Riker, making it appear as if the captain was seeking jamaharon . ( TNG : " Captain's Holiday ")

The only time Riker and Picard ever verbally fought in front of the Enterprise crew was in 2366 while under the influence of emotions projected by Ambassador Sarek , who was suffering from Bendii Syndrome . ( TNG : " Sarek ")

Picard tried to counsel Riker when he was offered command of the USS Melbourne in 2366 , reminding him that the Enterprise would continue without his presence and that officers like Elizabeth Shelby were very much as he was before he learned the lessons necessary for command of a starship. Riker also came to Picard for advice when Worf wanted his help with the hegh'bat and when he struggled with a decision involving Soren . ( TNG : " The Best of Both Worlds ", " Ethics ", " The Outcast ")

An age-reverted Picard pretends to be Riker's son

In early 2369 , members of the Enterprise crew, including Picard, were turned into twelve-year-olds due to the effects of a molecular reversion field . Unfortunately, a group of Ferengi commandeered the Enterprise about that time. Believed to be a child, Picard was confined to a classroom aboard the ship while Riker was held in the observation lounge . Picard threw a tantrum and demanded to see his "father," Riker. They pretended to be father and son in order for Picard to plant a suggestive message to Riker, requesting access to the Enterprise main computer from the classroom. Picard, along with the other affected Enterprise crewmembers, were able to design a plan to retake the Enterprise from the Ferengi. ( TNG : " Rascals ")

During the Pegasus incident of 2370 , Picard tried to investigate the circumstances surrounding the ship's disappearance. He ran into many dead-ends as most records had been sealed, and had to use many favors in Starfleet Command to even get a look at the findings of the board convened to investigate the loss of the Pegasus . Riker would not divulge further information under the orders of Admiral Erik Pressman , and Picard reluctantly continued the search. He made it clear to Riker that he hoped he still placed the safety of the Enterprise as his top priority, and if Picard had found this to be untrue, he would reevaluate his trust in Riker. After the crisis was resolved, Picard visited Riker in the brig and returned him to duty aboard the Enterprise , understanding of Will's mistake in the past and satisfied that he had made the correct decisions in the present. ( TNG : " The Pegasus ")

Picard served as Riker's best man during his wedding to Deanna Troi in 2379 . He gave a toast to Riker, calling him his "trusted right arm" and lamenting his loss of a fine first officer. ( Star Trek Nemesis )

Picard remained in contact with Riker after Riker became captain of the USS Titan . He met Riker's son Thaddeus at least twice, once when Thad was a baby and once when he was five. ( PIC : " Nepenthe ")

Picard and Riker are reunited on Nepenthe

Although Picard initially intended not to involve Riker (or any of the rest of his surviving Enterprise crew) in his quest for Soji Asha , once he found her on the Artifact and needed a safe haven, he brought Soji to Riker and Troi's home on Nepenthe . Picard was grateful for Riker's friendship, and that he did not attempt to talk him out of helping Soji and her siblings . After Picard left, Riker requested temporary reassignment to Starfleet in order to help him with his mission, and led a squadron of starships to Coppelius . ( PIC : " Maps and Legends ", " Nepenthe ", " Et in Arcadia Ego, Part 2 ")

From 2364 to 2371 , Lieutenant Commander Data was appointed as head of operations when serving on board the USS Enterprise -D, and head of operations from 2372 to 2379 on board the USS Enterprise -E. Data looked up to Picard as something of a father figure throughout his service under the captain, asking for his advice on numerous occasions in his quest to become more Human. Picard always gave Data advice whenever he could.

Following Natasha Yar's death in 2364, Data was puzzled about her death, thinking not about Tasha but rather how he would feel in her absence, thinking that he missed the purpose of her memorial, but Picard assured him that he understood the purpose of the memorial perfectly. ( TNG : " Skin Of Evil ")

Picard defends Data's rights as an individual

In 2365 , Data's existence was threatened when Commander Bruce Maddox wished to disassemble and study Data to gain a better understanding of how his positronic brain functioned. Data refused to submit to Maddox's procedure, finding his research flawed, but Maddox claimed that Data was property of Starfleet and therefore not a sentient being and as a result had no choice other than to submit to the procedure. Captain Phillipa Louvois supported Maddox's claim, and Picard intervened by challenging their reasoning, saying that Data was indeed sentient and deserved the freedom to make his own decisions. He also said that Data represented an entire race and that forcing him to submit to Maddox's procedure is tantamount to slavery – strictly against Federation law. Ultimately, Louvois sided with Picard's standpoint and agreed that Data, android or not, was indeed sentient and entitled to the same rights as any other Starfleet officer. ( TNG : " The Measure Of A Man ")

Picard with Data in 2367

In 2367 , Picard's seemingly unbreakable trust in Data was tested when Data refused to fully cooperate with an investigation into a number of events that happened within a 24-hour time span, although Data claimed that the time span was only 30 seconds. Data's intransigence threatened to end his Starfleet career and even his own existence, but it was later revealed that Picard was himself responsible for Data's unusual behavior after an encounter with the Paxans in a T-Tauri type star system . ( TNG : " Clues ")

During the Klingon Civil War , the Federation made an indirect intervention with a blockade of Starfleet vessels placed in formation to use the pioneering tachyon detection grid in an effort to expose Romulan support for the House of Duras . Picard assigned all of his senior officers positions on board other ships, except for Data. Data questioned Picard about why he was not assigned command of a vessel, considering that there was a severe lack of senior officers available for the mission, wondering if he felt that his being an android made him unsuitable for command. Picard, slightly embarrassed by Data's question, assigned Data command of the USS Sutherland . During the blockade, Data disobeyed direct orders from Picard and was able to expose the Romulans' involvement in the civil war. Later, Data wished to submit himself for disciplinary action for disobeying a direct order from his superior officer, but Picard instead praised Data for not complying, summing up his belief of too many tragedies throughout history being directly traceable to officers "just following orders" rather than independently assessing their situations, with the words, " Mr. Data: nicely done. " ( TNG : " Redemption II ")

In 2369 , Data refused to allow a group of exocomps to be sacrificed in order to save the lives of Picard and Geordi La Forge, who were trapped on board the Tyrus VIIA station , believing that they were sentient and, therefore, capable of making their own decisions. After agreeing to a compromise suggested by Commander William Riker, the exocomps were released and able to save the lives of Picard and La Forge. Picard understood the predicament that Data was faced with as he had defended Data's sentience just a few years previously, but this time the exocomps had no advocate and Data felt compelled to act on their behalf. Picard considered Data's actions to be the most "Human" decision that he had ever made. ( TNG : " The Quality of Life ")

Later that year, following an accident in main engineering that activated a dormant program in his positronic brain, Data sought advice from several officers, including Picard, on his "visions." Picard was curious why Data was studying thousands of different cultures to interpret his visions. Data said that he had no culture of his own, but Picard told Data that he did have a culture – a culture of one and that its validity is no less than that of a billion. Picard suggested that Data should consider what the visions meant to him instead of what they mean to other people. ( TNG : " Birthright, Part I ")

After a malfunctioning emotion chip fused with Data's positronic net in 2371 , Data felt guilty for not saving La Forge from capture by Tolian Soran on board the Amargosa observatory . Overwhelmed by emotions, Data requested to be shut down until the chip could be removed. Although Picard felt sympathy for Data, he told him that part of having emotions is integrating them into one's life and learning to live with them, and denied Data his request. ( Star Trek Generations )

Picard and Data defend the Enterprise -E from a Borg invasion

In 2373 , when the Enterprise -E traveled back to the year 2063 on Earth, Picard and Data initially went down to the planet to observe the damage the Borg had done to Zefram Cochrane 's missile complex in Montana . Down in the missile silo of the Phoenix , Picard, upon touching the missile that would make history by becoming the first Human starship traveling at warp , explained to Data that sometimes a touch can make objects more "real." Upon suspecting a Borg presence aboard the Enterprise , Picard and Data transported back to the ship. Fighting off the Borg near main engineering, Data was soon captured and brought to the Borg Queen. Instead of attempting to assimilate Data, the Queen made him physically more Human by attaching Human skin onto his android skeleton.

When it appeared impossible to hold off the Borg any longer, Picard was convinced to initiate the Enterprise 's auto-destruct sequence and ordered all remaining crew to evacuate. He himself went on to engineering to find Data and to convince the Queen, who he had encountered several years previously, to let Data go. Picard was even prepared to take Data's place at the Queen's side, willingly becoming her equal. Data claimed he did not wish to go, even after the Queen ordered him away. Thus, the Queen ordered Picard's assimilation, but not before witnessing the destruction of the Phoenix by Data.

Data fired a spread of quantum torpedoes , but they missed by the smallest of margins. Quickly thereafter, he burst a plasma coolant tank, releasing plasma coolant which liquefied organic material on contact, killing the Borg. The Queen was killed, but Picard survived. Helping Data standing up, Picard asked him if he was ever tempted to join the Borg's cause. Data replied that, for a fraction of a second, hinting at his kiss with the Queen, he was. He added that, for an android, that brief moment was like an eternity. ( Star Trek: First Contact )

Following the wedding of Riker and Deanna Troi in 2379 , Data was confused by Picard's mixed feelings for the couple – although the captain was happy that Will was due to accept promotion to the rank of captain and take command of the USS Titan , and that his new wife was to transfer over to the Titan and take position as the ship's counselor , Picard was somewhat saddened by their departure and tried to explain to Data that experiencing feelings of both happiness and sadness at the same time are common in these situations.

Data sacrifices himself to save Picard aboard the Reman vessel

At the climax of the Battle in the Bassen Rift , Data jumped across the void of space from the Enterprise -E to the Scimitar , saving Picard by using a prototype emergency transport unit , but sacrificed his own life to save the crew of the Enterprise by firing at the thalaron radiation generator and so destroying the Scimitar . Following the battle, Picard held a toast with the Enterprise -E's senior officers as a tribute to their fallen comrade. ( Star Trek Nemesis )

Picard helps a copy of Data's consciousness to die

The death of Data weighed heavily on Picard, who continued to have dreams about his lost friend for decades. Picard's feelings about the loss of Data helped motivate him to help Dahj and Soji , whom he regarded as Data's daughters. Picard resolved his guilt over Data's death when he met a surviving copy of Data's consciousness in a quantum simulation , and helped that version of Data to die, as he wished to have a finite existence. ( PIC : " Remembrance ", " The Impossible Box ", " Et in Arcadia Ego, Part 2 ")

By 2364 , Lieutenant junior grade Worf was serving on the Enterprise -D as a junior bridge officer under Picard's command. Upon the death of Lieutenant Natasha Yar, he was promoted to chief tactical officer and security chief . ( TNG : " Encounter at Farpoint ", " Skin Of Evil ", " The Child ")

In 2366 , the Klingon High Council accused Mogh , the deceased father of Lieutenant Worf, of treason. Picard, understanding the severity of the charges and their implications for Worf, had the Enterprise change course to Qo'noS . Worf's brother Kurn initially served as his Cha'DIch , but after an assassination attempt left him in critical condition, Worf asked Picard to take up the role. Picard initially declined, saying that there were younger, more able men on the ship from which Worf could choose. Worf insisted that there was no one he would rather have at his side. Picard accepted and stood by Worf when the conspiracy against his family was uncovered. ( TNG : " Sins of The Father ")

When the Klingon Civil War erupted in 2367 , Worf resigned from Starfleet and fought on the side of Gowron against the forces of the Duras family. With the help of Picard, Worf and other Gowron supporters revealed Romulan assistance to the Duras cause. This collapsed support for the House of Duras, and Gowron won the chancellorship. Gowron restored the honor of the House of Mogh in thanks for its assistance during the war. Worf returned to Starfleet, but was reprimanded because he killed Duras in revenge. ( TNG : " Redemption ", " Redemption II ")

Worf and Picard shake hands aboard the Enterprise -E

Worf commanded the USS Defiant in the battle against the Borg at Sector 001 , and fought the Borg temporal incursion into 2063 . A heated conflict occurred between the two when Picard had called Worf a "coward" for not wanting to continue fighting the Borg aboard the Enterprise -E, and a furious Worf stating that if he were any other man he would kill him where he stood, to which Picard angrily ordered Worf off his bridge. Picard later apologized to Worf for his harsh comments and admitted that Worf was "the bravest man" he had ever known, and their friendship was restored. ( Star Trek: First Contact )

Geordi La Forge [ ]

Like several crew members, Geordi La Forge was hand-picked by Picard to serve aboard the Enterprise -D. La Forge impressed Picard with his above average work ethic during an inspection tour. ( TNG : " The Next Phase ") Picard had tremendous confidence in La Forge's ability to accomplish tasks he was assigned, which led to his eventual promotion to chief engineer, earning him the rank of lieutenant commander. ( TNG : " The Child ") He was one of the very few officers Picard addressed by his first name, indicating a close bond between them.

Ro Laren [ ]

Picard and Ro had what could be described as a father/daughter-like relationship. When they first met, Picard wrote her off as dishonorable. He did eventually take her under his wing and help her along a path towards redemption. ( TNG : " Ensign Ro ") Upon Ro's defection to the terrorist organization, the Maquis , she asked Will Riker to convey her deepest regrets to Picard for letting him down. Despite this, Picard was severely disillusioned by Ro's actions and felt betrayed in a very personal way. ( TNG : " Preemptive Strike ")

When Picard began evacuation efforts of Romulus in cooperation with the Qowat Milat, he grew close to Elnor, despite his discomfort around children. The two spent a lot of time together, with Picard teaching him to Fence, telling him stories of Data, and reading him stories, such as The Three Musketeers . After the attack on the Utopia Planitia Shipyards, Picard resigned from Starfleet, and did not return to Vashti for 13 years. Elnor was angered at Picard's sudden disappearance, and when Picard returned in 2399, asking Elnor to bind himself to his mission to find Soji, he at first refused, but rescinded this decision. Picard always regretted not being able to find a proper home for Elnor, as the Qowat Milat was by tradition, an all-female organization, and Elnor could never be fully recognized as one. ( PIC : " Absolute Candor ")

Despite the years apart, Elnor's admiration of Picard carried into his service with him, and he admitted feeling joy when Picard said he did not wish to leave him behind on the Artifact when he chose to stay behind to cover Picard and Soji's escape from the Zhat Vash. ( PIC : " The Impossible Box ")

When they met up again on Coppelius, Elnor embraced Picard in happiness that he'd survived the assault on the Artifact, and was hesitant to leave his side as Picard's health began to deteriorate. Picard convinced him that the xBs needed him more, and Elnor agreed to protect them, leaving Picard's service. The two were briefly reunited before Picard's death, and Picard expressed happiness at seeing him one last time. Elnor took Picard's passing very hard, and mourned heavily while Raffaela Musiker attempted to comfort him. When Picard was revived shortly afterwards, Elnor chose to travel with him once again. ( PIC : " Et in Arcadia Ego, Part 1 ", " Et in Arcadia Ego, Part 2 ")

James T. Kirk [ ]

Although their association was brief, James T. Kirk and Jean-Luc Picard had profound personal effects on one another. Having been a captain of the Federation's flagship, an admiral, and back to a captain again, Kirk advised Picard to not do anything that would have Starfleet move him away from the Enterprise , because as captain, he could make a difference. Very much like Spock and Leonard McCoy, Picard was instrumental in helping Kirk find meaning in his life after his greatest adventures were essentially over. In fact, it could be argued that Picard was one of the most significant people in Kirk's entire life, as he embarked on his final adventure with him and passed away knowing that he had "made a difference." Picard laid Kirk to rest on Veridian III and was his lone mourner. ( Star Trek Generations )

Spock was confronted by Picard and Data on Romulus , where he was suspected to have betrayed the Federation. To the contrary, Spock was on a "personal mission of peace," and Picard insisted on staying until Spock's affairs were complete. Spock saw much of his father, Sarek , in Picard and was very resentful of his perceived meddling in his affairs. Picard and Spock eventually developed a mutual respect for each other, with Picard offering Spock to mind meld with him to see how Sarek truly saw his son. ( TNG : " Unification I ", " Unification II ") Spock later utilized Picard and Deanna Troi in delivering defecting Romulan officials to the Federation. ( TNG : " Face Of The Enemy ")

In 3189 , a recording of Spock made on stardate 45825 was retrieved from the personal files of Admiral Picard and viewed by Michael Burnham and Cleveland Booker . ( DIS : " Unification III ")

Picard was Gowron 's Arbiter of Succession following the deaths of K'mpec and Duras . ( TNG : " Reunion ") Although he initially refused to aid him during the Klingon Civil War, Picard later convinced Starfleet to assist Gowron's forces by exposing the alliance between Lursa and B'Etor and Sela , a high-ranking Romulan officer. ( TNG : " Redemption ", " Redemption II "). Although he considered Picard an honorable ally of the Klingon Empire, Gowron was less than accommodating when asked to assist Starfleet find Spock on Romulus. Nevertheless, on more than one occasion, Picard used his relationship with Gowron as leverage against other Klingons. ( TNG : " Unification I ", " Aquiel ") These events appeared to be reconciled during the events surrounding the resurrection of Kahless . ( TNG : " Rightful Heir ")

Q and Picard had a complicated relationship. Even though he was very antagonistic towards them, Q clearly had a great respect and affection for the crew of the Enterprise -D, particularly Picard, ( TNG : " Qpid ") who in contrast viewed Q with a tremendous amount of disdain and distrust. ( TNG : " Deja Q ") It was not until their final two encounters that Picard became grateful to Q for their association. ( TNG : " Tapestry ", " All Good Things... ")

After the death of his son caused by Captain Picard during the Battle of Maxia , Bok had tried to seek vengeance on him twice. First by having him destroy the Enterprise -D through a mind altering device he hid within the derelict of the USS Stargazer , then by attempting to kill his alleged son Jason Vigo (which whom he re-sequenced his DNA in order to fool Picard into thinking he was his son). ( TNG : " The Battle ", " Bloodlines ")

The Borg / Borg Queen [ ]

After being assimilated by the Borg, Picard (assuming the identity of Locutus) then went to destroy nearly all Federation starships at the Battle of Wolf 359 before proceeding to Earth for an attempted assimilation of that planet. After being de-assimilated, Picard had long resented the fact that the Borg had used his knowledge and experience to kill and/or assimilate innocent people, and developed a hatred for the Borg that would become a defining trait in his later encounters with them; during the incident in which the Borg attempted to disrupt First Contact, he became increasingly volatile and irrational, and would destroy drones with a modicum of enjoyment – even if they were former members of his crew that had only just been injected with nanoprobes. This resentment stayed with him at least six years after he was first assimilated. ( TNG : " The Best of Both Worlds ", " The Best of Both Worlds, Part II ", " Reunion ", " I Borg ", " Descent ", " Descent, Part II "; Star Trek: First Contact )

The House of Duras [ ]

Jean-Luc Picard became a prominent figure in Klingon politics, largely due to his loyalty to Worf during the trial of the House of Mogh in 2366. Picard was determined to uncover the conspiracy that was attempting to frame Mogh for crimes committed by Ja'rod . During his investigation, Duras, son of Ja'rod sent an assassin to murder Picard, but the attempt was unsuccessful and ultimately revealed the complicity of K'mpec and the High Council in these crimes. Even after the death of Duras at the hands of Worf, the House of Duras continued to be antagonistic towards the Federation, with particular emphasis placed on Picard and the crew of the Enterprise -D, which was eventually destroyed by Lursa and B'Etor . ( TNG : " Sins of The Father ", " Redemption ", " Redemption II "; Star Trek Generations )

Shinzon [ ]

As a direct clone of Picard, Shinzon developed a distinctive and deadly rivalry with the captain of the Enterprise , much like Will Riker's rivalry with Thomas Riker and Data's rivalry with Lore . ( TNG : " Second Chances ", " Brothers ") Picard saw traits in Shinzon that he perceived to be flaws within himself. He was bothered by the fact that Shinzon was capable of genocides of interstellar magnitude and was haunted by the notion that he may have chosen the same path as Shinzon had he led his life. During Shinzon's attempt to carry out these genocides, Picard implored him to let go of his past and embrace change, which Shinzon quickly rejected. Picard was significantly pained at the death of Shinzon, but this pain was replaced mere moments later after Data sacrificed himself to save Picard. ( Star Trek Nemesis )

Memorable quotes [ ]

" Space... The final frontier. These are the voyages of the starship Enterprise. Its continuing mission: to explore strange new worlds, to seek out new life and new civilizations, to boldly go where no one has gone before. "

" Shut off that damn noise! Go to yellow alert. "

" If we're going to be damned, let's be damned for what we really are. "

" Let's see what's out there. Engage. "

" The quest for youth, Number One. So futile. "

" The first duty of every Starfleet officer is to the truth, whether it is scientific truth or historical truth or personal truth. It is the guiding principle on which Starfleet is based! And if you can't find it within yourself to stand up and tell the truth about what happened, you don't deserve to wear that uniform! "

"Federation starship Enterprise : Surrender and prepare to be boarded." "That will be the day."

