Star Trek: 10 Captains That Totally LOST IT
1. Jean-Luc Picard Hunts His Whale
Picard's epic battle with the Borg began in The Next Generation, when he was assimilated and transformed into Locutus of Borg. Of course, he was rescued and de-borgified...but trauma that deep doesn't just disappear. The ordeal was touched upon in the series, but in general, the show moved on, leaving viewers wondering about his journey to recovery.
By Star Trek: First Contact, it seemed his suffering had simply been bottled up. And when the Enterprise is thrown back in time alongside a Borg sphere, the wound is reopened.
It leads to a showdown between Picard and Lily, a 21st-century citizen. The usually rational captain is refusing to destroy the Enterprise and end the Borg threat, and Lily can't comprehend why he's so determined to keep fighting instead. It's a truly remarkable scene. Two actors, bringing their best to the screen...Picard insisting they need to stand up to the Borg and Lily bringing it back to this:
It's so simple. The Borg hurt you, and now you're going to hurt them back.
Picard's anger finally boils over, resulting in an almighty cry as he smashes his glass cabinet. He follows up with an exquisite speech, simmering with quiet rage, and concluding with the telling line:
And I will make them pay for what they've done.
Putting words to his lingering pain and ire awakens him to the truth of Lily's accusation, that he's no better than Captain Ahab, hunting his whale. And as Picard murmurs a stunning quote from Moby-Dick, we see the man we know and love return.
Picard's break is by no means the worst on this list. But it's one of the most shocking...because of all the captains, steadfast Picard is the one we least expect to lose it. But maybe, just maybe, after everything he'd been through, it was well overdue.