#6 Top 12 Star Trek TNG Episodes featuring Picard

Sarek

Do you know what I love on TNG? I love when they bring someone for TOS and find a believable way to bring them to the future of their universe. In some cases it is easier than others. I can buy that McCoy lived long enough to launch the NCC-1701-D. McCoy is too stubborn to die. Storing Scotty in a transporter was just inspired. It makes sense that Vulcans would live longer than humans, so it works out for Picard and the crew of the Enterprise to possibly meet him. 

Sarek has a illness that is slowly destroying his mind and breaking down the rigid emotional control he has built over his lifetime. This effects the crew, and hurts his chances of a successful negotiations, but Picard offers to mind meld with Sarek. In the exchange, Sarek gains Picard's emotional control, but Picard has to suffer through Sarek's raging emotions.

Seeing Patrick Stewart in this role is fascinating. Stewart is a classically  trained actor, and it shows in this performance. Picard is overwhelmed with the force of the emotions that have been buried so deep for so long.

The rest of the story is memorable, but that scene is the one to watch.

#7 of Top 12 Picard Episodes of Star Trek TNG

Disaster

Picard hates kids. That is one of the first character traits we learned about him. Think about his reaction when Wesley came on the bridge in the first episode. this is one of the few traits that isn't supposed to be messed with. So as a good writer, the writer for this episode decided to put Picard in a position where he had to deal with kids in an emergency without being able to pass them off.

Let's step back to the beginning, and I'll do my best to avoid talking about the rest of the episode since I want to talk about it when I do my list for the rest of the crew.

As a reward for winning the science fair, three young children are given the opportunity to tour the Enterprise with Captain Picard. No one seems excited about that idea, except maybe Counselor Troy.

 So the three kids are Marissa, Jay Gordon, and Patterson. The tour starts off awkwardly with Picard explaining where they will go on the tour and telling one of the boys that they will not go to the battle bridge. Instead he informs them that they will be visiting the hydroponics and the astrophysics labs.

(I will talk about the rest of the episode when I do my Top 12 for the rest of the crew, but for now I just want to focus on Picard and the kids.)

Patterson planted radishes in special dirt and they came up weird. Jay Gordon studied a bug with a very short life cycle. Marissa doesn't get a chance to tell about her project because something happens to the ship and sends the turbo lift crashing down the tubes.  (We find out in the next scene that it is a quantum filament, but that isn't what we are talking about right now.)

So here we are in a moment Picard couldn't have even dreamed about dreading-stuck in a broken turbo lift with a broken leg with three kids.

He has to figure out a way to get the kids out of the turbo lift and to safety, so he promotes all of them. He takes off his command pips and distributes them to the children. Marrisa becomes the first officer, Jay Gordon is dubs science officer, and Patterson is made executive officer in charge of radishes. The trio work together to open up the hatch of the make their way up the shaft to a safe location. Initially, Picard insists that the children can climb on their own, but after hearing the complaints of the crew, Marissa insists that they stay together. Picard works with the kids to climb out of the shaft, and when they start to feel afraid, he gets them to sing "Frere Jaques" as they climb.

After the Enterprise pulls itself together, Picard sees his child crew again and they give him a plaque that they made to thank him for getting out of trouble. Picard informs the children that they will restart the tour on another date, and the tour will include the battle bridge. As the children are leaving the bridge, Picard gives an order to Riker, addressing him as "Number 1" and he and Marissa both say "Yes sir."

Important elements of this story (or at least parts that I like):

• Marissa starts off as a shy little girl, but develops confidence in herself when she become first officer. She even starts giving orders.
• Jay Gordon insists on being referred to as Jay Gordon rather than just Jay.
• Patterson takes pride in his accomplishments with radishes.

#8 for Top 12 Picard Episodes of star Trek TNG

Tapestry

The crew of the Enterprise is a cohesive unit that works and lives well together. they have managed to form a tapestry of their own, but what happens when a member of that crew is given a chance to change something from their past? How will that impact the present?

