10 Shocking Moments Star Trek Used Profanity

The second time anyone dared use this word in Trek was to Picard — in his very own series, no less! We all know the Admiral Clancy line by now. It was certainly a shock to hear the esteemed Captain (now retired Admiral) Picard being addressed in such a manner. Within the context of the events of the episode, Clancy might well have had a point: there was a certain arrogance to Picard's request.

Patrick Stewart was, at least at first, taken aback by the profanity in Picard. As he told TV Guide,

When I came across the first swear word in the first script, I can honestly tell you, I was deeply shocked. […] It was something that had never been a part of previous Star Trek.

He did concede that times have changed, however, and that to continue to make the world a better place in the way that The Next Generation sought to do, Star Trek: Picard would have to change along with them.

By the time season three came along, Stewart wasn't at all as trepidatious, even throwing in an improvised bit of foul-mouthery in the episode No Win Scenario during a scene with (son) Jack Crusher on the holodeck. "Ten f**king gruelling hours," Picard says. The little shuttle escapade f-bomb caused as much backlash as you might expect, but showrunner Terry Matalas defended Stewart's off-colour ad lib, having initially been "thrown" by it himself, as a moment of "authenticity" between father and son.

For better or for worse, because writers and producers are no longer working under the rules of broadcast television, there really has been quite a lot of effing and blinding in Star Trek: Picard. As well as the above, we had the likes of "I hate that f**king hospitality hologram" (Rios) in season one's Absolute Candor, "sorry I had to f**king ruin it" (Jurati) and "shut the f**k up" (Clancy to Picard… again) in Broken Pieces, and "clone their f**king cats" (Adam Soong) in season two's Fly Me to the Moon. Star Trek: Lower Decks has, of course, also made humorous use of the f-word to the bleep.

Oh, and "f**k solids!"

Ultimately, I suppose the only question when it comes to the use of such a word in Star Trek is do we, nay should we, give a flying…