Jean-Luc Picard

**Jean-Luc Picard** was a 24th century Human man, born in the year 2305. He served in Starfleet and was well known throughout the Federation and beyond for his skills, intellect, command ability and having averted innumerable disasters and crises affecting individuals, starships, planets, interstellar states and the very fate of the universe.

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.

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 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.

## Biography

### Early Life

Jean-Luc Picard, the second son of Maurice Picard and Yvette Gessard Picard, was born in La Barre, France, on Earth on July 13, 2305. He adored his troubled mother Yvette, who would steep tea to the robust flavor which he continued to savor as an adult. His aunt Adele also left an impression on his taste in the beverage. From an early age, Jean-Luc and his elder brother Robert Picard fought constantly, but shared friends such as Louis Blanchard and Claude.

Jean-Luc's interest in history and archeology began in 2313, when he was forced to escape to a small parish church to escape the bullying and torment of his brother. He was so captivated by the church that he wanted to know everything about the building.

When he was young, one of Jean-Luc's aunts gave him an astronomy text. Maurice said that it was too advanced for a boy of his age, but the section of color photographs captured his imagination, and Jean-Luc dreamed of being in space "amongst objects of such rare elegance."

As a youth, he auditioned for a school production of *Romeo and Juliet* in order to get closer to the girl playing Juliet. Though hoping to be cast as Romeo, Jean-Luc ended up playing the role of the nurse.

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After the Borg Invasion of 2381, Starlfeet Command issued Command Directive 7598.4 which granted Jean-Luc Picard a large amount of autonomy and authorized him to take what ever steps he saw as necessary to protect the Federation from extreme threats, such as the Borg. A controversial clause in the directive ensured that when Picard feels there is an extreme threat, his actions during such time could not be countermanded nor could they be censured afterwards.

## Personal Life

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.

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.

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.

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.

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.

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.

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.

### 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.

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 his wife and chief medical officer, Dr. Crusher.

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.

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.

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.

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.

## Personal Relationships

### Family

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.

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.

### Romance

#### Lwaxana Troi

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.

#### Vash

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.

#### Kamala

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. However, 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.

#### Nella Daren

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.

#### Anij

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.

#### Beverly Crusher

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.

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.

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.

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.

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.

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.

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. However, 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*.

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.

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. However, 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.

That would change however, as by 2381 the two were married and Beverly was expecting a child.

### Friendships

#### Guinan

Guinan and Picard shared a long-term relationship, which, according to her, went "beyond friendship and beyond family." She also once said to Geordi La Forge that she was attracted to bald men. In return, Picard once observed Guinan to be "very selective about whom she calls a friend."

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.

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.

In 2367, Guinan played the role of Gloria in one of Picard's Dixon Hill holonovels. She, however, was not much impressed with the program.

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.

#### William T. Riker

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.

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.

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*.

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.

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 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.

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.

Picard remained in contact with Riker after Riker became captain of the USS *Titan*.

#### Data

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.

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.

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.

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.*"

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.

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.

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.

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, however, 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.

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.

#### Worf

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. However, 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 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.

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. 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. 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, however, 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.