Picard Put-Downs!

[Red Ranger]

People:

Got the idea for posting this topic while writing a reply in the "Picard: Push-Over?" thread. I'm always struck at how Picard's put-downs of people are so urbane and intelligent. Here are three of my favorites:

-In Sins of the Father, Duras taunts Picard and tells him he's not ready to fight. Picard says, "You may test that assumption at your convenience." A smart way of saying, "Bring it!"

-In The Defector, Jarok tries to convince Picard he is sincere in wanting to avoid bloodshed, and Picard replies, dismissively, "Yes, yes, yes, peace in our galaxy," a reference to Neville Chamberlain's "Peace in our time," comment vis-a-vis Hitler, "except, Admiral you are NOT A MAN OF PEACE! Your military record, what we know of it, is clear!"

-To Ardra in The Devil's Due, when she tries to seduce him, she asks him if she is not alluring? And he replies, deadpan, "On the contrary. I find you obvious and vulgar."

-In Tapestry, when Q claims he is God and that they'll spend eternity together, Picard says, "The universe is not that badly designed!"

Now, it's your all's turn!

Red Ranger

 

[Holdfast]

To Riker in The Pegasus:

"I will just have to trust that you will not let Pressman put the Enterprise in unnecessary danger and if I find that that trust has been misplaced, I will have to re-evaluate the command structure of this ship. Dismissed"

Again, to Riker, in Where Silence has Lease on Riker's over-enthusiastic abort self-destruct agreement:

RIKER: "Yes, absolutely, I do indeed concur most wholeheartedly!"
PICARD: "A simple yes would have sufficed"

Picard's second line in this little little exchange from The Defector:

PICARD: "What shall it be, Tomalak?"
TOMALAK: "You will still not survive our assault."
PICARD: "And you will not survive ours, shall we die together?"
TOMALAK: "I look forward to our next meeting, Captain."

And from Yesterday's Enterprise:

KLINGON CAPTAIN: "Federation ship Enterprise, surrender and prepared to be boarded."
PICARD: "That will be the day."



But really Picard's "isn't there something else you need to do" from this exchange is the best.


(EDIT - the scene at 4:03 with the Sheliak here has some nicely withering lines too. )

 

[Red Ranger]

To Riker in The Pegasus:

"I will just have to trust that you will not let Pressman put the Enterprise in unnecessary danger and if I find that that trust has been misplaced, I will have to re-evaluate the command structure of this ship. Dismissed"

Again, to Riker, in Where Silence has Lease on Riker's over-enthusiastic abort self-destruct agreement:

RIKER: "Yes, absolutely, I do indeed concur most wholeheartedly!"
PICARD: "A simple yes would have sufficed"

Picard's second line in this little little exchange from The Defector:

PICARD: "What shall it be, Tomalak?"
TOMALAK: "You will still not survive our assault."
PICARD: "And you will not survive ours, shall we die together?"
TOMALAK: "I look forward to our next meeting, Captain."

And from Yesterday's Enterprise:

KLINGON CAPTAIN: "Federation ship Enterprise, surrender and prepared to be boarded."
PICARD: "That will be the day."



But really Picard's "isn't there something else you need to do" from this exchange is the best.


(EDIT - the scene at 4:03 with the Sheliak here has some nicely withering lines too. )

All good ones! I liked the scene you included from The Pegasus, esp. the very end when Picard tells Riker he's going to arrange for a Commander Riker day and that he'll arrange an entry, too! LOL! -- RR

 

[Ryan Thomas Riddle]

But really Picard's "isn't there something else you need to do" from this exchange is the best.

I like it when Picard states, "Oh, you'll be interested to know that I've arranged for a Commander Riker day next month. I'm thinking of making an entry myself."

 

[PhoenixIreland]

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=yHQVF_ftfQg&feature=related

Thats easily his best put down..watch Crusher squirm!!

 

[Red Ranger]

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=yHQVF_ftfQg&feature=related

Thats easily his best put down..watch Crusher squirm!!

An excellent one, PhoenixIreland. It's effective because Wesley practically worships Picard, so getting that kind of verbal smackdown really hit him where he lived.

An early one I like is from Encounter at Farpoint, just after Riker meets with Picard. Picard gives the order that Riker will conduct a manual docking of the stardrive section and the saucer section. Riker seems puzzled, and Picard says, "You've reported in, haven't you? You are qualified?" Riker says, "Yes, sir." And Picard snaps, "Then I mean now, Commander!"

Red Ranger

 

[Scarebaby]

Dammit, this thread had me stuck on youtube for like 20 minutes just watching TNG clips!

 

[JoeZhang]

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=yHQVF_ftfQg&feature=related

Thats easily his best put down..watch Crusher squirm!!

An excellent one, PhoenixIreland. It's effective because Wesley practically worships Picard, so getting that kind of verbal smackdown really hit him where he lived.

