Picard's awful romances

[Thomas Elliot]

The majority of Picard's romances, what little we see of them, seem awful. I think Mark 2000 said it best when describing it:

Watching Picard titter in fear of his own erection like a teenage anime boy is never fun. He's as sexually immature and repressed as Worf.

Picard is presented as a thoughtful Captain with great empathy for others, but he's also portrayed as shrewd and cunning, take-no-shit-type of Captain.

So how is it he gets played so easily by Vash? I think it's worse in her return because gets all bashful when she returns? Why? He was apparently a ladies' man in cadet days, and he's a renowned Captain who goes toe-to-toe with Romulans, Borg, and all others dangerous types in the galaxy. He's talking shit to omnipotent beings like it's nothing.
But Vash comes back and he might as well be blushing while saying, "aw, shucks." And he really thought she was there to see him? The regular Picard would see through bullshit. If he's so easily fooled by a pretty face I don't think he'd last long as a Captain, diplomat or negotiator.

And when he finds out Vash is just using him to illegally visit an ancient site and steal the artifacts, he pretty much turns a blind eye. I would think normally he'd be furious and either turn her in, or tell her "get off my ship!" This dude is a sucker for love, but it doesn't fit his character. Patrick Stewart, yeah. Jean-Luc Picard, no. This is the same guy that wasn't even tempted by Ardra, and Ardra was way hotter than Vash.
In fact, I'd much rather have seen a Picard and Ardra adventure where she's trying to flirt with him along the way and he has no time for it whatseover. Like he wants nothing to do with her at all because of her character, but she actually has a thing for him, despite also always having ulterior motives.

Then you have Kamala. Again, he's beguiled by this extremely beautiful woman...she's played by a model. But again...Picard was a ladies' man. This shouldn't be something new for him. And in addition, it's almost pathetic the way he gets open with her. she's playing with his bald head and he's getting so nervous..."Now I don't know what to say to you" with a shy smile. I can't imagine any woman falling for this dude, except for maybe Beverly. Not to mention...she'd fall for any guy she's around! It's kind of bittersweet how it ends but in hindsight, what's there to be bittersweet about. Picard shouldn't be thinking, "what if..." he should be pitying poor Kamala that she's defined by what ever guy she gets with.

Lt. Daren is somewhat the exception. She wasn't a thief playing him for a fool and she wasn't an absolute push-over like Kamala. I thought they had chemistry. But Daren is clearly the pursuer and again, Picard gets shy with her, grinning at the smallest thing she does for him, like a bashful little kid. Great episode, but it still gives the impression that you see more of Patrick Stewart in the episode than you'd see of just Captain Picard. And once they do get together, they already seem like an old boring couple talking about their day, right before he tells her about the flute. Still the best relationship he had though, IMO.

Then there's Insurrection where it's the much, much, much older woman who comes across as the wise alpha in the relationship, at least from what I remember. Apparently she turns into a damsel in distress at the end but I don't remember that.

Him and Beverly are supposed to have a thing but I didn't buy it, at least not from Picard's side of it. Which is probably why they never got together until that alternate future. Beverly got friend zoned early on but Picard just didn't want to tell her.

Marta Banatides? I could see her falling for Picard but he was acting more emotional than her. His dialogue, body language, everything. I suppose that was necessary for the episode though. If he was more assertive it would come across creepy considering the actors age difference.

It kind of sucks that he never got a really good romance considering how many times they dealt with the concept.

 

[Orphalesion]

I mean romance is a topic Star Trek consistently fails at (at least 60-90s trek, haven't seen enough of DISC and PIC to judge that) so I'm not expecting much. There's no a single Kirk romance story that's not absolutely cringeworthy (imho), there's no good Riker romance story, no good Troi romance story etc. etc. etc.
DS9 was the only show that got it right, on occasion with couples like the O'Briens, Rom and Leeta and Sisko and Cassidy.
And the Picard and Beverly awkwardness was just a result of the writers not wanting to commit to the relationship, just like Deanna and Will.

