15 essential Captain Picard episodes to get you pumped for his return
“I, Borg” (S5E23)
Picard perks: Fencing Picard and Picard in PJs.
What it’s about: Picard struggles, not just through post-trauma life but the decision between compassion and determination. When La Forge confronts Picard and speaks of Hugh as an individual, Picard fear builds on his face, fear quickly hidden beneath anger and austereness.
This is the biggest temptation for Picard that we have seen. Not only is this a very personal enemy, wrapped up in his own trauma, extreme temptation, and a very human reaction — yet his convictions and moral compass still win out as easy as it would have been to ignore.
It truly takes a big man to confront his own trauma and admit how deeply it affects him. We get to see him use insight to reassess his own decisions. Instead of a virus, Picard wants to infect the Borg with hope.
Picard allows Hugh the benefit he allows any sentient being. And in the end, Hugh makes the choice for him. The Borg is dealt a significant blow, the repercussions of which we don’t fully understand until the movie. Patrick Stewart’s performance perfectly elicits a very real, human reaction.
Picard Quotes:
- “Centuries ago, when laboratory animals were used for experiments, researchers would become attached to them. This would be a problem when the experiment involved killing them. I would suggest that you unattach yourself from the Borg, Mr. La Forge.”
- “What did you say? I? But you are Borg.”
- “To use him in this manner would be no better than the enemy we seek to destroy. So, I want other options.”
- “But perhaps in that short time before they purge his memory, the sense of individuality which he has gained with us might be transmitted through the entire Borg collective. Every one of the Borg being given the opportunity to experience the feeling of singularity. And perhaps that’s the most pernicious program of all: the knowledge of self-being spread throughout the collective in that brief moment might alter them forever.”