Here are 10 reasons I think Jean-Luc Picard was the best Star Trek captain.
ICYMI: It doesn’t get any more British than Patrick Stewart spoofing Monty Pythonto make a witty point.
Cisco, Janeway and Archer were all brilliant captains and each had unique traits that made them rich characters full of depth and warmth, but I feel as though kirk and Picard were always slightly different from the others. The Kirk versus Picard debate has raged for many years and in 1994, Mad Magazine even had them rolling around fighting to get to the captain’s chair whilst Scotty and Worf looked on in bewilderment.
The 2 captains couldn’t have been more different; Kirk was a brash, quick-witted all-American action hero, who was both a hit with the ladies and possessed knock-out judo chop. He was no-nonsense, kiss-or-fight and ask questions later guy, whilst Picard was a serial thinker. Picard would outwit his opponents and analyze every tiny detail. He used words that Kirk wouldn’t have understood and he studied geology, psychology and various other concepts. UGO Networks ran a poll and found Picard as the fans favorite and one of the best entertainment heroes of all time; “He doesn’t have Kirk’s sense of panache, but he did have a tendency to take everything really, really seriously for years”. Without wanting to get personal, let’s not forget that TNG ran for 7 seasons whilst TOS managed only 3 (Low blow, I know)
So here’s why I think that Jean-Luc Picard is the best Star Trek captain of the franchise:
Picard was a master debater
Jean-Luc Picard was a very moral person, bound by the ethics of the Federation. He was extremely logical, bordering on the point of Vulcan logic and he was a truly intelligent individual. As opposed to Kirk who used panache and brawn, Picard used his diplomacy skills to deals with issues.
He debated with his enemies, rather than punching them, even when the opponent was not easily displaced. He was a remarkably tactful captain and earned the respect from his crew as the seasons went on. His wisdom seemed to develop as the show continued and he even said in an interview that he put more and more of himself into the character, and more of the character into himself.
“Time is a companion that goes with us on a journey. It reminds us to cherish each moment, because it will never come again. What we leave behind is not as important as how we have lived.”
Next: He was in his prime
He was in his prime
Ok, so you might think that Jean-Luc was a bit of a silver fox, but according to the Star Trek Next Generation Writers Guide created for the writers of the show, Federation officers in their fifties are in the prime of their life. They can retain full fitness and awareness all the way through their seventies, which makes sense given the technological and medical advances that we might see in a few hundred years’ time.
Apparently, 24th century females have a bit of a thing for what we might see as the older gentleman because they have the ‘double attractiveness’ of being physically sound and ‘having a greater awareness of the rich variety of human relationships.’ I think that might mean he had a bit of experience on the ‘lady front.’
Next: He wasn't afraid to ask for help
He wasn’t afraid to ask for help
When the situation called for it, Captain Picard was not afraid to ask for help. In doing so, he lived to fight another day and so did the crew. Eventually, having survived by asking for help, he managed to defeat the Borg and save the Federation. He showed remarkable leadership qualities in doing so and the same might not be said for James T Kirk or some of the other captains for that matter.
Q flung the Enterprise halfway across the galaxy and gave them first contact with the Borg.
“You wanted to frighten us. We’re frightened. You wanted to show us we were inadequate. For the moment, I grant that. You wanted me to say ‘I need you.’? I NEED you!”
He asked Q for help and Q obliged.
“That was a difficult admission. Another man would have been humiliated to say those words. Another man would have rather died than ask for help.”
Next: He wasn't afraid to get his hands dirty
He could get his hands dirty when it came to it
Picard may have been a tactful thinker but he could certainly get his hands dirty when he needed to. When the situation dictated it, Jean look Picard fought the Borg, Ferengi and various other species with the same fierceness as Kirk ever did. Perhaps he didn’t go around berating other species and looking for a fist-fight with everyone, but Picard certainly had his ways of dealing with powerful enemies.
Let’s be fair; the Klingon’s of TOS were pretty wimpy looking and Kirk didn’t really have a lot of trouble fighting them. Worf from the house of Mogh came along and changed all that with his defined and proud forehead ridges and his nasty looking bat’leth. Picard even got to crown the leader of the Klingon high council; Kirk never crowned anybody.
I shouldn’t have to mention that Kirk kept losing security officers and Picard kept Worf around for several years.
Captain Jean-Luc Picard:
Captain’s personal log, supplemental. We’re heading toward Federation space at maximum warp. The crew has responded with the dedication I’ve come to expect of them. And like a thousand other commanders on a thousand other battlefields, I wait for the dawn.