 

[tomalak301]

I mean romance is a topic Star Trek consistently fails at (at least 60-90s trek, haven't seen enough of DISC and PIC to judge that) so I'm not expecting much. There's no a single Kirk romance story that's not absolutely cringeworthy (imho), there's no good Riker romance story, no good Troi romance story etc. etc. etc.
DS9 was the only show that got it right, on occasion with couples like the O'Briens, Rom and Leeta and Sisko and Cassidy.
And the Picard and Beverly awkwardness was just a result of the writers not wanting to commit to the relationship, just like Deanna and Will.

I thought Voyager got Torres and Tom right for the most part.

 

[Nakita Akita]

The majority of Picard's romances, what little we see of them, seem awful. I think Mark 2000 said it best when describing it:



Picard is presented as a thoughtful Captain with great empathy for others, but he's also portrayed as shrewd and cunning, take-no-shit-type of Captain.

So how is it he gets played so easily by Vash? I think it's worse in her return because gets all bashful when she returns? Why? He was apparently a ladies' man in cadet days, and he's a renowned Captain who goes toe-to-toe with Romulans, Borg, and all others dangerous types in the galaxy. He's talking shit to omnipotent beings like it's nothing.
But Vash comes back and he might as well be blushing while saying, "aw, shucks." And he really thought she was there to see him? The regular Picard would see through bullshit. If he's so easily fooled by a pretty face I don't think he'd last long as a Captain, diplomat or negotiator.

And when he finds out Vash is just using him to illegally visit an ancient site and steal the artifacts, he pretty much turns a blind eye. I would think normally he'd be furious and either turn her in, or tell her "get off my ship!" This dude is a sucker for love, but it doesn't fit his character. Patrick Stewart, yeah. Jean-Luc Picard, no. This is the same guy that wasn't even tempted by Ardra, and Ardra was way hotter than Vash.
In fact, I'd much rather have seen a Picard and Ardra adventure where she's trying to flirt with him along the way and he has no time for it whatseover. Like he wants nothing to do with her at all because of her character, but she actually has a thing for him, despite also always having ulterior motives.

Then you have Kamala. Again, he's beguiled by this extremely beautiful woman...she's played by a model. But again...Picard was a ladies' man. This shouldn't be something new for him. And in addition, it's almost pathetic the way he gets open with her. she's playing with his bald head and he's getting so nervous..."Now I don't know what to say to you" with a shy smile. I can't imagine any woman falling for this dude, except for maybe Beverly. Not to mention...she'd fall for any guy she's around! It's kind of bittersweet how it ends but in hindsight, what's there to be bittersweet about. Picard shouldn't be thinking, "what if..." he should be pitying poor Kamala that she's defined by what ever guy she gets with.

Lt. Daren is somewhat the exception. She wasn't a thief playing him for a fool and she wasn't an absolute push-over like Kamala. I thought they had chemistry. But Daren is clearly the pursuer and again, Picard gets shy with her, grinning at the smallest thing she does for him, like a bashful little kid. Great episode, but it still gives the impression that you see more of Patrick Stewart in the episode than you'd see of just Captain Picard. And once they do get together, they already seem like an old boring couple talking about their day, right before he tells her about the flute. Still the best relationship he had though, IMO.

Then there's Insurrection where it's the much, much, much older woman who comes across as the wise alpha in the relationship, at least from what I remember. Apparently she turns into a damsel in distress at the end but I don't remember that.

Him and Beverly are supposed to have a thing but I didn't buy it, at least not from Picard's side of it. Which is probably why they never got together until that alternate future. Beverly got friend zoned early on but Picard just didn't want to tell her.

Marta Banatides? I could see her falling for Picard but he was acting more emotional than her. His dialogue, body language, everything. I suppose that was necessary for the episode though. If he was more assertive it would come across creepy considering the actors age difference.

It kind of sucks that he never got a really good romance considering how many times they dealt with the concept.

Ardra was over the top disgusting. If Picard had willingly anything with her yeech, I'd have hurled and lost all respect for him.
Vash was way better person and better looking than Ardra. Also who even could guess what Ardra really looked like?
She could have looked like Krall (Krull, not sure if the spelling) she could have looked like a Horta.
He hit with a lot of girls in his academy days, he had that hot blond right after he was out of the academy, Blame it on Paris.

