Geeking Out: Characters that Inspired me. Jean-Luc Picard.

Today I’m geeking about a great character that inspired me: Jean-Luc Picard, aka Captain Picard. As you already know, I am a Trekker (you can also call me a Trekkie, I don’t mind it) thanks to my mother. My first ever Star Trek show was Star Trek TNG. I was amazed by two characters in particular: Captain Picard and Mr. Data. However, it was the Captain who always kept me thinking. He always had great lines and great messages to make you think.

I will always cherish the words of Captain Picard. Although when I first listened to them I was a child, the reality is that many of his speeches are real today. When I go back to Star Trek TNG, I can see many topics that are still hot today. Granted that many characters are very well written, however, it was the Captain who made me think the most.

Strong, thoughtful, elegant… and bald. Did you know that the big sharks were quite against Sir Patrick Steward playing the part because he was bald? What is hair when you have a true “French” gentleman eager to take hot Earl Gray while commanding the Enterprise? What kind of message would the same words have had if we had stuck to beauty stereotypes alone? I am glad they finally chose Steward for the part, and I am glad they dismissed the idea of using a wig quickly. (Yes, they did make him put on a wig to see how that worked…)

Whatever the case, Captain Picard felt real, and it wasn’t his hair. His words kept me thinking for days, till the next episode arrived. I wanted to see Captain Picard and Mr. Data, teacher and pupil, father and son. Or so it looked like to me every time I saw them. And they felt like family. Every week they would come home through the screen and sooner or later they would make me think.

If you haven’t seen Star Trek TNG, please do it when you have the time. It is a jewel in which you will find great characters and great messages. And if you can, please take a closer look at the bald Captain. He has depth, a lot of depth. He is Captain Style within Star Trek Universe.