I'm a bit late to the discussion here, but I think Picard doesn't get enough credit here.
Picard got into a lot of fights when he was younger. It's why he has an artificial heart. TNG examines this a bit in Samaritan Snare, which is a fairly unremarkable episode. They revisit it later in Tapestry, which you mentioned. Q allows Picard to change his past, and shows that his wild behavior at a younger age was necessary to shape the man he became. Picard had a lot more in common with Kirk when he was younger than we give him credit for. Picard needed some discipline to put his drive and determination to good use instead of brawling with Nausicaans.
The Best of Both Worlds also examines Picard's determination and willpower a bit. Admiral Hanson foreshadows this in response to Shelby commenting on Picard assisting the Borg, when he comments about Picard's drive and determination to pass upperclassmen at the end of the Academy marathon. Worf's line about the Borg having neither honor nor courage, and that being the Federation's greatest advantage, also foreshadows the ending. There's also a scene where the Borg are adding implants to Picard, and there's a tear that rolls down the side of his face, showing that he hasn't lost his humanity to the Borg. In the end, all of the technobabble solutions fail, with the Enterprise's weapons being useless and Data failing to access any of the Borg's critical systems. Troi says that Picard was speaking instead of Locutus, finding a way to resist the Borg's programming and tell Data how to destroy the Borg cube. The implication here is that Picard is particularly strong-willed and could resist the Borg where others wouldn't be able to. Resistance wasn't futile.
Or watch Chain of Command, where Picard spends a good portion of the two-part episode being tortured in a Cardassian interrogation chamber, resisting the brainwashing efforts. Even Picard had a breaking point, as he confided to Troi after being rescued. But he resisted the torture long enough to be rescued, even choosing to stay and be tortured when he believed the Cardassian interrogator was going to torture Crusher instead.
Picard is tough as nails, as tough as any of the captains. He doesn't show it with hand-to-hand combat, but there's nothing weak about him. He's just also very disciplined, as Spock notes when he says that Picard has a Vulcan-like quality about him.
(Score: 2) by dalek on Sunday April 10 2022, @10:43PM
I'm a bit late to the discussion here, but I think Picard doesn't get enough credit here.
Picard got into a lot of fights when he was younger. It's why he has an artificial heart. TNG examines this a bit in Samaritan Snare, which is a fairly unremarkable episode. They revisit it later in Tapestry, which you mentioned. Q allows Picard to change his past, and shows that his wild behavior at a younger age was necessary to shape the man he became. Picard had a lot more in common with Kirk when he was younger than we give him credit for. Picard needed some discipline to put his drive and determination to good use instead of brawling with Nausicaans.
The Best of Both Worlds also examines Picard's determination and willpower a bit. Admiral Hanson foreshadows this in response to Shelby commenting on Picard assisting the Borg, when he comments about Picard's drive and determination to pass upperclassmen at the end of the Academy marathon. Worf's line about the Borg having neither honor nor courage, and that being the Federation's greatest advantage, also foreshadows the ending. There's also a scene where the Borg are adding implants to Picard, and there's a tear that rolls down the side of his face, showing that he hasn't lost his humanity to the Borg. In the end, all of the technobabble solutions fail, with the Enterprise's weapons being useless and Data failing to access any of the Borg's critical systems. Troi says that Picard was speaking instead of Locutus, finding a way to resist the Borg's programming and tell Data how to destroy the Borg cube. The implication here is that Picard is particularly strong-willed and could resist the Borg where others wouldn't be able to. Resistance wasn't futile.
Or watch Chain of Command, where Picard spends a good portion of the two-part episode being tortured in a Cardassian interrogation chamber, resisting the brainwashing efforts. Even Picard had a breaking point, as he confided to Troi after being rescued. But he resisted the torture long enough to be rescued, even choosing to stay and be tortured when he believed the Cardassian interrogator was going to torture Crusher instead.
Picard is tough as nails, as tough as any of the captains. He doesn't show it with hand-to-hand combat, but there's nothing weak about him. He's just also very disciplined, as Spock notes when he says that Picard has a Vulcan-like quality about him.
THIS ACCOUNT IS PERMANENTLY CLOSED