Jean-Luc Picard

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Jean-Luc Picard is the captain of the Enterprise-D in The Next Generation Star Trek series and subsequent Enterprise-E seen in the films Star Trek: First Contact, Star Trek: Insurrection and Star Trek: Nemesis.

He is of French ancestry and his family still maintains a vineyard in France. He never married in spite of his "paradise" being revealed as a family Christmas in Star Trek: Generations. There is some hint of a love interest between him and Dr. Beverly Crusher but it is never pursued in the series. Picard also seems to take on the role of a father figure to Dr. Crusher's son Wesley.

He first gained fame in the Federation at the Battle of Maxia, where he was serving on the USS Stargazer. A Ferengi ship launched a surprise attack on the Stargazer, causing heavy damage. Through a quick warp maneuver which would come to be known as the Picard Maneuver, he caused his ship to appear two places at once. The Ferengi ship fired on the wrong image, allowing the Stargazer the opportunity to destroy its opponent.

He was assimilated by the Borg in the TNG episode "The Best of Both Worlds", taking on the identity of a Borg 'spokesperson' named Locutus. He was subsequently rescued by the crew of his starship, but the incident left lasting mental scars and a deep hatred of the Collective.

The entity known as the "Q" took personal interest in shaping Picard's course in life. Q tested Picard on multiple occasions, trying to expand Picard's thinking (supposedly; many think Q was just doing it for shits and giggles), most notably in the TNG pilot and finale. In another example, Picard suffered a life-threatening injury while at Starfleet academy. His life is saved with the implantation of an artificial heart. A subsequent injury damages that heart and Picard believes himself dead and wishes he had never gotten into the altercation that led to his need of the artificial heart. Q shows him what his life would be like had he chosen that path, and Picard quickly realizes his life was far better with the original course of events.