Jean-Luc Picard

Though the Star Trek novels are not considered canon sources, I included notes from a few of them in the History section to suggest some game ideas and fill in some historical gaps. These are noted when used, as are specific episodes and movies when appropriate.

Background

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Powers and Abilities

Picard is an experienced explorer, diplomat, and military commander. He led a great many missions and even large-scale operations in all of these areas. His profound personal charisma, intelligence, and adaptability have made him famous throughout the Federation and he often entrusted with great responsibility accordingly.

Captain Picard is also very fit for his age. He engages in various athletic hobbies including fencing and jogging, and is an excellent marksman, equestrian, and pilot.

Picard very knowledgeable about the arts and sciences, and is renowned as a Renaissance man . He is a well-known amateur archaeologist with numerous published papers and has even been invited to address the Federation Archaeology Council.

Due to his naturally inquisitive nature, Picard is also an adept detective. He has engaged in long-term undercover work on at least one occasion, infiltrating a group of mercenaries searching for a long-lost Vulcan psionic  weapon.

Because of his assimilation by the Borg, Picard can sense their presence at great distances. At close range (within a few kilometers), he can even distinguish some of their thoughts. He used this ability to pinpoint a weak spot on a damaged Borg ship as well as detecting the continued existence of Data after the android’s capture by the collective.

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History

Jean-Luc Picard is one of Starfleet’s most celebrated starship captains. He comes from a long line of celebrated scientists, soldiers and explorers. One of his ancestors fought at the Battle of Trafalgar , a Picard won a Nobel Prize for chemistry , and Picards were among the first settlers of the Martian Colonies.

Picard was born in 2305 and entered Starfleet Academy at age 18. He became the only freshman to win the Starfleet Academy Marathon. He also earned top academic honors.

His first posting after graduating the Academy was delayed when he picked a fight with a group of Nausicaans in a bar. In the fray he was stabbed through the heart, necessitating a cardiac replacement procedure which left him with an artificial heart (Tapestry).

Captaincy

After serving with distinction for several years, Lieutenant Picard took emergency command of the U.S.S. Stargazer after its Captain was killed.

His actions in that incident earned him a promotion to command the Stargazer on a historic 22-year program of deep space exploration. The successes of his explorations were marred by the loss of his First Officer and best friend, Lieutenant Commander Jack Crusher. Jack sacrificed his life to save another crew member in 2354.

The exploratory program ended when the Stargazer was nearly destroyed by Ferengi in the Maxia Zeta star system in 2355. Picard managed to save the crew by developing a new tactic that became known as the Picard Maneuver . He destroyed his attackers, but the ship was so badly damaged that the crew had to abandon it (The Battle).

The crew drifted in shuttlecraft for several weeks before they were rescued.

Picard was court-martialled, but he was exonerated of fault for the loss of the Stargazer (The Measure of a Man).

Encounter at Farpoint

Captain Picard took command of the newly commissioned flagship of the Federation, the U.S.S. Enterprise-D, in 2363 (Encounter at Farpoint).

Among his new crew was Dr. Beverly Crusher, the former wife of Jack Crusher. They had been good friends until Jack’s death. Beverly associated Picard with that loss and had not spoken with him in some time. Happily, this new assignment gave them the opportunity to heal old wounds and renew their friendship.

Picard took part in numerous missions involving humanitarian aid, diplomatic liaisons, military interventions, and exploration.

Video interlude

The TV trailer for the first season of the show, albeit in terrible resolution so watch it small.

Locutus of the Borg

In 2366, Picard was captured by the Borg – a group of cybernetically-enhanced humanoids. He was assimilated into their collective. This process involved genetic resequencing and cybernetic implantation. It transformed Picard into Locutus of Borg, whose role was to assist in the assimilation of the whole of the Federation.

While in this state, Picard was forced to lead the Borg assault. It included a devastating battle at Wolf 359 in which 39 Starfleet vessels were destroyed and 11,000 Starfleet personnel were killed.

The Enterprise-D crew eventually rescued Picard from the Borg. In the process of freeing him from the Borg, the crew discovered a method to defeat the Borg themselves with the recovering Picard’s help (The Best of Both Worlds, Parts I & II).

Picard spent quite some time recovering from the physical and psychological trauma of being assimilated. He even considered resigning from Starfleet for a while, and was left with an enduring hatred of the Borg (Family, I, Borg).

After the Borg

Picard continued his service as captain of the Enterprise. He became involved in Klingon politics on two occasions, serving as Arbiter of Succession when the leader of the Klingon Empire died. He also led Federation forces in halting Romulan provocation in the Klingon Civil War (Reunion, Redemption, Parts I & II”).

Another notable events during this time is his temporary capture and subsequent torture by the Cardassians during a commando mission (Chain of Command, Parts I & II).

Picard also had several more encounters with the mysterious entity known as Q, a mercurial god-like being with an unusual interest in Picard (Data compared Q’s relationship with Picard to a master and a particularly favored pet, which chagrined Picard though he offered no argument) (Tapestry, All Good Things…).

Picard also had a chance to meet the famous Ambassador Spock, the science officer of the original Enterprise (Unification, Parts I & II).

