7. Picard's Return To France And Reunion With His Family - Family - TNG
As the Enterprise returns to Earth Station McKinley for repairs and refitting following the Borg encounter, Picard is able to take some personal time and decides to visit his brother and his family in France. Whats truly heart-rending about this episode is the vulnerability we see in Picards character. Trauma is a terrible thing but post-trauma is truly monstrous. Picards very soul was taken from him in the encounter with the Borg. Not only did he remember everything that happened, but we learn through his revelations to his brother that he also remembered the helplessness that went along with the entire experience. Picard was forced to watch as the information he possessed about Starfleet defences and operations were used against his will to kill fellow Starfleet officers. For the first time, he acknowledges his loss of self-control and he is frightened by it. He admits his sense of guilt and overwhelming heart-ache to his brother. His suffering is immense. After a comical mud-brawl with his brother, Rene, Picard is able to acknowledge his weakness, his pain and the sense of defeat in his inability to control himself. Rene makes him realize that despite all of his incredible skills and abilities, he is still human and possesses the same limitations as everybody else does.
Realization of our own weaknesses is a self-reflection that no-one wants to experience. Its a painful reminder of our own failures and imperfections, particularly when we have a lot riding on our own success.
John Kirk is a Teacher-Librarian and currently a History/English Teacher with the Toronto District School Board.
But mostly, John teaches Geek.
Comics, Sci-Fi (Notably Star Trek), Fantasy and Role-Playing and table-top games all make up part of John’s repertoire, There is a whole generation of nerds-in-embryo who rely on him to make sense of it all, to teach that with great power comes great responsibility, that the force will be with us always and that a towel IS the most useful thing to have in one’s possession.
When John isn’t in the classroom, he can be found in his basement writing comic reviews for www.popmythology.com and features for Roddenberry Entertainment's www.1701news.com.
