The 5 Best Captain Picard Quotes in Patrick Stewart’s Star Trek, Ranked

Played with earnestness by the late Patrick Stewart, Captain Jean-Luc Picard has always been a bastion of kindness, empathy and moral clarity. The legacy that Stewart built through his performances in “Star Trek: The Next Generation” and “Star Trek: Picard” (as well as several “Star Trek” feature films) will live on. The character’s enormous popularity was due, in large part, to the pearls of wisdom he constantly delivered to resolve conflicts and motivate the Enterprise crew.

Of course, some of the credit goes to the screenwriters, but as a trained Shakespearean actor, Stewart always knew how to make sure a line hits home. You don’t have to be a Trekkie to be moved by Picard’s measured philosophy or worldview, which redefined what a sci-fi hero could be. The five quotes on this list see the captain at both his bravest and his most vulnerable. These are good lessons for all of us to follow, regardless of our place in the galaxy.

“Chain of Command,” a must-see two-part episode of “Star Trek: The Next Generation,” sees Picard at his lowest. While carrying out a secret mission, the captain is taken prisoner by the Cardassians and subjected to a truly heinous attack of torture, degradation and physical pain. Although he retains his spirit longer than most could, even Picard begins to break down under such horrible conditions.

All of this comes to a head in a scene reminiscent of George Orwell’s classic novel “1984,” in which a character is forced, under similar circumstances, to ignore everything he knows to be true and assert that two plus two equals five. Interrogator Gul Madred (David Warner) deploys a similar tactic by showing Picard four lights and asking him to say there are five.

Despite the effects of his ordeal, the captain holds on and ends up shouting: “There are four lights! This is an example of Picard’s courage, but also his vulnerability. In the episode’s conclusion, the captain admits that he actually started seeing five lights instead of four. It was an important reminder that for all his many virtues, Picard was also human.

“The Drumhead” is one of several episodes of “Star Trek: The Next Generation” that tackles an all-too-familiar problem in real life – in this case, witch hunts and false accusations. The episode opens with an explosion aboard the USS Enterprise, which Starfleet believes is an act of sabotage. The ensuing investigation, led by authoritarian Admiral Norah Satie (Jean Simmons), singles out individual crew members based on unrelated offenses and irrelevant aspects of their identities.

Even when Data (Brent Spiner) and Geordi (LeVar Burton) provide proof that the explosion was just an accident, Satie doesn’t give up. Picard, who at one point bears the brunt of Satie’s suspicions himself, is rightly disturbed by the whole affair. It is the events of this episode that lead him to say: “The path from legitimate suspicion to rampant paranoia is much shorter than you might think. » It’s a beautiful line that rings true in the real world, as it so often does when it comes to Picard.

In the 1996 “Star Trek” film “First Contact,” Patrick Stewart delivered one of those monologues that made it clear why he was in such demand as an actor beyond his role as Jean-Luc Picard. Departing from his usual calm and collected demeanor, Picard firmly defends his ship against the threat of Borg assimilation – a trauma he had endured years before.

In the middle of an argument with engineer Lily Sloane (Alfre Woodard), Picard delivers the following speech in full: “I will not sacrifice the Enterprise. We have already made too many compromises; too many retreats. They are invading our space, and we are retreating. They are assimilating entire worlds, and we are retreating. Not yet. The line must be drawn here! So far, no further! And I will make them pay for what they have done.”

Despite the determination he displays in this monologue, the captain withdraws after Lily manages to convince him that his obsession with revenge would put his crew in danger. This moment is an example of Picard’s courage and determination, as well as his ultimate humility. It reminds us that there are many sides to Picard, which is part of what makes him such a memorable character.

In the Season 2 episode “Peak Performance” of “Star Trek: The Next Generation,” Data suffers a very relatable crisis of confidence after playing a game he hopes to win and failing. When Zakdorn’s strategist Sirna Kolrami (Roy Brocksmith) boards the Enterprise to observe a combat simulation, Data ends up sitting across from him for a game of Strategema. Despite Kolrami’s prowess in the game, Data assumes he will prevail. He doesn’t do it.

The android is so upset by his failure that he begins to assume that his software must be compromised. It’s easier for him to believe that something is seriously wrong than to admit that he tried his best and still hasn’t won. After all, at least in his mind, he made no mistake. That’s when Picard must step in to teach him a difficult, but important, lesson. “It’s possible to make no mistakes and still lose,” he explains. “It’s not a weakness. It’s life.”

The best Jean-Luc Picard quote comes from Patrick Stewart’s favorite episode, “Star Trek: The Next Generation,” which is also arguably the best episode of “Star Trek” overall. In the season 5 episode “The Inner Light”, the captain is hit by a mysterious probe which causes him to wake up in a small village he does not recognize. There, he is told that he is not actually the captain of the USS Enterprise, but a man named Kamin on the planet Kataan. After years, he accepts his new identity and lives his life, with his wife and family, in Kataan.

Unfortunately, the planet is dying and it is later revealed that the probe was created so that someone – who happens to be Picard – can remember the lives of its inhabitants centuries in the future. While the captain had lived for decades in the simulation, only 25 minutes had passed on the Enterprise. But before this major reveal, Picard-as-Kamin has the following idea to offer his daughter: “Seize the time, Meribor. Live now. Make now the most precious moment. The present will never come again.”