As the starting element of the story, Captain Picard discovers that he has died as a result of the malfunction of an artificial heart that was implanted during his days at Starfleet Acadamy. He had been in a fight with some Nausicaans and gotten stabbed through the heart.

Well, we assume that he dies because the next thing we know Picard is standing in a large, empty white space with Q. Picard rejects the notion that Q is God or that Q has any benevolent reasons for bring Picard to this space.

Q makes an offer to prevent this accident from happening. All Picard has to do is go back in time and stop himself from being in the fight with the Nausicaans. Picard agrees since the man he was isn't someone that he is complete proud of.

This episode is great because we get to experience Picard as a young cadet and get to know some of the people that shaped his career in Star Fleet. Picard does change his past, and avoids getting stabbed, and annoys his friends. Picard then finds himself in the present, but a very different present.

He is just a junior officer working in Astrophysics. Riker and Troy inform him that there isn't much chance that his career will ever advance beyond that point. Q explains that the fight with the Nausicaans was an important point in Picard's life that taught him about his mortality, forced him to be proactive in his life.

Q gives Picard the chance to go back a second time and put history back on the correct path. Picard accepts and gets in that deadly fight. This solves the mystery at the end of the fight because young Picard laughed as he saw he'd been stabbed, and the reason was because it was the older Picard relishing making things right.

Picard then wakes up have been saved by Dr. Crusher. He then wonders as he recovers if he actually went back in time or if it were all a dream. Probably only Q has the answer to that question, and I'm sure he wouldn't give a straight answer.

#9 for Top 12 Picard Episodes of Star Trek TNG

Time travel has been a part of the Star Trek universe for almost since the beginning. The same can be said for parallel universes and overlapping of people. This can get confusing for characters and viewers alike.

This story only suffers because the writers don't know the crew well enough to understand what they are going to do. In fact, it seems like it is an attempt to force characterizations, at least for Picard.

While travelling along in space, the Enterprise encounters a lone shuttle craft far from any base or home star ship. After pulling the shuttle craft into a cargo bay, they discover that it is actually one of the shuttle craft from the Enterprise that is actually in the same cargo bay, and it has a single inhabitant-Captain Picard.

This Picard is disoriented and confused. His shuttle craft uses energy differently and although the Captain on the Enterprise does not believe this new Picard is himself, all evidence point to him being from very the very near future.

Investigations, show that the Enterprise is going to be destroyed in an antimatter explosion. It also shows that Picard fled the Enterprise before it exploded. This information causes Picard to be confused and distracted from his job of leading the ship. 

One of the great parts of this story happen when both Picards are walking through the ship talking about the situation, and how to solve the problem.

I won't say anything more about what happens except to say that Picard has to make a very tough decision in order to save his ship.

200th Post!

For the 200th post, I decided I would put up links to my favorite posts so far. They are in no particular order, but they are all a lot of fun. Enjoy!

12 of my Favorite Opinion Pieces (in no particular order)

Bedwetter:Stories of Courage and Redemption
I love Sarah Silverman, and her autobiography is inspiring and hilarious. Worth the read.

Review of the Silver Chair movie
What happens when you take a book and completely rework it to make a move?

My Plans for the 50th Anniversary of Doctor Who
This won't happen, but it should.

Christmas Songs I'm already sick of hearing
One year I just got sick of these Christmas songs.

Signs of the Apocalypse
What happens when you put Justin Bieber and Willow Smith together? The end of the world.

My Top Weird Al Song
I love Weird Al and here is my favorite song.

Fake rules for being Irish
What do you have to do when it's St. Patrick's Day and you want to be Irish

Top Firefly Episode
I love Firefly, and so I did a Top 12 list of the 14 episodes.

Shadowcat is my favorite X-man (that is all)
Top 12 X-men based on my preference and their roles in the Marvel Universe, but Kitty is my favorite over all.