" 'With the first link, the chain is forged. The first speech censured, the first thought forbidden, the first freedom denied, chains us all irrevocably.' Those words were uttered by Judge Aaron Satie as wisdom and warning. The first time any man's freedom is trodden on, we're all damaged. "

" There… are… four … lights! "

" It's been a long time, Captain. " " Have we met before? " " Yes, sir. We met in battle. I was on the Saratoga at Wolf 359. "

" Good luck, Mister Sisko. "

" There is a way out of every box, a solution to every puzzle, it's just a matter of finding it. "

" He's James T. Kirk . Don’t you read history? "

" Someone once told me that time is a predator that stalks us all our lives but I rather believe that time is a companion that goes with us on a journey and reminds us to cherish every moment… because it will never come again. What we leave behind is not as important as how we've lived. "

" I'm about to commit a direct violation of our orders. Any of you who wish to object should do so, now. It will be noted in my log. "

" I will not sacrifice the Enterprise . We've made too many compromises already, too many retreats. They invade our space and we fall back. They assimilate entire worlds and we fall back. Not again! The line must be drawn here ! This far, no further ! And I will make them pay for what they've done! "

" Mr. Data? " " Sir? " " Shut up. " " Yes, sir. " " Fifteen years, I've been waiting to say that. "

" Things are only impossible until they're not! "

" Let us make sure history never forgets the name, Enterprise . "

" It says a great deal about the mind of Commander Data, that looking at the human race with all its violence and corruption and willful ignorance. He could still see kindness, immense curiosity, and greatness of spirit. And he wanted, more than anything else, to be part of that. To be a part of the human family. We are such stuff as dreams are made of. And out little life is rounded, with a sleep. "

Catchphrases [ ]

" Make it so! "

" Engage. "

" Tea, Earl Grey, hot. "

" Number One "

" What the devil? " or " What in Heaven's name? "

Reminiscences [ ]

In 2369 , after Vash arrived on Deep Space 9, Miles O'Brien told Benjamin Sisko about her relationship with Picard, explaining " Well sir, Vash and Captain Picard were friends. Close friends, if you follow my meaning. " While Sisko replied " Somehow she doesn't seem to be his type, " O'Brien thought it was because Picard "likes a good challenge."

Later when Q saw Vash working over Quark , he described her actions as "perfectly vile," adding " If that's the kind of company you kept before meeting me, it's no wonder you ended up with Picard. "

Later yet, when Q placed Sisko in a boxing match, he was shocked after Sisko knocked him to the ground. " You hit me… Picard never hit me! ", to which Sisko shot back, " I'm not Picard! "

Finally, when the crew of the station could not tie the odd happening on the station to one of the artifacts Vash had brought aboard, Q appeared before the senior staff and claimed how " Picard and his lackeys would have solved all this technobabble hours ago, " before directing to Sisko, that it was " No wonder you're not commanding a starship. " ( DS9 : " Q-Less ")

In 2372 , Worf and Miles O'Brien reminisced in Quark's about rescuing Picard from the Borg Collective. ( DS9 : " The Way of the Warrior ")

Later that year, after a member of the Q Continuum arrived on her ship seeking asylum, Captain Janeway automatically assumed he was Picard's Q – which instead made him nervous and agitated. When that Q, tasked with capturing the renegade, appeared on the bridge, she realized that he was the being she'd heard so much about, he laughed and asked her, " Has Jean-Luc been whispering about me behind my back? " ( VOY : " Death Wish ")

In her effort to look through every log entry of Starfleet captains who had contact with the Borg, Captain Janeway cited Picard's words among others: " In their collective state, the Borg are utterly without mercy – driven by one will alone, the will to conquer. They are beyond redemption, beyond reason ", with Chakotay claiming that she had unknowingly mimicked Picard's vocal mannerisms while quoting him. ( VOY : " Scorpion ")

According to Valerie Archer , while discussing Boothby to Chakotay , " Half the captains in Starfleet wouldn't be where they are today if it weren't for Boothby, " including Picard. ( VOY : " In the Flesh ")

In 2375 , Ensign Nog mentioned Al Lorenzo having a curious interest in taking holophotos of himself sitting behind the desks of famous Starfleet captains. Usually, he would sneak into their offices, but the Dominion War made it difficult for him to get away. Among the photos in his collection included Lorenzo sitting behind the desks of such famous commanders as Robert DeSoto and Jean-Luc Picard. ( DS9 : " Treachery, Faith and the Great River ")

Q mentioned "Jean-Luc" as another option for helping to raise his son to the satisfaction of the Q Continuum. He wondered aloud if it was not too late to ask Picard instead of Janeway. ( VOY : " Q2 ")

Quotes about Picard [ ]

" … the heart of an explorer, and the soul of a poet. "

" You know, I never thought I would say this, but it's good to see you again. It brings a sense of order and stability to my universe to know that you're still a pompous ass. And a damn sexy man. "

" I've never known anyone with more drive, determination or more courage than Jean-Luc Picard. "

" I had such high hopes for you, Picard. I thought you were a bit more evolved than the rest of your species. But now I realize you're just as weak as all the others. Still, it pains me to see the great Jean-Luc Picard brought down by a woman. "

" Jean-Luc, I never knew you were such a cad . I'm impressed. "

" Really, Vash, I can't believe you're still pining for Jean-Luc, that self righteous do-gooder. "

" Actually, what I was hoping for was a little witty repartee, but I see I'm not going to get any of that either. At least your beloved Jean-Luc knows how to turn a phrase… "

" You know Picard. Every part of that guy that's not ego is rampaging id. "

Chronology [ ]

• 2305 : Born in La Barre , France , on Earth .
• 2322 : Applies to Starfleet Academy for the first time, but is rejected.
• 2323 : Is admitted to Starfleet Academy, wins Academy marathon.
• 2327 : Graduates Starfleet Academy, and has to be implanted with an artificial heart after a fight with a Nausicaan .
• 2333 : Assumes command of the Constellation -class starship USS Stargazer . ( TNG : " The Battle ")
• 2346 : Has a relationship with Miranda Vigo . ( TNG : " Bloodlines ")
• 2355 : Participates in the Battle of Maxia against a Ferengi vessel; invents a new tactical ploy to win the battle, later dubbed the " Picard Maneuver ." ( TNG : " The Battle ")
• Early 2360s : Picard, while commanding an interim starship responds to a distress call from colonists in the Carnelian minefield .
• 2363 : Assumes command of the USS Enterprise -D ; his first mission as captain involves contact with the Q entity. ( TNG : " Encounter at Farpoint ", PIC : " The Star Gazer " commemorative plaque )
• 2366 : Is captured by the Borg and forced to become a member of the Borg Collective , leading the invasion of the Federation as Locutus of Borg ; this includes leading the Borg victory over the Federation at the Battle of Wolf 359 . Despite Borg control over him, Picard manages to relay information to the crew of the Enterprise which allows the Borg to be defeated. ( TNG : " The Best of Both Worlds ", " The Best of Both Worlds, Part II ")
• 2367 : Prevents an attempt by the Romulans to take over the Klingon Empire by indirectly interfering in the Klingon Civil War . ( TNG : " Redemption ", " Redemption II ")
• 2369 : Discovers an ancient message left by the first humanoid beings in our galaxy. ( TNG : " The Chase ")
• 2370 : Blights the second Borg invasion of the Federation , led by individualized Borg drones under the influence of the android Lore . ( TNG : " Descent ", " Descent, Part II ")
• 2371 : The Enterprise -D is destroyed over Veridian III . ( Star Trek Generations )
• 2372 : Is assigned command of the USS Enterprise -E . ( Star Trek: First Contact )
• 2373 : Travels back in time to 2063 to defeat an attempt by the Borg to create an alternate timeline in which the Federation is never created. ( Star Trek: First Contact )
• 2375 : Rebels against Starfleet Admiral Dougherty in order to protect the Ba'ku . ( Star Trek: Insurrection )
• 2379 : Travels to Romulus to meet Praetor Shinzon , a clone of himself. Kills Shinzon during the battle with the Scimitar . ( Star Trek Nemesis )
• 2385 : Retires from Starfleet in protest after Federation denies continued aid to the Romulans and bans synthetic lifeforms following the attack on Mars and the Utopia Planitia Fleet Yards by Synths . ( PIC : " Remembrance ", " The End is the Beginning ")
• 2399 : Visited by a female android named Dahj Asha who is seeking his help. Later dies on Coppelius and has his memories and consciousness transferred into a golem . ( PIC : " Remembrance ", " Et in Arcadia Ego, Part 2 ")
• Between 2399 and 2401 : Appointed Chancellor of Starfleet Academy
• 2401: Retires from Starfleet

Appendices [ ]

See also [ ], appearances [ ].

• " Encounter at Farpoint "
• " The Naked Now "
• " Code of Honor "
• " The Last Outpost "
• " Where No One Has Gone Before "
• " Lonely Among Us "
• " Justice "
• " The Battle "
• " Hide And Q "
• " The Big Goodbye "
• " Datalore "
• " Angel One "
• " 11001001 "
• " Too Short A Season "
• " When The Bough Breaks "
• " Home Soil "
• " Coming of Age "
• " Heart of Glory "
• " The Arsenal of Freedom "
• " Symbiosis "
• " Skin Of Evil "
• " We'll Always Have Paris "
• " Conspiracy "
• " The Neutral Zone "
• " The Child "
• " Where Silence Has Lease "
• " Elementary, Dear Data "
• " The Outrageous Okona "
• " Loud As A Whisper "
• " The Schizoid Man "
• " Unnatural Selection "
• " A Matter Of Honor "
• " The Measure Of A Man "
• " The Dauphin "
• " Contagion "
• " The Royale "
• " Time Squared "
• " The Icarus Factor "
• " Pen Pals "
• " Samaritan Snare "
• " Up The Long Ladder "
• " Manhunt "
• " The Emissary "
• " Peak Performance "
• " Shades of Gray "
• " Evolution "
• " The Ensigns of Command "
• " The Survivors "
• " Who Watches The Watchers "
• " The Bonding "
• " Booby Trap "
• " The Enemy "
• " The Price "
• " The Vengeance Factor "
• " The Defector "
• " The Hunted "
• " The High Ground "
• " A Matter of Perspective "
• " Yesterday's Enterprise "
• " The Offspring "
• " Sins of The Father "
• " Allegiance "
• " Captain's Holiday "
• " Tin Man "
• " Hollow Pursuits "
• " The Most Toys "
• " Ménage à Troi "
• " Transfigurations "
• " The Best of Both Worlds "
• " The Best of Both Worlds, Part II "
• " Brothers "
• " Suddenly Human "
• " Remember Me "
• " Reunion "
• " Future Imperfect "
• " Final Mission "
• " The Loss "
• " Data's Day "
• " The Wounded "
• " Devil's Due "
• " First Contact "
• " Galaxy's Child "
• " Night Terrors "
• " Identity Crisis "
• " The Nth Degree "
• " The Drumhead "
• " Half a Life "
• " The Host "
• " The Mind's Eye "
• " In Theory "
• " Redemption "
• " Redemption II "
• " Ensign Ro "
• " Silicon Avatar "
• " Disaster "
• " The Game "
• " Unification I "
• " Unification II "
• " A Matter Of Time "
• " New Ground "
• " Hero Worship "
• " Violations "
• " The Masterpiece Society "
• " Conundrum "
• " Power Play "
• " The Outcast "
• " Cause And Effect "
• " The First Duty "
• " Cost Of Living "
• " The Perfect Mate "
• " Imaginary Friend "
• " The Next Phase "
• " The Inner Light "
• " Time's Arrow "
• " Time's Arrow, Part II "
• " Realm Of Fear "
• " Man Of The People "
• " Schisms "
• " Rascals "
• " A Fistful of Datas "
• " The Quality of Life "
• " Chain Of Command, Part I "
• " Chain Of Command, Part II "
• " Ship In A Bottle "
• " Face Of The Enemy "
• " Tapestry "
• " Birthright, Part I "
• " Birthright, Part II "
• " Starship Mine "
• " Lessons "
• " The Chase "
• " Frame of Mind "
• " Suspicions "
• " Rightful Heir "
• " Second Chances "
• " Timescape "
• " Descent "
• " Descent, Part II "
• " Liaisons "
• " Interface "
• " Gambit, Part I "
• " Gambit, Part II "
• " Phantasms "
• " Dark Page "
• " Attached "
• " Force of Nature "
• " Inheritance "
• " Parallels "
• " The Pegasus "
• " Homeward "
• " Sub Rosa "
• " Lower Decks "
• " Thine Own Self "
• " Eye of the Beholder "
• " Genesis "
• " Journey's End "
• " Firstborn "
• " Bloodlines "
• " Emergence "
• " Preemptive Strike "
• " All Good Things... "
• DS9 : " Emissary "
• Star Trek Generations
• Star Trek: First Contact
• Star Trek: Insurrection
• Star Trek Nemesis
• ENT : " These Are the Voyages... " (voice only; archive audio)
• ST : " Children of Mars " (picture only)
• " Remembrance "
• " Maps and Legends "
• " The End is the Beginning "
• " Absolute Candor "
• " Stardust City Rag "
• " The Impossible Box "
• " Nepenthe "
• " Broken Pieces "
• " Et in Arcadia Ego, Part 1 "
• " Et in Arcadia Ego, Part 2 "
• " The Star Gazer "
• " Penance "
• " Assimilation "
• " Watcher "
• " Fly Me to the Moon "
• " Two of One "
• " Monsters "
• " Hide and Seek "
• " Farewell "
• " The Next Generation "
• " Disengage "
• " Seventeen Seconds "
• " No Win Scenario "
• " Imposters "
• " The Bounty "
• " Dominion "
• " Surrender "
• " The Last Generation "
• DIS : " Red Directive " (archive image)

Background information [ ]

Patrick Stewart wears a hairpiece during a flashback sequence from " Violations "

Patrick Stewart during the filming of Star Trek Nemesis , with Director Stuart Baird

Picard was played by Patrick Stewart in all of the character's television and film appearances. David Tristan Birkin played Picard as a child in TNG : " Rascals ", while Marcus Nash appeared as Picard as a young ensign in " Tapestry ". Tom Hardy was seen as Cadet Picard in a photograph in Star Trek Nemesis ; Hardy also played Picard's clone, Shinzon , in the same film.

According to the Star Trek Encyclopedia  (4th ed., vol. 2, p. 145), Robert H. Justman said that Picard was named after oceanographer Jacques Piccard .

According to the Star Trek: The Next Generation Companion  (2nd ed., p. 13) the original casting call sent out to agents asked for the following:

" CAPT. Julien Picard – A Caucasian man in his 50s who is very youthful and in prime physical condition. Born in Paris , his Gallic accent appears when deep emotions are triggered. He is definitely a 'romantic' and believes strongly in concepts like honor and duty. Capt. Picard commands the Enterprise . He should have a mid-Atlantic accent, and a wonderfully rich speaking voice. "

The character of Picard changed quite a bit from the March 1987 version of the Writers/Directors Guide. In that guide, he was born in Paris, carried a touch of French phrasing in his speech, and pretended that France is "the only true civilization" on Earth (reminiscent of Pavel Chekov ).

In 1986 , D.C. Fontana made an attempt to recruit actor Stephen Macht for the role. " She called me in 1986 and said she wanted me to come in and meet Gene Roddenberry , " said Macht. " She told me he was the writer of Star Trek and she wanted him to meet me. So I went in, I sit down opposite him in his office, and D.C. was with me. He said, 'D.C. has brought me clips of everything you've done since you've been in Hollywood. You are my next Star Trek hero, Picard.' And I'm full of piss and vinegar at that time. I was forty-two and doing well. I said to him, 'I've seen these things, and I don't want to do them. I don't want to speak to guys with six heads for the rest of my life.' He said, 'It's not about that, Stephen. They're morality tales. I want you to do it. You just have to come read for the studio head.' 'I don't want to read. You want me to do it? Offer it to me. You know who my agent is.' " ( The Fifty-Year Mission: The Next 25 Years , p. 92)

Also considered for the role of Picard were Louis Gossett, Jr. , Yaphet Kotto , James Earl Jones , Billy Dee Williams , Avery Brooks , and Keir Dullea . By 9 April 1987 , a meeting between the studio and Kotto was scheduled (with no audition to be held) on 14 April 1987. On or shortly before 9 April, Kotto's agent called TNG Casting Director Junie Lowry , suggesting Kotto would fly down only if Paramount paid to have him flown down, and that Kotto would prefer to take Gene Roddenberry for lunch rather than having a meeting. Lowry replied that a meeting would be preferable to everyone at the studio, owing to all the busy schedules involved, and notified the agent that Kotto would be meeting not only Roddenberry but also both producers and Jeff Hayes. She also said it was unlikely that the studio would pay to fly Kotto in for a meeting, to which the agent quickly began to concede on that point. He then enquired as to how serious the studio's interest was in casting Kotto, a question already asked. Lowry answered that, if the studio decided to go for a black captain as the series lead, Kotto was under extremely serious consideration. The meeting remained scheduled, and Lowry included a written account of the phone call in a casting availability update memo she sent to "all concerned" on 9 April 1987. In the memo, she listed Gossett, Kotto, and Williams as being available, whereas Jones and Brooks were noted as unavailable. As noted in the same document, Gossett's agent doubted that Gossett would be interested, and a VHS tape of Dullea was meanwhile being shot in New York. The casting notes also mentioned Stephen Macht, without specifying the role he was being considered for, though the memo did state, " He is certainly very interested. "

Robert Justman was instrumental in the casting of Picard. Patrick Stewart was discovered by Justman and his wife when pre-production work for the then-forthcoming Star Trek series had been taking place at Paramount for about a month or two. The event occurred one night while Stewart was giving a dramatic reading at the University of California at Los Angeles, as part of a UCLA extension course on humor which Justman and his wife were taking. That night, Stewart was one of two speakers reading from Shakespearean comedies and Noël Coward. While Justman sat with his wife and watched the readings, he thought Stewart looked familiar, but couldn't quite place him. " Patrick sat down, pushed up his jacket sleeves to display his massive forearms, and commenced to read, " Justman reflected. " He spoke a few sentences and I was thunderstruck. I turned to my wife, Jackie, and I said, 'I think I found our new captain!' " Justman was so impressed by Stewart's performance that night that, the next day, he called the Screen Actor's Guild and determined who Stewart's agent was in Los Angeles, because the actor was living in London and was temporarily in America just to perform the reading at UCLA. Contacting the agent, Justman arranged for Stewart to meet with Gene Roddenberry and Justman himself at Roddenberry's house the following Monday. " Patrick came in his rental car, and we sat around for thirty-forty minutes, " Justman continued, " and then he made his good-byes and left to fly back to England. After he drove away, Gene closed the door and turned to me, and I will quote him exactly. He said, 'I won't have him.' " Roddenberry himself noted, " My first reaction was, 'Jesus Christ, Bob, I don't want a bald man.' " ( The Fifty-Year Mission: The Next 25 Years , pp. 89-90 & 91)

As of 13 April 1987, the performers who were being considered to play Picard included Mitch Ryan , Roy Thinnes , Yaphet Kotto, and Patrick Bauchau . On that day Bauchau successfully auditioned for Gene Roddenberry; the "favorites" for the part were meanwhile regarded as Bauchau as well as Patrick Stewart, with the other three performers scheduled to start auditioning the following week. These developments were included in a general TNG casting memo from John Ferraro to John Pike (also forwarded to Jeff Hayes), sent the same day as Bachau's audition – 13 April 1987. [5]

Another memo sent on that date specifically pertained to the casting of Picard, and was from Junie Lowry to, again, "all concerned." It noted about Yaphet Kotto that, although he was available for the part, the studio was still waiting to find out if he would fly down or would only send a tape of himself. The same memo listed Keir Dullea, John Saxon , George Hearn , Lee Van Cleef , Andrew Duggan , John McMartin , Theodore Bikel , Thomas Hill , Edward Mulhare , Dick Shawn , James Olson , Don Ameche , James Gammon , Telly Savalas , and Billy Dee Williams as all being available for the part. Both Mulhare and Savalas were noted as actually being interested in it, too. Both Dullea and McMartin were in New York, and the studio was yet to receive a tape from Dullea, who refused to audition for the role without a test option agreement first being arranged. Hearn and Williams weren't interested (in Williams' case, his disinterest was because the series would be syndicated), and Hill would only be available after 24 April . Anthony Quayle was listed as possibly being interested, though he was currently in London. Performers who, despite having been considered, were listed as not available included Paul Gleason , Noble Willingham , Moses Gunn , William Devane , John Hillerman , Robert Hogan , Fred Gwynne , Dana Elcar , Peter Donat , and Peter Michael Goetz . Listed as uninterested were George Grizzard , Rip Torn , and Scott Glenn (Torn wasn't interested in doing any TV at that point in his career). [6]

