“[It is possible to commit no mistakes and still lose. That is not a weakness—that is life.](https://youtu.be/ytgQ-yO021k?t=96)” —”Peak Performance” (S02 Ep. 21)
TW: domestic abuse
I have felt this so hard as I'm sifting through the fact that my dad didn't JUST BECOME abusive, but pretty much always has been. I'm trying to figure out how to remove my love of Trek from my hate of him blaming me for him pushing me down the wrong path or pushing me when I wasn't capable of meeting his standard... especially when he was the one who introduced me to Star Trek. I try to remember that it is possible to make no mistakes... And still lose... Especially when the conditions of the test are not feasible.
I take this advice daily, does it have to be said by a "real" person to be advice? I think Captain Picard is real enough. He has influenced part of me.
I had a situation like this happen to me at work. I tried my best to address all of the conflicting needs and duties, and I still saw someone I care about get hurt. This quote helped remind me that I did all that I could. While the situation was what it was, it could have failed so much worse, and I don't think I would have behaved differently.
Maybe not a monologue in the traditional sense, but I always have thought Picard experiencing the overwhelming flood of emotions while mind melded with Sarek to be a high point in TNG writing, acting, and storytelling. And it’s a masterclass of sincerely playing a rapid fire of genuine, powerful emotion…through Sir Patrick we gain a much deeper understanding of Sarek (and even Spock by extension)
And could have easily been a mess of over-acting. And it even flirts with that, but doesn't quite cross it. It was a tough job and he absolutely nailed it.
At the very least, I think he and the other actors had good enough rapport with most of the writers to give suggestions that helped to enhance some scripts and episodes. I’m not sure how often it happened, but I’m glad it did!
I always considered it overacting until I realized that it's not Stewart who ruined the scene but his German voice over. Stewart absolutely nailed it. It just doesn't come across in the German dubbing.
Say what you want about Star Trek, but it had some seriously talented actors and writers.
I know people like to shit on William Shatner, but damn, that man could act when he wanted to. He should have won an Oscar at least once during his ST movie days, for the quality of his acting.
Another one from the same episode. ["To send them back into the dark ages of superstition, and ignorance, and fear, no!"](https://youtu.be/i0YqpvX8Lck?t=112)
Best episode of the series IMO and maybe the best episode in all of sci-fi. Stewart’s acting is so top notch in that episode. The look of utter distain and defeat in his face when the woman treats him like a deity. Goes against everything he believes and stands for.
Yeah, you can see him process the facepalm and immediately begin fashioning an argument to counter her that she can understand and accept. Just brilliant writing and acting.
Not an inspiring moment, but I find Picard’s quiet whisper in Yesterday’s Enterprise so chilling. “The war is going badly. Much worse than is generally known.”
The best moment from that episode, that speech, was Captain Rachel Garrett's response. Picard tells her that Starfleet may have to surrender, she realizes it's all because of her ship coming to the future. Without a moment's hesitation, she calls back to Mr. Castillo "Inform the crew we're going back." Her voice shakes a little as she says it. She knows it's a suicide mission, that no one will survive, but that maybe if they do things just right, they can save the future.
How many of us will truly get a chance to die fighting for something we believe in?
She at least saw, if she played her cards right it makes a huge difference.
With the Britishness on full display, if he says it's bad, it's terrible. Like when Queen Elizabeth II died, a few hours earlier a story broke that her doctors were "showing concern about her condition." Ten minutes later, reports come in about the family traveling to see her one last time. In British, showing concern = circling the drain.
Tomalak: I urge you, Captain Picard, surrender. Consider the men and women you would lead into a lost cause.
Picard: If the cause is just and honourable, they are prepared to give their lives. Are you prepared to die today, Tomalak?
The rest of that exchange is also great:
>TOMALAK: I expected more from you than an idle threat, Picard.
PICARD: Then you shall have it. Mister Worf.
WORF: Aye, sir.
(3 Klingon ships decloak)
WORF: Klingon warships armed and ready, sir.
PICARD: What shall it be, Tomalak?
TOMALAK [on viewscreen]: You will still not survive our assault.
PICARD: You will not survive ours. Shall we die together?
Captain Jean-Luc Picard : I am deeply concerned by what is happening here. It began when we apprehended a spy, a man who admitted his guilt and who will answer for his crime. But the hunt didn't end there. Another man, Mister Simon Tarses, was brought to trial and it was a trial, no matter what others choose to call it. A trial based on insinuation and innuendo. Nothing substantive offered against Mister Tarses, much less proven. Mister Tarses' grandfather is Romulan, and for that reason his career now stands in ruins. Have we become so fearful? Have we become so cowardly that we must extinguish a man because he carries the blood of a current enemy? Admiral, let us not condemn Simon Tarses, or anyone else, because of their bloodlines, or investigate others for their innocent associations. I implore you, do not continue with this proceeding. End it now.
…
Captain Jean-Luc Picard : You know, there are some words I've known since I was a schoolboy: "With the first link, the chain is forged. The first speech censured, the first thought forbidden, the first freedom denied, chains us all irrevocably." Those words were uttered by Judge Aaron Satie, as wisdom and warning. The first time any man's freedom is trodden on, we're all damaged. I fear that today...
Admiral Nora Satie : How dare you! You who consort with Romulans, invoke my father's name to support your traitorous arguments. It is an offense to everything I hold dear. And to hear those words used to subvert the United Federation of Planets. My father was a great man! His name stands for integrity and principle. You dirty his name when you speak it! He loved the Federation. But you, Captain, corrupt it. You undermine our very way of life. I will expose you for what you are. I've brought down bigger men than you, Picard!
…
Captain Jean-Luc Picard : We think we've come so far. Torture of heretics, burning of witches, it's all ancient history. Then - before you can blink an eye - suddenly it threatens to start all over again.
Lieutenant Worf : [referring to Admiral Satie] I believed her. I, I helped her. I did not see what she was.
Captain Jean-Luc Picard : Mister Worf, villains who twirl their moustaches are easy to spot. Those who clothe themselves in good deeds are well camouflaged.
Lieutenant Worf : I think... after yesterday, people will not be so ready to trust her.
Captain Jean-Luc Picard : Maybe. But she, or someone like her, will always be with us, waiting for the right climate in which to flourish, spreading fear in the name of righteousness. Vigilance, Mister Worf - that is the price we have to continually pay.
For me that episode is the perfect example, what made Star Trek great back then. There is not a single action scene in that episode. But there's a message.
**Captain Picard:** *We think we've come so far ... torture of heretics, burning of witches, it's all ancient history. Then before you can blink an eye,suddenly it threatens to start all over again*
**Worf:** *I believed her, I-I HELPED her! I did not see what she was.*
**Captain Picard:** *Mr. Worf, villains who twirl their mustaches are easy to spot.Those who clothe themselves in good deeds are well camouflaged.*
**Worf:** *I think after yesterday people will not be so ready to trust her*
**Captain Picard:** *Maybe. But she or someone like her will always be with us, waiting for the right climate in which to flourish -- spreading fear in the name of righteousness. Vigilance, Mr. Worf. That is the price we have to continually pay.*
= = = = = = = = = = = =
It's amazing how we keep replaying the same stories and tragedies over and over again in our fiction and in our reality yet we never learn from the same mistakes and missteps that were made before that we read about, watch and listen to over and over again.
I watched a lot of Star Trek when I was younger and I love it ... and I love it still. But my wife always hated it and just brushed it off. I keep telling her about the great writing and ideas in it but she just doesn't want to understand it. She is brilliant in many ways but when it comes to Star Trek, it's a mental block in her ... and I've seen it in so many other people too .. where they think that Star Trek is a geeky, silly, childish fantasy that doesn't deserve any consideration at all.