Then he had that super hot chick that was in the cocoon awaiting the ugly guy that looked like a cross between a Ferengi and a Yridian , or almost that ugly any way. Thinking that they spent the night talking about the life cycle of Vulcan sand fleas is totally delusional.
He was with Vash, of course he didn't have to get all belligerent and possessive with her, her knew that they would never be compatable long term, just like the cocoon girl. Why would he kick her off of the ship?
She was just being herself, he knew how she was since they were in Risa.

Beverly is almost as bad as Ardra. Milqtoast, to boring. A romance between Picard and Polaski would have been really good.

Marta Banatides? Really?
Age difference? In the episode he was supposed to be just finishing up at Starfeet Academy, so he would have been pretty much the same age as her. So he wasn't a captain of the flagship, he wasn't even a caption, he was 22 years old, etc. And later that night, he gets slapped across the face by one of the older ladies he apparently was 'dating' from outside the academy.

Maybe Picard gets embarrassed because belive it or not it can happen. There are powerful men that aren't complete jackasses. Picard seems like he would be that type.

Riker seems like he'd be the type of guy you think Picard should be.
Captain Riker 2nd youngest person to obtain captaincy, captain of the Federation Flagship,
After crushing half to death some poor, ignorant, neophyte little ensign under his sweaty large body for 4.5 minutes he calls for his trapeze
Then proceeds to swing trough the air above her making a racket of noise alternating what he perceives to be a lion's roar and a wolf howling.

 

[Orphalesion]

I thought Voyager got Torres and Tom right for the most part.

But they still drew their marriage out until the last season.

 

[tomalak301]

But they still drew their marriage out until the last season.

it was a relationships. A lot of relationships last a long time before marriage.

 

[Thomas Elliot]

Ardra was over the top disgusting. If Picard had willingly anything with her yeech, I'd have hurled and lost all respect for him.

Well yeah. That's why a story where they have an adventure against his own will would have been the way to go about it. Maybe they're both stuck on a hostile alien planet, behind enemy lines during a planetary war, anything.

Vash was way better person and better looking than Ardra.

I'm not arguing that Ardra was a better person. What I said was that Picard saw through her immediately and didn't fall for any of her charms. And of the two performances and actresses, I found Ardra/Marta DuBois to be the more entertaining of the two.

Thinking that they spent the night talking about the life cycle of Vulcan sand fleas is totally delusional.

Agreed.

He was with Vash, of course he didn't have to get all belligerent and possessive with her, her knew that they would never be compatable long term, just like the cocoon girl.

Ummm...I never said that he should get belligerent and possessive with her.

Why would he kick her off of the ship?

Because he found out that she was using the Enterprise gain travel to the planet where she was going to illegally enter an archaeological site and steal the planets artifacts.

Beverly is almost as bad as Ardra. Milqtoast, to boring. A romance between Picard and Polaski would have been really good.

I wouldn't want to see him get with Pulaski, and I don't think he'd be attracted to her either. But I do think it would be more interesting and probably more believable than Beverly x Picard.

Marta Banatides? Really?
Age difference? In the episode he was supposed to be just finishing up at Starfeet Academy, so he would have been pretty much the same age as her. So he wasn't a captain of the flagship, he wasn't even a caption, he was 22 years old, etc.

The age difference of the actors. It already looks a little sketchy on screen, despite knowing that Stewart is playing a 22 year old Picard. However, it Picard came across as more assertive there, instead of being overly cautious and almost soft, it would look creepy.

Maybe Picard gets embarrassed because belive it or not it can happen.

Of course. I never said that he couldn't or shouldn't get embarrassed at times. But it seems out-of-character for him to get so nervous around women he finds attractive or that he has something with.

There are powerful men that aren't complete jackasses. Picard seems like he would be that type.

I never said he should act like a jack ass. There's more options than just A) bashful, easily embarrassed and manipulated and B) complete jackass.

Riker seems like he'd be the type of guy you think Picard should be.

No, I don't.
In regards to Riker, I always thought that his flirty/ladies' man rep was a little forced. There's usually one character like that on many shows, and it's a trope that maybe the producers felt they had to put in to make the show fun or have audiences relate. But fine, that's Riker's character.

