Star Trek Just Called Out One of Captain Picard's Worst Quirks And Honestly? He Had It Coming

Star Trek just called out one of Captain Picard’s worst quirks, and honestly, he had it coming. Captain Jean-Luc Picard is rightfully regarded as one of Starfleet’s greatest captains, a seemingly never-ending well of wisdom and inspiration. Yet early in Star Trek: The Next Generation’s run, Picard was different–and not necessarily in a good way, and this gets a callout in Star Trek: Lower Decks #2.

Star Trek: Lower Decks #2 is written by Ryan North and drawn by Derek Charm. The “Lower Deckers” have been kidnapped by Excalibans, who are forcing Boimler and company to fight holographic replicas of key Starfleet personnel, in a bid to understand human nature. The Excalibans create a duplicate of Captain Picard for Boimler, basing it on his inner thoughts. The Excalibans reveal Boimler specifically wanted the “super-hard-ass Picard who just got command of the Enterprise and is really mean about it for some reason.” Sure enough, the stern and crabby Picard grates on Boimler.

Captain Picard Was A Different Kind of Star Trek Captain

Captain Picard Acted Very Differently In The Next Generation's Earliest Episodes

In the 37 years since the premiere of Star Trek: The Next Generation, Captain Picard has become a pop culture icon, thanks in part to Patrick Stewart’s amazing depiction of the character.

In the 37 years since the premiere of Star Trek: The Next Generation, Captain Picard has become a pop culture icon, thanks in part to Patrick Stewart’s amazing depiction of the character. When Gene Roddenberry was creating The Next Generation, he wanted a captain that would be a thoughtful counterpoint to the more rough-and-tumble Kirk. Picard embodied such qualities perfectly: he read classic literature and drank Earl Grey tea, among others. These traits endeared Picard to Star Trek fans, and helped ensure The Next Generation’s success.

Yet, early on in The Next Generation’s run, Captain Picard acted a little differently. Picard seemingly had a chip on his shoulder over something, and it came across in his interactions with his new crew. Unlike Kirk, Picard maintained his distance from the crew. This would continue throughout The Next Generation’s run, but in early season episodes, Picard’s standoff-ish nature is even more pronounced. Picard also barks orders and has a short supply of patience with people as well. Picard snaps at people too, something that would be jarring for fans today.

Perhaps the biggest aspect of Picard’s personality was his dislike of children, and this was on display even more in early episodes of The Next Generation. Picard mentions his feelings for children to Riker in the pilot episode, and gets extremely hateful at first with Wesley Crusher when he sneaks onto the bridge. In that same episode, Wesley’s mother, Doctor Crusher, speculates that Picard’s line of work precludes him from having a family, and this bothers him. When Picard enters the Nexus in Star Trek: Generations, his desire for a family is seemingly confirmed.

Picard (Thankfully) Mellowed Out--A Lot

Picard Had Issues, Particularly With Children, To Work Through

There is a simple explanation for why Picard acted so differently in the early episodes of Star Trek: The Next Generation: both Stewart and the writers were feeling their way around the character, developing his backstory and mannerisms as they went along. As the writers became more comfortable with him, they thankfully eased the harsher aspects of his personality. Picard still acted aloof and distant, but by the end of the show’s first season, he had become at least more approachable. Mellowing PIcard out helped make him into a better character.

Doctor Crusher would later name her son with Picard Jack, in honor of her late husband.

However, there has never been an on-screen, canonical explanation for Picard’s general crabbiness in the first episodes of Star Trek: The Next Generation. Picard just gradually mellowed out as the season progressed. Picard’s attitude may have stemmed from his lingering guilt over the loss of the Stargazer and the death of his friend Jack Crusher. While they were years in the past, the two events were definitive for Picard. Picard was also the captain of Starfleet’s flagship, which may have added even more pressure, influencing his mindset even more.

Captain Picard’s attitude towards children took a little longer, however–but it was shown on-screen. Wesley Crusher, who he berated in The Next Generation’s pilot, would eventually find his way onto the bridge crew. Slowly, Wesley showed Picard that kids were not necessarily a bad thing. Finally, in the fifth season episode “Disaster,” Picard was forced to reevaluate his opinion on children after he and three of them were stuck in a turbolift. Picard and the children had to work together to escape, and the experience broke his barriers down even further.

 

Star Trek Reminds Fans of Picard and His Cranky Ways

Picard Himself Might Even Be A Little Ashamed

Today, Star Trek fans know Captain Picard as a thoughtful leader, one who can analyze all sides of an issue and take definitive action. This has always been true, but once upon a time Picard was much surlier. This haughty attitude is hardly mentioned by fans today, possibly because it was thankfully phased out early on. Lower Decks, which specializes in Star Trek deep cuts, is the perfect vehicle to call out this curious time in Captain Picard’s career, one that did not last long, and may even seem shocking today.

Star Trek: Lower Decks #2 is on sale now from IDW Publishing!