Red Ranger

That's a lovely scene because Picard's disappointment in his 'son' is clear.

"You choose..not....to...answer.".

 

[Red Ranger]

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=yHQVF_ftfQg&feature=related

Thats easily his best put down..watch Crusher squirm!!

An excellent one, PhoenixIreland. It's effective because Wesley practically worships Picard, so getting that kind of verbal smackdown really hit him where he lived.

Red Ranger

That's a lovely scene because Picard's disappointment in his 'son' is clear.

"You choose..not....to...answer.".

Indeed. You can feel Picard's disappointment in Wesley because of his icy fury. Both are good actors and played it well. Wesley appears crestfallen at having falied his mentor, Picard, but at the same time, not wanting to be a rat. -- RR

 

[RAMA]

I like when He tells Q in Q Who that he is: "next of kin to chaos".

 

[John Picard]

People:

-In Tapestry, when Q claims he is God and that they'll spend eternity together, Picard says, "The universe is not that badly designed!"

Now, it's your all's turn!

Red Ranger

That was one of my favorite lines.

 

[Nerdius Maximus]

People:

Got the idea for posting this topic while writing a reply in the "Picard: Push-Over?" thread. I'm always struck at how Picard's put-downs of people are so urbane and intelligent. Here are three of my favorites:

-In Sins of the Father, Duras taunts Picard and tells him he's not ready to fight. Picard says, "You may test that assumption at your convenience." A smart way of saying, "Bring it!"

-In The Defector, Jarok tries to convince Picard he is sincere in wanting to avoid bloodshed, and Picard replies, dismissively, "Yes, yes, yes, peace in our galaxy," a reference to Neville Chamberlain's "Peace in our time," comment vis-a-vis Hitler, "except, Admiral you are NOT A MAN OF PEACE! Your military record, what we know of it, is clear!"

-To Ardra in The Devil's Due, when she tries to seduce him, she asks him if she is not alluring? And he replies, deadpan, "On the contrary. I find you obvious and vulgar."

-In Tapestry, when Q claims he is God and that they'll spend eternity together, Picard says, "The universe is not that badly designed!"

Now, it's your all's turn!

Red Ranger

My favorite part of Devil's Due was where he said something like, "Did she even pick up one piece of trash?"

 

[Red Ranger]

Another one of my favorites because it's so succinct is in Hide and Q. Picard knows Riker will realize getting the Q's powers will prove frustrating. Riker comes to that realization on his own, looks at Picard, and says, "How did you know, sir? I feel like such an idiot." And Picard sniffs, "Quite right. So you should!" -- RR

 

[Nerdius Maximus]

Another one of my favorites because it's so succinct is in Hide and Q. Picard knows Riker will realize getting the Q's powers will prove frustrating. Riker comes to that realization on his own, looks at Picard, and says, "How did you know, sir? I feel like such an idiot." And Picard sniffs, "Quite right. So you should!" -- RR

"A marshall of France. Ridiculous!" Back in the '90s, One of my friends and I would have entire conversations with both of us talking like Picard. We thought we were hilarious. I once put together a videotape of all of Picard's silliest moments, and we laughed our asses off.

 

[doubleohfive]

I loved how snide Picard was with Mrs. Carmichael in Time's Arrow after she read Titania in Midsummer Night's dream:

MRS CARMICHAEL: Well I was in the church play as a wee lass.
PICARD: WELL THERE YOU ARE!



Ass.

 

[DanCPA]

That ep had a bunch of great scenes.

 

[Kryton]

I loved how snide Picard was with Mrs. Carmichael in Time's Arrow after she read Titania in Midsummer Night's dream:

MRS CARMICHAEL: Well I was in the church play as a wee lass.
PICARD: WELL THERE YOU ARE!



Ass.

I can't help but wonder if "Mrs. Carmichael" was a Lucille Ball reference, since her character on "The Lucy Show" was "Lucy Carmichael".

 

[doubleohfive]

Or, it could just be that they picked the name "Carmichael" because, y'know, its a real name and all...

(Funny side note though: I named a character in my pilot "Carmichael" after Lucy Carmichael when I first developed the idea for this script in 1997.)

 

[Trekker4747]

Not a "great" one, but one that came to me off the top of my head (and may not really be a 'put down.'

But to Burlinghoff Rasmussen in Matter of Time.

(after learning the truth) 'Oh, and Professor. Welcome to the twenty-fourth century."

and (though this is from the movies) his dress-down on Admiral Doughtrey.


"Who are we to decide the next course of evolution for those people?!"
"Jean-Luc. We're only moving 600 people."
"How many people does it take before it becomes wrong? A thousand? Ten thousand? A million? How many people does it take? "

 

[shatastrophic]

"I'm not taking you anywhere." Skin of Evil. I just liked the way he said it to Armus