But with regards to Picard the portrayal of romance and his relationships with women and how he handled came across as inconsistent.
Yeah he gets all bashful with pretty women who might be into him, despite being a heroic, take-charge, shrewd Captain. Okay, I can still buy it, because he's an older bald guy, who, outside of his Starfleet career, is a big nerd who bores people with his archeology hobby facts, and likes to just read and sip Earl Grey tea. Probably has lots of experience EXCEPT romantically. And in the episode with Lt. Daren, where she describes him as being very private and almost closed up, that works because maybe it's not a case of him not being able to get with women, but maybe his interests and his career just prevented him from ever getting out there in the dating game, or maybe he's always been uber serious and felt that romantic relationships were too problematic for a Starfleet officer. Or maybe he's just a private dude that's only really open with his archaeology geek friends from Earth.

But then we find out he was this ladies' man as a cadet who had women left and right. When I first saw that episode it seemed completely outta left-field. In hindsight I can overlook it, because it worked for the purpose of an episodic story: a young lothario who may have missed out on having a successful, long lasting, meaningful relationship with someone close to him. But as part of a whole it further strains credulity that he gets so smitten so easily, and is so passive in relationships.

 

[Mojochi]

Well it's not entirely off brand for him to struggle with romance & long term commitments, which he outright tells Wesley to be cautious of in Samaritan Snare, when he also says this

Wesley: Don't worry about me. Where women are concerned, I'm in complete control
Picard: Really? I always rather had to work at that

Picard is presented as a thoughtful Captain with great empathy for others, but he's also portrayed as shrewd and cunning, take-no-shit-type of Captain.

He's also presented as emotionally distant, difficult personally, & single-mindedly career driven

This is the same guy that wasn't even tempted by Ardra, and Ardra was way hotter than Vash.

Disagree that she was hotter. Plus, Ardra was conning a whole planet into riots. Vash is just a little self serving, & a mild grifter

Then you have Kamala. Again, he's beguiled by this extremely beautiful woman...she's played by a model. But again...Picard was a ladies' man. This shouldn't be something new for him.

She's using superpowers on him dude.

Lt. Daren is somewhat the exception. She wasn't a thief playing him for a fool and she wasn't an absolute push-over like Kamala. I thought they had chemistry. But Daren is clearly the pursuer and again, Picard gets shy with her, grinning at the smallest thing she does for him, like a bashful little kid.

At this point it's probably feasible to assume he's gotten pretty lonely

Then there's Insurrection where it's the much, much, much older woman who comes across as the wise alpha in the relationship, at least from what I remember.

Older? than who? Darren or Crusher? Not hardly

Him and Beverly are supposed to have a thing but I didn't buy it, at least not from Picard's side of it. Which is probably why they never got together until that alternate future. Beverly got friend zoned early on but Picard just didn't want to tell her.

He got her husband & his best friend killed. To say it's complicated is putting it mildly

Marta Banatides? I could see her falling for Picard but he was acting more emotional than her. His dialogue, body language, everything. I suppose that was necessary for the episode though. If he was more assertive it would come across creepy considering the actors age difference.

Again, there's supernatural effects at play here too. He's reliving moments from his life over again. It's not reasonable to think it should play out in some normal fashion imho

 

[Nakita Akita]

Well yeah. That's why a story where they have an adventure against his own will would have been the way to go about it. Maybe they're both stuck on a hostile alien planet, behind enemy lines during a planetary war, anything.


I'm not arguing that Ardra was a better person. What I said was that Picard saw through her immediately and didn't fall for any of her charms. And of the two performances and actresses, I found Ardra/Marta DuBois to be the more entertaining of the two.


Agreed.


Ummm...I never said that he should get belligerent and possessive with her.


Because he found out that she was using the Enterprise gain travel to the planet where she was going to illegally enter an archaeological site and steal the planets artifacts.



I wouldn't want to see him get with Pulaski, and I don't think he'd be attracted to her either. But I do think it would be more interesting and probably more believable than Beverly x Picard.


The age difference of the actors. It already looks a little sketchy on screen, despite knowing that Stewart is playing a 22 year old Picard. However, it Picard came across as more assertive there, instead of being overly cautious and almost soft, it would look creepy.