During an encounter with a Ressikan probe, he had the opportunity to live out a life as a family man named Kamin. This was via implanted memories from the long-dead planet of Kataan (The Inner Light).

Picard then learned that a group of mercenaries working for the Vulcan Isolationist movement was seeking out a Vulcan Pre-Reformation psionic weapon known as the Stone of Gol. He faked his own death and infiltrated the group under the alias Galen (his archaeology mentor’s name). With the help of his crew, he was able to recover the artifact and apprehend the mercs (Gambit, Parts I & II).

Generations

Picard experienced two losses in 2371. The first and most profound loss was the death of his brother Robert and his nephew René in a fire on Earth. He was devastatedas he cared for them deeply, even thinking of René as the son that he never had. He also feared that the Picard line would thus end with him.

Shortly thereafter, the Enterprise-D was destroyed over Veridian III. They were trying to prevent Dr. Tolian Soran from destroying a star system in order to enter the Nexus (a temporal rift that lead to a timeless paradise).

Despite the loss of the ship, Picard was able to foil Soran’s plans with the help of the temporally displaced Captain James T. Kirk (of the original Enterprise). However, the struggle cost the famous Captain Kirk his life. Picard’s experiences during this mission, in particular his time in the Nexus, helped him deal with the loss of his family members (Star Trek: Generations).

Enterprise-E

After the Enterprise-E was commissioned in 2372, Picard took command. He thus resumed his role as captain of the Federation’s flagship.

After a yearlong shakedown cruise, the Enterprise began routine assignments. When the Borg mounted a second invasion of the Federation in 2373, Picard was initially ordered to stay away from the fighting due to fears that his previous experiences would “introduce an unstable element into a critical situation.”

Once the Borg engaged Starfleet forces in the Sol system, Picard decided to ignore orders and enter the fight. When the Enterprise-E arrived, Picard’s residual sensitivity to the “song” of the Borg Collective allowed him to pinpoint a vulnerable location on the damaged vessel. Under his direction, the remaining Starfleet forces launched a fusillade that destroyed the Borg vessel.

A Borg Sphere then escaped and traveled back in time to prevent the formation of the Federation. But the Enterprise-E pursued it through time and foiled the Borg plan. During this battle, Picard came to terms with the hatred he had suppressed toward the Borg.

Against the Dominion

In late 2373, a war broke out between the Federation and another starfaring group known as the Dominion. The Enterprise-E was involved in several critical battles during this war, including the liberation of Betazed after its capture by the Dominion’s Jem‘Hadar (The Battle of Betazed, Star Trek novel).

The Enterprise also foiled a Dominion attempt to create an artificial wormhole. Its existence would have allowed them to get significant reinforcements from across the galaxy (Behind Enemy Lines & Tunnel Through the Stars, Star Trek novels).

By 2375, the Enterprise-E’s primary mission was to expand Federation diplomatic contacts as part of the on-going efforts to resist the Dominion.

During this time, members of the Federation Council and Starfleet entered into secret negotiations with the So’na to strip a planet in the Briar Patch of its metaphasic particles. These particles would allow Federation scientists to double the life spans of anyone who underwent the proper treatments. However, the process would have rendered the planet uninhabitable.

Consequently, Starfleet was working with the So’na to forcibly relocate the current inhabitants, known as the Ba’ku. Picard disagreed with this course of action and fought to keep the Ba’ku from being relocated. Meanwhile the Enterprise-E left the Briar Patch to communicate these events to the Federation Council at large (Star Trek: Insurrection).

Soon after this incident, the Dominion War ended. The Enterprise-E went back to its usual duties, which include:

• Humanitarian and emergency response missions.
• Exploratory surveys.
• Diplomatic liaisons.
• Military intervention.

Shinzon

Three years later, many of Picard’s officers either had transferred from the Enterprise or were in the process of doing so. While Picard was proud of them and wished them well, he felt a certain sense of loss, much like a father whose children are moving away from home.

Nevertheless, Picard had the chance to go on a final mission with all of his Enterprise colleagues shortly after his First Officer’s wedding.

A Romulan named Shinzon executed the senate of the Romulan Star Empire with a deadly new weapon. He planned to use it next on Earth. Shinzon lured Picard into the fray by leaking information about another Soong-type android similar to Picard’s crewman Data.

These machinations were necessary for Shinzon’s survival. Shinzon was in fact a clone of Picard whose aging had been artificially accelerated. Thus, he needed Picard’s blood to stabilize his body so he would die prematurely. In a spectacular space battle with Shinzon’s warship, the Enterprise and elements of the Romulan starfleet managed to defeat Shinzon, albeit at great cost.

As of this writing, Captain Picard still serves as commander of the Enterprise-E.

Description

Captain Picard is a slender Caucasian male. He has a short fringe of white hair, piercing blue eyes, an aquiline profile, and radiates a great strength of presence. His facial expressions and body language usually communicate a powerful sense of confidence and determination.

While on-duty Picard wears either a standard duty uniform or one of the officers’ variants. Off-duty, Picard tends to wear loose-flowing open necked shirts and casual pants.

