Star Trek: 10 Things You Didn't Know About Jean-Luc Picard
He's the most English Frenchman in media history, but what else do we know about this man?
Captain Jean-Luc Picard of the USS Enterprise NCC-1701-D is one of the greatest characters in SciFi history. The captain of the Enterprise-E and Chancellor of Starfleet Academy aren't half-bad, either. However, even after all of this time (the character first appeared in 1987), are there still things left to learn about him?
In short, yes, otherwise there wouldn't be much point for this article, now would there? We will concede however that there is so much material on the man, that there are things that people may have learned - without ever having gone out of their way to do so. For example, most people reading this probably know that Gene Roddenberry didn't, originally, want a bald man playing his captain.
There are things about the character that aren't as well known and have required some digging. This list will also cover things about Patrick Stewart himself, as the man behind the Tea, Earl Grey, Hot, is just as fascinating as his on-screen persona.
And, just to kick everything off, this article will definitively decide which captain is better - Picard or Kirk.
Let the games begin!
10. Tales From The Academy
As a young man, Jean-Luc Picard was brash, and arrogant, and often found himself at odds with the rules. That said, he still managed to graduate first in his class at the Academy, despite not getting in on the first try in 2322.
His Academy years were marked with successes and failures, with one such mistake almost costing him graduation. In fact, as Picard later stated, were it not for Boothby, he wouldn't have made it out at all. Boothby, for his part, maintained that all Picard needed to do was to listen to his gut, and stop carving initials in his trees.
This younger man was a skilled athlete, winning marathons, and taking down Ligonians. He was also a pilot, blessed with skills that saw him enter the 'Speed of Light' Club. For this, he piloted the USS Leondegrance at three hundred thousand kilometres per second, at level flight.
It was also during his Academy time that he had his fateful run-in with the Nausicaans, one that would leave him with an artificial heart, but a very real thirst to prove himself in Starfleet.