Star Trek: 10 Best Captain Picard Speeches
8. How Many Does It Take, Admiral?
Star Trek: Insurrection
Star Trek: Insurrection may not be counted among the very greatest
of Star Trek films, but it is most definitely not without merit. There are
some glorious action sequences, not least of which being the Riker maneuver,
and some truly funny moments. Smooth as an android’s bottom, eh Data?
The most common criticism it receives is that it is like an extra-long episode of the Next Generation, which seems an odd critique when the audience of the film were such fans of the show. All of the ingredients are there, including another example of Picard’s oration.
Admiral Dougherty, when confronted with the knowledge that Picard is fully aware of the intended plans for the removal of the Ba’ku, assures the captain that there are only 600 people to be moved, none of whom were indigenous to the planet anyway.
‘How many does it take, Admiral, before it becomes wrong? 1000? 50,000? A million? How many people does it take, Admiral?’
It is both a simple question and a damning one. The truth is that there really is no answer to the question, other than to say that either it isn’t wrong, or one is too many. Patrick Stewart’s delivery is far more direct and full of emotion than we were used to seeing him address an admiral with. His decision to remove his pips only compounds the scene further.