Star Trek: 10 Times Picard Proved The Future Was Worth Fighting For

Sir Patrick Stewart's Jean Luc Picard is one of the key figures in science fiction. Since his introduction in the pilot of Star Trek The Next Generation, he has been father figure to many, support to most and often times foil for those who would do others harm.

The Next Generation debuted in the late '80s when the world was coming out of another recession, when TV sci-fi was about to begin a renaissance and when Star Trek was still successfully showing in movie theatres.

The show offered a bright and utopian view of the future as told through the pen of Gene Roddenberry, offering a future full of hope and kindness, free of the in-fighting and drama of reality.

Although this caused difficulties for some of the writing on the series, it led to many bright and uplifting moments in television history. Moments, in short, in which Captain Picard proved the future was definitely worth fighting for.

The version of the future that Star Trek Picard has shown so far has aged along with the audience that is watching it. The world now is a darker place than it was back then and the rise of extremism and toxic fandom are both symptoms of that.

Picard is older and more seasoned. The very idea that he would leave Starfleet was an adjustment for fans but the show has been handling it beautifully. It is the very idealism and speech making that Picard is so famous for that cost him his career in the end. Fear crept into the heart of the Federation, perhaps inevitably after the devastating Dominion War.

But Picard also seems intent on fighting back the wave of darkness that threatens to envelope the franchise. Jean Luc himself is a remnant of The Next Generation. Seven of Nine states at the end of Stardust City Rag that she doesn't want Picard to lose hope.

If Picard is and always has been a stand-in for the audience, then that statement alone is like a hand reaching out to beckon the viewer on. This is a darker universe and perhaps it's going to get a little darker along the way. But it is only darkest when everyone stops fighting for the light.

It is crucial to see that even though there may be more mature themes and occurrences in this iteration of Star Trek, it is still at its heart showing us that the future is worth fighting for, even if it takes an old idealist to show that.