Of course. I never said that he couldn't or shouldn't get embarrassed at times. But it seems out-of-character for him to get so nervous around women he finds attractive or that he has something with.


I never said he should act like a jack ass. There's more options than just A) bashful, easily embarrassed and manipulated and B) complete jackass.


No, I don't.
In regards to Riker, I always thought that his flirty/ladies' man rep was a little forced. There's usually one character like that on many shows, and it's a trope that maybe the producers felt they had to put in to make the show fun or have audiences relate. But fine, that's Riker's character.

But with regards to Picard the portrayal of romance and his relationships with women and how he handled came across as inconsistent.
Yeah he gets all bashful with pretty women who might be into him, despite being a heroic, take-charge, shrewd Captain. Okay, I can still buy it, because he's an older bald guy, who, outside of his Starfleet career, is a big nerd who bores people with his archeology hobby facts, and likes to just read and sip Earl Grey tea. Probably has lots of experience EXCEPT romantically. And in the episode with Lt. Daren, where she describes him as being very private and almost closed up, that works because maybe it's not a case of him not being able to get with women, but maybe his interests and his career just prevented him from ever getting out there in the dating game, or maybe he's always been uber serious and felt that romantic relationships were too problematic for a Starfleet officer. Or maybe he's just a private dude that's only really open with his archaeology geek friends from Earth.

But then we find out he was this ladies' man as a cadet who had women left and right. When I first saw that episode it seemed completely outta left-field. In hindsight I can overlook it, because it worked for the purpose of an episodic story: a young lothario who may have missed out on having a successful, long lasting, meaningful relationship with someone close to him. But as part of a whole it further strains credulity that he gets so smitten so easily, and is so passive in relationships.

The way I saw the episode was that he realized after he had graduated, shortly after that being a ladies man actually translates as being an uncaring selfish pig.
He saw it in his "flashback" and was embarrassed at how he had behaved in the past. That embarrassment has carried forward, it then effects his future romance in that he doesn't want to hurt women as he did in the past.

 

[matthunter]

Older? than who? Darren or Crusher? Not hardly

In terms of physical appearance, no. But Anji was 300 years old. A better comparison would be Picard hooking up with Guinan...

 

[Mark 2000]

The Darren relationship is a tone deaf, textbook case of why a boss shouldn't fraternize with their underlings. I don't care if "she was pursuing him". Picard breaks up with her and she feels forced to transfer out of what's probably her dream job. He couldn't just be an adult and live with her on his ship while not having a relationship? He does it with Bev. She's also incredibly motherly and prescriptive, making him the "right" drink to have at night, telling him what a good boy he is playing the flute. It's really icky. Picard adds almost nothing to the relationship in return because he's so emotionally stifled. She's like a mommy pixie dream girl.

 

[Thomas Elliot]

Picard breaks up with her and she feels forced to transfer out of what's probably her dream job.

That stuck out to me when I first watched it. I was thinking, Isn't that extremely unprofessional and unfair? The male boss sending or encouraging the woman to leave the prestigious flagship assignment for some other job, because he chose to get involved with her and he couldn't keep his professional and personal life separate.

He couldn't just be an adult and live with her on his ship while not having a relationship? He does it with Bev.

I disagree with you here. From the way it's portrayed, Picard doesn't seem to have that strong of romantic feelings for Beverly. Yeah, maybe something can kind of flare up here and there, but she seems like the type he *might* end up settling for after being unable to get with someone like Nella, Kamala or even Minuet.

She's also incredibly motherly and prescriptive, making him the "right" drink to have at night, telling him what a good boy he is playing the flute. It's really icky. Picard adds almost nothing to the relationship in return because he's so emotionally stifled. She's like a mommy pixie dream girl.

I didn't mind the "right" drink. She's supposed to be this assertive person, so her telling the Captain, "ah, your classic Earl Grey drink, pssh, try this." And him coughing trying to drink it, and her getting nervous that was a nice little back and forth. But him smiling sheepishly afterwards plays into that "good boy" role you're talking about, which just seems a little pathetic.