Personality

Picard has a quiet air of authority that comes from great self-confidence. He deals with all manner of unusual and threatening situations with great equanimity. He can also be frighteningly determined when he is pursuing a mission he feels is important. He will violate orders with little hesitation if he feels justified in doing so.

Picard holds honor and loyalty in very high regard. He goes to great effort to encourage and acknowledge the contributions of others whenever he can.

These traits garner incredible devotion and trust from others, even those who have only known him for a short time. He returns that trust without hesitation. At times this causes him to overlook potential problems with his crew until they become serious, as was the case with Lieutenant Ro’s defection to the Maquis.

Picard is uncomfortable with what he considers unpredictable elements such as children or Ferengi. But he does his best not to let it show or affect his judgment. Picard places a high premium on diplomacy and will almost inevitably seek a peaceful solution to any given conflict, sometimes to a fault.

Disciplines

Jean-Luc Picard maintains a professional and serious tone even when he is off-duty. While very respectful of others as individuals, open-minded and charming, he remains very self-composed and even somewhat distant emotionally. He has softened in this regard over his years on the Enterprises -D and -E, having come to regard his crew as an extended family.

This is particularly meaningful to Picard because he has never found time for a family of his own. Coming from a long line of celebrated individuals, Picard considers family quite important. Thus, he felt relieved of the responsibility to carry on the Picard line when his brother married. For that reason he was even more devastated when his brother and nephew died.

He has a very strong relationship with his old friend Guinan (who serves as a bartender in Ten-Forward, a recreational lounge on-board the Enterprise), stemming from a shared incident of great hardship. He is also quite close to his Chief Medical Officer, Dr. Beverly Crusher. Their relationship has grown close to a romantic one and in one future timeline they had even married for a while.

Though most Starfleet officers have wide and varied interests, Picard is particularly noteworthy for being a Renaissance man. He is very knowledgeable about the arts and history and has a strong interest in archaeology. Indeed, his discoveries have made him a fairly renowned amateur xenoarchaeologist.

Xenophile

He enjoys learning about new cultures and takes great pride in mastering the ability to productively interact with new cultures. He has even been invited to participate in various cultural and diplomatic events because of his demonstrated respect and understanding of other species’ practices.

One culture that Picard has little patience or understanding for is the Borg, which forcibly assimilated him and turned him against the Federation. Even after recovering from this experience, he still felt a profound hatred of them. He even advocated genocide during his next encounter with them.

During the second Borg invasion, his hatred drove him to some rash decisions. But with the help of Cochrane’s assistant Lily Sloane he came to terms with his thirst for vengeance, an emotion that Picard would not admit that he felt.

Quotes

“This is Captain Jean-Luc Picard of the U.S.S. Enterprise.”

“Make it so.”

“Engage.”

“Number One, prepare an away team.”

After Q threatened to erase humanity from existence if his crew failed an upcoming test of character: “We do exactly what we would do if this ’Q‘ never existed. If we’re going to be damned, let’s be damned for who we really are.”

Ordering his favorite drink from the replicator: “Tea, Earl Grey, hot.”

DC Universe History

The Enterprise-E crew has encountered the Marvel Universe’s X-Men on two occasions. The first encounter occurred when the Enterprise-E attempted to use the Borg temporal vortex to return home from 2063 (Star Trek: First Contact).

Then the Enterprise-E crew was accidentally shunted into the Marvel universe and helped the X-Men fight Kang the Conqueror (the MU villain, not the Klingon Commander) before returning home (Star Trek: The Next Generation/X-Men: Second).

Later, several X-Men traveled to the 24^th Century and assisted the Enterprise-E crew in dealing with spontaneous mutations on the Federation-allied planet of Xhaldia (Planet X novel). The Enterprise crew could easily encounter residents of the DCU under similar circumstances, particularly if Hypertime  is involved.

Alternatively

Alternately, Picard’s stats make a useful template for a high-ranking military officer or even a retired officer who has become an ambassador or politician (which in fact happened in one future timeline).

In the DCU’s 30^th Century, Picard might be a high-ranking member of the Science Police for the United Planets, a Captain in the UP Military’s fleet, or even the President of the United Planets.

Green green green

Picard would also make an excellent candidate for the Pre-Emerald Twilight Green Lantern Corps. He has the requisite diplomatic and combat skills and profound mental and emotional fortitude.

If using Jean-Luc Picard in such a manner, his stats should be adjusted appropriately. Spirit should be raised to 12, and Will should be raised to 10 or 20 (20 if using the official DCH version of the Green Lantern ring, 10 if using the alternate version with Omni-Power linked to Will and Force Manipulation Double-Linked to Will).

Picard would probably wear a more formal version of the GLC uniform than the standard one — most likely something with a military air similar to Guy Gardner’s variant uniform.

By John Walchie, Roy Cowan & Peter S Piispanen.

Source of Character: Star Trek: The Next Generation (TV series), character played by Patrick Stewart.

Helper(s): John Colagioia, Max Grind, Jackson, Eric Langendorff, Jay Myers, David Johnston.