Shortly after Robert Justman discovered Patrick Stewart, Rick Berman met Stewart. Like Justman, Berman was impressed, so he advised Justman that they needed to persuade Roddenberry to cast Stewart as Picard. " Bob said to me, 'We can't. When Gene makes up his mind, it's a waste of time to try and change it,' " Berman recounted. " But in my case, ignorance was bliss. I didn't believe that. " Justman himself stated about Roddenberry, " No matter what I said, he was adamant, and the reason was because the character he had created in his own mind was a very hairy Frenchman, so we embarked upon a campaign that lasted for some months, and when Rick Berman came on the show and became supervising producer with me, Rick jumped all over it, too, and said, 'He's perfect!' " Berman characterized himself as "the guy who basically bugged Gene into realizing that Patrick was the best Picard." Roddenberry recalled, " In his wisdom, Justman kept his mouth shut and let me grow accustomed to him. " Said Justman, " Our casting director was for it, everyone was for it, except Gene. We went through everybody in town and in foreign countries trying to find the right person to play the captain, and couldn't. Finally, our last candidate came in, read for us and left, and we were sitting there – the casting director, Rick, Gene, and myself – and he finally turned around and looked at us and said, 'All right, I'll go with Patrick,' and that was it. It was so right, I've never been more sure of anything in my life, at least in the business, than casting Patrick in that role. He was everything that a captain ought to be. " ( The Fifty-Year Mission: The Next 25 Years , pp. 90 & 91)

At first, Gene Roddenberry's acceptance of Patrick Stewart as Picard was conditional. " He said, 'But when we bring him to the studio for the final audition, I want him to wear a wig, because I don't want this guy going in bald,' " Rick Berman remembered. Via phone call to London, Stewart had a wig made by one of the most well-renowned theatrical wig makers in England, then had the wig dispatched to America. When TNG Supervising Producer David Livingston first met Stewart, the actor visited Livingston's trailer (where Livingston was otherwise alone) with a box of wigs, and asked where he could find the make-up and hair staff, as the production crew wanted to see what he looked like with the wigs on. Stewart eventually found someone who helped him put on the wig. He then auditioned for John Pike, who was well aware that Stewart was really bald. " He had seen all the photographs of him, and we had played him a tape of Patrick's clips, " Berman noted. ( The Fifty-Year Mission: The Next 25 Years , pp. 91-92)

By this time, the only remaining contender for the part, according to Rick Berman, was Stephen Macht. Like Stewart, he also auditioned for John Pike. Despite regarding Macht as "a very good actor," Berman believed he wasn't anywhere near as suitable for the role as Patrick Stewart was. Years later, Macht admitted that, at that point in his life, he hadn't been prepared to play such a major role, partly because he had been too young and egotistical, and partly because he had been uninterested in doing a series. " I just was not ready, " he declared. " I would be now, but I wasn't then. In the intervening years, of course, after so much experience, I found that there are so many layers to who I am that I can reveal slowly and that would have made a TV series like The Next Generation more appealing. Looking back at it, I thank Dorothy and Gene for a marker in my life that I can really think about in terms of seeing what the trajectory has been over a whole period of years [… ] Had I known then what I know now, I would have knocked the shit out of that role. " ( The Fifty-Year Mission: The Next 25 Years , p. 92)

Ultimately, John Pike opted for Patrick Stewart rather than Stephen Macht. Pike did so with one extra piece of advice: that Stewart "lose the wig." Remarked Berman, " That was the best three words we could have heard. " ( The Fifty-Year Mission: The Next 25 Years , p. 92) In a one-line memo Helen Mossler sent Gene Roddenberry on 1 May 1987 , Mossler announced, " Patrick Stewart's deal has been finalized and has been sent to his agent for his signature. " [7]

Picard was originally intended to be in his early fifties, with a twenty-two-year stint captaining the Stargazer ( citation needed • edit ) ; Stewart himself was forty-seven in 1987 . The show established a long gap between the Stargazer and the Enterprise -D; the Okuda timeline states he was 59 in TNG Season 1 (and thus is 74 in Star Trek Nemesis , compared to Stewart having been 62 when that film was made). ( citation needed • edit ) Similarly, although Stewart was 79 when he filmed the first season of Star Trek: Picard , set in 2399, Picard is 94.

When Patrick Stewart accepted the offer to play Picard, a friend of his asked him what he thought it would feel like to portray "an American icon." At the time, that prospect made Stewart feel uneasy. ( The Fifty-Year Mission: The Next 25 Years , p. 93)

During an interview with Michael Parkinson , Patrick Stewart related how, in his first press conference for The Next Generation , a reporter asked Gene Roddenberry how Captain Picard could be bald, figuring that baldness would surely be cured by the 24th century . Roddenberry replied, " By the 24th century, no one will care. " [8]

In a 2014 appearance on NPR 's quiz show Wait Wait... Don't Tell Me! , Patrick Stewart indicated that the real life reason for Picard lacking a French accent was that it sounded silly when he attempted it:

Patrick Stewart was, though, fascinated with attempting to assert strength in his portrayal of Picard. " It was always important to me to try and establish and affirm the quiet, but absolute authority he has on the ship, " said Stewart, " and that seemed to be successful. " ( The Fifty-Year Mission: The Next 25 Years , p. 94)

Picard was irrevocably altered by his ordeal as Locutus, in " The Best of Both Worlds " and " The Best of Both Worlds, Part II ". " Picard became more Human than ever before, " commented writer Michael Piller . " He was the indestructible captain, untouchable, above all risk and danger, and suddenly, in this two-parter, he is a man who's been raped by the Borg and has to deal emotionally with huge consequences [… ] And after that, Picard was more complex, never the same; he was a far more interesting character after that. " ( Mission Overview , TNG Season 4 DVD special feature) Ira Steven Behr agreed that temporarily having Picard, "who, compared to Kirk, was an administrator more than an adventurer," be transformed into a Borg "kind of gave his humanity back to him" and was a "genius" idea. Patrick Stewart concurred, " Making the man more human and vulnerable and prone to error and mistake was a great decision. " ( William Shatner Presents: Chaos on the Bridge )

David Livingston , who directed the TNG episodes " The Mind's Eye " and " Power Play ", found it was relatively very easy to direct Patrick Stewart's characterization of Picard. " The only run-in I ever had with him, I was on the set as a producer and I thought I heard him say a line wrong, and the director said 'cut, print.' I told the director, I think Patrick got that line wrong. Patrick said, 'No, I didn't.' The director said, 'It sounded fine to me.' I had the sound man, Alan Bernard , play back the take, and I was right. They did the line over again, and Patrick said thanks. That was dangerous. I could have kept my mouth shut, but I had a responsibility. That seems like a minor thing, but when you tell Patrick Stewart he went up on a line and nobody else heard it, that's dangerous. " ( The Fifty-Year Mission: The Next 25 Years , pp. 94-95)

The idea that Picard served under Captain Uhura while at the Academy has its roots in a story proposed for Star Trek: Short Treks , in which a young Picard would have been mentored by an elderly Uhura. Although the proposed Short Treks episode never came to fruition, two pieces of set dressing for Star Trek: Picard (the Speed of Light Club certificate in Picard's quantum archive, seen in " Remembrance ", and the commemorative plaque for the USS Leondegrance seen in " The Star Gazer ") establish the relationship canonically. [9]

Jean-Luc Picard was the first character to be seen on Star Trek: The Next Generation . Likewise, he was the last person to be seen in the final TNG outing, Star Trek Nemesis .

Other than in alternate timelines , Picard appeared as a captain throughout the entire run of TNG and the subsequent films. Data and Dr. Crusher are the only other characters from TNG to remain at the ranks they started with, though a costuming error in " All Good Things... " has Data wearing the wrong insignia for part of that episode.

Picard is the only character to have appeared in the pilot episodes of three Star Trek series ( TNG : " Encounter at Farpoint ", DS9 : " Emissary " and PIC : " Remembrance "). Patrick Stewart is also the first actor seen on screen in each episode, and speaks the first lines in each episode, although in " Emissary " he appears and speaks first as Locutus of Borg.

Apart from James T. Kirk , Picard is the only person to captain two Enterprise s, commanding the Enterprise -D and the Enterprise -E. With the restoration of a cut scene from an extended version of the episode " The Measure Of A Man ", Picard also shares with Pavel Chekov the distinction of having served aboard two starships named Enterprise and one named USS Reliant .

Picard has the distinction of having on-screen dialogue with three of the other main Star Trek captains, the most by any other captain. Picard meets with James T. Kirk in the film Star Trek Generations , Benjamin Sisko in the DS9 pilot "Emissary", and Kathryn Janeway in the film Star Trek Nemesis .

Picard is the only lead character in any Star Trek production who is unambiguously not American . Jonathan Archer was born in upstate New York and raised in San Francisco , California ; Christopher Pike was born in Mojave , California; James T. Kirk was from Iowa ( his alternate reality counterpart was born in space, but raised in Iowa); Benjamin Sisko was born in New Orleans , Louisiana ; and Kathryn Janeway was born in Bloomington , Indiana . Michael Burnham was also born on Earth, and while her nationality hasn't yet been confirmed outright, she speaks with an American accent.

Picard's name, Jean-Luc, is the hyphenated French variants of John and Luke. Picard's sense of French national pride only surfaced briefly in some early episodes, most notably " The Last Outpost ". Over the run of TNG, the character adopted several characteristics commonly associated with the English: he enjoys the works of William Shakespeare , and is never seen reading any works of literature by a French author. He drinks Earl Grey tea , an English beverage named after an English nobleman, and is rarely seen drinking wine , a beverage which is commonplace in French life, only drinking it on five occasions, in " Family ", again in " First Contact ", at the end of Star Trek Nemesis , and in PIC : " Remembrance " and " Nepenthe ". Additionally, his father, brother, and nephew all spoke with English accents.

Reception [ ]

At least initially, fans of Star Trek: The Original Series responded unfavorably to a new captain of the Enterprise being introduced in TNG. Rick Berman later remembered, " They felt, how can you put a new captain at the seat of the Enterprise ? [… ] And when they heard it was going to be a forty-year-old bald Englishman, they kind of went nuts. " ( The Fifty-Year Mission: The Next 25 Years , p. 89) Eventually, the viewers became more accepting towards Picard, much to Patrick Stewart's relief. He commented, " I'm happy that people accepted the captain as a non-American [… ] They refer to the vivid contrast between the previous captain and myself, not in a competitive way, but in that they are so different there isn't any sense of overlap. " ( The Fifty-Year Mission: The Next 25 Years , p. 93) Berman has proclaimed that, ultimately, the fact that Captain Picard was bald was "the greatest sales point for The Next Generation ." ( The Fifty-Year Mission: The Next 25 Years , p. 92)

The cast and crew of TNG approved of Patrick Stewart as Picard. Co-Producer Brannon Braga offered, " So much of the success of Next Generation was Patrick Stewart, quite frankly. We always used to say the guy could read a phone book and we'd watch him. He just was so good. I always said a Star Trek series is only as good as its captain, and Picard was pretty fucking great. " ( The Fifty-Year Mission: The Next 25 Years , p. 93) David Livingston agreed, " If anyone would captain a starship, it would be [Stewart]. He would never blink. Only when he was off-camera. If you watch him on-camera, I defy you to find a time he was blinking, because of the intensity of his captain [… ] It was a delight to direct him. " ( The Fifty-Year Mission: The Next 25 Years , pp. 92 & 94)

Thomas Dougherty, professor of American Studies at Brandeis University, observed, " Captain Picard – he of the balding dome and clipped accents – blossomed as the unchallenged power, the series' pivotal character and controlling force. Ensemble sensibilities aside, the writing staff conceded the obvious – that a strong central protagonist is as necessary to drive the narrative as command the Enterprise . In Shakesperean actor Patrick Stewart, the new crew found a perfect tribal patriarch. Stewart exudes authority and presence, consistently keeping the proceedings away from Space Patrol kitsch. Even in a dumb costume, declaiming deep-space doubletalk, he brings a kind of Elizabethan stature to his role. " ( The Fifty-Year Mission: The Next 25 Years , pp. 93-94)

The infamous Picard facepalm

In recent years, several popular Internet meme s have surfaced in connection with Picard, most notably the "Picard facepalm" (originally based on a scene from " Deja Q "), and its numerous derivatives. [10]

There are a number of musical tributes to Picard, most notably DarkMateria's "Picard Song Tribute" [11] and Bryan Erickson's "Futile". [12]

Apocrypha [ ]

In the alternate future of the DS9 book series Millennium , Picard was captain of the Enterprise -E. He took Ensign Nog under his wing after Nog was assigned to the Enterprise . On stardate 52145.7, Picard attempted to intercept a Dominion warship carrying Weyoun 5 . Weyoun escaped into the Pah-wraith wormhole . In 2381 , the Enterprise was destroyed at the Battle of Rigel VII. According to Thomas Riker , a Starfleet hearing was called, since Picard had lost his third ship (the Stargazer , the Enterprise -D, and the Enterprise -E), but the case was dismissed and Picard was given command of the Enterprise -F in 2383 , described as the "first of its class." In 2385 , Picard accepted a promotion to admiral, and William T. Riker was given command of the Enterprise . When Earth was destroyed by the Grigari, Picard survived. By 2399, Picard was stricken with Irumodic Syndrome, and would occasionally do such things as speak to nobody (although he claimed to be speaking to Q), or mistake other officers for his old crew (for example, he called Nog "Will" and Jake Sisko "Geordi"). It is implied that he married Beverly Crusher , as he comments to Julian Bashir that, between Bashir and Leonard McCoy , he was always worried that his wife would leave him for one of her heroes. Picard headed up a task force to build a timeship known as the USS Phoenix to try and undo the timeline. The Phoenix was destroyed before it could accomplish its mission, but Picard, Nog, and Vash traveled back in time twenty-five thousand years, where they became three Bajoran mystics who wrote prophecies of the events they had experienced; it is also implied that Vash and the elder Picard were married. The entire timeline was later reset thanks to the actions of Benjamin Sisko.

The novel Death in Winter by Michael Jan Friedman told of Picard beginning a romantic relationship with Dr. Beverly Crusher after rescuing her from a planet under Romulan control. A subsequent book, Greater than the Sum , by Christopher L. Bennett , portrayed them as married and expecting a child. The later Paths of Disharmony , by Dayton Ward , shows them with a son, René.

The graphic novel The Gorn Crisis showed Picard undertaking a mission during the Dominion War to make an alliance with the Gorn .

Picard in Star Trek: Countdown

The comic book series Star Trek: Countdown , a tie-in to the 2009 Star Trek film, depicted Picard as having left Starfleet by 2387 to become the Federation Ambassador to Vulcan ; with Data, resurrected in B-4 's body, succeeding him as captain of the Enterprise -E. When the Enterprise arrived at Vulcan, with the Romulan mining vessel Narada in tow, Picard arranged so that the Vulcan High Council would put aside their prejudices and allow Spock to make his case regarding the Hobus supernova. Despite their best efforts, the Council could not be convinced to give the red matter to the Romulans. After Nero had set off, Hobus erupted with the shock wave of the detonation threatening to destroy Earth and Vulcan in a matter of weeks. After La Forge had been called on and the Jellyfish procured as a vessel to launch the red matter, Picard received several Starfleet reports of ships from all the major galactic powers being destroyed when they neared Romulan space. Suspecting Nero, Picard contacted Worf and requested he intercept the madman with his fleet. When the Jellyfish was ready for launch, Picard boarded the Enterprise to join Worf's fleet. Upon arrival, they found the Narada to have been augmented with Borg technology, the Klingon fleet in pieces and Worf near death. Nero offered to return Worf to them, provided they lowered their shields. Though Picard convinced Data to do so, the Enterprise was crippled as a result, leaving her unable to pursue the Narada . Once repairs were complete, the Enterprise arrived to a collapsing singularity with no sign of Spock or Nero. Concluding that Spock had always known his journey would end like this, Picard led the crew in mourning their departed friend.

Picard's image appeared in the comic book adaptation of the 2009 film as part of a collage from Countdown used to depict Spock's mind-meld with the younger Kirk .

The comic miniseries Star Trek: Spock: Reflections established that after the events of Star Trek Generations , Picard sent a message to Spock explaining how Kirk did not die on the Enterprise -B , but was pulled into the Nexus and how he left it to help Picard defeat Soran from killing two hundred million people in order to re-enter the Nexus and in the process, Kirk was killed while saving Picard and millions of others. Since Kirk was already thought dead, and explaining the nature of the Nexus to Starfleet would be difficult, Picard buried Kirk on Veridian III where he gave his life to save millions. Nonetheless, he felt Spock should know of Kirk's fate. Picard met with Spock a year later at the Kirk family farm in Iowa where he realized Spock had traveled to Veridian III to retrieve Kirk's body and brought him back home to Earth. Spock explained how Kirk did the same for him, at a terrible cost and that he needed to be equal to Kirk's sacrifice. Picard then tells Spock that he would be welcomed to return to Starfleet duty, in any capacity, but Spock planned to return to Romulus to continue his work. Picard asks whether arrangements can be made to make Spock's presence there official, but Spock declined, saying he has always led "a life of solitude and duty". As Spock remembers how he once worked with remarkable friends and comrades, he tells Picard to treasure those times in his own life, since they will someday end. They exchange the Vulcan salute and Picard walks away, but turned back to see Spock still standing quietly by his friend's grave.

Picard returned in the Star Trek: Ongoing story arc The Q Gambit . Beginning shortly after the events of Countdown , Picard is visited by Q, who informed him that Spock still lived, and that the black hole actually sent him into an alternate reality . When Q attempted to discuss this timeline, Picard cut him off, believing that the various timelines should remain separate from one another. Annoyed, Q reveals he had come for Picard's counsel as Spock had set off a chain of events that would doom that timeline. But since the former captain was uninterested, Q took his leave for the other timeline despite Picard's attempt to call him back. Picard reappeared at the end of the arc where Q returned, now enveloped by the energies of a Prophet . Flatly, Picard said he didn't want to know.

The 3-issue comic miniseries Star Trek: Picard - Countdown , a tie-in to the television series , detailed the efforts of Picard and his first officer, Lt. Cmdr. Raffi Musiker , to aid in the evacuation of Romulan citizens ahead of the impending supernova depicted in Star Trek . In 2381 , now promoted to admiral, Picard left the Enterprise to take command of the USS Verity ( β ) on an envoy mission to offer aid to the empire after Starfleet intercepted communications and learned of the coming catastrophe. Through tense negotiations, Picard convinced the Romulans to allow Starfleet to help evacuate soon-to-be affected worlds, a logistical challenge that he would later compare to the evacuation at Dunkirk during World War II . Picard directed Commander Geordi La Forge to build a specialized fleet at the Utopia Planitia Fleet Yards above Mars to better assist in the relocation. By 2385 , a number of worlds had slowly been evacuated. As the first of La Forge's new fleet was near ready to come off the line, the Verity was ordered to to evacuate Romulan colonists from Yuyat Beta, where Picard and Musiker learned of a massive native population the Romulans were prepared to let die. They thwarted a plot by the governor and the Tal Shiar to capture the Verity to use against Starfleet, who they believed was using evacuations as a ruse to sabotage the Romulan Empire. Evacuation of the Romulans and Yuyati proceeded. Picard was introduced to Laris Avem and Zhaban Noctis , two Tal Shiar agents in an illicit love affair who aided in de-escalating the situation. Picard offered them safe haven from retribution on his family's vineyard on Earth.

The alternate future of Star Trek Online established Picard's retirement to private life as occurring in 2402 when he settled in his ancestral home of France.

External links [ ]

• Jean-Luc Picard at Wikipedia
• Jean-Luc Picard at Wikiquote
• Jean-Luc Picard at Memory Beta , the wiki for licensed Star Trek works
• Jean-Luc Picard at the Star Trek Online Wiki

Jean-Luc Picard

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Captain Jean-Luc Picard ( Template:Pron-en ) is a fictional Star Trek character primarily portrayed by the actor Patrick Stewart . He appears in the television series Star Trek: The Next Generation and the feature films Star Trek 7: Generations , Star Trek 8: First Contact , Star Trek 9: Insurrection , and Star Trek 10: Nemesis and made an appearance in the pilot episode of Star Trek: Deep Space Nine.

Depicted as deeply moral, highly logical and cerebral, Picard is a master of diplomacy and debate who resolves seemingly intractable issues between multiple parties. Though such resolutions are usually peaceful, Picard is also shown utilizing his remarkable tactical skills in situations when it is required. Template:Citation needed

Casting and design [ ]

After the success of the contemporary Star Trek feature films , a new television series featuring a new cast was announced on October 10, 1986. [1] Star Trek creator Gene Roddenberry named Picard for one or both of the twin brothers Auguste Piccard and Jean Felix Piccard , 20th-century Swiss scientists. [2] [3]

Patrick Stewart , a Shakespearean actor, [4] was at first considered for the role of Data . [5] Roddenberry's first choice for Picard was Stephen Macht , and it took "weeks of discussion" with Robert H. Justman to convince Roddenberry that "Stewart was the one they had been looking for to sit in the captain's chair." [6] Stewart, who has a background of theatre at the Royal Shakespeare Company, has been appreciative of his role, but pointed out he is not nearly as serious or brooding as his alter ego. [7] Stewart also stated, "One of the delights of having done this series and played this role is that people are so attracted to the whole idea of Star Trek ... several years after the series has ended... I enjoy hearing how much people enjoyed the work we did... It's always gratifying to me that this bald, middle-aged Englishman seems to connect with them." [7] Stewart has also commented that his role has helped open up Shakespeare to science fiction fans. He has noted "regular presence of Trekkies in the audience" whenever he plays theatre, and added: "I meet these people afterwards, I get letters from them and see them at the stage door... And they say, 'I've never seen Shakespeare before, I didn't think I'd understand it, but it was wonderful and I can't wait to come back.'" [8]

Depiction [ ]

Jean-Luc Picard was born to Maurice and Yvette Picard Cite error: Invalid <ref> tag; invalid names, e.g. too many in La Barre , France , on July 13, 2305, and dreamed of joining Starfleet . [9] He failed his first Starfleet Academy entrance exam, but was subsequently admitted and became the first freshman to win the Academy marathon . [9] His academic training in archaeology is mentioned in numerous TNG episodes; he also remarks at one point that he failed a semester of organic chemistry . Shortly after graduation, Picard was stabbed in the heart by a Nausicaan , leaving the organ irreparable and requiring replacement with a parthenogenetic implant ; this would prove near-fatal later . [9] Picard eventually served as first officer aboard the USS Stargazer , which he later commanded. [9] During that time, he invented a starship evasive attack maneuver that would become known as the Picard Maneuver .