Next: He was a cultured chap
Jean-Luc Picard was a cultured chap who enjoyed a variety of healthy pursuits including archeology. He’d studied Iconian archaeology since Starfleet Academy and even addressed the Federation Archeological Council on more than one occasion. He was knowledgeable on literature and enjoyed Shakespearean plays. He also enjoyed fictional detective works and took part in holodeck simulations of the books he read. Following an encounter with one particular species, Picard started playing a special kind of flute that he’d hated since school.
Many memorable episodes were based around the pursuits of Captain Picard and he was certainly the most cultured captain we had the pleasure of seeing in a television series.
Cisko liked baseball.
Janeway liked the Prime Directive and 7 of 9.
Archer liked water polo.
Kirk liked punching things.
Next: He was Locutus
He was Locutus of Borg
To me, the Borg we absolutely terrifying. I remember watching TNG at my grandmother’s house and I hid behind the sofa when the Borg started telling people that they were about to be assimilated. I think they were truly one of the best enemies of the entire franchise for the fear factor; they were practically space-vampire-zombies.
What does this have to do with Picard? Well he was one for a while! He fought the Borg with as much force as Kirk could muster and even once he was assimilated into a Borg drone, he came back from the collective and recovered.
Point of Interest: One of the original plots was to merge Data and Picard into a single drone, but the writers cancelled this idea because someone asked why the Borg would do it and they had no answers.
“I am Locutus of Borg. Resistance is futile. Your life as it has been is over. From this time forward, you will service us.”
Next: He was an Englishman
Patrick Stewart was an Englishman – His father was a WWII veteran
This doesn’t really have a bearing on what Captain Picard was like, but it did affect Patrick Stewart who portrayed the character that many say ‘made’ the show what it was.
Patrick Stewart is an award-winning actor and probably one of the show’s most successful actors outside of the Star Trek universe. He was born in Yorkshire, England and his father, Alfred Stewart was Regimental Sergeant Major in the British Army. This rank usually meant he would have a moustache and a stick and shout at most people except Commissioned Officers. His father was indeed a war hero.
His father was involved in World War II and assisted in the Allied retreat from Dunkirk. He was assisting in the evacuation of Allied troops and helped to save many lives. He suffered PTSD, or post-traumatic stress disorder, after the events and was said to be a difficult character. In a 2008 interview, Patrick Stewart said his father was “a very potent individual, a very powerful man who got what he wanted.”
Next: He had the best intro
He had the best intro and some of the best quotes ever:
TNG arguably had the best intro of any Star Trek lines with the famous words:
“Space… the final frontier. These are the voyages of the starship Enterprise. Her continuing mission: to explore strange new worlds, to seek out new life and new civilizations. To boldly go where no one has gone before.”
Picard had the best possible voice for this intro. I can only think that perhaps Morgan Freeman or James Earl Jones would perhaps have done it as good.
Picard also had a lot of brilliant quotes that seemed so much more real coming from him:
“Tea. Earl Grey. Hot”
“Make it so!”
And some more intimate quotes:
“If there is one ideal that the Federation holds most dear, it is that all men, all races can be united.”
“Buried deep within you, beneath all the years of pain and anger, there is something that has never been nurtured: the potential to make yourself a better man. And that is what it is to be human. To make yourself more than you are. Oh, yes — I know you. There was a time you looked at the stars and dreamed of what might be.”
Next: He rarely broke the rules
He rarely broke the prime directive
“The Prime Directive is not just a set of rules; it is a philosophy … and a very correct one. History has proven again and again that whenever mankind interferes with a less developed civilization, no matter how well intentioned that interference may be, the results are invariably disastrous.”
He did on occasion break the Prime Directive and get involve when he shouldn’t have done but he was a firm believer in the ideals and the morals of the Federation. He wasn’t strict to the point of Janeway, who became slightly irritating with her fascination of the directive, but he did follow the rules as best he could.
Next: And finally...
Finally, bald men are handsome.
Simply put, bald men are great looking, posses far superior intelligence to the average man, and they spend less time grooming, which is more time they can spend saving the Federation.
Gene Roddenberry was once asked how a bald man could be a captain in the 24th century because surely a cure for male pattern baldness would have been found by then. Roddenberry simply replied that in the 24th century they wouldn’t care about being bald.
Perhaps this one is a bit personal, but anyone can be a captain with Kirk’s hair, it takes a real leader to lead with Picard’s stately bald head.
Next: The 10 Best Ships In The Federation
So what do you think? Do you think Picard is the best Star Trek captain? Let us know in the comments below or on Facebook.