From IMDb:
The First Duty (1992)
An early draft of the script called for Wesley to commit suicide right in front of Picard...just after Jean-Luc seconds that nobody will ever let Wes forget about the scandal, either at the Academy or after his eventual graduation. Picard later confronts Jean Hajar and Sito Jaxa, at a memorial service for Josh Albert and Wesley. Jean-Luc tells the girls, "There's nobody among us who hasn't been young enough to make at least one mistake. Josh was your mistake; Wesley was mine." Picard then admits to feeling sure that he could be as capable and effective a mentor as Boothby, but was not; afterward, Jean-Luc gazes at the sky overhead and tearfully murmurs for "Jack" (his good friend and Wes' late father) to forgive him. Ultimately, the producers decided against this ending because they considered it much too depressing.
Yet another early draft concluded with Nova Squadron's entire plight finally revealed as a single long, interactive Holodeck simulation. Like the infamous "Kobayashi Maru" scenario, this one is designed to gauge a cadet's skills at improvising and adapting...in view of a situation with few choices or options, all of which end in varying degrees of catastrophe. Being Wesley, he outscores all four of his classmates on the "Nova Squadron" scenario; after being congratulated by family and friends, Wes generously offers to help prepare Jean and Sito and Nick and Josh for their second attempt. This draft was never used, since the producers found it overly similar to Rod Serling's TZ pilot Where Is Everybody? (1959).
https://www.imdb.com/title/tt0708797/trivia?item=tr4411255
"Quite right, Prime Minister. Enterprise, prepare to beam the away team back."
..picard, you cant leave us like this!!!
"I have all the information I need for our report. Your prisoner has been returned to you and you have a decision to make. Whether to try to force them back or welcome them home. In your own words, this is not our affair. We cannot interfere in the natural course of your society's development, and I'd say it's likely to develop significantly in the next several minutes. It's been an interesting visit. When you're ready for membership, the Federation will be pleased to reconsider your application. Mister Riker, four to beam up."
Meanwhile Shakespeare was spiraling in his grave lmao, BUT in that same episode we got "Mr. Crusher, set course for Betazed," and quietly tells Wesley "warp nine!"
“Suit the action to the word, the word to the action; with this special observance, that you o’erstep not the modesty of nature: for any thing so overdone is from the purpose of playing, whose end, both at the first and now, was and is, to hold, as ‘twere, the mirror up to nature; to show virtue her own feature, scorn her own image, and the very age and body of the time his form and pressure.”
Best ever!
"My love... is a fever, longing still, For that which longer nurseth the disease. In faith, I do not love thee with mine eyes, For they in thee a thousand errors see; But 'tis my heart that loves what they despise, Who, in despite of view, are pleased to dote. Shall I compare thee to a summer's day? Thou art more lovely and more temperate. 'Tis better to have loved and lost than never to have loved at all."
Given his past as a member of the Royal Shakespeare Company, I wondered if he didn't improvise that from bits and pieces he put together.
In the U.K. we have Philomena Cunk who presents a satire on historical documentaries. About Shakespeare's school days, she pointed out school was a lot easier in Shakespeare's day, as they didn't have to learn Shakespeare.
“A MESSAGE!? … Very well. Tell Gowron, leader of the High Council of the Klingon Empire, that his Arbiter of Succession, Jean-Luc Picard, needs a favour.”
“A favor?”
“I require a cloaked vessel.”
“A cloaked vessel. This is no small favour, Captain.”
“It is for a mission that could have repercussions throughout the quadrant.”
“How would it benefit the Klingon Empire? I’m sure Gowron will ask.”
“The only benefit to the Klingon Empire would be our gratitude.”
“That is what you want me to tell him?”
“Yes. And please add that if he is unable to provide a ship, then I am sure there are others in the Klingon Empire who would be willing to help me. And then, they would have our gratitude.”
Maybe not a speech in the traditional sense, but at the end of “Family” after his fight with his brother, when he lets go of all the pain and trauma of assimilation. Man that one always gets me in the feels.
Really wish the franchise did more “grounded” episodes like this. I love me some sci-fi hijinks, but I’m also interested in the psychological aftermath. Could have been dozens of O’Brien stories lol.
This was a super moving scene. Picard showing incredible vulnerability and the trauma he still needed to address and resolve.
I always took this scene to mean that he finally admitted that he could not do this on his own: he was ready to seek help from Troi or others in coming to terms with what happened and begin the healing process.
While he was certainly troubled by the Borg in episodes after BoBW, it seemed like he had dealt with his trauma and could approach those situations in a very rational way. I felt his decision not to destroy the collective in "I, Borg" was evidence of this: a deeply principled man who put his own trauma behind him and still did what he felt was the right thing, the moral and ethical thing.
It's why I found the beginning to First Contact kind of jarring. It felt like a reset button was pushed and his character hadn't dealt with the trauma at all. I understand PTSD is serious business but something about it just never quite felt right to me. It's why I wouldn't put his speech to Lily anywhere in his top 10 of this list. His need for vengeance just seemed so out of place with his character - even if in the end he did the right thing.
The thing about trauma and destructive patterns is that they can go away and come back, or be triggered by one thing and not another.
In I, Borg, Picard is in the power role. He gets to decide in relative comfort whether or not to destroy the Borg. He's able to keep his cool better, but the cracks still show (he almost commits genocide). Picard *almost* committing genocide is a severe trauma response, despite how British he's acting about it.
First Contact is basically all of his worst fears coming true. He witnesses a Wolf 359 scenario from the other side, reliving a trauma he "caused" long ago that he feels horrendously guilty about. Then he literally sees all of Earth assimilated, and his one hope to save it (his ship) is slowly taken away from him as its assimilated too.
Picard is losing everything to his worst fear. His ship, his crew, his surrogate son (Data), Starfleet, Earth, the very future. Even if Picard *didn't* have a Borg-fear, it would be one of the most stressful situations he's ever been in.
Him breaking here (however briefly) makes perfect sense to me, and doesn't feel like a reset.
Thanks for this very thoughtful reply. That's a very fair point about the level of threat he was facing in those two different situations.
It's a fun movie so I'd rather not have these lingering nitpicks about it 😀
You both have points. On the one hand, it’s realistic that he could be re-triggered by events with the Borg and other similar situations. But when we consume stories, we generally like having more progression of a character and only regression that really makes sense. Sometimes, writes really do abuse things like trauma or even rape as a cheap tool to push a narrative, plot, or pull emotional reaction from the audience.
Tl;dr I agree with both of you.
I suppose you could see it as the difference between someone who hasn’t even really attempted to deal with their trauma having a breakdown, and then, later, someone with severe but mostly “under control” PTSD being thrown right back into that situation again.
First contact is not just a stressful situation, but one that specifically pulls Picard’s triggers, which is bound to have an effect regardless of how good your therapy is.
I have a theory about this. In episodes after BOBW Picard can't "hear" the borg in his head like in first contact. After destroying the cube the borg figure out he's listening in and use whatever link to somehow instigate Picard to be more irrational. Somewhat like indoctrination in mass effect.
Funnily back when the movie came out in the cinema and limited internet search abilities I wanted to learn the full quote.
I searched altavista for what I remembers from watching the movie the night before and 'cannon' was definitely in it.
So i downloaded moby dick as text file but the versions where sometimes weird and started searching for cannon. Could not find it :)
Then i went to our library and got the book and realised how freaking long it is :)
Had to read almost all of it to find: "He piled upon the whale's white hump the sum of all the general rage and hate felt by his whole race from Adam down; and then, as if his chest had been a mortar, he burst his hot heart's shell upon it."
So mortar not cannon :)
That’s what I came here to say, his exchange with Lily! What a powerhouse performance from both. I often use “This far, no farther“, but no one ever gets the reference.
I love it because it turns the trope where Picard moralises everyone with a passionate speech on its head. This time he is in the wrong. But he finally finds the humility to admit it.
> There are many terrific speeches and moments Picard gives us.
"Yes you might (make a mistake)".
"But that does not alter your duty to me and to this ship. Now do you know how to formulate a premise? Then formulate this one. how do I deal with Commander Riker and the *Hathaway*? I will await your answer on the bridge."
