I'm sure this is addressed somewhere. Why was Picard conceived as being French. Why, once a English actor was cast, did he remain French? Why not recon the part to be British or even have Stewart use a fake French accent? Why the hardline push for Picard being French?
I think him trying to do a French accent would have been painful and terrible for everyone involved. To make the character BRITISH you'd have to at the very least give the character a new name and potentially change some other character details that may have been in the series bible. But, really, I'm not clear why. Those could all be hurdles, sure, but not impossible ones to get through. But it could just boil down to they liked the name Jean-Luc Picard for the name of the character and probably just assumed that sometime between "now" and "then" French people merge culturally (at least linguistically. I believe Data even says French is a "dead language") with Brittan. Once a unified Earth happened it's likely a LOT of cultural borders broke down especially if travel between countries and such became easier and faster (there may be something in a non-canon background about Picard having doing extensive schooling in England.)
Why not French? And why would he speak with an accent? It is possible to learn a language so well as to speak it without an accent. And if Picard speaks English as a second language, Britain's proximity would undoubtedly lead to him developing a British accent rather than a neutral one.
Yes, and also he was named for the pioneering aviator-scientists the Piccard brothers. And I think Roddenberry wanted more of an international feel. As for the accent, it's no more problematical than having African native Uhura speak with a Chicago accent. Or having Vulcan native Spock speak with a Boston accent. Or having an Indian Sikh named Khan speak with a Mexican accent.
I always had a theory that the name Picard was chosen by Roddenberry because it sounds similar to Pike. Being French was secondary.
"I fart in your general direction. Your mother was a hamster and your father smelt of elderberries!" According to Wiki: BTW, the Piccard brothers were actually Swiss.
Why wouldn't Picard speak Received Pronunciation English (or the 24th century thereof)? The character should probably have had more Gallic attributes, but he might well gravitate toward a British way of speaking English. Indeed, Received Pronunciation is a legitimate magnet in today's world for those aspiring to speak English, and people in many parts of the world perceive the way Englishmen pronounce words to be more prestigious. And if I am not mistaken, it is the way that most Europeans are taught English.
Picard's brother, nephew, sister-in-law, and that Louis guy were all French but spoke English - to each other! - in France! - with English accents. That either means English has become Earth's primary language by the 24th century and the English accent spread out to the continent, or perhaps Picard was speaking French the whole time and the univeral translator gives him the accent.
No one ever realized that Hoshi programmed LinguaCode® synthesizers to give Vulcans Andorian accents.
The French are very proud of their culture and language, sure a lot can happen over the course of a few hundred years. Even today travel bewteen the UK and France is very easy. But take for example the recent EU-US trade talks, their was an exception made for Culture mainly to placate the French regarding Films and TV as some in France feel their culture is being overtaken by American and to a lesser extent British media.