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Jean-Luc Picard (Patrick Stewart) has changed in many ways since “All Good Things…” the series finale of Star Trek: The Next Generation. Throughout several TNG movies and the first two seasons of Star Trek: Picard, he met and triumphed over many enemies, old and new. He had to cope with the devastating loss of a beloved colleague and lived through the grief of his friends. He also dealt with the heartbreak of temporarily walking away from his career in Starfleet, his life’s work.
Picard has confronted the ghosts of his own past. InStar Trek: Picard season 2, Jean-Luc began the difficult process of healing from the trauma of familial tragedy, including an incident that has haunted him for his entire life and kept him from being close to others. He is also coming to terms with his decision to pursue meaning in life by dedicating himself to Starfleet rather than a traditional home and family. Here are some of the key reasons why he has changed over the years.
7 Picard’s Loss Of His Family (& Kirk) In Star Trek: Generations
Star Trek Generations received mixed reviews from fans, but it contains crucial character development for Captain Jean-Luc Picard. In the story’s first act, Jean-Luc receives the devastating news that his brother, sister-in-law, and nephew were killed in a fire at the Picard family home. This causes an internal crisis, as Picard is now the last member of his distinguished family. Picard had chosen a career in Starfleet over a traditional family life. He had taken comfort in the fact that his brother and son were carrying on the family name, but now they were gone.
Picard doesn’t have much time to grieve before outside events take over. He ends up in a place called the Nexus and met his predecessor as Captain of the Enterprise, James T. Kirk (William Shatner). The Nexus showed Picard and Kirk alternate lives where they had families instead of careers in Starfleet. Both Picard and Kirk realized they were content with the lives they had led and the choices they made, and the Captains teamed up to stop Dr. Tolian Soran (Malcolm McDowell). After Kirk’s tragic death, Picard realized there was more than one way to leave a legacy. He learned that the flow of time isn’t something to be fought but embraced and that what he did in that time is what really mattered.
In Star Trek: First Contact, Captain Picard was much more of an action hero than in TNG. He could always physically defend himself if necessary but preferred to use diplomacy and persuasion to win the day. In First Contact, though, he physically fought with his enemies. Of course, given his personal history with the Borg, it is unsurprising that he was more willing to resort to violence. Picard knows firsthand what it is like to be drawn into the Borg Collective.
Picard’s unresolved anger and trauma from the experience of being assimilated and turned into Locutus of Borg overrode his ordinarily calm and rational demeanor at several points in Star Trek: First Contact. Facing and defeating the Borg Queen (Alice Krige) purged him of his demons regarding the Borg. Since then, Picard has returned to preferring words and diplomacy to persuade people to join him rather than forcing them with physical confrontation.
5 Picard’s Star Trek: Insurrection & Romance With Anij
Two years after the events of First Contact, Picard helped a people called the Ba’ku in Star Trek: Insurrection. In the process, he began a romance with a Ba’ku woman named Anij (Donna Murphy). They developed such a close relationship that he chose to commit an insurrection against Starfleet Admiral Dougherty (Anthony Zerbe) to protect Anij and her people. Of course, Picard returned to Starfleet’s good standing after the events were resolved.
At the end of Star Trek: Insurrection, Picard left the Ba’ku and Anij. He chose his career and duty, but he was now sure that was what he wanted. Jean-Luc did promise to take his shore leave to be with Anij, which is not something Picard is known to say to women he has become friends with. However, his romance with Anij and his new confidence in his choices helped set the stage for closer relationships with everyone else in his life. He began to understand that he could have both a career and a found family.
4 Picard Confronts His Clone & Loses Data In Star Trek: Nemesis
Star Trek: Nemesis, the movie that ended the TNG franchise, also brought Picard an identity crisis. The film’s villain is the ruthless Shinzon (Tom Hardy), a clone of Picard. His appearance is much like the Enterprise Captain, but the resemblance ends there. Shinzon is cruel, whereas Picard is merciful. Shinzon attempts to convince Picard that they are the same, as they have the same DNA. However, Jean-Luc realizes that the choices the two men make are what really determine who they are and that Picard is proud of his choices. He has a job where he can make a difference. He also has people who love him and whom he loves.