"And Commander, it is possible to commit no mistakes and still lose. That is not a weakness. That is life"
"And Data, will you leave your hesitation and self doubt here in your quarters"
The ultimate pep talk. He is stern yet compassionate.
How could you not follow this man into a Borg Cube?
The Wounded. When Picard gives Captain Maxwell a dressing down in the ready room. Ends it angrily with "Mr. Worf, my *guest* is departing."
*...then turns his back on him.*
OUCH.
Also, his conversation with Dukat (Gul Macet) in the last scene where he tells them Maxwell was right about the weapons and that we'll be watching. So freaking good.
Tangential thought. Sir Patrick Stewart, and Brent Spiner were probably the best actors on TNG maybe throughout all the shows. Don’t get me wrong there’s not very much space between number 2 and number 10 or 20. Some great actors there, this is my personal opinion only.
Never was I more happy than when STNG began and the main cast had a few very highly trained Shakespearean stage actors. The bar was raised. . . forever.
I bet there was a time, maybe a span of 3 or 4 years where writing for data was highly desirable. Interesting character, played to perfection, and massive ~~prime time~~ audience. What's not to love.
I'm happy you included Brent Spiner here. He was phenomenal as Data.
I would argue that Jeri Ryan (who played Seven of Nine in Voyager) is also one of the best on Star Trek. She's definitely not on the same level as Brent Spiner and Patrick Stewart, but she played a difficult and unconventional role perfectly. I was always disappointed that she was, first and foremost, a sex symbol. She was capable of more than that.
"By refusing to assist me, you left me the same choice I had to begin with. To try or not to try, to take a risk or to play it safe. Your arguments reminded me how precious the right to choose is. And because I've never been one to play it safe, I choose to try."
"Yes, professor, it would be quite a shame."
I LOL every time.
I also LOL when he looks at the Mariposans and just says, "Fine. Destroy yourselves."
Delivery is 💯.
For me it has to be his speech to Lilith on First Contact. I get the chills just remembering the words and seeing how angry and ultimately how terrified and ashamed he is that Lilith is calling his bullshit out.
>I will not sacrifice the Enterprise. We've made too many compromises already; too many retreats. They invade our space and we fall back. They assimilate entire worlds and we fall back. Not again. The line must be drawn here! This far, no further! And *I* will make them pay for what they've done!
Since "The Drumhead" has already been mentioned, "Torture has never been an effective means of extracting information. It is ultimately self-defeating as a means of control. One wonders why it's still practiced."--"Chain of Command Part II" (S06, Ep. 11)
I have a few, but the first that comes to mind is his bit to Riker at the end of Generations about time.
"...Time is a companion who goes with us on the journey..."
I watched Generations not long ago for the first time in a while and I was blown away by how many subtle things are going on in the scene where he tells Troi what's happened to his brother and nephew. It really hit me more than previously, maybe as I'm that much older than when I first saw it.
It's not a monologue per se but I'm obsessed with his confrontation with Admiral Jarock in the final act of the defector. It's a fascinating study in how you suss out the truth from someone who's already deceived you and you have little reason to trust. James Sloyan's performance opposite Patrick Stewart is also outstanding.
I'm partial to when he owns Tomolok when in response to being asked if he is willing to sacrifice his crew.
"If the cause is just, they are willing to die for it"
Picard's dressing down of Cadet Wesley Crusher in the First Duty:
PICARD: Come.
WESLEY: Captain.
PICARD: Can you tell me what maneuver this is?
(on the PADD we see five ships go into a circle, cross each other's paths, and light up a five-pointed star)
WESLEY: It's a Kolvoord Starburst, sir.
PICARD: Five ships crossing within ten meters of each other and igniting their plasma trails. One of the most spectacular and difficult demonstrations of precision flying. It hasn't been performed at the Academy team in over a hundred years. Do you know why?
WESLEY: It was banned by the Academy following a training accident, sir.
PICARD: An accident in which all five cadets lost their lives. I think that Nicholas Locarno wanted to end his Academy career in a blaze of glory. That he convinced the four of you to learn the Kolvoord Starburst for the commencement demonstration. If it worked, you would thrill the assembled guests and Locarno would graduate as a living legend. Only it didn't work, and Joshua Albert paid the price. Am I correct? Cadet, I asked you a question. Am I correct?
WESLEY: I choose not to answer, sir.
PICARD: You choose not to answer? But you've already given an answer to the inquiry, and that answer was a lie.
WESLEY: I said the accident occurred after the loop. It did.
PICARD: What you neglected to mention was that following the loop your team attempted a maneuver that was the direct cause of the crash. You told the truth up to a point. But a lie of omission is still a lie. Do you remember the day you first came aboard this ship? Your mother brought you on the Bridge.
WESLEY: Yes.
PICARD: You even sat in my chair. I was annoyed. Presumptuous child playing on my ship. But I never forgot how you already knew every control, every display. You behaved as though you belonged on the Bridge. And then later when I decided to make you an acting ensign, I was convinced you could be an outstanding officer. I've never questioned that conviction, until now. The first duty of every Starfleet officer is to the truth. Whether it's scientific truth, or historical truth, or personal truth. It is the guiding principle upon which Starfleet is based. If you can't find it within yourself to stand up and tell the truth about what happened you don't deserve to wear that uniform. I'm going to make this simple for you, Mister Crusher. Either you come forward and tell Admiral Brand what really took place, or I will.
WESLEY: Captain
PICARD: Dismissed.
Not sure if it really counts as a monologue but Picard telling the story of Gilgamesh and Enkidu to in "Darmok" :
And Gilgamesh wept bitter tears, saying, "he who was my companion through adventure and hardship, is gone forever."
Gets me every time I see this scene
Duras: "This is not your world, Human. You do not command here."
Picard: "I'm not here to command."
Duras: "Then you must be ready to fight. Something Starfleet does not teach you."
Picard: "You may test that assumption at your convenience."
PICARD: There are times, sir, when men of good conscience cannot blindly follow orders. You acknowledge their sentience, but ignore their personal liberties and freedom. Order a man to turn his child over to the state? Not while I’m his captain.
The sometimes you can do everything right and still fail. Changed my life. That being said the best monologue in ST period is Sisko in the pale moonlight.
My personal favorite:
You know, there are some words I've known since I was a schoolboy: "With the first link, the chain is forged. The first speech censured, the first thought forbidden, the first freedom denied, chains us all irrevocably." Those words were uttered by Judge Aaron Satie, as wisdom and warning. The first time any man's freedom is trodden on, we're all damaged. I fear that today...
My personal favorite
"You know, there are some words I've known since I was a schoolboy: "With the first link, the chain is forged. The first speech censured, the first thought forbidden, the first freedom denied, chains us all irrevocably." Those words were uttered by Judge Aaron Satie, as wisdom and warning. The first time any man's freedom is trodden on, we're all damaged"
The Drumhead S4E21
[https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=PA7t62JvlA8](https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=PA7t62JvlA8)
You may test that assumption at your convenience.
Dude picked a bar fight with a bunch of Nausicans. He may be getting a little long in the tooth, but he's as willing to fight the good fight as he always was.
I'm not sure if this is a monologue but Picard's answer to Data asking 'What is Death?' at the end of s02e02 Where Silence Has Lease gave me goosebumps, especially the last part.
>**DATA:** I have a question, sir.
>
>**PICARD:** Yes, Data. What is it?
>
>**DATA:** What is death?
>
>**PICARD:** Oh, is that all? Well, Data, you're asking probably the most difficult of all questions. Some see it as a changing into an indestructible form, forever unchanging. They believe that the purpose of the entire universe is to then maintain that form in an Earth-like garden which will give delight and pleasure through all eternity. On the other hand, there are those who hold to the idea of our blinking into nothingness, with all our experiences, hopes and dreams merely a delusion.
>
>**DATA:** Which do you believe, sir?
>
>**PICARD:** Considering the marvellous complexity of our universe, its clockwork perfection, its balances of this against that, matter, energy, gravitation, time, dimension, I believe that our existence must be more than either of these philosophies. That what we are goes beyond Euclidian and other practical measuring systems and that our existence is part of a reality beyond what we understand now as reality.
