Will Capt. Picard retire? (Spoilers re: Destiny and TNG Relaunch)

[Cadet49]

Spoiler: Changes in the life of the captain could lead him to retirement, perhaps, or at least reassignment from a starship?

I know I'll probably get some flack for this, but doesn't is seem that the upcoming birth of Picard and Crusher's child would prompt the captain to seek a different assignment, or retire?

In the TV series, Picard was always a strong advocate of NOT having children on starships. From what I've read, the Enterprise-E is not designed to carry families, as the Enterprise-D was - (IIRC, the Enterprise-D was designed to be a small city alone in deep space for 15-20 years, I think, so it was huge, to accomodate civilian needs as well). The only time I think I've ever seen a child living on a non-Galaxy class vessel was the Saratoga, and we don't know in that scene that Jake and Jennifer were not simply temporary guests...

Would Picard want to remain Captain on the Enterprise with a child, especially considering the uncertainly and danger in space following Borg attacks and the rise of the Typhon Pact, etc.? Unlike the simulated life and family he experienced in "Inner Light", he can actually go off and live his life with a real child and wife this time...

 

[JD]

I haven't read PoD yet, but even after having a child I still don't see Picard leaving the Enterprise anytime soon. From what I've read he still seems perfectly content as a Captain of a starship, even though he's a family man now.

 

[Smellincoffee]

I haven't read PoD yet, but even after having a child I still don't see Picard leaving the Enterprise anytime soon. From what I've read he still seems perfectly content as a Captain of a starship, even though he's a family man now.

In Losing the Peace..

Spoiler: Losing the Peace

Akaar tried to draft Picard into the admiralty, but he refused, in part out because he believes Jim Kirk's advice to him -- stay in the captain's chair where he can make a difference."

That is the most recent TNG novel before Paths of Disharmony, I believe, and I can't see him abandoning Starfleet with a new alliance slowly coalescing into a mighty power in opposition to the Federation.

 

[ProtoAvatar]

I can't see him abandoning Starfleet with a new alliance slowly coalescing into a mighty power in opposition to the Federation.

Picard joined starfleet for exploration and he's not in the least interested in fighting the Federation's cold wars. 'Peak performance' shows his extreme aversion to actually fighting wars.
Now, the Typhon Pact books (especially the cronologically later ones - ZSG, PoD) guarantee that most of what starfleet will be doing is fighting a cold war. For Picard, his job just became a LOT less attractive.

His child is another VERY STRONG motivator for Picard to retreat from starfleet.

And, in 'Destiny', Picard proved that giving up when the going gets tough (retreating to the holodeck, regressing to childhood, etc, etc) is very much in character.

As he was described in trek lit, Picard's character is likely to leave the enterprise in the current situation.

PS:
The Typhon Pact is NOT "slowly coalescing". It coalesced with lightning speed.
Almost as fast as the federation is falling apart - the latest HUGE blow to its stability/continued existence just happened in 'Paths of disharmony', under Picard's watch.
If this continues (and there is no sign of it stopping), in 6 months - trek lit time - the federation will be completely disintegrated.

 

[Therin of Andor]

The Typhon Pact is NOT "slowly coalescing". It coalesced with lightning speed.

Totally disagree. They don't even trust each other yet. They may never will.

 

[ProtoAvatar]

Therin, in 1 YEAR, the Typhon Pact has a common currency and accords on half a dozen other contentious isses (military, technological, political, etc, etc) that normally should take decades to negociate - even if you're not xenophobic powers, with a history of aggression towards each other.
They don't trust each other? At this rate, in a week they'll be like brothers.

When I said "It coalesced with lightning speed" I was understating the speed with which the Pact came together. The only place such a diffcult process can happen so fast is in a fictional universe, due to deus ex machina.

 

[F. King Daniel]

I expect Irumodic Syndrome to be what finally gets Picard out of the captain's chair.

That said, I'm pretty sure the Enterprise-E doesn't have any of the family-friendly stuff the Enterprise-D had. It's not the place to raise children.

 

[Stevil2001]

Picard should run for Federation president.

He can have a slogan of "The Man Who Defeated The Borg-- While Your Current President Held a Candle."

Erika Hernandez isn't around to challenge him on that anymore.

 

[BillJ]

Picard is the centerpiece of Modern Trek, I truly believe the only way The Next Generation books move forward is when he is moved into a lesser role. But then we'd just be treated to Captain Worf spouting on and on about honor like we have for the last 24 years. YMMV.

 

[Christopher]

I expect Irumodic Syndrome to be what finally gets Picard out of the captain's chair.

There's no reason to expect that Picard is destined to develop Irumodic Syndrome. As Beverly explained in "All Good Things...," the predisposition may be genetic, but whether it's actually triggered can be dependent on numerous environmental factors. Whatever circumstance caused him to develop the syndrome in the AGT... future (if that wasn't just a Q-generated illusion) may never occur in the current iteration of the Prime timeline.

That said, I'm pretty sure the Enterprise-E doesn't have any of the family-friendly stuff the Enterprise-D had. It's not the place to raise children.

Ships can be refitted easily enough. Education specialists can be brought into the crew, classrooms can be set up, etc.

I mean, we're not talking the Defiant here. The E-E may have been designed more with combat in mind than the E-D was, but it's comparable in size and has plenty of interior room and resources that could easily be repurposed to support children and civilians.

 

[JoeZhang]

Picard is the centerpiece of Modern Trek, I truly believe the only way The Next Generation books move forward is when he is moved into a lesser role. But then we'd just be treated to Captain Worf spouting on and on about honor like we have for the last 24 years. YMMV.

