Star Trek: 10 WORST Things Captain Picard Has Ever Done

6. Demeaning Wesley On The Bridge For All To See

Star Trek The Next Generation The Battle Wesley Crusher
CBS Media Ventures

This is one of the stranger events in Picard’s list. Though he was self-admittedly terrible with children, he was well aware of who Wesley was, having known Beverly for years. He brought the body of Jack Crusher home to the family, so young person though he was, Wesley was no simple stranger. 

With that, is that why Picard felt in a position to tell him to shut up in front of the entire bridge crew? During the show’s first season, Wesley slowly earned a place on the bridge, usually by showcasing some new innovation that endeared him to the officers, while admittedly giving audiences pause. However, despite his brash child’s nature, he became the butt of the joke.

Picard, displaying a short temper that rarely came to the surface, barked at him to shut up, loud, in front of his mother. Wesley was almost immediately cowed. Unfortunately, the script decided to make the scene into a joke, as Crusher quickly defends, then also shuts him down. It is one of the least Picard-like moments of the character on-screen, even if it did come so early in The Next Generation.

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Seán is the host and head writer/presenter for TrekCulture, as well as a writer/presenter on WhoCulture and WhatCulture Horror. He has authored two novels, dozens of short stories, and hundreds of articles for WhatCulture. He holds a Master of Arts in Creative Writing from University College Dublin. As part of his work with TrekCulture, Seán has been invited to participate in collaborations with Roddenberry Entertainment, as well as contributing to several Star Trek community projects. An avid fan of Star Trek, Doctor Who, and the horror genre at large, Seán's expertise has helped develop these channels to the successes they are today. As host of the Ups & Downs series on TrekCulture, Seán has become internationally recognised for his positive yet critically informed approach to reviewing every episode of modern Star Trek, ensuring he is one of the go-to voices in the Trek community. Favourite Quote to describe himself: "I'm serious about what I do, just not always about the way that I do it"