The flute thing...I disagree. Picard is obviously quite a good flute player and he's being overly modest, or maybe self-deprecating since he has no idea how his musical ability is perceived by others since he's so private about it. That I liked. She's not trying to encourage a little boy who's struggling to play well, she's saying, no, you really are that good. And obviously it's a sensitive subject because it's connected to another life he lived, which is brought up later. That was smart how they tied it into it. But him being so meek about even that is kind of frustrating. I think they could have had him tell her this without making it seem like he's giving her the key to his hope chest.

As far as not bringing anything to the relationship in return...yes and no. I could see a woman like Daren pursuing someone like Picard. Powerful, confident, and accomplished men are appealing to women, and that emotionally withdrawn aspect might be intriguing. At first.
I personally thought there was even some ambiguity of her intentions. Lots of people pursue powerful significant others simply to advance their own careers or financial well-being. Daren pursuing Picard so aggressively and then trying to get special treatment from Riker seemed to play into that possibility. I don't think that was the writers intention, but I think there's definitely some ambiguity there, and because you can interpret it either way makes the episode even better to me.

My issue was that, yeah, he plays the passive one the whole time. I can see why Picard would like her. She's very attractive and has an assertive, challenging personality. But outside of Picard's status and reputation of Captain of Starfleet's flagship Enterprise, why would she be into him? If he wasn't Captain, would she even give him a second thought?
If the writers want to make Picard passive and bashful when it comes to romance, fine. But it becomes a little unbelievable when he's passive and bashful AND he manages to get these beautiful and confident women interested in him? I don't think there was ever one time when Picard came across as charming or charismatic after they began meeting up. Kirk oozes charisma in the interactions he has with women. I totally believe Rand and
Lt. Noel being drawn to Kirk. I can buy even an old chubby Kirk pulling Kirstie Alley's Saavik.

The "pixie dream girl" is an apt description of how they portray Picard's love interests.

I have yet to see the episodes with Phillipa Louvois and Jenice Manheim.
Honestly, Guinan and him having something seemed the most realistic. I'm kind of surprised that they never went anywhere with it. They hinted that she was into him.

 

[Mark 2000]

I could see a woman like Daren pursuing someone like Picard. Powerful, confident, and accomplished men are appealing to women, and that emotionally withdrawn aspect might be intriguing. At first.

That's a gross 20th century stereotype of women wanting to be adjacent to power, mostly because they can't have any themselves. I'd hate to think it continues into the 24th.

 

[Orphalesion]

But if Picard isn't allowed to hook up with subordinates, then there's literally nobody on that ship he can start a relationship, since as the Captain he's everybody's superior. Even if they are civilians like Guinan he has a sort of authority over them, simply because of his position.
And since he literally lives on board of the Enterprise, that doesn't give him many opportunities to meet people that aren't also living on the Enterprise.

 

[Thomas Elliot]

That's a gross 20th century stereotype of women wanting to be adjacent to power, mostly because they can't have any themselves. I'd hate to think it continues into the 24th.

Yeah, not too many women in real life are going to be attracted to weak and insecure men who lack accomplishments, and it has nothing to do with whether or not they have power themselves. Those are unappealing traits in general.

 

[Orphalesion]

Confidence is generally often seen as an attractive trait, be it in men or women. Same with strength (however defined) and accomplishment. If we look at the women mentioned in this thread as being Picard's love interests, then all of them can be called confident, strong and accomplished in their fields.
The only one who might sometimes seem insecure is Beverly, and even she displays confidence and resolve when needed, it's merely her gentle, quiet nature that prevent her from being as open about it as say, Vash.
So saying people are often attracted to confident, strong and./or accomplished people is not exactly sexist. Portraying it as a one way thing (only women care about these qualities in their partners) is a bit outdated, but I'm not sure that was the intention.

And of course there's plenty of people of both genders who are attracted to people who might not seem confident or whatever society deems "strong", because they see other qualities in them they find desirable. But generally, in Western Society Confidence is an attractive trait.

 

[Nakita Akita]

That stuck out to me when I first watched it. I was thinking, Isn't that extremely unprofessional and unfair? The male boss sending or encouraging the woman to leave the prestigious flagship assignment for some other job, because he chose to get involved with her and he couldn't keep his professional and personal life separate.


I disagree with you here. From the way it's portrayed, Picard doesn't seem to have that strong of romantic feelings for Beverly. Yeah, maybe something can kind of flare up here and there, but she seems like the type he *might* end up settling for after being unable to get with someone like Nella, Kamala or even Minuet.



