Dopo l'
Accademia la sua carriera č molto rapida: appena trentenne gli viene affidato il comando della
Stargazer. Per ben 22 anni guida il suo equipaggio in un incredibile viaggio di esplorazione spaziale.
Durante la missione della
Stargazer Picard soffre la perdita di uno dei suoi migliori amici,
Jack Crusher, ucciso durante una missione di ricognizione. Picard ha il triste compito di riportarne il corpo alla moglie
Beverly ed al giovanissimo figlio
Wesley.
La mansione a bordo della
Stargazer termina con l'infausto incontro con un vascello sconosciuto (rivelatosi poi una nave
ferengi): nonostante la distruzione del nemico grazie ad un'azione tattica diventata poi famosa con il nome di «Manovra Picard», la
Stargazer, a causa dei gravi danni subiti, deve essere abbandonata dall'equipaggio (
The Battle).
Grazie alla vasta esperienza acquisita in questa lunga missione, Picard viene scelto quale Capitano della nuova nave ammiraglia della
Flotta Stellare, l'
Enterprise.
Durante la sua carriera rifiuta diverse proposte di promozione, inclusa quella di diventare comandante dell'
Accademia, in quanto preferisce esplorare in prima persona lo spazio, piuttosto che accettare incarichi a terra.
La donna ideale di Picard deve essere indipendente, fantasiosa, provocante e intransigente (
The Perfect Mate).
L'archeologia č stata una dei suoi hobby fin dai tempi in cui frequentava l'
Accademia (
Contagion).
- Secondo il supervising producer di The Next Generation Robert Justman il cognome di Picard viene da quello dell'oceanografo Jacques Piccard, che ha esplorato la Fossa delle Marianne a bordo del batiscafo Trieste.
Picard: We have not lost the
Enterprise! We're not going to lose the
Enterprise, not to the Borg, not while I'm in command! [
First Contact]
Picard: I will
not sacrifice the
Enterprise. We've made too many compromises already, too many retreats! They invade our space, and we fall back. They assimilate
entire worlds and we fall back! Not again! The line must be drawn
here this far, no further! And I will make them
pay for what they've done! [
First Contact]
Picard: No being is so important that he can usurp the rights of another. [T:39:57] [
The Schizoid Man]
Picard: Friendship must dare to risk, Counselor, or it's not friendship. [T:14:06] [
Conspiracy]
Picard: Beverly, the Prime Directive is not just a set of rules; it is a philosophy, and a very correct one. History has proven again and again that whenever mankind interferes with a less developed civilization, no matter how well intentioned that interference may be, the results are invariably disastrous. [T:41:11] [
Symbiosis]
Picard: We're out here to explore, to make contact with other life forms, to establish peaceful relation but not to interfere, and absolutely not to destroy. And yet look at what we have just done.
Troi: Everything you did was consistent with established Starfleet procedure.
Picard: Number One, you have the bridge. [
Galaxy's Child]
Q (a Picard): You're dead, this is the afterlife... and I'm God. [
Tapestry]
Picard: The claim «I was only following orders» has been used to justify too many tragedies in our history. [
Redemption - Part II]
Dougherty: Jean-Luc, we're only moving 600 people.
Picard: How many people does it take, Admiral, before it becomes wrong? Hmm? A thousand, fifty thousand, a million? How many people does it take, Admiral? [
Insurrection]
Picard: I respect an officer who is prepared to admit ignorance and ask a question rather than one who, out of pride, will blunder blindly forward. [T:08:24] [
Pen Pals]
Picard: I feel though I've been handed a weapon, sent into a room, and told to shoot a stranger. Well, I need some moral context to justify that action. And I don't have it. I'm not content simply to obey orders. I need to
know that what I am doing is right. [
Conundrum]
Picard: There are times, sir, when men of good conscience cannot blindly follow orders. You acknowledge their sentience, but you ignore their personal liberties and freedom. Order a man to hand his child over to the state? Not while I am his Captain. [
The Offspring]