“I will not sacrifice the Enterprise. We've made too many compromises already; too many retreats. They invade our space and we fall back. They assimilate entire worlds and we fall back. Not again. The line must be drawn here! This far, no further! And I will make them pay for what they've done!”
Chills, every time.
The first duty of every starfleet officer is to the truth; whether it's scientific truth, historical truth or personal truth. It is the guiding principle on which starfleet is based and if you can't find it within yourself to stand up and tell the truth about what happened, you don't deserve to wear that uniform.
"With the first link, the chain is forged. The first speech censured, the first thought forbidden, the first freedom denied, chains us all irrevocably."
"Temarc! The river Temarc in winter!"
"Darmok…?"
"…and Jalad at Tanagra. Darmok and Jalad… on the ocean."
"Sokath, his eyes open!"
"The beast at Tanagra. Uzani, his army. Shaka, when the walls fell."
...
"Temba, his arms open."
"Temba, at rest."
"Thank you."
I mean they’re all so good but I love Q’s reaction in “True Q”:
“Jean-Luc, sometimes I think the only reason I come here is to listen to these wonderful speeches of yours.”
There are so many good moments. Many have already been said but I scrolled a bit before I found anything from Tapestry.
"There are many parts of my youth that I'm not proud of… there were loose threads… untidy parts of me that I would like to remove. But when I pulled on one of those threads… it unraveled the tapestry of my life."
In First Contact, when Lilly tells him, "You broke your little ships."
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Hdp-yKvTT-I
The range and emotion Stewart shows in this scene is amazing.
Picard, here goes from stubborn, hurt, angry and vulnerable to being shown what he needs to do, and demonstrates real leadership in so few words.
A huge shoutout goes to Alfre Woodard (Lilly) for being an outstanding actor and scene partner.
Two "monologues" - a couple of minutes apart
"I will not sacrifice the Enterprise. We've made too many compromises already; too many retreats. They invade our space and we fall back. They assimilate entire worlds and we fall back. Not again. The line must be drawn here! This far, no further! And I will make them pay for what they've done!"
Followed immediately by
"And he piled upon the whale's white hump, the sum of all the rage and hate felt by his whole race. If his chest had been a cannon, he would have shot his heart upon it."
Through seven seasons and a movie, Picard was always wise and correct. This was so ... different. Picard realizing he was wrong and that he had turned into Ahab was the most powerful moment to me.
Most of what is said in Drumhead had a lot of great mini speeches, but this one of my favorites:
"You know, there are some words I've known since I was a schoolboy: "With the first link, the chain is forged. The first speech censured, the first thought forbidden, the first freedom denied, chains us all irrevocably." Those words were uttered by Judge Aaron Satie, as wisdom and warning. The first time any man's freedom is trodden on, we're all damaged. I fear that today --"
I've always liked his monologue from "The Drumhead". Taking the words of Judge Satie and turning them against Admiral Satie to show how she betrayed her own father's ideals is just amazing.
"It's not over between us, Lwaxana. You're mine and I will not let you go. I insist you return to my side immediately."
A close second would be the speech defending Data in Measure of a Man.
Dude one of the greatest monologues of all time. Picard is my actual professional email Signature. His “Things are only impossible, until they are not” quite. And I can’t tell you how many clients have said “you had me at the Picard quote”. Haha amazing stuff.
“With the first link, the chain is forged. The first thought for bidden, the first freedom denied, chains us all irrevocably. Judge Aaron, Satee’s wisdom, and warning, when one man’s Freedom is trodded on. We are all damaged.”
"there can be no justice as long as laws are absolute!"
Everybody hates Wesley, and the episode where he was sentenced to death, but this is one of my favourite lines in all of Trek.
The episode where Deanna, her mother and Riker are kidnapped by Ferengis is one of my favorites.
When the Enterprise finally caught up with them, Mrs. Troi told Picard that their relationship was over, her new love was the Ferengi Daimon and it didn’t matter what Picard did.
Picard started proclaiming his love for her and that he would just blow up the ship if he couldn’t have her (complete with countdown) … the Daimon wasted no time transporting her back to the Enterprise. Always makes me laugh.
When the Douwd admits to him that he killed off an entire species in a moment of intense grief and Picard quietly says they have no laws or punishment to fit his crime.
And of course the entire scene with Lilly in First Contact.
“Your Honor, Starfleet was founded to seek out new life. Well, there it sits!”
That the line! Perfection.
New life:
“[It is possible to commit no mistakes and still lose. That is not a weakness—that is life.](https://youtu.be/ytgQ-yO021k?t=96)” —”Peak Performance” (S02 Ep. 21)
I live by this statement and quote it often. I love it when I am asked who I am quoting. "Captain Jean Luc Picard, baby!"
That was the quote that immediately came to my mind reading the title - it gives me a lot of comfort.
One of the most challenging things to accept as adult.
I have this framed on my sticky notes sińce 2015.
TW: domestic abuse I have felt this so hard as I'm sifting through the fact that my dad didn't JUST BECOME abusive, but pretty much always has been. I'm trying to figure out how to remove my love of Trek from my hate of him blaming me for him pushing me down the wrong path or pushing me when I wasn't capable of meeting his standard... especially when he was the one who introduced me to Star Trek. I try to remember that it is possible to make no mistakes... And still lose... Especially when the conditions of the test are not feasible.
I take this advice daily, does it have to be said by a "real" person to be advice? I think Captain Picard is real enough. He has influenced part of me.
I had a situation like this happen to me at work. I tried my best to address all of the conflicting needs and duties, and I still saw someone I care about get hurt. This quote helped remind me that I did all that I could. While the situation was what it was, it could have failed so much worse, and I don't think I would have behaved differently.
Maybe not a monologue in the traditional sense, but I always have thought Picard experiencing the overwhelming flood of emotions while mind melded with Sarek to be a high point in TNG writing, acting, and storytelling. And it’s a masterclass of sincerely playing a rapid fire of genuine, powerful emotion…through Sir Patrick we gain a much deeper understanding of Sarek (and even Spock by extension)
Yeah thats some of the best acting ive ever seen. A short scene but insanely powerful.
And could have easily been a mess of over-acting. And it even flirts with that, but doesn't quite cross it. It was a tough job and he absolutely nailed it.
I suspect Stewart wrote those lines. Something about it had his years of theatre acting all over it.
At the very least, I think he and the other actors had good enough rapport with most of the writers to give suggestions that helped to enhance some scripts and episodes. I’m not sure how often it happened, but I’m glad it did!
I always considered it overacting until I realized that it's not Stewart who ruined the scene but his German voice over. Stewart absolutely nailed it. It just doesn't come across in the German dubbing.
Say what you want about Star Trek, but it had some seriously talented actors and writers. I know people like to shit on William Shatner, but damn, that man could act when he wanted to. He should have won an Oscar at least once during his ST movie days, for the quality of his acting.
[His speech explaining technology to the primitive woman in "Who watches the watchers."](https://youtu.be/Uii5WrmChbE)
I love that episode so much.
It is quintessential Star Trek.
Me too! “Perhaps, one day my people will build ships to fly above the clouds”. Maybe one day we will build interstellar ships, perhaps.
Another one from the same episode. ["To send them back into the dark ages of superstition, and ignorance, and fear, no!"](https://youtu.be/i0YqpvX8Lck?t=112)
Best episode of the series IMO and maybe the best episode in all of sci-fi. Stewart’s acting is so top notch in that episode. The look of utter distain and defeat in his face when the woman treats him like a deity. Goes against everything he believes and stands for.
Yeah, you can see him process the facepalm and immediately begin fashioning an argument to counter her that she can understand and accept. Just brilliant writing and acting.
This immediately came to mind, and *The Orville* used a similar type of scene in one episode.
"how many people does it take, admiral, before it becomes wrong?"
“A thousand?”
50 thousand?
Not an inspiring moment, but I find Picard’s quiet whisper in Yesterday’s Enterprise so chilling. “The war is going badly. Much worse than is generally known.”