Star Trek: The Next Generation depicts Picard's command of the USS Enterprise (NCC-1701-D) . [10] The pilot episode shows the ship's mission to investigate a problem at Farpoint Station, which becomes sidetracked when Q makes Picard "representative" in a trial charging humanity with being a "dangerously savage child-race". [10] Picard persuades Q to test humanity, and Q chooses as the test's first stage the crew's performance at Farpoint. [10] The trial "ends" seven years later (when Q reminds Picard that it never does), in the series finale , when humanity is absolved by Picard's demonstration that the species has the capacity to explore the "possibilities of existence". [10]

The third season finale, " The Best of Both Worlds, Part I ", depicts Picard being assimilated by the Borg to serve as a bridge between humanity and the Borg; on the borg cube, Picard's assimilation and recovery are a critical point in the character's development, and provided backstory for the film Star Trek: First Contact and the development of Benjamin Sisko , the protagonist of Star Trek: Deep Space Nine . [10] [11] Stewart asked Roddenberry to keep Picard a Borg for a few more episodes beyond the third season finale, as he thought that would be more interesting than simply restoring Picard in Part II. [5] It is later revealed in First Contact that parts of Borg machinery are still inside Picard, and that he retains traumatic memories of assimilation.

Picard joins forces with legendary Enterprise captain James T. Kirk in Star Trek: Generations to fight the film's villain, Dr. Tolian Soran. Commanding the new USS Enterprise -E (after the Enterprise -D is destroyed in Generations ), Picard again confronts the Borg in First Contact. Later, he fights a species' forced relocation in Star Trek: Insurrection , and encounters Shinzon, a Romulan -made clone of himself, in Star Trek Nemesis .

In the comic Star Trek: Countdown , prequel to the eleventh feature film Star Trek , Picard is depicted as Federation ambassador to Vulcan .

Reception [ ]

Many fans often contrast Picard's leadership style to James T. Kirk 's. Picard is deemed the ultimate delegator of authority, knowing "how to gather and use data better than any other Star Trek captain." His leadership style "is best suited to a large, process-centric, either geographically identical or diverse team". [12] Both Kirk and Picard are considered to be attentive to the needs of their respective crews. [13]

• ↑ The Washington Post . October 13, 1986, Monday, Final Edition. BYLINE: John Carmody, Washington Post Staff Writer. SECTION: STYLE; PAGE B8; THE TV COLUMN
• ↑ Template:Cite web
• ↑ Phillip Brochbank, ed., Players of Shakespeare Cambridge: Cambride University Press (1995)
• ↑ 5.0 5.1 James Hatfield, George Burt, Patrick Stewart: The Unauthorized Biography New York: Kensington Publishing (1996)
• ↑ Adam Schrager, "Patrick Stewart: Thespian on the Bridge" The Finest Crew in the Fleet: The Next Generation's Cast On Screen and Off . New York: Wolf Valley Books (1997): 23. This book gives the actor's name as "Steven Mocked".
• ↑ 7.0 7.1 The Journal Arts: Patrick Stewart
• ↑ Patrick Stewart interview (BBC)
• ↑ 9.0 9.1 9.2 9.3 Template:Cite book
• ↑ 10.0 10.1 10.2 10.3 10.4 Template:Cite book
• ↑ Template:Cite book
• ↑ Paul Kimmerly & David R. Webb, " Leadership, The Final Frontier: Lessons From the Captains of Star Trek " CrossTalk: The Journal of Defense Software Engineering Oct. 2006
• ↑ John D. W. Beck & Neil M. Yeager, The Leader's Window: Mastering the Four Styles of Leadership to Build High-Performing Teams New York: Wiley (1994): 38
• 1 Star Trek (2009)
• 2 Vulcan (Star Trek)

• Entertainment

Star Trek: Picard -- trailer, cast, plot, release date and more

Patrick Stewart beams back into the world of Star Trek as Jean-Luc Picard. Here's all the latest news on the cast, plot, release date, prequels and dog.

He's coming back.

Patrick Stewart is going where no Starfleet captain has gone before: into his very own series, decades after wrapping up his original Star Trek run. He'll have a furry companion, old crew mates along for the ride and plenty of new characters to contend with.

Caution: There may be minor spoilers below.

Star Trek: Picard , a CBS All Access streaming show, will debut on Jan. 23, 2020. The show follows on the heels of Star Trek: Discovery , but the two series take place at very different points in the Trek universe. 

CBS All Access is feeling pretty confident about the show. It has already been renewed for season 2 . (Disclosure: CBS is the parent company of CNET.)

A  trailer  for Picard came out of San Diego Comic-Con  in July, and it was a surprise-packed doozy. The trailer revealed that Star Trek icons Brent Spiner (Data) and Jeri Ryan (Seven of Nine) will appear in the new series. 

Picard will hook up with a new non-Starfleet crew in a quest to protect a mysterious woman named Dahj (Isa Briones) who comes to him for help. The Borg, one of the most imposing Star Trek villains ever created, will play a role in the plot.

Jonathan Frakes (William Riker) and Marina Sirtis (Deanna Troi)  will appear in Picard as their Next Generation characters. We also know Jonathan Del Arco will reprise his role as Hugh the Borg.

A teaser trailer beamed in on May 22, 2019 , shows that Jean-Luc Picard, who was promoted to admiral, led a rescue armada on a mysterious mission 15 years prior to the show's events. He then left Starfleet, leaving us to wonder what prompted his exit and why he's reappearing now. 

CBS first revealed the official Star Trek: Picard name on May 15 and posted a look at the show's logo. The Starfleet logo takes the place of the "A" in Picard. 

A Star Trek: Short Treks episode Children of Mars set up some backstory for Picard, highlighting attacks from "rogue synths" on Mars while Picard was still a Starfleet admiral. The main series should fill in the blanks here.  

NYCC drops hints

This Seven of Nine costume explainer talks about the former Borg member's changes over the years.

New York Comic Con in October 2019 quickly became a hot spot for mining new details on Picard . 

Star Trek had a booth on the convention floor stocked with costumes and a few character details related to the new show. 

A set of descriptions explaining the costuming didn't give us much news about our admiral, but one of them clued us in to what former Borg member Seven of Nine has been up to since the events of Star Trek: Voyager. 

"Seven of Nine has become more comfortable with her humanity in the intervening years," the description read, saying this is represented in her "more casual, stylish and decidedly human clothing."

We also learned the mysterious Dahj arrives at Picard's vineyard in France "with a cut on her head and a strong feeling she can trust Picard implicitly."

A pup for Picard

Stewart and CBS revealed the key art for the show on July 10, just ahead of the star's appearance at San Diego Comic-Con .

The official #StarTrekPicard key art is here. Will you be joining @SirPatStew at @Comic_Con next week? #SDCC #StarTrekSDCC pic.twitter.com/sf7ZnDmXlL — Star Trek on CBS All Access (@startrekcbs) July 10, 2019

The dog, a pit bull, is particularly notable. Zoom in on its ears. They may have been cropped, but they also look a lot like pointy Vulcan ears. Stewart is known for his work fostering rescue dogs. His most recent foster, Emma, is a pit mix with cropped ears.

“No Emma, I’m NOT going to give you any plot details...” #startrek #fosteringsaveslives #adoptdontshop #pitbullsarelove #pitbullsarefamily #adoptmissemma pic.twitter.com/Zwbh04Zlkp — Patrick Stewart (@SirPatStew) April 11, 2019

Stewart shared a photo of Emma along with his hidden Picard rehearsal script in April. The dog in the poster sports a Starfleet emblem tag on its collar and his name is now confirmed as "Number One." 

Revisiting Jean-Luc Picard

Stewart, who on Jan. 13 created an imprint for display at the iconic Chinese Theatre in Hollywood, has a long history with the Star Trek franchise. He first warped into the iconic role of Capt. Jean-Luc Picard of the USS Enterprise with the debut of Star Trek: The Next Generation in 1987. That means Stewart will be back in Picard's shoes more than 30 years after originating the role. He last appeared on screen as Picard in the 2002 movie Star Trek: Nemesis .

More Picard

• Picard trailer -- possible reasons Captain Picard left Starfleet
• Picard memes: Patrick Stewart's best viral Star Trek moments
• The Next Generation finale has me pumped for new Picard series
• Picard is the hero we need, says Star Trek writer Michael Chabon

He's been plenty busy in the meantime, continuing his role as Professor X in the X-Men movies , up through a farewell performance in 2017's  Logan . He has a lot of voice acting credits to his name, including Poop in The Emoji Movie . Fans can also catch him as Bosley in a 2019 version of Charlie's Angels .

Stewart announced the new Picard series in August 2018 at the Official Star Trek Convention in Las Vegas. He called his return "an unexpected but delightful surprise" and said he hopes "to research and experience what comforting and reforming light [Picard] might shine on these often very dark times."

Who's making Picard? 

Stewart is doubling as an executive producer along with Alex Kurtzman, the creator of Star Trek: Discovery. Pulitzer Prize-winning novelist Michael Chabon is on board as an executive producer and writer. Chabon described Picard as "the hero we need right now."

Stewart shared a behind-the-scenes photo in September 2018 from a Picard meeting where he's sitting with Chabon and other members of the show's production staff. Stewart has been involved with the writing for the show from early on.

The journey has begun. Kirsten Beyer, Michael Chabon, Akiva Goldsman, Diandra Pendleton-Thompson, James Duff, and yours truly. #StarTrek pic.twitter.com/GxhwkTIgWQ — Patrick Stewart (@SirPatStew) September 24, 2018

Hanelle Culpepper will make history as the first woman to launch a new Star Trek television show. Culpepper directed the first two episodes. She has an extensive TV resume, which includes Star Trek: Discovery, The Flash and Gotham.

Frakes, who will appear as Riker in the show, has a long career as a director that includes multiple Star Trek franchise entries on both the big and small screens. He directed some episodes of the new series. Frakes posted a photo of himself with Stewart to Twitter on May 21, 2019, and tagged Star Trek on CBS.

Back on the floor w this guy ⁦ @SirPatStew ⁩ ⁦ @startrekcbs ⁩ pic.twitter.com/zPvHltPUts — Jonathan Frakes (@jonathansfrakes) May 21, 2019

The Picard plot

CBS and Stewart had kept pretty quiet on the details of the show's plot until the teaser and full trailer arrived. We already knew it takes place around two decades after the events of Star Trek: Nemesis. 

The teaser lays out a big plot point when a voiceover says Admiral Picard commanded a rescue armada that "led us out of the darkness" 15 years before the series picks up. It asks the questions: What did it cost him and why did he leave Starfleet? That's a huge cliffhanger to contemplate ahead of the show's debut.

The Star Trek: Picard poster shows a Starfleet logo formed from grapevines.

Both the teaser and trailer start in a vineyard, which is a callback to the final TNG television episode in 1994, All Good Things  that showed one possible future Picard working in a vineyard in France. That Picard had become an ambassador. We know the Picard in the new show was promoted to admiral at some point.

A poster for the series shows a vineyard with the Starfleet logo formed out of grapevines along with the catchphrase "The end is only the beginning."

Picard's history ties strongly in with the Romulans. "Picard's life was radically altered by the dissolution of the Romulan Empire," Kurtzman told The Hollywood Reporter . 

The 2009  Star Trek  reboot movie covered the demise of the planet Romulus at the hands of an exploding star in 2387. Could this event have been the focus of Picard's rescue armada? 

The reboot movies take place in the alternate Kelvin timeline, but Picard is firmly located in the prime Star Trek timeline, in the lineage of the TV shows that came before it.

"We're in the prime timeline. Events from the Kelvin timeline impacted Picard. If you look at that movie, the destruction of Romulus was in the prime timeline," Kurtzman clarified during a Television Critics Association press event in January .

Picard has a complicated history with the Romulans. In Nemesis, he tangled with a Romulan clone of himself. 

The trailer features a Borg ship that may be acting as a prison vessel staffed by Romulans. A sign says it has gone 5,843 days without an assimilation.

Don't expect a mere reboot of The Next Generation. "Patrick was very clear to us in the beginning. He didn't want to repeat what he had already done. And by the way, it's been 20-plus years, so he couldn't possibly be that same person anymore," Kurtzman told reporters in January 2019 .

We have a lot of questions about what Picard has been up to all those years, and some of them were answered in a series of prequel books . CBS, Simon & Schuster and comics publisher IDW released Star Trek: Picard -- Countdown, a three-issue comic book miniseries in November. This focused on a life-changing mission for Picard.

A full Picard tie-in novel called The Last Best Hope is due in February 2020. Una McCormack, author of several Star Trek novels, is the author of the book.

Picard's place in Trek

Stewart's Picard took on the weight of Star Trek's future when he stepped up to captain the Enterprise-D. Until then, the Trek universe had revolved around the original crew led by Capt. James T. Kirk, played by William Shatner. Kirk and the gang had re-emerged from the shadow of the original series' cancellation in the '60s and were born again through a string of successful movies starting in 1979. 

Stewart's character couldn't have been more different from the leap-into-action, kiss-the-aliens Kirk. Picard created a new mold for Starfleet captains. His Picard was cerebral, wise and measured, but also passionate. If you need a reminder, watch his defense of android crew member Data as a sentient being in the season 2 episode Measure of a Man.

How to watch

Star Trek: Picard will debut on Jan. 23, 2020. It'll stream in the US on CBS All Access and on the Space Channel in Canada. Internationally, Amazon Prime Video will host each episode within 24 hours of the US premiere in over 200 countries and territories. That's a change from how Discovery is distributed internationally through Netflix.

Star Trek: Picard unveils first look at costumes, props at San Diego Comic-Con

Meet the cast

We all know the star of the show, and more casting details are emerging. We're still waiting for several character names to be confirmed.

• Patrick Stewart as Jean-Luc Picard
• Santiago Cabrera  as Cristobal "Chris" Rios
• Michelle Hurd  as Raffi Musiker
• Alison Pill  as Dr. Agnes Jurati
• Harry Treadaway  as Narek
• Isa Briones as Dahj
• Evan Evagora as Elnor
• Brent Spiner  as Data (or a related android)
• Jeri Ryan  as Seven of Nine
• Jonathan Del Arco  as Hugh the Borg
• Jonathan Frakes as William Riker
• Marina Sirtis as Deanna Troi

15 famous Star Trek guests who brought their own star power (pictures)

Originally published May 17 and updated regularly as more information on Star Trek: Picard comes in.

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Published Feb 28, 2022

Jean-Luc Picard: Starfleet's Hopepunk Captain

Picard stands as a testament to the power of hope.

StarTrek.com

This article was originally published on January 14, 2020

“Knowing humans as thou dost, Captain, wouldst thou be captured helpless by them?” The first challenge presented to Jean-Luc Picard by the omnipotent Q was not a physical challenge, a logic puzzle, or a strategic military encounter. Instead, it was a simple thought experiment: knowing the history of humanity, would Picard deem it safe to be captured by them?

Q went on to call humanity “a dangerous, savage child race” and backed up the point with clear evidence. Wars over geographical domination, murdering in the name of religion, exploring deep space only to instigate violence; Q painted humanity in its worst light, resulting in a test for Picard to prove that humans had moved past that. Q’s nihilistic vision of humans was ‘ grimdark ,’ even before the term hit our popular zeitgeist in the 2000s. Fittingly, the character of Jean-Luc Picard was defined by his response: compassionate, thoughtful, and with a strong moral compass. His ideals have crystallized in an idea gaining traction in popular culture under the term ‘hopepunk.’

But what is hopepunk? Depending on who you ask, the definition can shift, but the general consensus is that hopepunk’s umbrella covers things such as finding meaning in the struggle, building solutions through compassion, standing up for what you believe in, and pushing the world towards a kinder, more accepting place. It means understanding that kindness in itself is a form of resistance, one that can spark as much change as a violent revolution.

Star Trek: Picard Season 2, First Look

The actual term hopepunk came from fantasy novelist Alexandra Rowland in 2017 via a Tumblr post with the intention clearly stated: “The opposite of grimdark is hopepunk.” Grimdark, of course, is the tonal descriptor given to much of the entertainment created in the 2000s and 2010s, where nihilism and violence live in a chicken-and-egg cycle. During this period, grimdark media hit the mainstream thanks to the changing media landscape and a greater acceptance towards more serious genre work and more serialized storytelling, seemingly peaking with The Walking Dead , Game of Thrones , and Christopher Nolan’s Dark Knight trilogy.

Hopepunk rejects that sort of nihilism and puts faith in a more optimistic vision (some might say a more Roddenberry-esque vision), one where stories champion right over might, acceptance over discrimination, hope over fear — even if it requires the ultimate sacrifice.

And there’s nothing more hopepunk in science fiction than Jean-Luc Picard. In fact, Patrick Stewart seemed to have recognized this even before the term’s recent surge in popularity. “During these past years, it has been humbling to hear stories about how The Next Generation brought people comfort, saw them through difficult periods in their lives, or how the example of Jean-Luc inspired so many to follow in his footsteps, pursuing science, exploration, and leadership,” Stewart wrote upon announcing the new Picard series in 2018 . “I feel I'm ready to return to him for the same reason — to research and experience what comforting and reforming light he might shine on these often very dark times.”

How very hopepunk indeed. And how did Jean-Luc Picard inspire so many people? Let’s take a look at seven moments where the captain of the Enterprise-D personified hopepunk.

The Ressikan Flute

“The Inner Light” is one of Star Trek ’s most beloved episodes, not only for the tour de force performance of Patrick Stewart but from the haunting lesson of how the spirit of someone, even an entire civilization, can live on through memory. The actual launch of the probe is in itself a very hopepunk idea, but the way that Picard understands its gravity — not just of his own personal experience, but of the cumulative memories of a people — compounds this notion. Rather than treat the events of “The Inner Light” as a ‘lesson of the week,’ it became a touchstone for Picard, and the hope for that civilization echoed as an integral part of his character, most notably in the episode "Lessons," though the flute is seen in Picard’s ready room in other episodes and the films.

A Chance at Life for Moriarty

In “Elementary, Dear Data,” the holodeck was programmed to create a mystery and an adversary capable of taking on Data’s android brain. The result was a self-aware Moriarty, who in most narratives — including his native Sherlock Holmes stories — would be a clear villain. Yet despite Moriarty’s unscrupulous behavior, Picard empathizes with his situation and recognizes his evolution as a potentially sentient being. Picard’s decisions to not just preserve Moriarty, but also attempt to give him a meaningful existence demonstrates a significant level of compassion when he could have easily recognized Moriarty as a risk and deleted him.

Giving Hugh a Choice

The PTSD impact of Picard's capture and assimilation into the Borg collective echoed into numerous episodes beyond “The Best of Both Worlds,” even going into the pilot of Deep Space Nine and getting its own film in First Contact . In between those, Picard still managed to put his personal demons aside as he develops compassion for Third of Five — or, as he becomes known upon discovering individuality, Hugh. Using Hugh as a vector for an invasive program capable of breaking the Borg’s collective processing was deemed by Picard as unacceptable, something that would put the Enterprise on the same level as them. Instead, Picard suggests inverting this, allowing Hugh to keep his identity and agency over his own destiny. With that action, Picard also hopes that the scan of Hugh brings a moment of individuality among the Borg collective — a sense of hope and identity that may turn the tide in the relentless monolith that is the Borg.

When The Walls Fell

Stranded on a remote planet with an adversary lacking the ability to communicate, Picard’s journey during the episode “Darmok” represents a strong allegory about the importance of understanding to overcome a fear of the other. In this case, Picard refuses to give up in his attempts to understand how Dathon is communicating, and this commitment to understanding — and empathy — is about as hopepunk as you can get. The phrase “Shaka, when the walls fell” may represent failure to Dathon, but the destruction of metaphorical walls between cultures is something we can all strive for.

