My Top Five Captain Picard Speeches

As we all learned in history class, Captain Jean-Luc Picard of the U.S.S. Enterprise is one of the greatest human beings who will ever live. In the future. Aside from his voluminous scientific knowledge, his resolute leadership skills, his tactful diplomacy, and a damned commanding presence, Picard is also known in every quadrant of the galaxy as a magnificent orator.

His Shakespearean voice and sage wisdom combine to form some of the most hard-hitting, poignant speeches of the 24th century. Or, indeed, any century. I have described five of my favourite below.

WARNING: May cause life-changing levels of inspiration.

5) Picard on justice -- "Justice"

In this episode from the first season of The Next Generation, young Wesley Crusher manages to ruin the crew's holiday on a planet of nymphomaniacs (not making that part up) by trampling on some flowers. On their planet, every crime is punishable by death from above, in the form of an energy being the inhabitants believe is God. But God has never entered into moral debate with Jean-Luc Picard before.

4) Picard on life in the 24th century -- "The Neutral Zone"

The Enterprise finds three people frozen on a space station from the 1990s. (remember the cryogenic space stations we had back then?) One of them was a corrupt businessman who is looking to resume his practice. Picard educates him on how greed has been eliminated and how a man like him, who feeds off of others, cannot survive in a more pure age. (You need to skip to 0:56 in the video, but if you watch the whole thing, you can hear Data tell the 20th century people that TV became obsolete by 2040.)

3) Picard on the Borg -- Star Trek: First Contact

Captain Picard has history with the Borg. In their mission to convert all life to their mechanical idea of perfection, they once assimilated Picard himself. In this film, the Borg have just about taken over the Enterprise and self-destructing seems the only logical course of action. But, as Picard tells Lily here (she's from the 21st century; the Borg time-travelled) he is not willing to give up that easily.

2) Picard on truth -- "The First Duty"

Wesley Crusher was the golden boy of the starship Enterprise. Bright and enthusiastic, it was only a matter of time before he joined Starfleet Academy. Once there, however, he was seduced by an older cadet into covering up the accidental death of a classmate in order to protect their own careers. Picard, Wesley's mentor and father-figure, finds out and is not pleased.

1) Picard on sentience -- "The Measure of a Man"

Some dickhead scientist wants to take apart the android Data to study him and make more like him. When Data refuses on the grounds that the procedure is dangerous, it is ruled that he is property of Starfleet and must submit. Picard challenges this ruling, stating that Data is sentient and does not belong to anyone, leading to the greatest trial in A.I. history, and the moment this show really matured.

I honestly could've done a top 20 of these, but it was tough finding all the YouTube videos. I also feel I should include an obligatory "Make it so." There.