Captain Picard commanded how many ships ?

[DumbDumb2007]

How many ships did Picard command ? We know there was the Stargazer and the 2 Enterprises. But wasn't there a reference he made in the episode involving Tasha's sister that mentioned he commanded a ship after the Stargazer and before the Defiant ?

 

[Mike Have-Not]

Well, if he did indeed command a ship called Defiant after Stargazer, that would make four at least...

 

[Anwar]

There's no official information on what Picard did in the 9 years between the Stargazer's destruction and his command of the Ent-D, so I don't think he commanded any other ships. I think he may have been Remmick's predecessor as Admiral Quinn's assistant for the 9 years.

 

[The Old Mixer]

^Actually, there was the reference to "his ship" having served along with the one Tasha was serving on before the Enterprise, but after the loss of the Stargazer. There was also, in "The Next Phase" IIRC, mention of how he met Geordi when Geordi piloted a shuttle for Picard, who was on an inspection tour of some sort. That would suggest that he accepted a temporary promotion to a desk job for at least part of the time--possibly a Fleet Captain or somesuch.

Remmick was a Lt. Cmdr., so any position that he held would have been far beneath somebody who had a couple of decades of experience as a starship captain.

 

[Immolatus]

I thought it was the U.S.S Minihaha

 

[Timo]

To be sure, while one of the ships mentioned in "Legacy" was considered by Picard to have been "his ship", the other was stated to have been "her ship", meaning Tasha Yar's. Does that mean Yar was the captain of that other vessel?

In practice, the dialogue only establishes that Picard was aboard one ship while Yar was aboard the other. No particular reason to say Picard was aboard in a commanding role. Given his later utilizability as an interstellar James Bond, we might say that he was one of Nechayev's secret agents at the time, riding aboard various vessels in cape and dagger work (not cloak and dagger, because Feds don't use cloaks).

OTOH, Picard in TNG is considered an accomplished diplomat, with connections all across Starfleet as well. Fat chance that two decades of service aboard an outdated starship far away from the Federation would give him those connections. He might have been a roaming diplomat during the "Legacy" backstory, then, not in command of "his ship" but a honored guest.

But of course, everything is possible. It just doesn't seem writer intention that "Legacy" would have referred to another Picard starship command.

For a fun take of the mysterious 9 years, read the recent The Buried Age. I intend, too, eventually...

Timo Saloniemi

 

[USS Excelsior]

In the episode where he was reduced to being a 12 year old he said that he's been serving on starships for 30 years, and he's not about to sit behind the desk.

Implying he never had a desk job while in Starfleet.

 

[The Old Mixer]

"THERE...ARE...FOUR...SHIPS!"

 

[D Man]

Timo said:
For a fun take of the mysterious 9 years, read the recent The Buried Age. I intend, too, eventually...

Timo Saloniemi

I STRONGLY recommend that book. Christopher L. Bennett's take on Picard's "lost years" is a wonderful read, and also happens to answer the OP's question.

 

[MadBaggins]

1) Stargazer
2) Kennedy
3) Undettered
4) Enterprise-D
5) Enterprise-E

 

[ManOnTheWave]

I had read that Picard had spent the years between command of the Stargazer and the Enterprise in some sort of role overseeing the design, construction, etc. of what became the Galaxy class ships. However, I can't remember where that came from.

 

[Mark_Nguyen]

Well, the USS Galaxy was launched in '57, so the work on the ships' design was pretty much done by the time he lost the Stargazer. However, it makes plenty of sense that he could have been assigned the Enterprise a couple years into his command-less period, and spent the rest of the time overseeing her completion with plenty of time for side trips to meeto Geordi and Tasha. On the flipside, Janeway first stepped aboard Voyager mere weeks before her first mission, so...

Mark

 

[The Old Mixer]

Picard also seemed new to the ship, according to his opening log in "Farpoint".

 

[Mike Farley]

We saw Picard's arrival on The Enterprise in "All Good Things..."

I'd like to second the recommendation for THE BURIED AGE. An excellent look at Picard's life between The Stargazer and The Enterprise.

 

[2of1million]

Mike Farley said:
We saw Picard's arrival on The Enterprise in "All Good Things..."

I'd like to second the recommendation for THE BURIED AGE. An excellent look at Picard's life between The Stargazer and The Enterprise.

I'll third it.

 

[Mark_Nguyen]

Anyone got a synopsis?

Mark

 

[Timo]

Well, the USS Galaxy was launched in '57, so the work on the ships' design was pretty much done by the time he lost the Stargazer. However, it makes plenty of sense that he could have been assigned the Enterprise a couple years into his command-less period, and spent the rest of the time overseeing her completion with plenty of time for side trips to meeto Geordi and Tasha. On the flipside, Janeway first stepped aboard Voyager mere weeks before her first mission, so...

We know that ships, especially if of a novel type, keep being "designed" well after they have been built and launched. The youthful Leah Brahms worked on developing the E-D propulsion systems, the similarly junior Larry Marvick on those of Kirk's ship, suggesting the engines were significantly younger than the ships.

So plenty of work still to be done during Picard's sabbatical years, I'd think. But we learn that a Commander Quinteros was in charge of that effort, or perhaps the original effort of putting together the spaceframe. And Picard indeed seems new to the ship in "Farpoint".

Timo Saloniemi

 

[HRHTheKING]

Just three canonically.

The Stargazer, the Enterprise-D, and the Enterprise-E.


However, he did seem to be new to the Galaxy class in "Encounter At Farpoint", so between 2355 when he lost the Stargazer and 2364 when he assumed command of the Enterprise-D, I don't know what he was doing.

He may have commanded another vessel, or was assigned to some other duty not involving a starship.

 

[Mark_Nguyen]

Okay, after leafing through "The Buried Age", I see he was given command of the Miranda-class USS Portia for a good chunk of that novel. A quick search online suggests that this ship was a science variant akin to Sisko's USS Saratoga.

Mark

 

[Trekker4747]

Buried Age is a wonderful book. I don't think enough can be said about it.