View source for Jean-Luc Picard

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{{ImageInfoBox2|name=Jean-Luc Picard|file=picard_jean-luc-st-08.jpg|caption=Jean-Luc Picard ([[First Contact (Film)|ST08]])}}
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Jean-Luc Picard was born in [[2305]], in the [[French]] town of [[Labarre]] on [[Earth]].<ref name="TNG178"/> His parents, [[Maurice Picard]]<ref name="TNG178"/> and [[Yvette Picard|Yvette Gessard Picard]],<ref name="TNG106"/> were staunch traditionalists who brought him up with a very strong sense of his cultural roots and family history. The Picard family shunned modern technology such as [[replicators]], and Maurice clearly hoped that Jean-Luc would stay in Labarre like his elder brother [[Robert Picard|Robert]].<ref name="TNG178"/> Jean-Luc, however, was fascinated by space from an early age. He made several visits to the [[Smithsonian Institution]], where he saw [[The Phoenix|the ''Phoenix'']] &mdash; the ship in which [[Zefram Cochrane]] made the first [[warp drive|warp]] flight<ref name="ST08"/> &mdash; and he started building models of spaceships, such as a [[Promellian battle cruiser]], in bottles.<ref name="TNG154"/>

Jean-Luc excelled at school, always earning top marks,<ref name="TNG178"/> and at 17 he applied to [[Starfleet Academy]]. He was rejected on his first attempt, but despite his father's objections, he re-applied the following year and was accepted.<ref name="TNG119"/>

Picard had an extremely impressive career at the Academy, both as a sportsman and an academic. In his first year he won the 40-kilometer run on [[Danula II]], becoming the first and only freshman to ever win the academy marathon.<ref name="TNG175"/> He also excelled in his studies, particularly [[archaeology]], which was taught by [[Professor]] [[Richard Galen]]. In fact, Galen was so impressed that he believed Picard could well have become the foremost archaeologist of his generation had he not pursued a career in [[Starfleet]].<ref name="TNG246"/>

While at the Academy, Picard forged close frienships with several people, including the groundskeeper [[Boothby]], and his classmates [[Marta Batanides]] and [[Cortin Zweller]].<ref name="TNG241"/>

Despite his achievements, "Johnny" Picard was still somewhat immature. He had a reputation as a ladies' man, and was known for making more than one date on the same day.<ref name="TNG241"/> He also had some disciplinary problems, but none of this seemed to interfere with his studies, and he graduated as class valedictorian in [[2327]].<ref name="TNG143"/>

Shortly after graduation, Picard's life changed radically. He and his frinds Cortin and Marta were at [[Starbase Earhart]], on leave while waiting for their final assignments, when they were involved in a disagreement with three [[Nausicaans]]. Picard started a fight, and during the struggle he was stabbed through the [[heart]]. He survived the incident and was given an artificial heart, but it had a profound effect on his personality. He was now much more aware of his own mortality, and the seriousness of some of the risks he had been running. He became much more thoughtful, and even more determined to succeed.<ref name="TNG241"/>

By [[2333]], Picard had been promoted to [[Starfleet Lieutenant Commander|lieutenant commander]], and was serving as second officer on the [[U.S.S. Stargazer NCC-2893|U.S.S. ''Stargazer'' NCC-2893]] when his captain was killed. Picard took command and, at age 28, Picard was one of the youngest men to ever earn his own command.<ref name="TNG110"/>

Picard stayed in command of the ''Stargazer'' for 22 years, earning a reputation as one of the finest captains in Starfleet. He was assigned to deep space exploration, and although his mission was exciting, it was often dangerous.<ref name="TNG110"/> One of Picard's closest friends, Lieutenant Commander [[Jack Crusher]], served under him, but was killed in [[2354]].<ref name="TNG101"/> The ''Stargazer'' was almost lost on several occasions &mdash; during a mission to [[Sector 21503]], it barely survived a battle with [[Cardassian]] forces &mdash; and it was eventually irreparably damaged in [[2355]] during a skirmish with an unidentified vessel.<ref name="TNG110"/>