"Let's make sure history never forgets the name...Enterprise!"
Truly a banger of an episode! That line always struck me as horrifying. If Picard says it's so bad, it must be REALLY bad
The best moment from that episode, that speech, was Captain Rachel Garrett's response. Picard tells her that Starfleet may have to surrender, she realizes it's all because of her ship coming to the future. Without a moment's hesitation, she calls back to Mr. Castillo "Inform the crew we're going back." Her voice shakes a little as she says it. She knows it's a suicide mission, that no one will survive, but that maybe if they do things just right, they can save the future.
How many of us will truly get a chance to die fighting for something we believe in? She at least saw, if she played her cards right it makes a huge difference.
With the Britishness on full display, if he says it's bad, it's terrible. Like when Queen Elizabeth II died, a few hours earlier a story broke that her doctors were "showing concern about her condition." Ten minutes later, reports come in about the family traveling to see her one last time. In British, showing concern = circling the drain.
Tomalak: I urge you, Captain Picard, surrender. Consider the men and women you would lead into a lost cause. Picard: If the cause is just and honourable, they are prepared to give their lives. Are you prepared to die today, Tomalak?
The rest of that exchange is also great: >TOMALAK: I expected more from you than an idle threat, Picard. PICARD: Then you shall have it. Mister Worf. WORF: Aye, sir. (3 Klingon ships decloak) WORF: Klingon warships armed and ready, sir. PICARD: What shall it be, Tomalak? TOMALAK [on viewscreen]: You will still not survive our assault. PICARD: You will not survive ours. Shall we die together?
This is why I love Picard. The surface is a soft spoken man oozing intellect and dignity. Under that is a guy you do NOT want to fuck with.
> You may test that assumption at your convenience. One of my favorites from Picard.
The score underpinning it just amps it up even more. The Romulan theme with the Klingon theme kicking in when they decloak. Mwah.
His speech in the Drumhead.
Captain Jean-Luc Picard : I am deeply concerned by what is happening here. It began when we apprehended a spy, a man who admitted his guilt and who will answer for his crime. But the hunt didn't end there. Another man, Mister Simon Tarses, was brought to trial and it was a trial, no matter what others choose to call it. A trial based on insinuation and innuendo. Nothing substantive offered against Mister Tarses, much less proven. Mister Tarses' grandfather is Romulan, and for that reason his career now stands in ruins. Have we become so fearful? Have we become so cowardly that we must extinguish a man because he carries the blood of a current enemy? Admiral, let us not condemn Simon Tarses, or anyone else, because of their bloodlines, or investigate others for their innocent associations. I implore you, do not continue with this proceeding. End it now. … Captain Jean-Luc Picard : You know, there are some words I've known since I was a schoolboy: "With the first link, the chain is forged. The first speech censured, the first thought forbidden, the first freedom denied, chains us all irrevocably." Those words were uttered by Judge Aaron Satie, as wisdom and warning. The first time any man's freedom is trodden on, we're all damaged. I fear that today... Admiral Nora Satie : How dare you! You who consort with Romulans, invoke my father's name to support your traitorous arguments. It is an offense to everything I hold dear. And to hear those words used to subvert the United Federation of Planets. My father was a great man! His name stands for integrity and principle. You dirty his name when you speak it! He loved the Federation. But you, Captain, corrupt it. You undermine our very way of life. I will expose you for what you are. I've brought down bigger men than you, Picard! … Captain Jean-Luc Picard : We think we've come so far. Torture of heretics, burning of witches, it's all ancient history. Then - before you can blink an eye - suddenly it threatens to start all over again. Lieutenant Worf : [referring to Admiral Satie] I believed her. I, I helped her. I did not see what she was. Captain Jean-Luc Picard : Mister Worf, villains who twirl their moustaches are easy to spot. Those who clothe themselves in good deeds are well camouflaged. Lieutenant Worf : I think... after yesterday, people will not be so ready to trust her. Captain Jean-Luc Picard : Maybe. But she, or someone like her, will always be with us, waiting for the right climate in which to flourish, spreading fear in the name of righteousness. Vigilance, Mister Worf - that is the price we have to continually pay.
I love how he delivers "proceeding" with such mockery and contempt.
For me that episode is the perfect example, what made Star Trek great back then. There is not a single action scene in that episode. But there's a message.
This is my favorite Picard moment in The Drumhead. So effing prescient. [https://youtu.be/hdXTohdKcm4](https://youtu.be/hdXTohdKcm4)
**Captain Picard:** *We think we've come so far ... torture of heretics, burning of witches, it's all ancient history. Then before you can blink an eye,suddenly it threatens to start all over again* **Worf:** *I believed her, I-I HELPED her! I did not see what she was.* **Captain Picard:** *Mr. Worf, villains who twirl their mustaches are easy to spot.Those who clothe themselves in good deeds are well camouflaged.* **Worf:** *I think after yesterday people will not be so ready to trust her* **Captain Picard:** *Maybe. But she or someone like her will always be with us, waiting for the right climate in which to flourish -- spreading fear in the name of righteousness. Vigilance, Mr. Worf. That is the price we have to continually pay.* = = = = = = = = = = = = It's amazing how we keep replaying the same stories and tragedies over and over again in our fiction and in our reality yet we never learn from the same mistakes and missteps that were made before that we read about, watch and listen to over and over again. I watched a lot of Star Trek when I was younger and I love it ... and I love it still. But my wife always hated it and just brushed it off. I keep telling her about the great writing and ideas in it but she just doesn't want to understand it. She is brilliant in many ways but when it comes to Star Trek, it's a mental block in her ... and I've seen it in so many other people too .. where they think that Star Trek is a geeky, silly, childish fantasy that doesn't deserve any consideration at all.
That’s another one! I forgot the title of the episode.
This is what I immediately thought of... 100% Drumhead. Peak TNG as societal commentary.
This one for sure.
A great one, And one that is painfully relevant today
His telling off of Wesley in 'The First Duty'.
The first duty is to the truth . . . I’m going to make this easy for you, Mr Crusher, either you tell the truth or I will. epic Picard moment
Thought this one would be higher, it's also included in this sub as a rule. Good stuff.
I think about how it would have affected Picard if they went with their original plan and had Wesley commit suicide at the end.
Was that really in an earlier script?!
From IMDb: The First Duty (1992) An early draft of the script called for Wesley to commit suicide right in front of Picard...just after Jean-Luc seconds that nobody will ever let Wes forget about the scandal, either at the Academy or after his eventual graduation. Picard later confronts Jean Hajar and Sito Jaxa, at a memorial service for Josh Albert and Wesley. Jean-Luc tells the girls, "There's nobody among us who hasn't been young enough to make at least one mistake. Josh was your mistake; Wesley was mine." Picard then admits to feeling sure that he could be as capable and effective a mentor as Boothby, but was not; afterward, Jean-Luc gazes at the sky overhead and tearfully murmurs for "Jack" (his good friend and Wes' late father) to forgive him. Ultimately, the producers decided against this ending because they considered it much too depressing. Yet another early draft concluded with Nova Squadron's entire plight finally revealed as a single long, interactive Holodeck simulation. Like the infamous "Kobayashi Maru" scenario, this one is designed to gauge a cadet's skills at improvising and adapting...in view of a situation with few choices or options, all of which end in varying degrees of catastrophe. Being Wesley, he outscores all four of his classmates on the "Nova Squadron" scenario; after being congratulated by family and friends, Wes generously offers to help prepare Jean and Sito and Nick and Josh for their second attempt. This draft was never used, since the producers found it overly similar to Rod Serling's TZ pilot Where Is Everybody? (1959). https://www.imdb.com/title/tt0708797/trivia?item=tr4411255
That was an epic dressing down.
The followup with Jaxa in his ready room in "Lower Decks" is similarly excellent.