I didn't mind the "right" drink. She's supposed to be this assertive person, so her telling the Captain, "ah, your classic Earl Grey drink, pssh, try this." And him coughing trying to drink it, and her getting nervous that was a nice little back and forth. But him smiling sheepishly afterwards plays into that "good boy" role you're talking about, which just seems a little pathetic.

The flute thing...I disagree. Picard is obviously quite a good flute player and he's being overly modest, or maybe self-deprecating since he has no idea how his musical ability is perceived by others since he's so private about it. That I liked. She's not trying to encourage a little boy who's struggling to play well, she's saying, no, you really are that good. And obviously it's a sensitive subject because it's connected to another life he lived, which is brought up later. That was smart how they tied it into it. But him being so meek about even that is kind of frustrating. I think they could have had him tell her this without making it seem like he's giving her the key to his hope chest.

As far as not bringing anything to the relationship in return...yes and no. I could see a woman like Daren pursuing someone like Picard. Powerful, confident, and accomplished men are appealing to women, and that emotionally withdrawn aspect might be intriguing. At first.
I personally thought there was even some ambiguity of her intentions. Lots of people pursue powerful significant others simply to advance their own careers or financial well-being. Daren pursuing Picard so aggressively and then trying to get special treatment from Riker seemed to play into that possibility. I don't think that was the writers intention, but I think there's definitely some ambiguity there, and because you can interpret it either way makes the episode even better to me.

My issue was that, yeah, he plays the passive one the whole time. I can see why Picard would like her. She's very attractive and has an assertive, challenging personality. But outside of Picard's status and reputation of Captain of Starfleet's flagship Enterprise, why would she be into him? If he wasn't Captain, would she even give him a second thought?
If the writers want to make Picard passive and bashful when it comes to romance, fine. But it becomes a little unbelievable when he's passive and bashful AND he manages to get these beautiful and confident women interested in him? I don't think there was ever one time when Picard came across as charming or charismatic after they began meeting up. Kirk oozes charisma in the interactions he has with women. I totally believe Rand and
Lt. Noel being drawn to Kirk. I can buy even an old chubby Kirk pulling Kirstie Alley's Saavik.

The "pixie dream girl" is an apt description of how they portray Picard's love interests.

I have yet to see the episodes with Phillipa Louvois and Jenice Manheim.
Honestly, Guinan and him having something seemed the most realistic. I'm kind of surprised that they never went anywhere with it. They hinted that she was into him.

Captain Picard had that Ol' Je ne sais quoi.
It happens.

 

[Mark 2000]

Yeah, not too many women in real life are going to be attracted to weak and insecure men who lack accomplishments, and it has nothing to do with whether or not they have power themselves. Those are unappealing traits in general.

False dichotomy. The universe isn't flatly divided between powerful men with no personality and sniveling weaklings. And both the trope, and the reality of the past is that women chose strong men because politically they could not wield power and wealth themselves except in rare circumstances. This is just a hold over from medievalism.

 

[Nakita Akita]

False dichotomy. The universe isn't flatly divided between powerful men with no personality and sniveling weaklings. And both the trope, and the reality of the past is that women chose strong men because politically they could not wield power and wealth themselves except in rare circumstances. This is just a hold over from medievalism.

You say it's a hold over.
Others say it's more attractive.
Do you think all of those young Playboy Bunnies hit with Hugh Heffner because he was a sniveler? Or because he was powerful and rich?
Ever see an ugly Cheif of surgery and his drop dead Gorgeous wife?

 

[Mark 2000]

You say it's a hold over.
Others say it's more attractive.
Do you think all of those young Playboy Bunnies hit with Hugh Heffner because he was a sniveler? Or because he was powerful and rich?
Ever see an ugly Cheif of surgery and his drop dead Gorgeous wife?

This is such a lazy misogynist fantasy it's hilarious. You don't have to be attractive. You don't have to be nice. You probably don't even have to bathe. Just flaunt your Porsche and the chicks will come running. If you really think that exists en masse beyond whatever anecdotal evidence you can formulate from watching TV then I don't know what to tell you.