Personal Life
Throughout his service, Picard often enjoys Earl Grey tea when he finds a moment to relax, reflect, or study. Picard is also something of a "Renaissance man", having diverse interests, including classic literature, music, archaeology, physics, celestial mechanics, fencing, horseback riding, and Fermat's Last Theorem.
A fan of Berlioz, among other composers, Picard's interest in music is most evident in his playing of a Ressikan flute, often with computer and occasionally with human accompaniment. He learns to play the instrument while interfaced with a space probe that infused him with the life experiences and memories of an alien man and his civilization, long since destroyed ("The Inner Light"). His love of music and theatre, particularly Shakespeare, is shown throughout the series by his tutelage of android Data, instructing Data through such works how to "feel" and to evoke a human response. Through this advice, Data believes, he can better understand "the human condition."
Picard also mentors Data's development as an officer. He similarly guides child prodigy Wesley Crusher's development as a young man and potential officer. Picard invites Ro Laren, court-martialed and convicted for the deaths of several crewmembers on another starship, to join the Enterprise crew, adopting something of a paternal role to her; her greatest regret about joining the Maquis underground is that it meant disappointing Picard. Picard's involvement with Klingon politics and unusual (among humans) understanding of Klingon culture lead him to develop a close relationship with Worf, going so far as to stand alongside Worf when he confronts the Klingon High Council about his father's supposed treason.
When Picard was young, he suffered from Shalaft's Syndrome, a rare birth defect sometimes found in Human males, that significantly enhanced his sensitivity to sound to the point where the slightest whisper caused him severe pain. Male members in Picard's family are born with this defect.
By 2366, both of Picard's parents were deceased and he was estranged from his older brother, Robert. While the Enterprise was in spacedock undergoing repairs after the incident at Wolf 359, he returned to his ancestral home in Labarre, France for the first time in years ("Family"). There he met his sister-in-law, Marie, and his young nephew, René, who dreamt of becoming a Starfleet officer just like his uncle. Tension between the two brothers escalated into a brawl, but the two reconciled after Picard confessed his feelings of helplessness and guilt over his assimilation by the Borg. His brother in turn confessed his feelings of resentment for constantly being overshadowed by his over-achieving sibling. The two eventually parted on good terms and with mutual respect.
In 2371, Picard received a message from Marie that Robért and René had been killed in a fire (Star Trek: Generations). Picard was initially distraught by the news, confessing his regret for never having a family of his own because now there would be no more Picards, but he becomes at peace when he meets René in the Nexus.
Jean-Luc Picard speaks with a contemporary (i.e. 21st century) English accent (Stewart, the actor who plays Picard, is English) even though he is supposed to be French. Gene Roddenberry (the creator of the Star Trek franchise) and Trekkies resolve this apparent paradox by incorporating a globalized education system in the Star Trek "universe" where a Frenchman could be educated so as to cultivate an "English accent".
<< back
This page is HTML 4.01 Transitional and CSS Valid.