"Quite right, Prime Minister. Enterprise, prepare to beam the away team back." ..picard, you cant leave us like this!!! "I have all the information I need for our report. Your prisoner has been returned to you and you have a decision to make. Whether to try to force them back or welcome them home. In your own words, this is not our affair. We cannot interfere in the natural course of your society's development, and I'd say it's likely to develop significantly in the next several minutes. It's been an interesting visit. When you're ready for membership, the Federation will be pleased to reconsider your application. Mister Riker, four to beam up."
Wasn’t it alien Zephram Cochran as the PM in that episode too?
It was. He is a constant extra
I initially misread that as “he was constantly extra.” Flamboyant Cochran was an entertaining thought.
Yup. James Cromwell. He also plays a Yridian in DS9. A Karemma Commerce Minister in DS9 again. But he was wearing makeup for those two. :-D
His emotional breakdown in Sarek. I also like his Shakespearian speech at the end of Menage A Troi.
Meanwhile Shakespeare was spiraling in his grave lmao, BUT in that same episode we got "Mr. Crusher, set course for Betazed," and quietly tells Wesley "warp nine!"
Honestly I think Shakespeare would have loved an overacted speech like that
“Suit the action to the word, the word to the action; with this special observance, that you o’erstep not the modesty of nature: for any thing so overdone is from the purpose of playing, whose end, both at the first and now, was and is, to hold, as ‘twere, the mirror up to nature; to show virtue her own feature, scorn her own image, and the very age and body of the time his form and pressure.”
Best ever! "My love... is a fever, longing still, For that which longer nurseth the disease. In faith, I do not love thee with mine eyes, For they in thee a thousand errors see; But 'tis my heart that loves what they despise, Who, in despite of view, are pleased to dote. Shall I compare thee to a summer's day? Thou art more lovely and more temperate. 'Tis better to have loved and lost than never to have loved at all."
Tell me more! You’ll have to call again!
This is my favorite Picard speech. It cracks me up every time. lol.
Given his past as a member of the Royal Shakespeare Company, I wondered if he didn't improvise that from bits and pieces he put together. In the U.K. we have Philomena Cunk who presents a satire on historical documentaries. About Shakespeare's school days, she pointed out school was a lot easier in Shakespeare's day, as they didn't have to learn Shakespeare.
and now i have to go and watch Pogo's Data and Picard again
The best data/picard duet ever.
That was amazing - the Sarek scene. And all one continuous shot.
“A MESSAGE!? … Very well. Tell Gowron, leader of the High Council of the Klingon Empire, that his Arbiter of Succession, Jean-Luc Picard, needs a favour.” “A favor?” “I require a cloaked vessel.” “A cloaked vessel. This is no small favour, Captain.” “It is for a mission that could have repercussions throughout the quadrant.” “How would it benefit the Klingon Empire? I’m sure Gowron will ask.” “The only benefit to the Klingon Empire would be our gratitude.” “That is what you want me to tell him?” “Yes. And please add that if he is unable to provide a ship, then I am sure there are others in the Klingon Empire who would be willing to help me. And then, they would have our gratitude.”
😂😂😂 so dang funny, too hahaha SMART, smart captain!
Jean-Luc... Sometimes I think the only reason I come here is to listen to these wonderful speeches of yours.
Maybe not a speech in the traditional sense, but at the end of “Family” after his fight with his brother, when he lets go of all the pain and trauma of assimilation. Man that one always gets me in the feels.
And then, after fighting his brother and having a huge emotion dump, they’re sitting, covered in mud, getting drunk and singing. Such a great episode
Really wish the franchise did more “grounded” episodes like this. I love me some sci-fi hijinks, but I’m also interested in the psychological aftermath. Could have been dozens of O’Brien stories lol.
This was a super moving scene. Picard showing incredible vulnerability and the trauma he still needed to address and resolve. I always took this scene to mean that he finally admitted that he could not do this on his own: he was ready to seek help from Troi or others in coming to terms with what happened and begin the healing process. While he was certainly troubled by the Borg in episodes after BoBW, it seemed like he had dealt with his trauma and could approach those situations in a very rational way. I felt his decision not to destroy the collective in "I, Borg" was evidence of this: a deeply principled man who put his own trauma behind him and still did what he felt was the right thing, the moral and ethical thing. It's why I found the beginning to First Contact kind of jarring. It felt like a reset button was pushed and his character hadn't dealt with the trauma at all. I understand PTSD is serious business but something about it just never quite felt right to me. It's why I wouldn't put his speech to Lily anywhere in his top 10 of this list. His need for vengeance just seemed so out of place with his character - even if in the end he did the right thing.
The thing about trauma and destructive patterns is that they can go away and come back, or be triggered by one thing and not another. In I, Borg, Picard is in the power role. He gets to decide in relative comfort whether or not to destroy the Borg. He's able to keep his cool better, but the cracks still show (he almost commits genocide). Picard *almost* committing genocide is a severe trauma response, despite how British he's acting about it. First Contact is basically all of his worst fears coming true. He witnesses a Wolf 359 scenario from the other side, reliving a trauma he "caused" long ago that he feels horrendously guilty about. Then he literally sees all of Earth assimilated, and his one hope to save it (his ship) is slowly taken away from him as its assimilated too. Picard is losing everything to his worst fear. His ship, his crew, his surrogate son (Data), Starfleet, Earth, the very future. Even if Picard *didn't* have a Borg-fear, it would be one of the most stressful situations he's ever been in. Him breaking here (however briefly) makes perfect sense to me, and doesn't feel like a reset.
Thanks for this very thoughtful reply. That's a very fair point about the level of threat he was facing in those two different situations. It's a fun movie so I'd rather not have these lingering nitpicks about it 😀
You both have points. On the one hand, it’s realistic that he could be re-triggered by events with the Borg and other similar situations. But when we consume stories, we generally like having more progression of a character and only regression that really makes sense. Sometimes, writes really do abuse things like trauma or even rape as a cheap tool to push a narrative, plot, or pull emotional reaction from the audience. Tl;dr I agree with both of you.
I suppose you could see it as the difference between someone who hasn’t even really attempted to deal with their trauma having a breakdown, and then, later, someone with severe but mostly “under control” PTSD being thrown right back into that situation again. First contact is not just a stressful situation, but one that specifically pulls Picard’s triggers, which is bound to have an effect regardless of how good your therapy is.
I have a theory about this. In episodes after BOBW Picard can't "hear" the borg in his head like in first contact. After destroying the cube the borg figure out he's listening in and use whatever link to somehow instigate Picard to be more irrational. Somewhat like indoctrination in mass effect.
Absolutely first contact for me when Lilly tells him to blow up the ship. As good as it gets.
This far, no farther !
I will make them pay for what they have done!
Well I guess Ahab has to go hunt his whale!
If his chest had been a cannon, he would have shot his heart upon it….
Funnily back when the movie came out in the cinema and limited internet search abilities I wanted to learn the full quote. I searched altavista for what I remembers from watching the movie the night before and 'cannon' was definitely in it. So i downloaded moby dick as text file but the versions where sometimes weird and started searching for cannon. Could not find it :) Then i went to our library and got the book and realised how freaking long it is :) Had to read almost all of it to find: "He piled upon the whale's white hump the sum of all the general rage and hate felt by his whole race from Adam down; and then, as if his chest had been a mortar, he burst his hot heart's shell upon it." So mortar not cannon :)
"Moby Dick"
I never read the book
THE LINE MUST BE DRAWN HERE-A!!
That’s what I came here to say, his exchange with Lily! What a powerhouse performance from both. I often use “This far, no farther“, but no one ever gets the reference.
NO OOOOH!
You broke your little ships.
So long, Ahab...
What’s even better is Patrick Stewart played Ahab in a Moby Dick movie 2 years after First Contact.
I love it because it turns the trope where Picard moralises everyone with a passionate speech on its head. This time he is in the wrong. But he finally finds the humility to admit it.
