Picard Faced the Borg, Defended Data and Confronted Family Secrets in 7 Memorable Patrick Stewart Performances

Picard’s defense of Data

In season 2’s “The Measure of a Man,” Dr. Bruce Maddox argues that Data is Starfleet property. Picard defends the android, warning through a powerful courtroom speech about the danger of treating him as an object.

The episode also pairs Picard’s legal argument with a discussion with Guinan. Stewart’s performance helps make the debate over Data’s existence one of the series’ standout stories.

Revisiting Picard’s past

In “Tapestry,” Picard meets Q after being gravely wounded during a diplomatic mission. Q tells him he is dead and gives him a chance to revisit a moment he regrets.

When Picard changes that moment, his life takes a worse course. Stewart portrays different versions of the character with nuance, while his scenes with John de Lancie make strong use of their on-screen chemistry.

A warning against fanaticism

Season 4’s “The Drumhead” begins with an explosion aboard the Enterprise-D and an investigation led by Admiral Norah Satie. After the blast is deemed accidental, Satie turns her attention to Picard and questions his loyalty, including by raising his past as Locutus of Borg.

Picard responds with a forceful speech against Satie’s pursuit of a conspiracy that does not exist. Stewart commands the scene without relying on excessive theatrics.

A personal reckoning in Picard

In season 3 of Star Trek: Picard, Admiral Picard learns that Beverly Crusher gave birth to their son, Jack, around twenty years earlier and kept the news from him. Their confrontation comes in “Seventeen Seconds.” Stewart and Gates McFadden convey the scene through their expressions and delivery, making the exchange cathartic for both characters.

Facing the Borg and the past

In Star Trek: First Contact, Picard and his crew pursue the Borg through time as they try to stop the species from interfering with Earth’s first contact with the Vulcans. Picard confronts his history with the Borg and refuses to abandon the Enterprise, even when doing so could save the crew and destroy the Borg. Stewart delivers Picard’s declaration that “the line must be drawn here, this far, no further!” The film shows the captain in a more action-driven role than in the series.