Stupid Sexy Costumes
I did lame scary costumes the year before, so I chose stupid sexy costumes for 2012

Picard Primer
I decided to do a Top 12 storylines in Star Trek TNG and then realized I need to do an entire list for Captain Picard. This is the primer on the Captain to get the list started.
Top 12 Christmas hymns
This is the entire list with videos of performances of each song.

#11 for Top 12 Picard Episodes of Star Trek TNG

Gambit (parts 1+2)

Picard dies from time to time, and that is how this 2-part story begins. Riker becomes obsessed with finding the people responsible and making them pay. Star Fleet command puts the Enterprise on detached duty, so Riker and company can investigate.

While looking at a location known for Romulan artifacts, Riker and company encounter a band of robbers. Riker is captured and taken aboard the enemy ship. There he discovers several things. First, he has been implanted with a pain device to ensure his cooperation. Second, the group is looking for artifacts in order to collect some kind of reward, paid when they have found three of a certain design. Third, Captain Picard is actually alive and posing as an archeologist named Galen.

We might talk about other parts of this episode when we do the list for the rest of the crew, but for now we will just mention that Data has to command the Enterprise, and that he has to give Worf a dressing down for not fulfilling the role of First Officer. We want to focus on Captain Jean Luc Picard.

Picard does a great job of thinking on his feet and creating a believable cover story when he is captured. He also puts together a plan once Riker is added to the equation. Picard creates a false role of Riker as a brash and impulsive officer who has been in trouble with Star Fleet many times. Picard also uses Riker to alienate himself from the ship's captain.

Life gets more complicated when Riker returns to the Enterprise through a little manipulation and has to stage a mutiny. He is able to convince the crew to stand with him, and formulates a plan to not only deal with the problem he is facing with the smugglers, but also with the bigger problem of the episode.

THIS LAST BIT IS ALL SPOILERS! DON'T READ UNTIL YOU'VE SEEN THE EPISODE!

So all of this smuggling has been to collect an ancient Vulcan artifact that was created right at the time when the Vulcans turned to logic and away from emotion. The device turns violent emotions against anyone attacking the bearer of the device-killing them. Picard using his understanding of the Vulcan artifacts to realize that purging himself of violent emotions will protect him from the device. This moment shows just how amazing of a man Jean Luc Picard is.

#12 for Top 12 Picard Episodes for Star Trek TNG

 

Lower Decks

This episode is great because it takes the focus off of the main cast and gives us a look into some of the other members of the crew of the Enterprise. It's crew evaluation time, and we get to follow the adventure in front of the crew through the eyes of a group of ensigns, all hoping for a promotion.

The ensigns are connected to a member of the senior staff. Sam is interested in becoming an officer and impressing Riker, Sito Jaxa is a Bajoran who has Worf as a mentor and a history with Picard, Nurse Ogawa works with Dr Crusher, and Taurik is a Vulcan engineer that works with Geordi.

Each of them is worried about the reviews and wondering what it will mean for the future of their careers. During the course of the story, each of them except for Sam is asked to help with part of a covert mission to help a Cardassian sympathizer get back to Cardassia.

Let's get to Picard's part of this story. Ensign Sito Jaxa may look familiar from an episode where the crew of the Enterprise is trying to absolve Wesley of charges for flagrant disregard for protocol and the death of a fellow cadet. She was a part of that group and struggled to continue her career after that mistake.

When we first see Picard interacting with the ensign, he is very cold, and since this is the first time we've seen Ensign Sito since the trial episode, it is feasible that he isn't happy with her being a part of his crew. Under the pressure of his stern reprimands, she tells about her time after the trial and how no one besides her instructor would fly with her for her pilot qualification exam.

After that encounter, Worf gives Sito some encoursgement through a harsh lesson. He gives her a fake test for a Klingon martial arts test where she is blind folded while he pushes her around and berates her. Sito finally has enough and stands up to Work who reveals that she needs to stand up for herself when she feels she is being unfairly treated.