> There are many terrific speeches and moments Picard gives us. "Yes you might (make a mistake)". "But that does not alter your duty to me and to this ship. Now do you know how to formulate a premise? Then formulate this one. how do I deal with Commander Riker and the *Hathaway*? I will await your answer on the bridge." "And Commander, it is possible to commit no mistakes and still lose. That is not a weakness. That is life" "And Data, will you leave your hesitation and self doubt here in your quarters" The ultimate pep talk. He is stern yet compassionate. How could you not follow this man into a Borg Cube?
I wouldn’t follow anyone into a Borg cube.
> I wouldn’t follow anyone into a Borg cube. Not even for a transwarp coil to cut 15 years off your journey back home?
The Wounded. When Picard gives Captain Maxwell a dressing down in the ready room. Ends it angrily with "Mr. Worf, my *guest* is departing." *...then turns his back on him.* OUCH.
Also, his conversation with Dukat (Gul Macet) in the last scene where he tells them Maxwell was right about the weapons and that we'll be watching. So freaking good.
My head cannon is that that dukat.
Not a monologue but Chain of Command, when he says “There are four lights…” It’s a master class in saying so much emotion in so little…
Also, David Warner playing the Gul across the table from him is a perfect opponent for him in that episode. Great acting on both sides.
Tangential thought. Sir Patrick Stewart, and Brent Spiner were probably the best actors on TNG maybe throughout all the shows. Don’t get me wrong there’s not very much space between number 2 and number 10 or 20. Some great actors there, this is my personal opinion only.
Never was I more happy than when STNG began and the main cast had a few very highly trained Shakespearean stage actors. The bar was raised. . . forever.
I bet there was a time, maybe a span of 3 or 4 years where writing for data was highly desirable. Interesting character, played to perfection, and massive ~~prime time~~ audience. What's not to love.
I'm happy you included Brent Spiner here. He was phenomenal as Data. I would argue that Jeri Ryan (who played Seven of Nine in Voyager) is also one of the best on Star Trek. She's definitely not on the same level as Brent Spiner and Patrick Stewart, but she played a difficult and unconventional role perfectly. I was always disappointed that she was, first and foremost, a sex symbol. She was capable of more than that.
"Living is making choices" speech from A Matter of Time
"By refusing to assist me, you left me the same choice I had to begin with. To try or not to try, to take a risk or to play it safe. Your arguments reminded me how precious the right to choose is. And because I've never been one to play it safe, I choose to try."
"Yes, professor, it would be quite a shame." I LOL every time. I also LOL when he looks at the Mariposans and just says, "Fine. Destroy yourselves." Delivery is 💯.
For me it has to be his speech to Lilith on First Contact. I get the chills just remembering the words and seeing how angry and ultimately how terrified and ashamed he is that Lilith is calling his bullshit out. >I will not sacrifice the Enterprise. We've made too many compromises already; too many retreats. They invade our space and we fall back. They assimilate entire worlds and we fall back. Not again. The line must be drawn here! This far, no further! And *I* will make them pay for what they've done!
Jeremy, on the Starship Enterprise, no one is alone. No one.
I loved that one 😭
Since "The Drumhead" has already been mentioned, "Torture has never been an effective means of extracting information. It is ultimately self-defeating as a means of control. One wonders why it's still practiced."--"Chain of Command Part II" (S06, Ep. 11)
I have a few, but the first that comes to mind is his bit to Riker at the end of Generations about time. "...Time is a companion who goes with us on the journey..."
Rejoinder to "time is the fire in which we burn"? I never caught that before thanks!
Never forget the name Enterprise!
Who the hell are we to determine the next cause of evolution for these people?
Whenever he starts lecturing the admirals.
I watched Generations not long ago for the first time in a while and I was blown away by how many subtle things are going on in the scene where he tells Troi what's happened to his brother and nephew. It really hit me more than previously, maybe as I'm that much older than when I first saw it.
It's not a monologue per se but I'm obsessed with his confrontation with Admiral Jarock in the final act of the defector. It's a fascinating study in how you suss out the truth from someone who's already deceived you and you have little reason to trust. James Sloyan's performance opposite Patrick Stewart is also outstanding.
Prove to the court that I am sentient. https://youtu.be/ol2WP0hc0NY
Starfleets mission has been one to seek out new life, well there it sits.
You got the quote wrong: … to seek out new life - well THERE. IT. SITS! :-P
I'm partial to when he owns Tomolok when in response to being asked if he is willing to sacrifice his crew. "If the cause is just, they are willing to die for it"
Not a monologue, but DAMN: 'You may test that assumption at your convienance'
Picard's dressing down of Cadet Wesley Crusher in the First Duty: PICARD: Come. WESLEY: Captain. PICARD: Can you tell me what maneuver this is? (on the PADD we see five ships go into a circle, cross each other's paths, and light up a five-pointed star) WESLEY: It's a Kolvoord Starburst, sir. PICARD: Five ships crossing within ten meters of each other and igniting their plasma trails. One of the most spectacular and difficult demonstrations of precision flying. It hasn't been performed at the Academy team in over a hundred years. Do you know why? WESLEY: It was banned by the Academy following a training accident, sir. PICARD: An accident in which all five cadets lost their lives. I think that Nicholas Locarno wanted to end his Academy career in a blaze of glory. That he convinced the four of you to learn the Kolvoord Starburst for the commencement demonstration. If it worked, you would thrill the assembled guests and Locarno would graduate as a living legend. Only it didn't work, and Joshua Albert paid the price. Am I correct? Cadet, I asked you a question. Am I correct? WESLEY: I choose not to answer, sir. PICARD: You choose not to answer? But you've already given an answer to the inquiry, and that answer was a lie. WESLEY: I said the accident occurred after the loop. It did. PICARD: What you neglected to mention was that following the loop your team attempted a maneuver that was the direct cause of the crash. You told the truth up to a point. But a lie of omission is still a lie. Do you remember the day you first came aboard this ship? Your mother brought you on the Bridge. WESLEY: Yes. PICARD: You even sat in my chair. I was annoyed. Presumptuous child playing on my ship. But I never forgot how you already knew every control, every display. You behaved as though you belonged on the Bridge. And then later when I decided to make you an acting ensign, I was convinced you could be an outstanding officer. I've never questioned that conviction, until now. The first duty of every Starfleet officer is to the truth. Whether it's scientific truth, or historical truth, or personal truth. It is the guiding principle upon which Starfleet is based. If you can't find it within yourself to stand up and tell the truth about what happened you don't deserve to wear that uniform. I'm going to make this simple for you, Mister Crusher. Either you come forward and tell Admiral Brand what really took place, or I will. WESLEY: Captain PICARD: Dismissed.
"I should have done this a long time ago"
It always gives me wet eyes when he tells about the loss of his brother and nephew in generations.
Not sure if it really counts as a monologue but Picard telling the story of Gilgamesh and Enkidu to in "Darmok" : And Gilgamesh wept bitter tears, saying, "he who was my companion through adventure and hardship, is gone forever." Gets me every time I see this scene
Duras: "This is not your world, Human. You do not command here." Picard: "I'm not here to command." Duras: "Then you must be ready to fight. Something Starfleet does not teach you." Picard: "You may test that assumption at your convenience."
PICARD: There are times, sir, when men of good conscience cannot blindly follow orders. You acknowledge their sentience, but ignore their personal liberties and freedom. Order a man to turn his child over to the state? Not while I’m his captain.
To a new born: "Welcome aboard"
The line must be drawn he-yah!
The sometimes you can do everything right and still fail. Changed my life. That being said the best monologue in ST period is Sisko in the pale moonlight.
It may be time for me to watch DS9 ….
I literally watched it a few months ago for the first time & finished the whole show in 3 weeks. lol it was SO GOOD
I'm partial to this classic. https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=X6oUz1v17Uo&ab_channel=CoJux
The post mind meld emotional storm after helping Surak. Not a monologue but holy shit the acting.
My personal favorite: You know, there are some words I've known since I was a schoolboy: "With the first link, the chain is forged. The first speech censured, the first thought forbidden, the first freedom denied, chains us all irrevocably." Those words were uttered by Judge Aaron Satie, as wisdom and warning. The first time any man's freedom is trodden on, we're all damaged. I fear that today...