The Guiding Principle of Starfleet

When addressing a violation of ethics at Starfleet Academy by Wesley Crusher in “The First Duty,” Picard pledges that Starfleet is more than conquering the stars or military might or even peacekeeping; it is about truth. “The first duty of every Starfleet officer is to the truth, whether it's scientific truth, or historical truth, or personal truth! It is the guiding principle on which Starfleet is based, and if you can't find it within yourself to stand up and tell the truth about what happened, you don't deserve to wear that uniform.” Ideas of exploration and heroic space battles and other space opera tropes are exciting and romantic when compared to the simple notion of the truth. But Picard recognizes that without truth, everything else can easily be glossed over or obfuscated; truth is the foundation of hope, and maintaining that truth is a requirement to a strong moral compass.

“There Are Four Lights”

The importance of truth is tested for Picard in the two-part “Chain of Command,” and its relevance echoes particularly strong today. In an age where we are constantly bombarded with disinformation across digital media, the term “gaslighting” has become recognized in mainstream discourse. The fight that we all face, as Picard does, is maintaining the truth when someone is gaslighting you. Through physical and mental torture at the hands Cardassian officer Gul Madred, Picard clings onto the truth, even as Madred promises release should Picard break and admit the false statement that he is looking at five lights. Patrick Stewart’s performance as he defiantly shouts “There are four lights!” is not just one of the most powerful moments in Star Trek , but a brilliant demonstration of the strength of human spirit in the face of overwhelming adversity.

The Price We Have to Pay

The very idea of hope requires a certain bravery to care, and an understanding that maintaining hope is an investment in time and faith. In “The Drumhead,” retired Starfleet Admiral Satie investigates an explosion, which soon becomes a means for exploiting her own personal bigotry. Her extremist views become exposed as she ignores facts to achieve her own vendetta. The episode becomes a courtroom drama, with Picard using Satie’s own words and lineage against her until her extremist views and conspiracy theories dissolve. At the end of the episode, Picard notes that extremists like Satie are never truly gone, and instead in the wings for the right time to flourish. Keeping them at bay requires a commitment to keeping hope alive. “Vigilance,” he says to Worf. “That is the price we have to continually pay.”

Mike Chen (he/him) writes science fiction and about science fiction. His second novel A BEGINNING AT THE END (Mira/HarperCollins, January 2020) is a post-apocalyptic story with hope, and he firmly believes that Jean-Luc Picard would enjoy it. Twitter: @mikechenwriter

Star Trek: Picard streams on Paramount+ in the United States,  in Canada on Bell Media’s CTV Sci-Fi Channel and streams on Crave, and on Amazon Prime Video in more than 200 countries and territories.

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The Star Trek: Picard TV series: Everything we know

CBS has officially launched Star Trek: Picard , a new series focusing on Jean-Luc Picard, Patrick Stewart’s iconic starship captain from the classic TV series Star Trek: The Next Generation and various Star Trek spinoff films — and CBS’s last, best hope in the streaming war.

First episode is free

Picard on a mission, season 2 greenlit, launch date, the trailers, a man and his dog, the supporting cast, behind the camera, the return of jean-luc.

The series premiered January 23 on the CBS All Access streaming service and unfolds 20 years after the events of the 2002 film Star Trek: Nemesis .

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Here’s everything we learned about Star Trek: Picard in the lead-up to its premiere.

Anyone who missed the series premiere of  Star Trek: Picard will get another chance to see what all the buzz is about — and without the need for a CBS All Access subscription.

ViacomCBS has made the first episode of  Picard available on YouTube for a limited time.

Pluto TV , the free, ad-supported streaming video service, also announced plans to repeatedly stream the first episode of Picard over the course of a 24-hour marathon on Thursday, January 30. The episode will then air again every evening at 8 p.m. ET on Pluto TV’s Sci-Fi channel for a week, through February 5.

You now have even more places to watch the premiere episode of #StarTrekPicard ! Enjoy a 24-hour marathon of Episode 1 on Pluto TV Sci-Fi starting now! (CH 661) https://t.co/NoAhliehhQ #PlutoTV #StarTrek pic.twitter.com/yruNoHZt07 &mdash; Pluto TV (@PlutoTV) January 30, 2020

The partnership between CBS All Access and Pluto TV makes sense, given that Pluto TV is owned by ViacomCBS, and could be a sign of things to come as the latter looks to generate more excitement — and subscriptions — for its streaming service.

CBS released a brief preview for the series on Facebook that provided a litany of intriguing new footage. The titular former captain of the Enterprise tells viewers, “I was haunted by my past. But now, I have a mission. I will do what needs to be done.”

While the promotional spot teases some familiar faces and places, the new mission appears to involve a mysterious new character played by Isa Briones, as well as both the Borg Collective and what’s left of the Romulans.

The second season of Star Trek: Picard was given the green light ahead of the series’ debut. Just like the first season, season 2 of  Star Trek: Picard will encompass 10 episodes.

Star Trek: Picard debuted on CBS All Access on January 23. The show’s title and logo were first revealed during a network presentation for advertisers on May 15, 2019.

CBS revealed the first, ever-so-brief trailer for the series in May 2019. The preview featured the former Starfleet hero at his family’s vineyard and hinted at an ominous reason for his exit from Starfleet.

Picard ‘s second trailer dropped during San Diego’s Comic-Con International in 2019, and if you thought that the USS Enterprise-D’s beloved captain was the only Star Trek character returning for the show, think again. Not only does the trailer feature Star Trek: Voyager ‘s Seven of Nine and a Borg cube, but Data, played once again by Brent Spiner, makes a surprise appearance in the trailer’s closing moments.

Data isn’t the only Star Trek: The Next Generation alumnus coming to Picard , either. At the Picard Comic-Con panel, showrunner Michael Chabon confirmed that Jonathan Frakes, who played William Riker, Picard’s second-in-command, and Marina Sirtis, better known as ship counselor Deanna Troi, also appear in the series.

The trailer also hints at Picard ‘s overarching storyline, which will be much more serialized than the good captain’s The Next Generation adventures. In Picard , Jean-Luc has retired to his family vineyard, but still longs for the stars. He gets his chance to return to space (alongside what looks like a new crew) when a young, mysterious woman arrives at the Picard homestead looking for his help. We don’t know the woman’s secret, but it must be a big one. Plenty of people are trying to kill her, after all.

The third trailer for Picard was released during 2019’s  New York Comic-Con , and features both plenty of action and also the long-awaited return of Riker and Troi.

Patrick Stewart debuted a promotional image for Star Trek: Picard in July 2019, tweeting out a shot of himself as Jean-Luc Picard alongside a dog, looking out over the family vineyard he retired to after the events of Star Trek: Nemesis .

Picard. #StarTrekPicard #StarTrek pic.twitter.com/1hw4SJDXEk &mdash; Patrick Stewart (@SirPatStew) July 10, 2019

The first season of  Star Trek: Picard will consist of 10 episodes, with Hanelle Culpepper directing the first three episodes, and veteran Star Trek actor and filmmaker Frakes (above) directing a few episodes as well.

Alongside Patrick Stewart in the lead role, the series will also feature Santiago Cabrera as a skilled thief and pilot who assists Picard, as well as Michelle Hurd (below) as a former Starfleet intelligence officer who has a complicated past with Jean-Luc. Allison Pill will also play a member of Picard’s crew named Dr. Jurati, who is gung ho about Picard’s new mission.

Development of the series was tasked to Star Trek: Discovery co-creator and executive producer Alex Kurtzman, who is joined by many of the other members of the Discovery creative team on the project. In July 2019, renowned author Michael Chabon was announced as the series’ showrunner.

Chabon, a lifelong Star Trek fan who worked with Kurtzman on some of the early concept pitches for the series, is an award-winning author and screenwriter who will also serve as an executive producer on the show.

“Star Trek has been an important part of my way of thinking about the world, the future, human nature, storytelling, and myself since I was 10 years old,” said Chabon of shepherding the series. “I come to work every day in a state of joy and awe at having been entrusted with the character and the world of Jean-Luc Picard, with this vibrant strand of the rich, intricate, and complex tapestry that is Trek.”

Also serving as executive producers on the Picard series are Star Trek: Discovery executive producer James Duff, former Discovery executive producer Akiva Goldsman, and Star Trek: Voyager and Discovery writer Kirsten Beyer, as well as Roddenberry Entertainment President Eugene Roddenberry, the son of Star Trek creator Gene Roddenberry. The Picard series is reportedly one of several in-development Star Trek projects for CBS, which is making the sci-fi property one of the foundations of its CBS All Access streaming service.

Star Trek: Picard features Stewart reprising the role he played for seven seasons on the long-running Star Trek: The Next Generation television series and in multiple Star Trek movies. The series will continue his story, exploring Picard’s life after the events of  The Next Generation and the films.

Stewart’s return to the role of Jean-Luc Picard was first announced in August 2018 , and the veteran actor — who is also well-known for portraying telepathic mutant Charles Xavier in the X-Men movies — said he was “excited and invigorated” to revisit the character.

It is an unexpected but delightful surprise to find myself excited and invigorated to be returning to Jean-Luc Picard and to explore new dimensions within him. Read my full statement in the photo. #StarTrek @cbsallaccess Photo: @shervinfoto pic.twitter.com/8Ynuj3RBNm &mdash; Patrick Stewart (@SirPatStew) August 4, 2018

An accomplished actor on stage and screen, Stewart has been nominated for three Golden Globe Awards and five Primetime Emmy Awards over the years for his performances, including a critically praised portrayal of King Henry II in 2003’s  The Lion in Winter and his portrayal of Captain Ahab in the 1998 television miniseries Moby Dick .

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If the end of The Clone Wars has you down, Star Wars fans, don't despair. Star Wars: The Bad Batch is on its way to Disney+ in 2021.

As the title suggests, the new animated series will follow The Bad Batch -- a group of clone troopers introduced in The Clone Wars who differ genetically from their fellow clones in ways that make them uniquely suited for dangerous missions. The series will be set in the aftermath of The Clone Wars, with the creative team on that series and other Star Wars animated shows teaming up behind the camera.

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CBS All Access already has a pair of hits with Star Trek: Discovery and Star Trek: Picard, and now another live-action Star Trek series is headed to the streaming service: Star Trek: Strange New Worlds.

For a limited time, CBS has made the pilot episode for Star Trek: Picard available for free on YouTube.

The series’ primary home is CBS All Access, the streaming video service launched by ViacomCBS. The second episode arrived on the app Wednesday, and CBS is making the first episode freely available on YouTube serves as an opportunity for viewers to check the series out before deciding if they want to subscribe to yet another streamer.

Jean-Luc Picard Gets His Own ‘Star Trek’ Box Set

The set will include every episode of 'The Next Generation' and 'Picard', and all four ‘Next Generation' movies.

The Big Picture

• Paramount Home Entertainment is releasing a massive box set, Star Trek: The Picard Legacy Collection, which includes all seven seasons of Star Trek: The Next Generation , three seasons of Star Trek: Picard , and four theatrical movies featuring Picard and the Next Generation cast.
• The box set also includes over 35 hours of special features, an updated version of The Wisdom of Picard book, and various collectibles like playing cards, coasters, and magnets reflecting Picard's combadges.
• Patrick Stewart's portrayal of Jean-Luc Picard in The Next Generation made him one of the most beloved Star Trek characters of all time. The first two seasons of the series were troubled, but it eventually found success, and Stewart's performance was universally praised.

If you want every Star Trek series and movie with Jean Luc-Picard in your collection, then Paramount Home Entertainment is making it so. The 54-disc Star Trek: The Picard Legacy Collection is entering our galaxy on November 7.

The full career of one of the greatest captains in Starfleet history can now be yours, in one enormous and handsomely-packaged box set. The set contains all seven seasons of Star Trek: The Next Generation , all three seasons of Star Trek: Picard , and the four theatrical movies featuring Picard and the Next Generation cast: Star Trek: Generations , Star Trek: First Contact , Star Trek: Insurrection , and Star Trek: Nemesis . The set includes over 35 hours of special features, a new edition of The Wisdom of Picard book (now fully updated and illustrated through the end of the Picard series), and a number of unique collectibles. The set will come with a custom deck of playing cards (to reflect the Next Generation crew's fondness for late-night poker games, although Picard himself only joined on special occasions), a set of four coasters from Picard's family winery, Château Picard , and a set of magnets reflecting all of Picard's combadges throughout his career.

Who Is Jean-Luc Picard?

A distinguished British stage actor then known to American audiences from his performances in Dune , Lifeforce , and Excalibur , Patrick Stewart was given the daunting task of steering the Star Trek franchise, which was returning to TV for the first time in almost two decades, and without any of the iconic cast of the '60s series. The first two seasons of The Next Generation were troubled, but eventually the show found its footing, and became an enormous hit; Stewart's character, Jean-Luc Picard, became one of the most beloved Star Trek characters of all time. In the series' 1987 pilot, Picard was assigned to the USS Enterprise-D , Starfleet's flagship; assisted by his stalwart crew, he commanded the ship with integrity, courage, and honor. His ship was the first to encounter the cybernetic Borg aliens; later, he was assimilated by them and forced to lead an attack on Starfleet . Although he was later decoupled from the Borg Collective, the trauma of the incident stayed with him for decades.

Over the course of seven seasons and four movies, he met his predecessor, Captain James T. Kirk ( William Shatner ); traveled back in time to help humanity make first contact with the Vulcans; and even faced off against an evil clone of himself. He retired from Starfleet in the wake of the planet Romulus' destruction (as seen in the 2009 Star Trek reboot), but was roused out of retirement decades later in the Picard series, where he had one final confrontation with his old enemy Q, made peace with a Borg offshoot, and united his original crew to stop the destruction of Starfleet. Stewart seems to be done with the character for now, but one should never rule anything out.

Reviews for the first two seasons of Picard were mixed, although critics unanimously praised Stewart's performance; Collider's Haleigh Foutch said Stewart " remains an absolute joy to behold on screen, as dignified and charismatic as he ever was ". The third season, which reunited the entire cast of The Next Generation , was better-received, and has even spurred calls for a Star Trek: Legacy spinoff .

Star Trek: The Picard Legacy Collection will be released on November 7. Stay tuned to Collider for future updates, and watch Collider's interview with Stewart and Gates McFadden below.

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• How <i>Picard</i> Fits Into the <i>Star Trek</i> Timeline

How Picard Fits Into the Star Trek Timeline

I t’s been 26 long years since Star Trek: The Next Generation graced the small screen. But beginning Jan. 23, a new series centered around that show’s captain, Jean-Luc Picard (Patrick Stewart), will “boldly go” to the network’s streaming service, CBS All Access. Star Trek: Picard is about our titular captain’s life many years after his last fateful mission for Starfleet.

But how does Picard fit into the larger Star Trek timeline? The CBS series is set where no Trek has gone before, well past the events of TV’s Star Trek: Voyager and the last film of the Picard era, Star Trek: Nemesis. Many fan favorite characters are expected to return, including Commander William T. Riker (Jonathan Frakes) and Seven-of-Nine (Jeri Ryan).

For Trek nerds out there, this means Picard takes place in the “prime” timeline, which is where each of the television series and the original films live. In 2009, J.J. Abrams rebooted the series with the film Star Trek, creating a new timeline for the already confusing Trek universe. In the film, a bad guy travels back in time and destroys the USS Kelvin, killing Captain Kirk’s father, George Kirk, in the process. All three of J.J. Abrams’ movies take place in this alternate timeline called the “Kelvin Timeline,” after the annihilated ship.

To familiarize yourself with the Trek universe, here are the two timelines:

Prime Timeline

Star Trek: Enterprise (2151-2161)

Airdate: 2001-2005

Plot: Set 100 years before the Enterprise ‘s mission in the original Star Trek , this series traces the adventures of the first Warp 4 capable Starfleet ship, also called Enterprise . Scott Bakula starred as the human captain Jonathan Archer, and Jolene Blalock as the Vulcan officer T’Pol.

Star Trek Discovery (2255)

Airdate: 2017-

Plot: Sonequa Martin-Green plays officer Michael Burnham, a human who was raised by Spock’s parents, Amanda and Sarek. Burnham has suppressed her human tendencies in order to assimilate into the hyper-logical Vulcan society but tries to reconnect with her emotional side when she serves Captain Philippa Georgiou (Michelle Yeoh) and then Captain Gabriel Lorca (Jason Isaacs).

Star Trek (2265-2269)

Airdate: 1966-1969

Plot: The original Star Trek series created by Gene Roddenberry featured Captain James Kirk (William Shatner), First Officer Spock ( Leonard Nimoy ), Officer Uhura (Nichelle Nichols), Dr. McCoy (DeForest Kelley), Montgomery “Scotty” Scott (James Doohan), Hikaru Sulu (George Takei) and the other Starfleet members on a mission of exploration and self-improvement. One of the most diverse shows on television at the time, Star Trek ran for three seasons and inspired future space sagas like Star Wars and Battlestar Galactica .

Star Trek: The Animated Series (2269-2270)

Airdate: 1973-1974

Plot: After the original series went off the air, Roddenberry created an animated series that continued the stories of Star Trek and reunited much of the same cast to do voice work for cartoon versions of their characters.

Original Star Trek movies (2273-2293)

Airdate: 1979-1991

Plot: Roddenberry leveraged the massive success of the syndicated series into a number of feature films starring Shatner and Nimoy. Star Trek: The Motion Picture , Star Trek II: The Wrath of Khan , Star Trek III: The Search for Spock , Star Trek IV: The Voyage Home , Star Trek V: The Finale Frontier and Star Trek VI: The Undiscovered Country continued established storylines.

Star Trek: The Next Generation (2364-2370)

Airdate: 1987-1994

Plot: Set 100 years after the events of the original Star Trek , this series followed Captain Jean-Luc Picard and his crew (Jonathan Frakes, LeVar Burton and Marina Sirtis, among them) on the fifth iteration of the Enterprise , USS Enterprise-D .

Next Generation Movies (2293-2379)

Airdate: 1994-2002

Plot: In Star Trek: Generations (1994), Captain Picard teams up with the once-presumed-dead Captain Kirk. The story unites the casts from the two Star Trek series at the time, effectively passing the baton from Shatner to Stewart. The Next Generation cast went on to star in three more movies, sans the original cast: Star Trek: First Contact , Star Trek: Insurrection and Star Trek Nemesis .

Star Trek: Deep Space Nine (2369-2375)

Airdate: 1993-1999

Plot: Set on a space station rather than a starship, Deep Space Nine focuses on the adventures of the people charged with guarding the opening to a wormhole at the end of the galaxy. Deep Space Nine was helmed by Trek’ s first black captain, Benjamin Sisko (Avery Brooks). It was also the first Trek series created without Roddenberry, who gave the concept his approval before he passed away in 1991.

Star Trek: Voyager (2371-2378)

Airdate: 1995-2001

Plot: After the ship Voyager gets stranded in the Delta Quadrant (the far side of the Milky Way galaxy) while searching for a renegade ship, they must make the 75-year journey home. Voyager was fronted by Trek’ s first female captain, Kathryn Janeway (Kate Mulgrew).

Star Trek: Picard (2399-?)

Airdate: 2020 — ? (A second season is already in the works)

Plot: Many years after a daring mission to save a dying planet, Captain Picard — now an Admiral — has left Starfleet (or, more accurately, Starfleet has left him). But when a mysterious young woman with a potential connection to a certain beloved android shows up at his doorstep, it sets in motion events that lead Picard back into space — albeit with a crew that’s more swashbuckler than Starfleet.

Kelvin Timeline

Star Trek (2233-2258)

Release date: 2009

Plot: A bad guy named Nero (Eric Bana), angry that his planet is destroyed in the future, travels back in time and kills Kirk’s father (in 2233). He then hangs out for a long time to destroy Vulcan (in 2258) in front of old Spock who has also traveled back in time (and is played by Leonard Nimoy) because Spock failed to save the baddie’s home planet. Current-day Kirk (Chris Pine) encounters old Spock who explains all the confusing time-jump mechanics to him. Together, current-day Kirk and Spock (Zachary Quinto) become begrudging friends and save the universe.

Star Trek: Into Darkness

Airdate: 2013

Plot: The second J.J. Abrams film stars Benedict Cumberbatch as a villain that the marketing team really tried to convince people was not genetically-engineered superhuman Khan. (He was Khan.) Kirk leads a mission to capture Khan after her murders a bunch of Starfleet officers.

Star Trek Beyond

Airdate: 2016

Plot: Justin Lin took over for the third reboot film and threw in some motorcycles because he has a thing for fast vehicles. In this one, a baddie named Krall (Idris Elba) kidnaps part of Kirk’s crew in hopes that Kirk will exchange a powerful McGuffin for their safety.

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Star Trek: Picard (2020)

Star trek: picard.

At the end of the 24th Century, and 14 years after his retirement from Starfleet, Jean-Luc Picard is living a quiet life on his vineyard, Chateau Picard. When he is sought out by a mysterious young woman, Dahj, in need of his help, he soon realizes she may have personal connections to his own past.

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Patrick Stewart isn't ready to give up being Jean-Luc Picard.

The third season of the "Next Generation" spin-off " Picard " centered around the titular Starfleet captain ended in April of last year after successfully polarizing "Star Trek" fans. Many were turned off from the final season because it was very much a cookie-cutter carbon copy of the last two, relying heavily, once again, on attempting to remain suspenseful by applying a what's-in-the-box?! style of storytelling. 