The ''Stargazer'' had entered the [[Maxia Zeta system]] when it was attacked without warning. The crew survived only because Picard developed a new maneuver, involving a short warp-speed journey that confused the enemy's sensors and allowed the ''Stargazer'' to fire a full spread of [[shipboard phasers|phasers]] and [[photon torpedoes]] at point-blank range, which completely destroyed the enemy vessel. Years later, it was learned that the attacking vessel was actually a [[Ferengi]] ship. The tactic used by Picard came to be known as the [[Picard Maneuver]], and was taught at Starfleet Academy. Picard and his crew were forced to abandon the ''Stargazer'' in the [[shuttlecraft]] and [[escape pods]], and limp back to [[United Federation of Planets|Federation]] space.<ref name="TNG110"/> Per standard procedure, Picard faced a preliminary hearing pursuant to a potential court-martial for the loss of the ''Stargazer,'' but he was exhonerated.<ref name="TNG135"/>

In [[2363]], Picard was made captain of Starfleet's newly-commissioned flagship, the [[Galaxy class|''Galaxy'' class]] [[U.S.S. Enterprise NCC-1701-D|U.S.S. ''Enterprise'' NCC-1701-D]].<ref name="TNG101"/> Picard gave the position of [[first officer]] to [[Starfleet Commander|Commander]] [[William Riker]], who had previously served on the [[U.S.S. Hood NCC-42296|U.S.S. ''Hood'' NCC-42296]] under Captain [[DeSoto]]. He chose Riker because a report showed that he had refused to allow DeSoto to beam into a dangerous situation, and he respected the young man's willingness to stand up to his superiors.<ref name="TNG101"/>

Shortly after assuming command of the ''Enterprise,'' Picard became the first Starfleet officer known to have encountered the super-being known as [[Q]]. The ''Enterprise'' had been sent to investigate [[Farpoint Station]], where it was due to collect many of its senior staff, but ''en route'' it was intercepted by Q, who demanded that mankind stop its exploration of the [[Milky Way galaxy|galaxy]]. Picard refused, and became involved in a trial &mdash; with Q as judge and jury &mdash; in which mankind was accused of being a savage race. When Picard managed to persuade Q to judge mankind as it was, and not on its past behavior, the near-omnipotent being elected Picard to act as humanity's representative. Picard's actions at Farpoint satisfied Q,<ref name="TNG101"/> but it was later revealed that the “trial” never ended.<ref name="TNG277"/>

The ''Enterprise's'' first year in service was quite eventful. A few months after encountering Q, it was the first ship to make confirmed [[first contact]] with the [[Ferengi]] when it pursued a [[D'Kora class|Ferengi Marauder]] into the [[Delphi Ardu system]].<ref name="TNG110"/> In [[2364]], Picard's old friend [[Walker Keel]] contacted him, and warned him that he believed there was a high-level conspiracy in [[Starfleet Command]]. When Keel's ship was lost in an "accident," Picard took the ''Enterprise'' to [[Earth]] to investigate the conspiracy. When they arrived, Picard and his crew discovered that a race of [[blue gill parasites|alien parasites]] had taken control of many high-ranking officers. The ''Enterprise'' crew managed to destroy the parasites, saving the Federation.<ref name="TNG125"/> A few months later, the ''Enterprise'' was sent to investigate the disappearance of several outposts along the edge of the [[Romulan Neutral Zone]], and marked the first formal contact with the [[Romulans]] in more than 20 years.<ref name="TNG126"/>

The ''Enterprise'' was also the first Federation vessel known to have survived an encounter with the [[Borg]]. In [[2365]], Q visited Picard, and transported the ship 7000 [[light years]] across space, where it met a [[Borg cube]]. Picard and his crew were not fully aware of the danger they were in and began to investigate the cube. The Borg responded by trying to assimilate the ship and its crew; the ''Enterprise'' survived the encounter only because it was rescued by Q. Whatever Q's motives, the information that Picard and his crew gathered proved extremely valuable to Starfleet, which set up a task force to investigate ways of dealing with the Borg threat.<ref name="TNG142"/>

<span id="Locutus">When the Borg entered Federation space in [[2366]], the ''Enterprise'' was the first ship sent to investigate. During the mission, Picard was kidnapped by the Borg and taken to their ship.<ref name="TNG174"/> What followed was deeply traumatic for him, and he suppressed memories of it for many years. Picard met the [[Borg Queen]], who offered him the chance to join her by being assimilated in a way that would leave him with some of his individuality intact.<ref name="ST08"/> When he refused, he was forcibly assimilated, and became Locutus, a Borg spokesman.<ref name="TNG174"/></span>