Oh god how awful would that be...

 

[Jakks]

Spoiler: From Paths of Disharmony

I'm only half way through Paths of Disharmony, but it seems Picard is being pushed again to take an admirals position (head of exploration) or an ambassadorship. And he did put some thought into whether he wanted his newborn son to grow up on a starship or not.

 

[ClayinCA]

In Losing the Peace..

Spoiler: Losing the Peace

Akaar tried to draft Picard into the admiralty, but he refused, in part out because he believes Jim Kirk's advice to him -- stay in the captain's chair where he can make a difference."

That scene is my single favorite scene in the entire book. The moment when

Spoiler: Losing the Peace

Akaar has Kirk's words thrown at him and promptly acknowledges defeat

is wonderful, and it's nice to see that his time with Kirk had a lasting impact on Picard.

 

[F. King Daniel]

I expect Irumodic Syndrome to be what finally gets Picard out of the captain's chair.

There's no reason to expect that Picard is destined to develop Irumodic Syndrome. As Beverly explained in "All Good Things...," the predisposition may be genetic, but whether it's actually triggered can be dependent on numerous environmental factors. Whatever circumstance caused him to develop the syndrome in the AGT... future (if that wasn't just a Q-generated illusion) may never occur in the current iteration of the Prime timeline.

True, everything in "All Good Things" could be ignored/excused, but IMO to do so in this case would be a cheap cop-out. Not every great hero goes out in a blaze of glory.

 

[Christopher]

Huh? Why would it be a "cheap cop-out" for Picard not to develop a disease that we were explicitly told was anything but inevitable?

CRUSHER: It's the kind of defect that would only show up on a level four neurographic scan. It could cause you to be susceptible to several kinds of neurological disorders including Irumodic Syndrome. Now, it's possible for you to live with this defect for the rest of your life without developing a problem. Or even if you do, many people continue to live normal lives for a long time after the onset of Irumodic Syndrome.

http://www.chakoteya.net/NextGen/277.htm

It's right there, explicit as all get-out. Irumodic Syndrome is only one of several possible consequences of Picard's neurological defect -- possibilities that also include a completely normal, healthy life. It would be completely wrong to assume that Picard is somehow "doomed" to get Irumodic Syndrome. He is susceptible to it -- which suggests that it's actually caused by some external factor that may never come to pass. So it wouldn't even come close to being a "cop-out" to have his future take another route -- any more than it was a cop-out for Deanna not to die or Worf not to become a Klingon governor.

Not to mention that the AGT flashforwards were set no earlier than 2395, which is 13 years ahead of where the novels are at the moment. Not to mention that the whole thing may have just been an illusion to begin with.

 

[Shon T'Hara]

Picard joined starfleet for exploration and he's not in the least interested in fighting the Federation's cold wars. 'Peak performance' shows his extreme aversion to actually fighting wars.
Now, the Typhon Pact books (especially the cronologically later ones - ZSG, PoD) guarantee that most of what starfleet will be doing is fighting a cold war. For Picard, his job just became a LOT less attractive.

Kirk served through a cold war with the Klingons and Romulans, and yet he managed to get a lot of exploration done. I know Picard's only half the captain Kirk was, but I don't see why he can't do both once Starfleet gets back on its fleet.

 

[Christopher]

Now, the Typhon Pact books (especially the cronologically later ones - ZSG, PoD) guarantee that most of what starfleet will be doing is fighting a cold war.

That's not true. Think about it. In the timeframe of TOS, there was very much a cold war in effect between the Federation and the Klingons, and another one with the Romulans, but Klingons appeared in only 7 out of 79 TOS episodes (actually 6, since one was an illusory appearance) and the Romulans in only 3. Just because a cold war situation exists, that doesn't mean it will be an overriding preoccupation of the fiction. It's a big galaxy and there's a lot of other stuff happening.

There are three 24th-century novels on the announced 2011 schedule to date: Indistinguishable from Magic, DTI: Watching the Clock, and Children of the Storm. IFM is reportedly about Scotty, Geordi, and others investigating a centuries-old mystery. DTI:WTC is about the Federation's dealings with time travel, and though the Typhon Pact is referenced, it plays a minor role in the story. And CotS is about a dangerous and powerful race in the Delta Quadrant, many thousands of parsecs from the Pact. So there's clearly no ongoing fixation on the "cold war" with the Typhon Pact. That was the focus of one specific miniseries, and yes, it will be part of the overall background that can be drawn on in future books, but there are still plenty of other stories to tell.

 

[Therin of Andor]

True, everything in "All Good Things" could be ignored/excused, but IMO to do so in this case would be a cheap cop-out.

Yeah, so let's see the Enterprise-D grow that extra nacelle! Anything less is a cop-out.

 

[F. King Daniel]

True, everything in "All Good Things" could be ignored/excused, but IMO to do so in this case would be a cheap cop-out.

Yeah, so let's see the Enterprise-D grow that extra nacelle! Anything less is a cop-out.

There's a world of difference between going senile and sticking an extra warp engine on the back of a ship.

 

[Hartzilla2007]

True, everything in "All Good Things" could be ignored/excused, but IMO to do so in this case would be a cheap cop-out.

Yeah, so let's see the Enterprise-D grow that extra nacelle! Anything less is a cop-out.

There's a world of difference between going senile and sticking an extra warp engine on the back of a ship.

You mean going senile in a possible future and in the same episode this happens it being pointed out that the future isn't set in stone and said possible future probably being undone by Picard and co at the end of the episode anyway.