But it turns out we may be seeing more of Jean-Luc. Stewart appeared recently on an episode of the podcast Happy Sad Confused , hosted by  Josh Horowitz to discuss the experience of playing the role of Jean-Luc Picard. 

"After we finished recording our seven seasons of 'Next Generation' we made four Star Trek movies of varying qualities, the best one being ['First Contact'], directed by Jonathan Frakes. He was one of the people who had the most influence on me on the show because of his experience and his understanding of the complexities and how bringing different qualities onto the stage was very, very important in diversity and change," Stewart said. 

As he continued, however, Stewart made a surprise statement, saying that there was a "Star Trek" movie script being written with him in mind. 

"So it's an ongoing procedure for me. I heard only last night about a script that is being written, but written specifically with the actor, Patrick [Stewart], to play in it. And I've been told to expect to receive it within a week or so. I'm so excited because it sounds like the kind of project where the experimentation that I want to do will be essential for this kind of material. It's good at 83…"

Related: Star Trek streaming guide: Where to watch the Star Trek movies and TV shows online

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The recording took place in November at about the time that Stewart was promoting his new memoir, "Making It So" and this is the latest "Star Trek" movie rumor to circulate as The Hollywood Reporter ran a story just a day or so ago that Toby Haynes, who directed episodes " Andor " will helm a new feature, with Seth Grahame-Smith writing.

The plot is said to take place within the Kelvin Universe, decades before the events of 2009’s Star Trek, which J.J. Abrams directed and Bad Robot will produce the movie.

Then there are the circulating rumors involving the new TV shows, like the Section 31 and Starfleet Academy spin-offs.

"What was so interesting about Picard, and the main reason why I decided to commit to three seasons of it was that Akiva Goldsman talked to me about the changes that had happened in my life in the last 20 years. And he said, 'Were there any?' and of course, I said yes there were lots and lots and new journeys and new experiences and relationships," said Stewart.

"And he said, 'Exactly! Well that has also been Jean-Luc’s experience.' He’s not the same man. He’s no longer captain of the Enterprise. He was made an admiral. It became really desk work, which is not what he ever wanted to do. And now he’s back at home, living on his vineyard and seeming to be reasonably content. All that was an act. All that was Jean-Luc trying to pretend, as I think my father did, that everything was all right. But it wasn’t," Stewart added.

The full interview is on YouTube here .

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The fifth and final season of "Star Trek: Discovery" airs sometime in April and "Discovery" and every episode of every "Star Trek" show — with the exception of "Star Trek: Prodigy" — currently streams exclusively on Paramount Plus in the U.S. "Prodigy" has found a new home  on Netflix . 

Internationally, the shows are available on Paramount Plus in Australia, Latin America, the UK and South Korea, as well as on Pluto TV in Austria, France, Germany, Italy, Spain and Switzerland on the Pluto TV Sci-Fi channel. They also stream on Paramount Plus in Italy, France, Germany, Switzerland and Austria. In Canada, they air on Bell Media's CTV Sci-Fi Channel and stream on Crave.

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When Scott's application to the NASA astronaut training program was turned down, he was naturally upset...as any 6-year-old boy would be. He chose instead to write as much as he possibly could about science, technology and space exploration. He graduated from The University of Coventry and received his training on Fleet Street in London. He still hopes to be the first journalist in space.

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• crazywater Not sure what the author is referring to but the final season of Picard was what the first two seasons should have been. Seasons 1 and 2 were embarrassingly bad and not Star Trek. Season 3 was terrific. Thank God Patrick Stewart was removed from creative control. If he gets that role back for this movie it will probably revert back to the garbage from the first two season. Reply
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For Patrick Stewart, Jean-Luc Picard is ‘the biggest thing that’s ever happened to me’

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As the august space voyager Jean-Luc Picard, Patrick Stewart commanded the Starship Enterprise on and off across seven seasons of “Star Trek: The Next Generation,” four feature films, and, after a two-decade pause, three seasons of “Picard.” It’s a role he took only because he was assured by confidants that “The Next Generation,” which required a six-year contract, wouldn’t run a year, freeing him to return to England and the theater.

The final season of “ Picard ,” which concludes Thursday on Paramount+ , brings down the curtain on the character and, in bringing back most of the original show’s cast, “The Next Generation” saga as well. I spoke with Stewart, 82, a genial, funny, casually dapper gent, at the home he shares with his wife, singer Sunny Ozell — an old Spanish-style house on a leafy Los Angeles street, purchased just before the pandemic. (“I never thought I’d live in a house that had archways everywhere — no doors!” He counted six from where we were sitting.) Stewart had watched the finale that morning, and he had thoughts and more.

Did you fall in love with Shakespeare before you decided to become an actor?

No. Because “fall in love” doesn’t fit my experience. But something happened, and it happened the first time I held a copy of Shakespeare in my hand and read aloud. And that was because of an English teacher, Cecil Dormand; he had that wonderful ability of being intense and serious about the work and also entertaining and comical at times.

And one day he went around our classroom, dropping a little thin book onto [our desks] and said, “Right, ‘Merchant of Venice.’ This is William Shakespeare, and you’re reading so and so,” and finally, “Patrick, you’re reading Shylock. OK, Act 4, Scene 1 — you know, who you’re playing, start reading it.” So we all went [mimes students reading silently], and he said, “Not to yourselves, you idiots. This is life, it’s drama. It’s the real world. Aloud!” And I had a big speech — it’s the trial scene — I didn’t know what the hell I was saying. There were words I’d never encountered before. I didn’t understand it, but there was something that made my breathing deeper. I can only remember the physical sensation because I was 12 — it wasn’t comprehension, I just felt weight in myself, which I hadn’t felt before. And I was hooked.

Tell me about Murph Swander.

Murph Swander ! His real name was Homer. Homer D. Swander. In one sense, he’s why this huge event happened in my career and life. Murph came knocking on my dressing room at the Royal Shakespeare Theatre, in Stratford-on-Avon. He was standing there with a bottle of malt whiskey in his hand, and he introduced himself and said, “I’m here with a group of young people from California and we’re coming to see your show tonight and we’d love you to come talk to us tomorrow.” I said, “I’m sorry, I don’t do that. My work is what I do onstage, not talking about it.” And he said, “Well, it would give the students a lot of pleasure if you came, and by the way, this is for you.” I couldn’t afford to drink single malt whiskey in those days, so I said, “All right. Ten o’clock tomorrow morning.” And I talked for the whole hour without taking a breath.

Jumping forward many years, he set up a sort of institution which was run by Murph and myself and another actor, may he rest in peace, called Tony Church, and we went to Santa Barbara [where Swander taught] and did a week of classes, and we’d go to UCLA and up to Santa Cruz — it was mostly the University of California circuit. I got to know some of the teachers very well. And one of them, professor David Rodes, a specialist in Shakespeare at UCLA, called me one day and said, “I’m giving a public lecture on campus, and if you wouldn’t mind reading some passages to illustrate it, I thought it would be great.” So I said, “Sure, of course.” And he said, “There’s $100 in it for you.” “Wow, yes, I’ll do that.”

So I did, and the next morning, I got a call from a man who told me he was my agent — I’d never met him, never talked to him before, but he was my agent in California — and he said, “I’ve got two questions for you. What the hell were you doing at UCLA last night and why would Gene Roddenberry want to see you this morning?” And I said, “Jean who? I don’t know her.” And he told me who Gene Roddenberry was.

What were your first impressions of him?

Impressions ... not good. What I learned many months later was that one of the producers of this new series, which I’d never heard of —

You’d never heard of “Star Trek” at all?

I may have heard of it. When my children were young, I used to race home from the theater in Stratford after the matinee so I could help with their supper and read them a story before racing back to do an evening performance. And they’d watch this show, which I used to occasionally see when I came home on Saturday afternoon, these guys wearing different color T-shirts. That’s all I knew.

So I was told that it was a new “Star Trek” series , and I went to Gene Roddenberry’s house and was greeted at the door by this man, Robert Justman, who had been at the university the previous night and had called Gene Roddenberry and said, “I think we found an actor we’ve got to have in the show.” When I arrived, there were two other men there, besides Gene and Robert, and nobody asked me sit down. We talked for about 10 minutes standing up, and then Gene said, “Thanks for coming over,” and goodbye. And I was back on the street, and I thought, “Bloody hell, what the heck was that about?”

Yes, Hollywood. So I called my agent and told him and he said, “Well, it’s funny you should say that because we’ve had another call and they want to see you again. “

Were there things that attracted you to the show, other than that it was work?

Nnnnnope . It was a style of work I never associated with, or even particularly watched when I was younger. Sci-fi didn’t have any interest for me. What was of interest was that it was on camera, it was in California, it was in Hollywood. My agent took me out to lunch and said, “I’ve got to walk you through the deal.” And when he told me some of the details I was totally disbelieving, what my salary per episode would be — incomprehensible. I couldn’t imagine that, nor indeed had I ever wanted it. I just loved the work I was doing, [playing] Shakespeare and other great dramatists.

Was there a point where it became emotionally satisfying, more than just a job?

It took a long time. I worked very, very hard. I wanted to do good work because I thought this might be my passport to Hollywood. Well, seven years later, we wrapped the series and then we did four movies. It was the biggest thing that’s ever happened to me.

More for better than for worse.

Unquestionably.

How different was it playing Picard in “Picard” ?

Oh, so different. I turned it down at first. And then I thought about the offer and decided I would do it, but I made two conditions. I didn’t want to wear a uniform, and it must not be a series that is fundamentally a sentimental reunion of “The Next Generation.” And they agreed to that. And I think the first “Next Generation” character who came on the show was Jonathan Frakes [as Will Riker] and then in Season 2, Marina Sirtis, who played Counselor Troi, was also in it. And to my great pleasure, I enjoyed having them back on the soundstage. We’ve all aged, all of us. I mean, Michael Dorn [who plays Worf], whose hair is white! And Jonathan with his grizzled gray beard. And me, of course, with my hollowed cheeks and exhausted appearance.

I think it was [producer] Alex Kurtzman who said, “Look, 20 years have passed, and in those 20 years, surely a lot has happened to you, Patrick. I know enough about your life to know there have been upheavals and changes. Surely, the same has happened to Jean-Luc Picard. What might those things be?” Well, I actually invented a whole story about those missing years; this may sound a little pretentious, but to create that past, which I assume will never, ever be known, was very intimate, and it influenced me when we began shooting “Picard.” Because I knew he had needs, longings, desires that were not being fulfilled. Disappointment that things had not gone the way he had hoped. Loneliness. Separation from these people he had loved and admired.

There are moments when I look at scenes in “Picard” and think, “Poor guy, [laughing] he looks terrible. He’s having such a bad time.” That wasn’t my intention, but that was what was being communicated. Anxiety, stress, irritation. I never yelled as Picard — I mean, I may have done — “ The line must be drawn here! ” [pronounced “hee-yah,” much-memed dialogue from the film “ Star Trek: First Contact ”], for which I was made fun of for decades. Actually, there was one like it in the last episode, and I thought, “At least, because there aren’t any more episodes, nobody will be making fun of me.” We made fun of one another a lot.

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Were there any kinds of scenes you particularly enjoyed or didn’t enjoy playing?

I have to admit that when we got into Season 5, 6 and 7 [of “The Next Generation”], there were days I wished I could be doing something different — when you do 178 episodes there’s bound to be repetition. And there were some things about “Picard” I was uncomfortable with, when I thought it was nudging its way toward being a reunion show. But there were not many. And the way the show has been directed, and lit, and staged, it’s so impressive. So many times I feel I’m watching a movie and not a TV series.

I looked forward to those scenes where Picard was not just anxious but actually frightened. Or confused. Or not knowing what to do. I got great satisfaction out of playing those things, because they allowed me to investigate, and release, aspects of Jean-Luc that had really never appeared in “Next Generation.”

What do you think you brought to the character that wasn’t necessarily on the page?

Well, I very quickly came to understand that “ Star Trek ” was not naturalistic television. And there was a sort of formality about being the captain. I was the captain of a starship, and I sat in the center seat, and I had assistants on either side of me and people running the ship down there in front, and it very much reminded me of numerous Shakespearean situations I’d been in onstage. And I thought, “That’s how I should regard this role, as if it were ‘Henry IV,’” which is about brave men. And very quickly I got to know the cast.

Does that family of actors reflect on the family of characters?

I think so, yes. Your use of the word family is in fact very accurate. That is what we became. If you add Whoopi Goldberg, who joined us in the second season, and John de Lancie, who came in as Q. We became so close, and that’s grown over the years.

Last night, I watched Episode 9of Season 3, and this morning, I watched the final episode. There had been a little conflict about how it should end, and the script we held when we started shooting had an ending I was thrilled by — I thought it was absolutely perfect — I can’t tell you what it was — and then when we were shooting, a problem occurred. It was the last day and, oh, it was getting so late and we had so much to do. And I said, “We can pick that up anytime, it’s only me involved.” We never did it. So the ending I loved was never filmed. Instead, it was one I wasn’t happy about — until this morning.

Until you saw it.

The impact that the final episode had on me was unexpected and almost overwhelming. When it finally finished, I had to call out for my wife and go give her a hug because I felt so deeply connected with what I’d watched.

The way the series ends is wonderful. And I so badly thought it was totally wrong when we shot it. But the director and producers, in particular Terry Matalas, who directed it, his instinct was absolutely right, and my instinct was only protective, whereas he was going deeper into what made me feel this morning the whole effect it had on my life and career, this show. And I promise you, if you’d come to see me at half past 8 this morning, you would have found me in my wife’s arms, wiping away the tears.

It has the necessary elements: a bar, Shakespeare and poker.

But it has something else, doesn’t it? It has feelings.

‘Star Trek: Picard’

Where: Paramount+ When: Any time Rating: TV-14 (may be unsuitable for children under age 14)

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Star Trek: Discovery Just Dropped a Sneaky Timeline Easter Egg

Let's talk about 2371.

What was the most action-packed year in Star Trek’s future history? Thanks to some deep-cut Easter eggs in the latest episode of Discovery , the answer might surprise you. As Discovery approaches the end of its fifth and final season, the show continues to expand our knowledge of the Breen, while also sending its eponymous starship on a zig-zag quest around the galaxy to solve a puzzle that explains the very nature of life itself .

Along the way, Discovery is retreading a bit of Star Trek history the crew skipped over thanks to their time-traveling shenanigans at the end of Season 2. Now, in the episode “Erigah,” Discovery has reminded us that several major Star Trek events all happened in the same year. For us, it was 1994, but in Star Trek it was 2371. Spoilers ahead.

Why the 24th century matters

The USS Voyager in the Badlands in 2371.

Although Discovery, which is now in the year 3191, exists well beyond all the other Trek shows and films, it still has several ties to the franchise’s past. From Season 3 onward, Disco’s retro-Trek connections mostly stem from the fact the majority of the regular characters are from 2258, just before The Original Series, before they jumped forward in time. But now, because the ship is on a quest to find the Progenitor tech uncovered in the 24th century by Jean-Luc Picard, many of Discovery’s Easter eggs are tied to that golden era of Trek.

The 24th century is the most robust spot on the Trek timeline, simply because three classic shows took place between 2364 and 2379: The Next Generation, Deep Space Nine, and Voyager . When you add in four feature films, and the recent series Lower Decks and Prodigy, it’s easy to see why the 24th century is such a big part of Star Trek. But why is 2371 so pivotal? Discovery just revealed the answer through two seemingly unrelated Easter eggs.

2371, the year that everything happened

23171 was a busy stretch.

In “Erigah,” the Discovery crew learns the next clue on their list is an antique Betazoid book called Labyrinths of the Mind , written in 2371. By the end of the episode, with the help of Jett Reno (Tig Notaro), they also learn this book is in a mobile library called “The Eternal Gallery and Archive,” currently situated in a part of space called the Badlands. At the same time, Dr. Culber is researching medicine during the Federation’s struggle against the Dominion. Guess what this all has in common? Events in 2371.

As revealed in the Deep Space Nine Season 3 finale, “The Adversary,” 2371 was the year the Federation learned the Changelings had come to the Alpha Quadrant and could shapeshift into anyone and anything. This was also the year when Thomas Riker, Will’s naughty transporter duplicate, stole the USS Defiant to help the Maquis fight the Cardassians. The first place Thomas took the Defiant ? Yep, the Badlands, where Discovery is now headed.

For Voyager fans, the Badlands is the rough and tumble area of space that flung Voyager halfway across the galaxy to the Delta Quadrant. Yes, Voyager also launched in 2371. And while DS9 was dealing with shapeshifters and a Riker doppelgänger, and Voyager was trying to figure out how to get home, the beloved USS Enterprise-D was forced to separate its saucer section and crashland on the planet Veridian III. While Will Riker (the good one) is crashing the Enterprise in Star Trek Generations , Picard is fighting a mad scientist named Dr. Soran and dealing with a time-traveling Captain James T. Kirk. All in the year-of-our-Q, 2371.

In our universe, all these events played out between May 1994 and January 1995. Star Trek was packing in as many events as possible, and impressively, fans were able to follow all the twists and turns in the canon. Discovery may not have meant to make a connection between a fictional book, the Badlands, and the most important year in 24th-century history, but when you look at all the stuff that happened back then, it was, as William Shatner might say , a very, very good year.

Star Trek: Discovery streams on Paramount+.

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5 Star Trek Actors With Real-Life Children In TV & Movies

• Star Trek has celebrated found families and close bonds between shipmates on long space voyages since The Original Series.
• Only a handful of Star Trek actors have appeared alongside their real-life children, creating special moments on screen.
• Star Trek actors like John de Lancie, Patrick Stewart, and William Shatner have had their children make cameo appearances in the franchise.

Star Trek has always been a family affair, and some Trek actors have starred alongside their real-life children. Since the camaraderie of the crew of the USS Enterprise on Star Trek: The Original Series, the franchise has always celebrated found families and the bonds formed between shipmates on long space voyages. Star Trek has largely been geared toward families, with its stories of fun space adventures and moral lessons. Several Star Trek actors also found love with others involved in the franchise, most notably Star Trek creator Gene Roddenberry and his wife Majel Barrett-Roddenberry.

Only a handful of Star Trek actors have appeared alongside their real-life children, but this trend began with William Shatner himself during Star Trek: The Original Series. Shatner's three daughters, Leslie, Lisabeth, and Melanie, all had small cameo appearances in Star Trek, as did James Doohan's twin sons, Christopher and Montgomery. Patrick Stewart's son, Daniel, appeared in one of the most celebrated episodes of Star Trek: The Next Generation, and John de Lancie's son portrayed his onscreen son, as well. Most recently, LeVar Burton's daughter, Mica Burton, played Alandra La Forge in Star Trek: Picard season 3 .

Leonard Nimoy's son, Adam Nimoy, never appeared in a Star Trek film or television series, but he did direct two episodes of Star Trek: The Next Generation, as well as the documentary For the Love of Spock.

10 Best Star Trek: TNG Episodes For Kids To Watch

Star Trek: The Next Generation has plenty of episodes that could turn kids into Trekkies. Here are 10 episodes kids should check out.

John de Lancie & Keegan de Lancie

Star trek: voyager season 7, episode 19 - "q2", star trek voyager.

Cast Jennifer Lien, Garrett Wang, Tim Russ, Robert Duncan McNeill, Roxann Dawson, Robert Beltran, Kate Mulgrew, Jeri Ryan, Ethan Phillips, Robert Picardo

Release Date May 23, 1995

Streaming Service(s) Paramount+

Showrunner Kenneth Biller, Jeri Taylor, Michael Piller, Brannon Braga

John de Lancie first appeared as the omnipotent being known as Q in the premiere of Star Trek: The Next Generation, and he quickly became one of Trek's best recurring characters. Q checked in on Captain Picard about once every TNG season, much to Picard's continued annoyance. After the end of TNG, Q turned his affections to Captain Kathryn Janeway (Kate Mulgrew) — after a brief interaction with Captain Benjamin Sisko (Avery Brooks) that ended with Q getting socked in the face.

In Star Trek: Voyager 's "Q2," Q arrives on the USS Voyager with his son, Q Junior, in tow, played by de Lancie's own son, Keegan . Q hopes that Captain Janeway and Voyager's crew can help Q Junior become more disciplined. After Q Junior's powers are taken away, he shadows Voyager's crew members and eventually befriends the former Borg drone, Icheb (Manu Intiraymi). In the end, Q Junior's powers are restored as long as Q takes eternal custody of his son. "Q2" may not be the best Q episode , but it's fun seeing John de Lancie's real-life son play his character's offspring.

"Q2" was directed by LeVar Burton, who, of course, portrayed Geordi La Forge in Star Trek: The Next Generation and Star Trek: Picard.

LeVar Burton & Mica Burton

Star trek: picard season 3, star trek: picard.