As Locutus, Picard was forced to give all of his tactical knowledge to the Borg, and the small part of him that remained human was forced to watch as the Borg destroyed dozens of Starfleet vessels at [[Wolf 359]],<ref name="TNG175"/> including the [[U.S.S. Saratoga NCC-31911|U.S.S. ''Saratoga'' NCC-31911]].<ref name="DSN401"/> Picard's crew eventually rescued him. Lieutenant Commander [[Data]] and Counselor [[Deanna Troi|Troi]] managed to make contact with what was left of his humanity, and using his advice were able to send a signal to the Borg that made them enter their hibernation mode and, minutes later, destroy themselves.<ref name="TNG175"/>

Although Picard's physical wounds healed relatively quickly, the mental scars were far more serious. The ''Enterprise'' returned to Earth for repairs, and Picard decided to visit the [[Chateau Picard|Picard family vineyard]] for the first time in nearly two decades. His parents were long since dead, but his brother Robert continued to run the vineyard in the same old-fashioned way. While in [[France]], Picard seriously considered leaving Starfleet to take up a position as the director of the [[Atlantis Project]], but he realized that his destiny lay with the ''Enterprise.''<ref name="TNG178"/>

It is clear that if Picard had so desired, he could easily have made a new career for himself; in [[2363]], he turned down the opportunity to become the commandant of Starfleet Academy<ref name="TNG119"/> and he excelled in a number of fields. While he was posted to the ''Enterprise''-D, he found time to maintain his archaeological studies, and in [[2364]] he visited the legendary planet of [[Iconia]], where he uncovered their incredibly sophisticated technology.<ref name="TNG137"/>

In [[2366]], during a holiday on [[Risa]], Picard met the archaeologist [[Vash]], who had found the ''[[Tox Uthat]]'' &mdash; a weapon from the 27th century that had been hidden in the past. When he realized how dangerous the device was, Picard made the decision to destroy it. Despite this, he and Vash remained on good terms.<ref name="TNG167"/>

In [[2368]], Picard played a pivotal role in a most extraordinary archaeological find. The ''Enterprise'' was en route to [[Starbase 218]] when it encountered an [[Kataanian probe|unidentified probe]]. When Picard began to investigate, the probe transmitted a low-level nucleonic beam that established a link with him and put him into a coma. During the 25 [[minutes]] that Picard was unconscious, he experienced an entire lifetime on the planet [[Kataan]]. He eventually discovered that Kataan had been destroyed a thousand years earlier, and that the natives had placed their memories in the probe in the hope that someday it would make contact with another race and their society would not be completely forgotten. The experience was extremely profound, and left Picard with the memories of a wife and children that he had never had.<ref name="TNG225"/>

In [[2369]], [[Richard Galen]] &mdash; Picard's old archaeology professor &mdash; visited him on the ''Enterprise,'' and asked him to leave Starfleet to help him in his research. Picard reluctantly refused, but when Galen was killed shortly afterward he investigated his friend's work and made an incredibly important discovery: many of the humanoid races in the galaxy had a common ancestor, which deliberately placed a message in their [[DNA]].<ref name="TNG246"/>

Picard also developed a formidable repuation as a legal advocate. While he was on the ''Enterprise,'' he played a vital role in establishing the legal rights of [[Soong-type androids]]. In [[2364]], Commander [[Bruce Maddox]] persuaded Starfleet Command to transfer Lieutenant Commander Data &mdash; the only Soong-type android known to exist at the time &mdash; to his command. Data, who was serving as Picard's operations officer, refused. This led to a [[hearing (legal)|hearing]] in which Maddox maintained that Data was Starfleet's property. Picard defended Data, and won a landmark judgment that established the android as sentient, and gave him full rights under Federation law.<ref name="TNG135"/> When [[Starfleet Admiral|Admiral]] [[Haftel]] attempted to test that law by taking control of Data's "daughter" [[Lal]] in [[2366]], Picard was ready to challenge his decision, but Lal died before matters could be resolved.<ref name="TNG164"/>