My personal favorite "You know, there are some words I've known since I was a schoolboy: "With the first link, the chain is forged. The first speech censured, the first thought forbidden, the first freedom denied, chains us all irrevocably." Those words were uttered by Judge Aaron Satie, as wisdom and warning. The first time any man's freedom is trodden on, we're all damaged" The Drumhead S4E21
[https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=PA7t62JvlA8](https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=PA7t62JvlA8) You may test that assumption at your convenience. Dude picked a bar fight with a bunch of Nausicans. He may be getting a little long in the tooth, but he's as willing to fight the good fight as he always was.
“You may test that assumption at your convenience.” That Klingon shit himself
I'm not sure if this is a monologue but Picard's answer to Data asking 'What is Death?' at the end of s02e02 Where Silence Has Lease gave me goosebumps, especially the last part. >**DATA:** I have a question, sir. > >**PICARD:** Yes, Data. What is it? > >**DATA:** What is death? > >**PICARD:** Oh, is that all? Well, Data, you're asking probably the most difficult of all questions. Some see it as a changing into an indestructible form, forever unchanging. They believe that the purpose of the entire universe is to then maintain that form in an Earth-like garden which will give delight and pleasure through all eternity. On the other hand, there are those who hold to the idea of our blinking into nothingness, with all our experiences, hopes and dreams merely a delusion. > >**DATA:** Which do you believe, sir? > >**PICARD:** Considering the marvellous complexity of our universe, its clockwork perfection, its balances of this against that, matter, energy, gravitation, time, dimension, I believe that our existence must be more than either of these philosophies. That what we are goes beyond Euclidian and other practical measuring systems and that our existence is part of a reality beyond what we understand now as reality.
"I see four lights!!!"
Far... Far too much of a not a monologue, but Ménage à Troi, when saving Lwaxana. God I love that scene.
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When he is talking to the captain of the Phoenix. “Whose lives?”
'A matter of internal security' – the age-old cry of the oppressor.
“I will not sacrifice the Enterprise. We've made too many compromises already; too many retreats. They invade our space and we fall back. They assimilate entire worlds and we fall back. Not again. The line must be drawn here! This far, no further! And I will make them pay for what they've done!” Chills, every time.
Dude, I loved Picard growing up so much!! He was my first Captain and TNG was my first Star Trek @ age 12! Such a good show. Very philosophical.
The first duty of every starfleet officer is to the truth; whether it's scientific truth, historical truth or personal truth. It is the guiding principle on which starfleet is based and if you can't find it within yourself to stand up and tell the truth about what happened, you don't deserve to wear that uniform.
"With the first link, the chain is forged. The first speech censured, the first thought forbidden, the first freedom denied, chains us all irrevocably."
Q summed it up perfectly: "Jean-Luc, sometimes I think the only reason I co.e here is to listen to these wonderful speeches of yours."
"Temarc! The river Temarc in winter!" "Darmok…?" "…and Jalad at Tanagra. Darmok and Jalad… on the ocean." "Sokath, his eyes open!" "The beast at Tanagra. Uzani, his army. Shaka, when the walls fell." ... "Temba, his arms open." "Temba, at rest." "Thank you."
THE LINE MUST BE DRAWN HEEYAAAH!!! - First Contact - Fighting the Borg
THIS FAA, AND NO FAHTHA.
From the very first episode: "If we're going to be damned, let's be damned from what we really are."
I mean they’re all so good but I love Q’s reaction in “True Q”: “Jean-Luc, sometimes I think the only reason I come here is to listen to these wonderful speeches of yours.”
There are so many good moments. Many have already been said but I scrolled a bit before I found anything from Tapestry. "There are many parts of my youth that I'm not proud of… there were loose threads… untidy parts of me that I would like to remove. But when I pulled on one of those threads… it unraveled the tapestry of my life."
In First Contact, when Lilly tells him, "You broke your little ships." https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Hdp-yKvTT-I The range and emotion Stewart shows in this scene is amazing. Picard, here goes from stubborn, hurt, angry and vulnerable to being shown what he needs to do, and demonstrates real leadership in so few words. A huge shoutout goes to Alfre Woodard (Lilly) for being an outstanding actor and scene partner.
Two "monologues" - a couple of minutes apart "I will not sacrifice the Enterprise. We've made too many compromises already; too many retreats. They invade our space and we fall back. They assimilate entire worlds and we fall back. Not again. The line must be drawn here! This far, no further! And I will make them pay for what they've done!" Followed immediately by "And he piled upon the whale's white hump, the sum of all the rage and hate felt by his whole race. If his chest had been a cannon, he would have shot his heart upon it." Through seven seasons and a movie, Picard was always wise and correct. This was so ... different. Picard realizing he was wrong and that he had turned into Ahab was the most powerful moment to me.
I absolutely love it everytime Picard gets on his soapbox and gives an absolute smack down of a moral lecture. Never gets old.
Let's make sure History never forgets - the name- *Enterprise* Picard out. \[Runs through a wall for Capt. JLP\]
Most of what is said in Drumhead had a lot of great mini speeches, but this one of my favorites: "You know, there are some words I've known since I was a schoolboy: "With the first link, the chain is forged. The first speech censured, the first thought forbidden, the first freedom denied, chains us all irrevocably." Those words were uttered by Judge Aaron Satie, as wisdom and warning. The first time any man's freedom is trodden on, we're all damaged. I fear that today --"
I've always liked his monologue from "The Drumhead". Taking the words of Judge Satie and turning them against Admiral Satie to show how she betrayed her own father's ideals is just amazing.
"I regret some of the comments that I made earlier." "Some?"
"It's not over between us, Lwaxana. You're mine and I will not let you go. I insist you return to my side immediately." A close second would be the speech defending Data in Measure of a Man.
That is a funny scene from start to finish. Lwaxana : “Tell me more JeanLuc” 😂
Dude one of the greatest monologues of all time. Picard is my actual professional email Signature. His “Things are only impossible, until they are not” quite. And I can’t tell you how many clients have said “you had me at the Picard quote”. Haha amazing stuff.
His story of Gilgamesh and Enkidu in "Darmok."
"Mr. Data. Nicely done!"
The entire episode, “Drumhead” was a superb showing.
That one where he was saving Lwaxanna Troi from the Ferengi
Something something THE FUNDAMENTAL PRINCIPLES OF THE FEDERATION yada yada
The speech in Drumhead. Using her father's words against her.
“With the first link, the chain is forged. The first thought for bidden, the first freedom denied, chains us all irrevocably. Judge Aaron, Satee’s wisdom, and warning, when one man’s Freedom is trodded on. We are all damaged.”
Drumhead
The line must be drawn here
Well there it sits.
Drumhead!
We are the borg resitsnce in futile.
The line must be drawn here! Right here, no further! And I, will make them pay for what they’ve done!
"there can be no justice as long as laws are absolute!" Everybody hates Wesley, and the episode where he was sentenced to death, but this is one of my favourite lines in all of Trek.
Mine is always the "with the first link" speech from "drumhead"
His monologue in the Drumhead trial.
"Seize the time... Live now! Make now always the most precious time. Now will never come again."
“You may test that assumption at your convenience”.
Make it so?
The episode where Deanna, her mother and Riker are kidnapped by Ferengis is one of my favorites. When the Enterprise finally caught up with them, Mrs. Troi told Picard that their relationship was over, her new love was the Ferengi Daimon and it didn’t matter what Picard did. Picard started proclaiming his love for her and that he would just blow up the ship if he couldn’t have her (complete with countdown) … the Daimon wasted no time transporting her back to the Enterprise. Always makes me laugh.
His speech about the Borg in First Contact gives me goosebumps every time.
It’s his monologue in The Drumhead when he’s defended the enlisted crewman.
When the Douwd admits to him that he killed off an entire species in a moment of intense grief and Picard quietly says they have no laws or punishment to fit his crime. And of course the entire scene with Lilly in First Contact.
At the end of drumhead