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Picard's age:

^ Actually, I did read your entire post, but it's possible I did not parse your meaning correctly, and misinterpreted your point. If so, my apologies.

It sounded like you were saying that Picard would have been a commander when DeSeve defected, since DeSeve calls Picard that when DeSeve returns to the Federation. I was just saying I disagree with that premise, for the reason I stated. If that is not *actually* your premise, then mea culpa.

Of course, I am also not sure where this comes from:

His first assignment was on board a Constitution Class Starship.

Assuming the "his" here refers to Picard, what is this based on? If this were true, Picard might have mentioned this to Scotty on the holodeck, rather than just mentioning that there was a Constitution class ship in the fleet museum.

Picard has clearly not served on a Constitution-class ship, or he would have mentioned that to Scotty rather than say he saw one in the museum.
True there were never mention of Picard serving on board a Constitution Class Starship. We don't know if the Stargazer was the first starship he was assign too, or if it was another starship, or what class it was? But there still is the model of a Constitution setting on the pedestal in Picard ready room for the first nine and half episodes. Originally the Stargazer was going to be a Constitution. But cause a Constitution had set on the pedestal for the first 9 and half episodes and it no longer represent the Stargazer, but it still represent a starship, but which is not the Enterprise-A. Cause the Enterprise-A never had sideways nacelles, which the model does have.
 
Maybe he's decided to be the say at home dad. Taking a break from Starfleet to raise his kids. Being an author for those years because going back to Starfleet.

Geordi retired from Starfleet and returned to his position as host of The Reading Rainbow.
 
As for Geordi, I don't think it really said. Did they mention his job at all? Was he retired?
They mention his grown family, Leah's appointment to director of the Daystrom Institute, & that he writes novels with flamboyant protagonists by Picard's standard

So I believe from that they're suggesting Geordi is retired from service & writing novels or they'd have mentioned a post of some kind I'd imagine
I wonder if it's Leah Brahms.
Well, Utopia Planitia is where The Daystrom Institute is, & where Leah Brahms did her work in designing the Enterprise engines. So, the question is, how many Leahs does Geordi know well enough to marry, that have worked extensively enough at Utopia Planitia, such that they'd be made director of the institute there? I imagine Geordi lives there (On Mars) with her & their family, & made the trip back to Earth when he'd heard about Picard's illness... Which when you think about it is sort of equivalent to someone in our time taking a trip from Cleveland to Detroit. lol
 
I find it entirely possible and likely that DeSeve just used the rank of Commander as a sort of automatic response. He was used to it while on Romulus, so naturally he automatically called any starship commander that.

Yeah, that was kind of my point too:

I'm pretty sure that was just because DeSeve was coming back from Romulus, and the Romulan equivalent rank to captain is "Commander".

;)

I don't know how true this is, but I found this on Memory Alpha:

Memory Alpha said:
Noting the difference between Romulan and Starfleet rank structure, in another instance of his disorientation, DeSeve greeted Picard as "Commander" rather than Captain. Despite having previously referred to Picard as "Captain", when he made his request with Riker speak with Picard, DeSeve's later faux pas was explained by a cut line, where he had excused his error by stating, "Captains, not Commanders... it's been so long since I've... I'll remember."

Source here (last paragraph on page)
 
It was Picard's age in Insurrection that unsettled me. He's 70 years old yet able to fight Ru'afo like he's a young man. The Ba'ku homeworld will have affected him though of course.

This is nice consistency, really. Note how winded he becomes when fighting the equally geriatric Soran just one movie before (in similar "hot and high" conditions)...

The question is, original Leah or holo-Leah?

I'd love for it to be the holo-version, just for the scifi touch.

I find it entirely possible and likely that DeSeve just used the rank of Commander as a sort of automatic response. He was used to it while on Romulus, so naturally he automatically called any starship commander that.

The biggest nail in the coffin of the idea that Picard held the Starfleet rank of Commander back when DeSeve knew him is that we have no proof whatsoever that DeSeve would have known him, or even of him!

This in contrast with "Encounter at Farpoint", where Riker calling Troi "Lieutenant" is a very natural mistake (or even a deliberate choice) to make.

We don't know if the Stargazer was the first starship he was assign too, or if it was another starship, or what class it was?

We do. In "Relics", Picard is specific that the Stargazer was the first ship he served on.

What we don't know is whether he served on other ships besides that one and the E-D and E-E. We know he was aboard a ship between the Stargazer and the E-D, as per the "Legacy" story of him meeting Yar for the first time, but whether as a passenger or a skipper, we don't know (him being a member of the crew but not skipper might be unlikely, considering him already holding the four-pip rank and having one starship command under his belt).

What we also don't know is whether the Stargazer was Picard's first command. Perhaps Lieutenant Picard served aboard her with such distinction that he was rewarded with the command of USS Insignificant, after which he gained so much reputation and leverage that he became the next skipper of the Stargazer by his own request?

...it still represent a starship, but which is not the Enterprise-A. Cause the Enterprise-A never had sideways nacelles, which the model does have.