When Picard and Sito meet next, Picard is still gruff and rude to Sito, and she suggests that if he doesn't want her on the Enterprise then she should be given a transfer. That is when Picard changes his attitude. He is the one that requested that she be stationed on the Enterprise to ensure that she would get a fair chance to prove herself as an officer.

Sito is asked if she will volunteer to pose as a prisoner for a Cardassian who has provided intel for the Federation. This will allow him to return home and possibly bring back more information in the future. This is made extra complicated because a s a Bajoran, Sito and her people have suffered under Cardassian rule for generations.

Sito agrees, and travels into Cardassian space, but she doesn't make it back alive. Picard's announcement in touching and shows just how much he cared about this Ensign that had only been a part of his crew for seven months. "She was the finest example of Star Fleet officer, and a young woman of remarkable courage and strength of character."

HM for Top 12 Picard episodes.

I only have one storyline to go here. This one is just odd, and that's saying a lot for TNG. There are so many odd stories that are a part of this series.

Devil's Due

1000 years ago, the people of Ventax II made a deal with a creature known as Ardra. Ardra promised to give the people of Ventax II 1000 years of peace in exchange for giving control of the planet to Ardra when the 1000 years have come to an end.

The Enterprise happens to be in the area when the contract comes due. The people of Ventax II are panicked and take a Federation science team hostage. When Captain Picard goes to the planet to negotiate the release of the hostages,

Once the Captain arrives, Ardra appears. and claims the planet and everything within it's sphere, including the Enterprise. Ardra displays a variety of powers including changing her shape, causing earthquakes, and making the Enterprise disappear.

Picard convinces Ardra to let an arbiter decide if her claim is valid. Ardra picks Data, and the trial commences.

*Spoilers in case you haven't seen the episode*

After some investigations, the Crew of the Enterprise discovers a cloaked ship that is causing all of Ardra's powers, and they capture the ship and turn the tables on Ardra.

The episode is fun, and shows Picard's ability as a diplomat. Definitely worth the time.

The Picard Primer-Getting ready for the Top 12 Episodes Jean-Luc Picard

When I started planning for the Top 12 Episodes of Star Trek TNG, I knew it was going to be hard to bring the list down to twelve, but I wasn't expecting to have so many episodes on the prep list. I ended up with 48 episodes to consider when it was all said and done. When I finished with National Novel Writing Month at the end of November, and my Top 12 Avengers, I started thinking about how I was going to make this list work.

As I looked at the episodes, I noticed that a large number of my top choices involved stories with Captain Picard. It made me realize that if I did the list straight up, I wouldn't be able to give all of the characters their due. Then I came up with the idea of splitting the massive list into two lists.


First I will look at the Top 12 Picard episodes, and then we'll look at the Top 12 for the rest of the crew. This will let me give all of the characters some time. For now, though, let's talk about the man, Captain Picard.

Like with all of the Star Trek shows, the captain is the person that drives the show. The captain is responsible for the major decisions. The captain is the focus of the story and his (or her) story arc is paramount.

Jean Luc Picard was a marked difference from William T. Kirk from the original series. Where Kirk was a shoot-first kind of captain (which isn't really fair to the character, but it suits the idea), Picard tried to use diplomacy first. However, if diplomacy didn't work then Picard could fight with the best of them.

Sure Picard is confusing because he's supposed to be French, and although his brother has a French accent, Jean Luc has a British accent. Whatever.

Picard is a thinker and he brings out the best in everyone he has in his sphere of influence. He sees what people have the potential to accomplish and helps them to make it happen.

He is also a paradox of a man in many ways:

• A man who studies and loves the past who captain's the most advanced ship of his time.
• A man that hates kids, but can't help but draw them into his life.
• A man that strives for peace, but has to fight for it.

Let's get into the list and see how Picard stands out in the pack.