The second point is sadly proven not long after Picard has this internal revelation when Commander Data (Brent Spiner) sacrifices himself to save Picard and the USS Enterprise-E. Data’s body is destroyed beyond repair, and though his consciousness lives on, he is no longer the Data they knew. Data’s death has a profound effect on Picard and the rest of the crew of the Enterprise. Data may have been a synthetic lifeform, but more so, he was a person and someone Picard cared for deeply.
3 Why Jean-Luc Quit Starfleet Before Picard Season 1
After Star Trek: Nemesis, Picard was promoted to Admiral and left the Enterprise to lead the Federation’s mission to save the Romulan people from their sun going supernova. Several years before the events of season 1 of Star Trek: Picard, an attack on Mars, seemingly perpetrated by synthetic lifeforms, led to a ban on synths and research into how to create them, and the Federation abandoned its Romulan rescue mission. Picard resigned from Starfleet in protest. The synthetics ban had tragic consequences for his friends, William Riker (Jonathan Frakes) and Deanna Troi (Marina Sirtis), who are now married and lost their son, Thad Riker, who could have been cured of a terminal disease by synthetics research.
However, Dr. Altan Inigo Soong (Brent Spiner), a descendent of the Soong who created Data, had secretly created Data’s “daughters,” Dahj and Soji (Isa Briones). They were now being hunted, and Picard was drawn into protecting them. In the process, he discovered the truth about the attack on Mars and brought down the true villain, a Romulan who infiltrated Starfleet Command named Commodore Oh (Tamlyn Tomita). Picard was then able to get the ban rescinded and so was able to make amends to the people harmed by the synth technology ban.
2 How Picard Season 1 Changed Jean-Luc
Picard needed help against the Romulans chasing him and Soji. He originally reached out to Riker, who was initially reluctant to help Picard. Of course, Riker came through in the end, but Picard needed help before that. Rather than turn to Starfleet, Jean-Luc assembled a motley crew of new friends and allies, including Raffi Musiker (Michelle Hurd) and Seven of Nine (Jeri Ryan). This further reinforced to Picard that he had people who cared about him and that this was something he needed and wanted in his life.
Picard defended synths because of Data, but synthetic research ended up saving his own life in the process. Jean-Luc was dying of an incurable brain disease called irumodic syndrome and succumbed to the condition in Star Trek:Picard season 1’s finale, “Et in Arcadia Ego 2”. However, Picard was resurrected thanks to the Golem, a new synthetic body that replicated his original but without the fatal brain disease.
1 How Picard Season 2 Changed Jean-Luc
Season 2 of Star Trek: Picard was action-packed, but also answered question of why Jean-Luc chose to avoid a lasting romantic relationship his entire life. Picard and his friends time traveled to stop Q (John de Lancie) from changing Star Trek’s future, and Dr. Adam Soong (Brent Spiner) from altering Picard’s family history by eliminating his ancestor, Renée Picard (Penelope Mitchell). Most importantly, and poignantly, Picard was able to reconcile with the enigmatic trickster Q. It was always an open question to all, likely including Q himself, if Q was truly Picard’s enemy. In the end, Q became Jean-Luc’s friend.
Crucially, Picard faced his buried childhood memories of his mother, Yvette Picard’s (Madeline Wise), suicide and gained new context for his father, Maurice’s (James Callis), harsh behavior. Yvette was mentally ill. Maurice could have been kinder, but he was coping the only way he knew how. Picard realized that he couldn’t have helped his mother, and therefore her suicide was not his fault. Jean-Luc was able to forgive his father and release himself from responsibility. Jean-Luc’s emotional growth in Star Trek: Picard season 2 finally freed him from his trauma for a new beginning of romantic possibilities with Laris (Orla Brady).
Star Trek: Picard Season 3 premieres Thursday, February 16, on Paramount+.
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