By the same argument, the four-nacelled ship there is not the Stargazer, because it is subtly different from the real deal, too: the wrong surface detail, the wrong registry number.

Timo Saloniemi
 
It has to do with TNG's origins. I consider 2 factors of relevance:

1) They were recycling Phase II.

In the early 70s DC Fontana said it was tactically "wrong" that the Captain would beam to dangerous planets, risking his life and leaving the ship without her commanding officer, like Kirk always did. So they created Decker (also because Shatner's salary, they weren't sure if they'd afford to keep him as the star of the show).

For TNG Decker became Riker. The captain (not Admiral Kirk) had to be older if only to justify Riker being the default character to beam into the action outside the ship.

2) in Roddenberry's future people live longer and retire older. So he made Picard older than Kirk yet still Starship Captain to signify that. Also he included Adm. McCoy in the pilot for the same reason.

To further your #1 point, the more seasoned, middle-aged Kirk intended for Phase II also morphed into Picard, as the backstories are roughly similar, e.g. becoming a captain at a much younger age, being more reckless as a youth...
 
In Roddenberry's future people live longer and retire older. So he made Picard older than Kirk yet still Starship Captain to signify that.

...This is also nicely in line with TAS "The Counter-Clock Incident", where mandatory retirement at 75 is a rule that is going to be reevaluated when a famous skipper feels young and wants another try at starship command. (Not that being in line with said episode would be much of a merit, though.)

Also, Admiral Jameison in "Too Short a Season" thinks he would be commanding starships if not for his exotic ailment - at 80+.

Timo Saloniemi
 
Or that she has two or more husbands. The issue of polygamy hasn't actually been commented on by our characters so far; jealousy certainly still exists, but that's not directly related to whether polygamy would be okay or no-no. And we have less than conclusive data on what sort of religions our heroes would follow, if any, and how these would affect the issue of having a significant other referred to as "wife", of being "married", etc.

Regarding Data's Lucasian, I don't think there's explicit wording there today to preclude military officers in active service from holding said Chair. It's not even a full-time job as such, although most would naturally have side jobs relating closely to the subject matter of the Chair, and being a Starfleet officer probably doesn't qualify even in the 24th century. Data certainly seems like he could handle multiple simultaneous careers...

Timo Saloniemi
 
In TNG's "All Good Things..." both Data & Worf have left Starfleet, & I think maybe Geordi too

I don't think it was really said. Worf definitely left.

Did Data leave Starfleet, or was he simply doing another job at Starfleet Academy?

As for Geordi, I don't think it really said. Did they mention his job at all? Was he retired?

Data held the Lucasian Chair in Cambridge. I don't think that even in the 24th century, a position that prestigious would have been "absorbed" by starfleet (although he still could technically be in Starfleet's service, I suppose).

As for Geordi, Picard says the following line:

"Well now that you're here, you can help me carry those tools. Well, my cooking may not be up to Leah's standards, but I can still make a decent cup of tea. Oh, I read your last novel. I thought that the protagonist a little too flamboyant, but for the rest I ..." (then he sees those people taunting him)

Which implies that Geordi became a novelist (but perhaps not a full-time one).

Beverly does say to Geordi and Data; "I never thought I'd see either of you on a starship again!" Certainly the implication is that they've both left Starfleet altogether.

We don't know if the Stargazer was the first starship he was assign too, or if it was another starship, or what class it was?

We do. In "Relics", Picard is specific that the Stargazer was the first ship he served on.

What he said was; "The first vessel I ever served on as captain was called the Stargazer."
 
I think it's obviously Leah Brahms.

But Leah Brahms was married. So she must have divorced or become a widow in the meantime.

You're not suggesting Geordi murdered her husband, made it appear to be an accident, and then manipulated her emotionally during her grieving process to "get" her are you?

Maybe the Geordi in the mirror universe did just that. Too bad there was no interactions with that universe during the TNG era, so we'll never know. In DS9 I think there was like five mirror universe episodes, if not six.

There was a custom, each time they paid a visit to the universe, a ferengi was killed. First Quark, then Rom, Nog, and at last Brunt. Plus one episode where Vedek Bareil's duplicate paid us a visit.
 
What he said was; "The first vessel I ever served on as captain was called the Stargazer."

Ah, you're right; blindly relying on transcripts doesn't pay, it seems. (Unless they are from the great "Chrissie's" site, which was down when I checked.)

To make that distinction would not be particularly logical unless Picard wanted to make clear that he had served aboard other ships in the previous stages of his career...

Timo Saloniemi
 
What he said was; "The first vessel I ever served on as captain was called the Stargazer."
Ah, you're right; blindly relying on transcripts doesn't pay, it seems. (Unless they are from the great "Chrissie's" site, which was down when I checked.)

To make that distinction would not be particularly logical unless Picard wanted to make clear that he had served aboard other ships in the previous stages of his career...

Timo Saloniemi

I haven't seen it myself, but apparently the extended version of "The Measure of a Man" says that Picard served aboard a USS Reliant as an ensign.
 
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