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

This is an often overlooked episode in Star Trek The Next Generation. It deals with the discovery that a young man has been raised by his captors rather than his biological family and Picard is faced with the choice to remove him and deal with the repercussions, or leave him with the people who killed his parents.

It seems like an obvious choice at the beginning. Dr Crusher judges that there is evidence of abuse in the boy, as old scars and healed wounds turn up on examination. However, when the boy's adoptive father arrives, a different side to the story emerges.

The boy's biological parents were killed in a skirmish with these people. To atone for orphaning the boy, this man took him into his home and raised him as his son. The injuries were the result of the boy's attempt to prove himself to his new family and to be the same as everyone else. Picard sees that this man truly does care for his son.

The obvious decision that Picard faced in the beginning is then questioned. There is no sign of the boy being unhappy. He teaches him more about humanity but it overwhelms him, leading him to attack Picard in his bed. Picard realises it was a symptom of being pushed too hard.

He must step back and accept that what he wants for the boy is not necessarily what the boy wants or needs. The message here was that despite the appearances to the contrary, Picard learned along with everyone else that happiness does not look the same to everyone.