Cast Orla Brady, Michael Dorn, LeVar Burton, Brent Spiner, Jonathan Frakes, Jeri Ryan, Patrick Stewart, Alison Pill, Isa Briones, Evan Evagora, Marina Sirtis, Amanda Plummer, Whoopi Goldberg, Gates McFadden, Todd Stashwick, Santiago Cabrera, Michelle Hurd, John de Lancie, Ed Speleers

Release Date January 23, 2020

Showrunner Akiva Goldsman, Terry Matalas, Michael Chabon

Star Trek: Picard season 3 reunited the Star Trek: The Next Generation crew on the USS Enterprise-D, which had been painstakingly rebuilt by Commodore Geordi La Forge. Not only did Picard season 3 reveal that Admiral Jean-Luc Picard had a son with Dr. Beverly Crusher (Gates McFadden), but the season also introduced the two daughters of Geordi La Forge . Sidney (Ashlei Sharpe Chestnut) and Alandra (Mica Burton) La Forge both followed in their father's footsteps and joined Starfleet, although Sidney chose to become a pilot rather than an engineer.

Played by Burton's real-life daughter Mica, Alandra helped her sister ensure that Geordi would help Picard and his friends, despite his initial reluctance. When the Borg assimilated the youngest members of Starfleet, both Sidney and Alandra were affected and eventually helped seize control of the USS Titan-A. Thankfully, this assimilation was soon reversed due to the actions of Picard and his reunited Enterprise-D crew.

In addition to playing Alandra, Mica Burton is involved in the Star Trek fan community, having hosted multiple livestreams with Star Trek's stars.

Patrick Stewart & Daniel Stewart

Star trek: the next generation season 5, episode 25 - "the inner light", star trek: the next generation.

Cast Michael Dorn, LeVar Burton, Brent Spiner, Wil Wheaton, Jonathan Frakes, Patrick Stewart, Marina Sirtis, Gates McFadden

Release Date September 28, 1987

Showrunner Jeri Taylor, Michael Piller, Rick Berman

In the now iconic episode of Star Trek: The Next Generation, "The Inner Light," Captain Picard gets hit by an energy beam from an unidentified probe. He wakes up as a man named Kamin, a villager on the planet of Kataan. Picard then continues his life as Kamin, eventually having a daughter and a son with his wife Eline (Margot Rose). As an adult, Kamin's son Batai was played by Patrick Stewart's son, Daniel. After living an entire lifetime as Kamin, Picard wakes up back on the Enterprise, where only around twenty minutes have passed.

"The Inner Light" is often considered one of Star Trek's best episodes.

Picard realizes that the people of Kataan knew that their planet was dying, and they preserved Kamin's life in a probe to preserve the history of their society. Picard never forgets his experiences as Kamin, and the Ressikan flute Kamin plays remains one of Jean-Luc's most prized possessions even decades later in Star Trek: Picard. With its incredibly compelling story and phenomenal performances from Patrick Stewart and the guest stars, "The Inner Light" is often considered one of Star Trek's best episodes.

Captain Picards 10 Best Star Trek TNG Episodes, Ranked

Captain Jean-Luc Picard anchored every episode of Star Trek: The Next Generation, but some episodes let him take more of a spotlight.

James Doohan & Christopher and Montgomery Doohan

Star trek: the motion picture, star trek (2009), star trek into darkness, star trek (2009).

Director J.J. Abrams

Release Date May 7, 2009

Writers Roberto Orci, Alex Kurtzman

Cast Eric Bana, Bruce Greenwood, Winona Ryder, Tyler Perry, Zachary Quinto, Zoe Saldana, Leonard Nimoy, Anton Yelchin, Chris Pine, Simon Pegg, Karl Urban, John Cho

Rating PG-13

Runtime 127 Minutes

Sequel(s) Star Trek Into Darkness, Star Trek Beyond

Star Trek: The Original Series was canceled in 1969, but the show gained a large fanbase in the 1970s thanks to television syndication. Because of this renewed success, Paramount Studios began working on plans for a Star Trek feature film in 1975. At one point, these plans changed from a film to a new television series known as Star Trek: Phase II , and then back to a film again. Incorporating some of the ideas from Phase II, Star Trek: The Motion Picture follows Admiral Kirk and his crew as they work to understand a powerful probe known as V'Ger .

Two of James Doohan's sons, twins Chris and Montgomery, appeared as background extras among the Enterprise crewmembers in Star Trek: The Motion Picture . After a fan campaign requesting that Chris or Montgomery portray Scotty in J.J. Abrams' Star Trek (2009) film (a role that went to Simon Pegg), Chris portrayed an unnamed Starfleet officer in Star Trek (2009) and a transporter officer in Star Trek Into Darkness.

Chris also played Mr. Scott in the fan-made television series, Star Trek Continues, and voiced the character in the Star Trek Online video game.

William Shatner & Leslie, Lisabeth, and Melanie Shatner

Star trek: the original series season 1, episode 11 - "miri," star trek iv: the voyage home, star trek v: the final frontier, star trek: the original series.

Cast Nichelle Nichols, Walter Koenig, William Shatner, George Takei, Leonard Nimoy, Deforest Kelley, James Doohan

Release Date September 8, 1966

Showrunner Gene Roddenberry

William Shatner has three daughters with his first wife, Gloria Rand, and all three of them had small cameo appearances in the Star Trek franchise . Shatner's oldest daughters, Leslie and Lisabeth, both appeared in the Star Trek: The Original Series season one episode, "Miri," which featured a planet populated solely by children. Lisabeth, who was only five at the time, recalled her experience on set was "like a giant Halloween party to me," according to the book Captain's Log: William Shatner's Personal Account of the Making of Star Trek V: The Final Frontier, which she co-wrote with her father.

William Shatner's daughters are some of the few Star Trek children who got the chance to step into their father's shoes.

William Shatner's youngest daughter, Melanie, appeared as a jogger in an uncredited role in Star Trek IV: The Voyage Home, before appearing as the Captain's yeoman in Star Trek V: The Final Frontier. Melanie appeared in a handful of television shows and movies before she retired from acting in 1999. Leslie and Lisabeth both pursued careers other than acting. Despite having only small roles, William Shatner's daughters are some of the few Star Trek children who got the chance to step into their father's shoes.

Star Trek: The Original Series, Star Trek: The Next Generation, Star Trek: Voyager, Star Trek: Picard, & the J.J. Abrams' Star Trek films are available to stream on Paramount+.

Star Trek IV: The Voyage Home & Star Trek V: The Final Frontier are available to stream on Max.

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7 Quintessential Jean-Luc Picard Episodes Of ‘Star Trek: The Next Generation’

| January 1, 2019 | By: Laurie Ulster 79 comments so far

Happy New Year! There’s no doubt about it: 2019 is going to be the year of Picard.

Unless you’ve been hibernating, most Star Trek fans know that the next major Star Trek show to go into production is the new Jean-Luc Picard series, which will bring us the joys of Sir Patrick Stewart reprising his classic role as the stalwart captain. We don’t have a whole lot of details yet, but we know that  Star Trek: Discovery ‘s Kirsten Beyer and novelist Michael Chabon are two of the creative forces behind the show, it goes into production in April , will premiere late this year , and takes place 20 years after the events of  Star Trek: Nemesis. 

At the surprise announcement at STLV  last August, Stewart told the crowd,

“He may not, and I stress may not be a captain anymore. He may not be the Jean-Luc that you recognize and know so well. It may be a very different individual, someone who has been changed by his experiences. Twenty years will have passed, which is more or less exactly the time between the very last movie,  Nemesis,  and today.”

So who IS that Jean-Luc Picard we recognize and know so well? Over seven seasons, we watched him undergo both character-defining and character-changing adventures, so we’ve selected one episode from each season as essential viewing for the fan looking to get a primer on the great man before the new series … with some extras thrown in for background color.

Season 1 – “The Battle”

The first season of TNG gave us a more uptight, rigid Picard than we would eventually get to know. But this early episode reminded viewers–via some Ferengi-induced hallucinations–that his pre-Enterprise career included being a bridge officer on the USS Stargazer, which he would later describe to Scotty (in “Relics”) as an “overworked, underpowered vessel, always on the verge of flying apart at the seams.” Picard may have become the ultimate diplomat, but on the Stargazer, he was a warrior, taking over the ship and winning the battle with an undefeatable move later dubbed “The Picard Maneuver.” So while our Captain has a reputation as a great talker, he’s also the man you want on your side in a firefight.

Picard hallucinates he is back on the Stargazer

Season 2 – “Where Silence Has Lease”

TNG’s second season didn’t see that much character development for the good Captain, but we got some insights into his past in “Samaritan Snare,” when he told Wesley about his days as an impulsive cadet who got himself stabbed in the heart in his early Starfleet Academy days. But we learned more about his broader views on life and mortality in “Where Silence Has Lease.” In this very creepy episode, an alien entity named Nagilum takes control of the Enterprise and announces it’s going to learn about death by observing “every kind of dying.” Nagilum says he will need a third (or “maybe half”) of the crew, and Picard won’t have it. He sets the ship to self-destruct in 20 minutes, refusing to allow his crew to become lab rats for a curious alien. Nagilum then manifests a fake Data and Troi to question Picard about his choice, and we get a bit of his philosophy on humanity as a result, along with his thoughts on what death might bring:

“Considering the marvelous complexity of our universe, its clockwork perfection, its balances of this against that, matter, energy, gravitation, time, dimension, I believe that our existence must be more than either of these philosophies. That what we are goes beyond Euclidian and other practical measuring systems and that our existence is part of a reality beyond what we understand now as reality.”

Nagilum has some not-very-appealing plans for the Enterprise crew

Season 3 – “Yesterday’s Enterprise”

Season three has some Picard gems in it: we see his disdain for the “Dark Ages of superstition and ignorance and fear” when a primitive culture views him as a god in “Who Watches the Watchers,” and his lighter, romantic side when he cavorts with Vash in “Captain’s Holiday.” But his biggest episode this season is “Yesterday’s Enterprise,” in which we see how deeply he values and trusts Guinan–this is a connection that is “beyond friendship, beyond family.” He accepts that history has changed based simply on her gut feeling, and his trust in her means he’s willing to accept possibilities that others would not. He’s so convinced, in fact, that Captain Rachel Garrett and her crew agree to go back into a battle that they know they will lose … because his certainty and strength are incontrovertible.

Something is not quite right in “Yesterday’s Enterprise”

Season 4 – “The Best of Both Worlds, Part II”

Being assimilated by the Borg and forced to lead an invasion to Earth as Locutus had a permanent effect on Jean-Luc Picard. The events of this episode would be revisited again in “Family,” “I Borg,” and in the film Star Trek: First Contact,  and changed Picard forever. He was rescued by his crew and helped save the quadrant, but he was also profoundly affected by being so utterly defeated and owned by the Borg. Resistance, on his part, was indeed futile. How could this experience not change him? It became a fundamental part of who he is.

Locutus finds his way back to being Picard

There are some other key episodes this season, though: his unique understanding of the Klingon Empire is seen in “Reunion,” when he is asked to arbitrate the selection of a new Klingon Chancellor, and his impenetrable sense of justice and morality is exemplified in “The Drumhead.” We also learn some of his personal history in “Family,” complete with sibling rivalry, a fight in the mud, and reconciliation, and see the truth behind the facade: that our captain is indeed vulnerable, and will have to confront and accept that if he wants to heal.

Season 5 – “The Inner Light”

Season 5 is rich with Picard episodes, giving us “Darmok” (a classic that shows off his ability to connect with an alien he can’t even understand), “Disaster” (in which he displays and then conquers his discomfort with children), “Conundrum” (where his moral code rises above his amnesia),  and “The Perfect Mate” (in which he must choose duty over perfect love).  But the events that would shape him the most happened in “The Inner Light,” where he experiences an entire lifetime on the planet Kataan. In 20 minutes, he has a wife, raises a family, struggles to save his planet, and dies. It’s not just the Ressikan flute that stays with him long after the probe has done its job and shut down.

Picard as Kamin, with his wife Eline

Season 6 – “Starship Mine”

Yes, Picard fell in love in “Lessons” and learned not to have a romance with someone on his crew. And yes, he was tortured by Cardassians in “Chain of Command, Part II” and came THIS close to breaking down completely. And “Tapestry” showed us the incident once described in “Samaritan Snare,” as we saw a young and cocky Picard get stabbed in the heart by Nausicans and then, thanks to Q, understand how that event shaped the man he became. That said, we learned even more about his capabilities and the inner Picard in “Starship Mine,”  Star Trek: TNG ‘s version of  Die Hard. Alone, he thwarted an attempt to turn trilithium resin from the warp core into a weapon and sell it, taking down multiple mercenaries single-handedly. He’s stealthy, he’s resourceful, he’s not to be messed with… and he knows how to use the Vulcan neck pinch as well as a crossbow.

He-who-will-be-Tuvok experiences Picard’s Vulcan neck pinch.

Season 7 – “All Good Things… “

In “Gambit,” Picard goes undercover as a terrorist. In “Attached,” we find out that part of his command style is pretending to know what he’s doing. But in the series finale, “All Good Things…,” Jean-Luc Picard saves the universe by expanding his mind, accepting possibilities he’d never considered before, and getting versions of himself in multiple time periods to collaborate and save the day. So no matter what has happened to him in the 20-years-post- Nemesis future, there’s reason to hope that he’ll find his way back to the Picard who was able to see the impossible, and make it so.

All good things must come to an end … or must they?

A vision for the future

Jean-Luc Picard is a man who has been through more than most.  While Stewart’s description of Picard as someone who has been “changed by his experiences” may feel a little ominous, Chabon has encouraging words for TNG fans:

“Captain Picard is the hero we need right now. He exemplifies in some ways even more then James Kirk — and I’m not gonna get into the Kirk vs Picard argument because I love Captain Kirk, he was my first captain — but Picard is even more of an exemplar of everything that is best about Star Trek’s vision for the future.”

A changed Picard, a familiar Picard, a bold one, a silly one … everyone has their own must-see Picard episodes, so tell us what yours are in the comments. Engage!

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LOOKING FORWARD TO IT!

I’ve said it before and I’ll say it again:

I think ‘Family’ is the most underrated and underappreciated episode of TNG’s entire run.

Family was the perfect follow up for the best of two worlds two parter. It’s very rare for a non serial to go back and and show the deep damage that such an event can have on a person.

I disagree. I found Family to be amazingly dull. The old man fight was embarrassing. Much of it was just in the category of “who cares?” We could have seen Picard deal with the aftermath in a much more interesting way. Although, Picard being interesting would have not been in character. So I guess it makes sense that the a boring character would deal with a personal trauma in a boring way.

Now you’re just being nasty for the sake of it here.

Incorrect. The only thing nasty was your response.

Agree 100%. That kind of character development was rare for television at that point, and tbh, even a lot of television today(not because we don’t witness emotional damage in shows today but because when we see it, it is so often unearned). Seeing Picard go through this feels so real to the character and the context of the show.

Family gotta be one of my favorite episodes of any Trek

I agree. It’s an amazing episode. In fact I find it surprising that some fans don’t like it. I mean to each their own of course but it’s definitely one of my favorites.

Yes! I hated the episode as a kid, but re-watching it as an adult I was moved and impressed. Family is an excellently written (and acted) episode.

Random trivia fact, the actor that played Robert Picard was in The Last Starfighter, he was the KoDan commamder with the red powered monacle.

Wow, that was him? He got the best death scene in history!

No, a different guy who was in WHEN THE BOUGH BREAKS played STARFIGHTER’s Krill with the motorized eyepiece; the actor playing Picard’s brother was in the very hysterically funny TOP SECRET! plus other older stuff like THE BLUE MAX.

Why is it the most special episodes of the Trek series are the ones that are distinctly not following the Trek formula?

I think a lot of famous TNG episodes are VERY Trek: Measure of a Man, Yesterday’s Enterprise, Darmok, The Inner Light… but it’s true that when an episode breaks the formula and is GREAT, it is all the more memorable for it.

Stunned that Family, Perfect Mate, Darmok, Captains Holiday not on this list.

These are all fantastic episodes, but only Captain’s Holiday would be considered “character defining.” I think the list is pretty solid in giving an episode from each season that acts as a primer for new viewers.

It’s not perfect: I would swap out YE with Captain’s Holiday mostly because YE does not feature “our” Picard. I also might consider switching “Starship Mine” with “Chain of Command” and “Where Silence Has Lease” with “Measure of a Man.”

Thanks! No list will ever seem perfect to someone else. It’s all subjective, in the end. I considered “Measure of a Man” but felt that while it was a great episode, it didn’t reveal much of Picard beyond his integrity, which we were already familiar with. And “Chain Of Command” almost made it in there, it definitely could’ve been. Some seasons had a lot of great episodes to choose from! But I always liked “Starship Mine” and thought it showed a side of the Captain we hadn’t seen before. “Chain of Command” is definitely equal, though, shaping his character in a new way rather than revealing qualities he’d always had.

They are all mentioned those episodes as contenders… a lot of them are from the same seasons and only one episode from each season could be No 1. I agree those are all great episodes

“Family” is more of a Picard story than BOBW, Part II, which is still very much Riker’s story–can he grow beyond the shadow of Picard?

I believe that episode (BOBW) was chosen simply because it is a “must see” episode. As far as exploring the character, i’d agree it should be FAMILY as it delves into what happened in BOBW, and delivers a lot of background on his, err, family.

The larger point though is, when picking “defining” episodes, do you pick the episode that showed the defining moment (his assimilation), or the episode that actually dealt with the effects of it?

You can go either way. In fact, one could argue Family (while an incredible episode) was somewhat irrelevant: the powerful effect of seeing Picard assimilated, and his recovery at the end is almost enough to know how he must have been feeling and how the experience changed him.

The speech he gives to his brother in Family is pretty much what the audience already knew.

I appreciate your point, but I think I categorically disagree. People knew the Titanic was going to sink in “Titanic” but they still watched it, not just to see the ship go down but to witness and feel the emotional ramifications as the story unfolded.

I can’t agree that the emotional resonance in “Family” is irrelevant; I’d actually argue what I get to feel in “Family” is 10x more powerful than what I felt seeing his assimilation in BOBW because I never thought for a second Picard would end up a Borg. Sure it was exciting and hard to see, but does it compare to the pain of what he remembers in the scene during his breakdown after the fight with his brother in the vineyard? For me it’s a resounding “no.” The aftermath feels way more real because they are actual consequences on a human being.

“People knew the Titanic was going to sink in “Titanic” but they still watched it”

As I said, its still a fantastic episode, and worth watching.

“I can’t agree that the emotional resonance in “Family” is irrelevant;”

Maybe irrelevant is the wrong word. Unnecessary, perhaps, in that it’s not crucial to see in order to understand what he went through. It’s certainly powerful, emotional, and important, but my point is to say there is validity in recommending BOBW over Family if it had to be one or the other.

Yeah, I hear you.

I guess that scene never moved me because I never really cared much for Picard as a character. In order of such moments to resonate, the audience needs to truly care about the character. It truly is hard to care about someone as perfect as Jean-Luc Picard. The feature film, First Contact, worked well BECAUSE it was the first time we saw Picard succumb to a basic human frailty. He was at least 2% human in that flick. FAMILY was merely a “filler” episode.

You seem to be the only person who didn’t come to care for the character. That’s your opinion, and certainly valid. But for most people, episodes like “Family” and “The Inner Light” had an emotional impact because they connected and cared about the character.

But I agree that Family was, largely, a filler episode. A quieter episode after the big budget, action fueled, thrilling intensity of BOBW P2.

The Inner Light worked pretty well but that would have worked almost no matter what because it really didn’t matter who was experiencing the lifetime. It could have been Dr. Crusher and the episode would have carried with it the same weight. It was a pretty darn neat sci-fi/Trek concept and a much less character driven episode.

I agree a quieter episode was the right move after BOBW2. But Family just didn’t work. The B story didn’t work well either, to be honest. It just was a poorly put together episode. The problem is that TNG characters on the whole are not good or interesting characters. That was why the bulk of the “quiet” or more “character” episodes were just plain dog episodes. TNG was at it’s best when it was exploring more sci-fi concepts than it was about the people manning the ship. But, they learned their lesson when it came time to creating DS9. That was an interesting bunch.

See I think it was more powerful BECAUSE it was Picard– a man who never had a family, finally getting one, only to find out it was all a programmed fantasy, essentially. Heartbreaking.

He never had a family yet he never pined for one. I can see how it might change his attitude a bit so that he could see what he was missing but that really was not the point of the probe at all. It was less about Picard and family as it was about living an entire lifetime as a member of that that society. Such a thing would affect anyone. And probably make them old souls before their time. Heartbreaking. That, in fact, should of had a VERY lasting effect on the man but it was never referred to again.

He may not have specifically pined for children, but it had been mentioned numerous times prior that he had regrets about missing out on love, and it was HEAVILY implied in “Family” that he might have had mixed feelings about choosing Starfleet over having a family.

The only time I can recall it being brought up was in Generations. When his brother had kids it sort of freed him to not pursue the family life. He never came across to the audience that he regretted missing out on a lasting relationship. He always seemed perfectly content with where he was. Again, the perfect Captain. I’m sorry but isn’t it possible that you like the show so much that you are taking one or two tiny bits and blowing them up into something they aren’t just to make the character deeper than he really is?