Picard also earned an impressive repuatation as a diplomat; he helped to resolve countless disputes, and handled numerous [[first contact]] situations. Some of Picard's most important political achievements relate to the [[Klingons]], with whom he had been deeply involved since the mid-2360s. In [[2366]], he helped Lieutenant [[Worf]] defend himself on [[Qo'noS]] when the Klingon officer learned that his father, [[Mogh]], had been falsely implicated in the [[Romulan Star Empire|Romulan]] attack on [[Khitomer]] in [[2346]]. During the trial, Picard acted as Worf's ''[[cha'DIch]],'' and uncovered evidence which proved that the [[House of Duras]] had framed Worf to conceal their own involvement with the Romulans. The Klingon chancellor, [[K'mpec]], was unwilling to make this information public, but Picard's honorable conduct impressed him.<ref name="TNG165"/>

When K'mpec discovered later that year that he had been poisoned and was dying, he decided that the election of the new chancellor should be officiated by someone outside the [[Klingon Empire]]. From their dealings, he knew that Picard was an honorable man who understood the Klingons, so he found the ''Enterprise'' and made the captain his [[Arbiter of Succession]]; Picard was the only human to ever hold the office.<ref name="TNG181"/> Following K'mpec's death, Picard exposed [[Duras]]' relationship with the Romulans, and ensured that [[Gowron]] became the new chancellor.<ref name="TNG200"/> Although the [[Prime Directive]] prevented Picard from becoming involved in the [[Klingon Civil War (2366)|civil war]] that followed, he led the fleet which blockaded key systems along the Romulan border, preventing the Romulans from sending supplies to the House of Duras. As a result, Gowron won the civil war.<ref name="TNG201"/>

Picard also played a vital role in disrupting a Romulan plot to invade [[Vulcan]] in [[2367]]. When Starfleet learned that [[Ambassador]] [[Spock]] had apparently defected to [[Romulus]], they sent Picard and Data to investigate. Using Picard's relationship with the Klingons, they procured the use of a [[cloaking device|cloaked]] [[Klingon Bird of Prey]] for the mission. On arrival, they found Spock, who had made the journey in the hope of negotiating a peaceful reunification between the Vulcan and Romulan peoples.<ref name="TNG208"/> Spock had, in fact, been lured to Romulus by [[Romulan Commander|Commander]] [[Sela]], who planned to fake a message from him that would convince the Federation to allow an invasion fleet into their space. Picard, Data, and Spock were able to frustrate the plot, and the ''Enterprise'' officers returned to their ship, while Spock remained on Romulus to work with the Romulan underground movement.<ref name="TNG207"/>

In [[2368]], Picard was presented with the opportunity to attack the Borg. The ''Enterprise'' discovered a crashed [[Borg scout ship]], and recovered a Borg drone who had survived the accident. Picard still had very strong feelings about the Borg, and was determined to inflict as much damage on them as he could. Under his orders, the ''Enterprise'' crew developed an invasive program, which they believed they could use to cripple the Borg by introducing it to the stranded drone. However, while the drone was on the ''Enterprise,'' Picard was forced to reconsider his attitudes to the [[Borg Collective]]. Due to his own experience of recovering from assimilation, he was convinced that the Borg could not be redeemed, but when he saw how the drone developed a sense of his own identity and started to call himself [[Hugh]], Picard realized that he was allowing his anger to cloud his judgment. He took the decision to abandon his plan, and allowed Hugh to return to the collective without the destructive program.<ref name="TNG223"/> This decision was later harshly criticized by Admiral [[Nechayev, Alynna|Nechayev]], but Picard remained convinced that he had done the right thing, and he later learned that Hugh had not only retained his sense of identity, he had "infected" the other drones on his cube with a sense of individuality as well.<ref name="TNG253"/>

The Borg were not the only race who inflicted suffering on Picard. In [[2368]], he was captured by the [[Cardassians]] while on an [[espionage]] mission, and during his captivity he was brutally tortured by [[Gul]] [[Madred]].<ref name="TNG236"/> Although political developments led to his release before he gave them any information, he admitted that if he had been captive much longer, he would have done anything Madred ordered.<ref name="TNG237"/>