Q WHO should have been the most important Picard show … but he’d have had to show that he kept some humility after that, and that didnm’t happen. So TAPESTRY and CHAIN OF COMMAND for me.

Tapestry, yes, absolutely forgot that one. (And Q-Who isn’t a bad choice, either.)

Yeah, I think those two are indeed quintessential, but the inherent problem is that the article tries to pick just ONE from each season, and also tried to pick the more famous episodes like YESTERDAY’S ENTERPRISE and ALL GOOD THINGS.

I think with the restraints the article puts on itself, it does a decent job of picking 7 episodes.

When the bough breaks

Wow great list! Since they announced the Picard show I have been watching tons of TNG which I haven’t done in years. I would catch an odd rerun on TV or watch a few online a few times a year but I haven’t really watched it continually like I have the past few months and its just been a joy to watch! I forgot how many great stories that show made.

Oddly enough though, I have not watched any of these lately so there is still plenty to watch. I imagine there are going to be tons of TNG rewatches this year and a lot of Picard retrospectives. I can’t believe the new show will start production in just a few months! It feels like they just announced it last week and now they are already in pre-production. We will probably get a lot of news in the next few months as well. My god this is a dream for so many of us who wanted a post Nemesis show again and with one of the greatest Captains in Starfleet history, I can’t wait.

I agree, lots of potential for a great show here.

I’m looking at this with cautious optimism. I think the chances of this show not being good are actually quite high. Part of that is just because they are centering the show around Picard. I REALLY hope we see a disillusioned character or something like that. The man was perfect already. (Save for his one issue in “First Contact”) How do you continue a storyline around someone like that? This writing crew truly have their work cut out for them. I wish them luck. They will need it.

He was hardly perfect, and the experiences we witnessed him go through made him damaged as well. He was a man who walled himself off from relationships, and if I had to write a story about the end of his life, I’d show a man who regrets not allowing himself to be close to those around him, and perhaps even exploring why he was that way, either via through exposition or flashbacks.

I have a friend who was very similar, and as he enters his late 60s he very much regrets not forming lasting loving relationships, because it prevented him from having a family– something at the time he was fine with, but now he greatly regrets.

There’s an interesting story to be told there, they touched on it briefly (and poorly) in Generations.

He was perfect at everything he tried to do. He was the perfect leader. He was the perfect statesman as well as the greatest military strategist star fleet had. Had he opted to get a relationship he would have been perfect at that as well. The ONE time he briefly succumbed to a human frailty he became interesting. That is what the show writers I hope will latch on to.

You’re seeing what you want to see because for whatever reason you don’t like the character. He was far from as perfect as you describe. If there was any one area where he excelled it was (obviously) diplomacy. I don’t recall many, if any, episodes where he showed himself to be a master military strategist– that was always Riker’s forte. Many of the crew were intimidated by him (and downright afraid of him due to his coldness), proving he wasn’t a perfect leader.

He was a flawed human being, who — as was stated many times, directly and indirectly– neglected his personal life to excel in his Starfleet career. In the few episodes that explored his romantic relationships it was illustrated time and time again he would push aside his emotional connections in favor of his Starfleet duty (“Captains Holiday”, “Tapestry”, “Lessons”).

The mistake I believe you’re making is by only looking at how he was portrayed as a Starfleet Captain. One who never seemed to fail. But he failed in other, more deeply personal ways. He was stubbornly prideful and pushed people away emotionally. This was explored more than once, and quite profoundly in the last scene of the series.

Now, to me, Kirk was far more of a perfect, flawless (and annoying) character until the movies.

There is no like or dislike of him. Only that he is uninteresting. He obviously excelled at everything he did. Diplomacy, sure. But also the Picard Maneuver wasn’t just him tugging his shirt down. And there are other examples. Riker had a total man crush on the guy. Picard out maneuvered Riker every single time. And always turned out to be right. He was the perfect leader. That lady in the movie also mentioned something about him not being aware of how good he was at it.

He was even perfect about his personal life. He did what he had to to further his Star Fleet career to the point he wanted. He pushed aside such romantic relationships in favor of something he wanted more. He was perfect in that he knew he could not have it all and was barely affected by that if at all. The man never failed at anything save the one time he felt revenge for what the Borg did to him. The final episode of the series didn’t reveal any of what you said it did. It was just Q pushing Picard around (as usual) and then telling him everything he needed to know. It was a below average episode that did nothing to dive into Picard’s character in any way whatsoever.

Kirk quite obviously hid his doubts with bravado. Many decisions he made he was not 100% behind. He would consult his friends and do what he ‘felt’ was right. And yes, quite often lucked out. (for the sake of the show continuing) He even told the Organians when he was supposed to mediate and agreement, “I’m a soldier, not a diplomat.” Picard was both and pretty much the best at either.

I think you’re in a very small minority seeing him in this way. The “final scene” I was referring to is literally the last scene of the show, when he sits down with his crew to play poker and says “I should have done this a long time ago.”

It showed how he isolated himself from the crew, never really becoming friends with them. As Spock said, there was an almost Vulcan quality to him, and it made him a flawed human being. As for Kirk asking his “friends”– Picard was probably the most open to suggestions and recommendations than any leader in Trek history, rarely going it on his hunch alone, unlike Kirk, who always had an air of “I’m right and I know it.”

I find Picard a far more interesting and soulful character than Kirk was on TOS. Now, Kirk in the films was nearly an entirely different character, and probably one of the best in Trek’s pantheon.

But Picard will always be a fan favorite, mostly due to how differently they view him than you do.

A large part of the reason for potential higher popularity is mostly a function of the fact that Picard is newer. That happens quite often. That final scene in AGT carried no weight. I just assumed that he took all of them to the cleaners because he was the best at everything he ever touched and was probably never invited back to play again because of it! Anyway, he didn’t do it because he didn’t want to. So what? Yes, the line is a nice line but it totally felt out of character for him as he was never really a “friend” of ANY of the bridge crew. And that didn’t change in the later feature films. Can anyone really see Picard and Data or Worf just hanging out off duty? No way. But Kirk, Spock and McCoy totally did. They were GREAT friends. TNG had none of that.

Picard rarely looked for advice from anyone. (From time to time he listened to his bartender, apparently) Picard made his decision and everyone else followed it accordingly. Even if they disagreed no one ever tried to make a case for it. The one person who did wasn’t even a member of his crew! Kirk was WAY more open to listening to council than Picard ever did. Have we even seen the same shows? Both Captains put on the face of “I’m right and I know it”. The job required it. The difference is Picard KNEW he was right every time. Kirk from time to time did it while hiding his trepidation. Not only that, Picard never seemed approachable. Kirk was eminently approachable.

You find Picard more interesting. Great. You like perfection. Nothing wrong with that. I have a friend who likes Picard over Kirk for the same reason. In fact, the reason he did not like First Contact was because it showed Picard succumbing to revenge. He liked the perfection in the Captain and felt it was something the entire crew should be looking up and and striving for. For me, as a fictional character, I find such things uninteresting. It is difficult to care about someone who is ALWAYS right. And knows it.

Ok, you can acknowledge I like Picard, but please don’t put words in my mouth that I “like perfection.” Whatever perfection you keep projecting on the character has nothing to do with my affinity for the him.

Forgive me. I drew a logical conclusion as to why you liked the character. That said, it was still a very good conclusion to make.

To throw in my two cents about the perfection discussion, “Family” revealed that it’s not so much that the character of Picard is perfect but that he’s a perfectionist. He drives himself to be perfect, over-achieves, but then blames himself when he can’t be perfect. “I wasn’t strong enough; I wasn’t good enough,” he blurts out in a moment of raw openness to his brother and himself. “Well, well, my little brother is a human being, after all,” observes Robert. No longer seeing him as arrogant, Robert is able to help Jean-Luc regain emotional equilibrium and realize he doesn’t belong under the ocean with Louis but among the perilous stars as captain of the Enterprise. Even though crammed into 42 minutes or whatever, the episode rings true about someone traumatized, which is why I think it is one of TNG’s best character episodes.

A few real clunkers in that list. In any case, bringing bwck John DeLancie as Q and Whoopi Goldberg as Guinan would be critical to making the new show as authentic as possible.

I wouldn’t hold my breath we will see any of them though. Maybe Guinan but I think the age issue of Q may be different. But yes everyone has said Q could just look older but I think its silly personally. I guess not the end of the world either if they went that route since clearly Q is one of the most popular characters in the franchise. So if they really want him they will figure it out. At this point I wouldn’t be too shocked they figured out how to bring Brent Spiner back to play Data.

Guinan only makes sense if they can cast Isis Carmen Jones again. Goldberg looks way to old for an alien that doesn’t show a bit of aging in the duration of 5 centuries. If they use a character from TNG I would prefer Lt. Jae anyway. Picard trusts her more than almost any other crew member and she is one of the most populär Star Trek characters. I don’t know anyone who doesn’t like her.

Well Data was sporting white hair in the future All Good Things timeline so it’s possible.

Oh GOD no! Bringing them back would not be a good sign for the show. One character worked only as comedy relief and the other was obviously a forced in character that never had a reason to be there to begin with.

I’m not sure if its OK to post this here since its from a different site, but I loved this video!

https://twitter.com/TrekCore/status/1079839347178905601

This why so many people are excited about seeing Picard again. Reading the comments people are really excited to see that character and a return to Trek that Discovery is missing (but may get back in time).

They are quite frankly already there, and have been since day 1.

I don’t understand what you mean?

Allegiance.

That’s a good little episode. Stewart got to play both detective Picard and crazy singing Picard.

No Captain’s Holiday or Gambit?

My favorite episodes starring Picard are Best of Both Worlds with Picard as Locutus, and Darmok.

no room for ‘lessons’ or ‘chains of command’?

I’m very excited, I think that Patrick Stewart is a classic Actor. I saw his one Man play. He is a very, very special Person!

So in other words… Picard is a perfect character. Nomad would NOT have sterilized had he run into Picard. I REALLY hope Picard becomes an interesting character in some way. In TNG, he was amazingly dull. Always doing and saying the right thing is not good character drama. It is a testimate to Stewart’s acting chops that he was able to breathe life into such a lifeless character.

I don’t think there are any wrong answers. The stories combined with Stewart’s acting made a number of episodes worthwhile watching and enlightening regarding the character of JLP. It is no wonder that a lot of my female friends who despised TOS really liked TNG, mainly because of Stewart’s portrayal of Picard. Just to throw in my two cents, in addition to all the numerous episodes already mentioned (incl my favorite The Inner Light), I will add Symbiosis, We’ll Always have Paris, Pen Pals, Darmok, I Borg, Attached and a repeat mention of the disturbing but brilliantly acted, Chain of Command.

I love the Shakespeare soliloquy in Hide and Q. Picard“ And What he said with irony, I say with conviction; What a piece of work is man. How noble in reason how infinite in faculty. In form and in moving how express and admirable. In action how like an Angel in apprehension how like a God!

Q: You don’t really see your species that way

Picard. “I see us one day becoming that Q,is it that which worries you?”

I know that it is not an episode, but Picard almost losing it on the Enterprise E and confronting Lily in First Contact is also another favorite.

That entire sequence between Lilly and Picard was pure gold.

And I see that as hammy beyond even the limits of Shatner (plus it should have been Beverly.)

Such soliloquies were a Picard staple. But in this case, it was pretty cool to see him justify revenge. If it were TOS it certainly would have been McCoy who opened the Captain’s eyes. And it would make sense that Crusher be the one to do it in FC. However, Crusher wasn’t with Picard while he was single mindedly disposing of Borg drones and working to figure out their evil plan. Lilly was.

Great scene, I agree. For many reasons, but because it made his experience in BOBW mean something, and show how it had changed him, and made him do something he otherwise probably wouldn’t have. We saw a glimpse of it in “I, Borg.”

I think the whole point was that it was the ‘primitive’ 21st century human who awakens the supposedly enlightened Picard to the base nature of his vendetta. That wouldn’t really have worked with any of the regular characters.

That’s a good point.

Looking forward to this show in a big way. As an-old school Kirk fan, Picard slowly grew on me during TNG’s run, and in the films, and now re-watching them today I enjoy the character even more. There’s so much potential here. And the fact it’ll take place post-Nemesis leaves the showrunners an open canvas. With the exception of the last season of Game Of Thrones, this show is my must-see for 2019.

Patrick Stewart. Earl Grey tea. Warm, European…and surprisingly fruity.

And so is the tea ;)

More seriously — There are some revealing quotes in the article:

”He may not, and I stress may not be a captain anymore. He may not be the Jean-Luc that you recognize and know so well. It may be a very different individual, someone who has been changed by his experiences.”

”Captain Picard is the hero we need right now.”

Educated guess: Picard left Starfleet, went into politics, and the new show is about his time as the Federation’s President. A futuristic version of The West Wing. Exciting if true.

My fav Picard episodes by season: 1) Justice – where we see this sharp-shooting captain bend the prime directive for the 1st time 2) Q-Who? – where Picard meets his temporary future “family”, and also has to ask for help from Q 3) Yesterday’s Enterprise – great interaction with Guinan and Yar 4) Family – we get to see a very human and vulnerable Picard 5) Unification – the opportunity to work with Sarek and Spock is some of the best Trek ever! 6) Chain of Command – stealthily breaking into a Cardassian facility, being tortured, and still maintaining his dignity 7) All Good Things – recognizing that Q isn’t the demon he previously thought

Side: nobody will agree, but in “Q-pid” we see a completely different side of Picard who risks everything for the love of Vash. Fascinating!

Great list! In terms of sheer acting skill by Patrick Stewart, I’d mention his stunning performance during the mind meld in “Sarek.” And for intentional over-acting, the Shakespearean ode to Lwaxana in “Ménage a Troi.” Shall I compare thee, etc.? Not the same kind of list, of course, but something that makes me eagerly await Patrick Stewart’s return whatever has become of Jean-Luc Picard.

In my opinion, “Tapestry” should definitely be on this list. It changed the way Picard viewed his past, his identity, his strengths and weaknesses. It changed his narrative of who he was and how he became that way.

Tapestry was the only episode where I actually felt a little for this Picard fellow. That scene of him in the tubolift muttering to Q about his current life. Even I felt bad for the guy.

Interesting choice to pick Where Silence Has Lease but really not bad. I would have picked Family for Season 4 and had the Borg episodes as your Season 3.

Screen Rant

Star trek's biggest year what discovery's callback to 2371 in tng's era means.

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Star Trek: Discovery Season 5 Returning Cast & New Character Guide

Star trek: discovery season 5 has a tribute to kenneth mitchell, star trek: discovery proves ds9's dominion war still matters 800 years later.

Warning: SPOILERS for Star Trek: Discovery Season 5, Episode 7 - "Erigah"

• Star Trek: Discovery season 5, Episode 7, "Erigah," references the monumental year 2371 of the Star Trek universe.
• The year 2371 featured significant expansions in the Star Trek franchise with multiple TV series and a movie.
• References to Star Trek: The Next Generation, Deep Space Nine, and Voyager enrich the storytelling in Discovery season 5.

Star Trek: Discovery season 5, episode 7, "Erigah" calls back to the year 2371, which is one of the most monumental time periods of Star Trek: The Next Generation 's 24th century era. Written by M. Raven Metzner and directed by Jon Dudkowski, "Erigah" sees Commander Paul Stamets (Anthony Rapp), Lt. Sylvia Tilly (Mary Wiseman), Ensign Adira Tal (Blu del Barrio), and Cleveland Booker (David Ajala) team up to determine the location of the fifth and final clue to the Progenitors' ancient treasure: a novel titled "Labyrinths of the Mind" written by Betazoid scientist Dr. Marina Derex in 2371.

2371 is a milestone year that marked a major expansion of the Star Trek franchise. In the real world, the events of 2371 in Star Trek equate to the years 1994 and 1995, which saw Star Trek Generations , the first Star Trek: The Next Generation movie, arrive in theaters in November 1994. At the same time, Star Trek: Deep Space Nine was in its third season, while Star Trek: Voyager launched in January 1995. For the first time, two Star Trek TV series were on the air while there was a Star Trek movie in theaters. Star Trek 's year 2371 encompasses 50 combined episodes of DS9 and Voyager as well as Star Trek Generations . And now, Star Trek: Discovery 's final clue to the Progenitors' treasure points to a book written during that fateful year of 2371.

Star Trek: Discovery season 5 is a sequel to Star Trek: The Next Generation 's season 6 episode, "The Chase," and contains more references to Star Trek: Deep Space Nine and Star Trek: Voyager than ever before.

As Burnham seeks the universe's greatest treasure in Star Trek: Discovery season 5, she'll need help from a host of new and returning characters.

What Happened In Star Trek Generations In 2371

The first star trek: the next generation movie saw captain kirk meet captain picard.

Star Trek Generations is set in 2371, months after the end of Star Trek: The Next Generation . In Star Trek Generations, Captain Jean-Luc Picard (Patrick Stewart) discovered Captain James T. Kirk (William Shatner), who was believed to have died in 2293, was alive in the interdimensional reality called the Nexus. Kirk joined Picard in returning to 2371 to stop Dr. Tolian Soran (Malcolm McDowell) from destroying the Veridian sun. Tragically, Kirk died in the effort to stop Soran and was buried by Picard on Veridan III.

Captain Kirk's remains were moved into storage at Section 31's black site, Daystrom Station, as seen in Star Trek: Picard season 3.

Another significant event in Star Trek Generations was the destruction of the USS Enterprise-D. The Galaxy Class flagship of the United Federation of Planets saw its stardrive section destroyed by a Klingon attack, and its separated saucer section crash-landed on Veridian III. In addition, Worf (Michael Dorn) was promoted to Lieutenant Commander while Data (Brent Spiner) activated his emotion chip and struggled with his rampant feelings. Captain Picard also learned his family in La Barre, France, died in a house fire.

The USS Enterprise-D was restored by Commodore Geordi La Forge (LeVar Burton) and saved the galaxy one last time in Star Trek: Picard season 3.

What Happened On Star Trek: Deep Space Nine In 2371

The seeds of the dominion war were planted on ds9.

Star Trek: Deep Space Nine season 3 took place in 2371, and it set the stage for the Dominion War that would alter the fate of the galaxy as the Federation becomes aware of the authoritarian threat coming from the Gamma Quadrant. Commander Benjamin Sisko (Avery Brooks) and members of Deep Space Nine's crew time-travel to the 21st century where Sisko took the place of Gabriel Bell in the infamous San Francisco Bell Riots. Lt. Thomas Riker (Jonathan Frakes), joined the Maquis and posed as Commander William Riker to steal the USS Defiant, which led to his imprisonment on Cardassia.

The Federation learns that the Dominion's shapeshifting Founders have infiltrated the Alpha Quadrant.

Later in 2371, Benjamin Sisko is promoted to Captain, and he and his son, Jake (Cirroc Lofton), sail to Cardassia on a solar ship like ancient Bajorans did. The Bajoran-Cardassia Peace Treaty is signed as Shakaar Edon (Duncan Regehr) becomes First Minister of Bajor. The female Changeling (Salome Jens) sets a trap to force Constable Odo (Rene Auberjonois) admit his love for Major Kira Nerys (Nana Visitor). By the end of Star Trek: Deep Space Nine season 3 , the Federation learns that the Dominion's shapeshifting Founders have infiltrated the Alpha Quadrant, and the Cardassian Obsidian Order and Romulan Tal Shiar are severely crippled after a failed attack on the Dominion.

What Happened On Star Trek: Voyager In 2371

Year one of the uss voyager's journey home from the delta quadrant.

Star Trek: Voyager season 1 and the first episode of season 2, "The 37s" (which was originally intended as Voyager season 1's finale) take place in 2371. Captain Kathryn Janeway (Kate Mulgrew) assembles the crew of the USS Voyager to find the Maquis ship Val Jean in the Badlands, but both starships are transported 75,000 lightyears into the Delta Quadrant by the Caretaker. Joined by the Talaxian Neelix (Ethan Phillips) and the Ocampan Kes (Jennifer Lien), the USS Voyager absorbs the Maquis into its Starfleet crew as a measure of survival, and the Intrepid Class starship begins a long journey home to Earth.

The USS Voyager's first year in the Delta Quadrant saw them encounter the villainous Kazon. Ensign Seska (Martha Hackett) reveals herself as a Cardassian spy and joins the Kazon, while Ensign Samantha Wildman (Nancy Hower) learns she is pregnant with her daughter, Naomi Wildman (Scarlett Pomers). To kick off Star Trek: Voyager season 2, the USS Voyager discovers the missing 20th century pilot Amelia Earhart (Sharon Lawrence), who was abducted and brought to the Delta Quadrant by the Briori. But while all that and more happened in Star Trek in 2371, Dr. Marina Derex published "Labyrinths of the Mind" , and she would hide her clue to the Progenitors' treasure in her original manuscript stored in the Eternal Gallery and Archive for Star Trek: Discovery to find.

New episodes of Star Trek: Discovery season 5 stream Thursdays on Paramount+

Star Trek: Deep Space Nine and Star Trek: Voyager are streaming on Paramount+

Star Trek Generations is streaming on Max

• Star Trek: Generations