In [[2371]], the ''Enterprise''-D was destroyed after Picard had left the ship in order to stop [[doctor|Dr.]] [[Tolian Soran]] from destroying the [[Veridian system|Veridian star]]. While he was gone, the Duras sisters, [[Lursa]] and [[B'Etor]], managed to destroy the ship's stardrive section, forcing the crew to make an emergency landing in the saucer section. Meanwhile, Picard followed Soran into a reality known as the [[Nexus]], where dreams become reality. Picard and Captain [[James T. Kirk]], whom he found there, chose to leave the Nexus in order to stop Soran.<ref name="ST07"/> Picard and his crew were soon given a new ship &mdash; the [[U.S.S. Enterprise NCC-1701-E|U.S.S. ''Enterprise'' NCC-1701-E]] &mdash; and spent the next year on a shakedown cruise.<ref name="ST08"/>

Even at this stage of his career, Picard believed in disobeying orders that he felt were unjustified. When a Borg ship tried to invade Earth in [[2373]], his superiors were concerned that his experiences as Locutus would make him unreliable, so they assigned the ''Enterprise'' to patrol the Romulan Neutral Zone. But Picard disobeyed orders and joined the fleet that was defending Earth when it became apparent that the Borg onslaught would not be stopped. When Admiral [[Hayes]]' ship was destroyed, Picard assumed command of the fleet, and used his knowledge to destroy the Borg cube. He then pursued a [[Borg sphere]] into Earth's past, where he finally defeated the Borg and prevented them from altering the timeline so that the Federation would never have come into existence.<ref name="ST08"/>

Picard disobeyed orders again in [[2374]]. When Lieutenant Commander Data apparently malfunctioned on a mission in the [[Briar Patch]], Picard decided to investigate for himself. When he arrived, he discovered that senior Starfleet officers were involved in a conspiracy with the [[Son'a]] to harvest lifegiving energy from a planet inhabited by the [[Ba'ku]]. The plan was clearly unethical &mdash; it would have left the Ba'ku world uninhabitable &mdash; and Picard felt he had no choice but to disobey a direct order from Admiral [[Dougherty]] and intervene on the Ba'ku's behalf. Dougherty was killed by the Son'a leader [[Adhar]] [[Ru'afo]] during the incident, but Picard managed to save the planet. He then persuaded the [[Federation Council]] to halt their attempt to relocate the Ba'ku, proving that he was, as ever, the model Starfleet officer.<ref name="ST09"/>

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<ref name="TNG101">{{RefTNG101}}</ref>
<ref name="TNG106">{{RefTNG106}}</ref>
<ref name="TNG110">{{RefTNG110}}</ref>
<ref name="TNG119">{{RefTNG119}}</ref>
<ref name="TNG125">{{RefTNG125}}</ref>
<ref name="TNG126">{{RefTNG126}}</ref>
<ref name="TNG135">{{RefTNG135}}</ref>
<ref name="TNG137">{{RefTNG137}}</ref>
<ref name="TNG142">{{RefTNG142}}</ref>
<ref name="TNG143">{{RefTNG143}}</ref>
<ref name="TNG154">{{RefTNG154}}</ref>
<ref name="TNG164">{{RefTNG164}}</ref>
<ref name="TNG165">{{RefTNG165}}</ref>
<ref name="TNG167">{{RefTNG167}}</ref>
<ref name="TNG174">{{RefTNG174}}</ref>
<ref name="TNG175">{{RefTNG175}}</ref>
<ref name="TNG178">{{RefTNG178}}</ref>
<ref name="TNG181">{{RefTNG181}}</ref>
<ref name="TNG200">{{RefTNG200}}</ref>
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<ref name="TNG223">{{RefTNG223}}</ref>
<ref name="TNG225">{{RefTNG225}}</ref>
<ref name="TNG236">{{RefTNG236}}</ref>
<ref name="TNG237">{{RefTNG237}}</ref>
<ref name="TNG241">{{RefTNG241}}</ref>
<ref name="TNG246">{{RefTNG246}}</ref>
<ref name="TNG253">{{RefTNG253}}</ref>
<ref name="TNG277">{{RefTNG277}}</ref>
<ref name="DSN401">{{RefDSN401}}</ref>
<ref name="ST07">{{RefST07}}</ref>
<ref name="ST08">{{RefST08}}</ref>
<ref name="ST09">{{RefST09}}</ref>
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