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| 3 | %% Please try to avoid natter and conversation mode. |
| 4 | %% Follow Example Indentation when adding examples. |
| 5 | %% Please don't insert circular links to SugarWiki/MomentOfAwesome. |
| 6 | %% Avoid This Troper and referring to yourself. |
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| 9 | %% Image Pickin' thread did not produce an image: https://tvtropes.org/pmwiki/posts.php?discussion=1607229044075205400 |
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| 11 | [[foldercontrol]] |
| 12 | |
| 13 | [[folder:Season One]] |
| 14 | [[AC:Encounter at Farpoint]] |
| 15 | * [[https://youtu.be/BeMF32tLw8U The incredibly cool promos used to tease the debut of the show]] (for more than a week), with no less than Creator/ErnieAnderson on voiceover detail (he would also voice the regular weekly promos until the end of the show's run).They may have [[StockFootage recycled a lot of footage from the films]], but that still doesn't make it any less awesome. "IN (X) DAYS, THE 24TH CENTURY BEGINS..." |
| 16 | * The intro itself. It's a throwback to the intro of the original series, but updated for the late 80's. A great way to say 'we're back, and we're ready'. Despite the rocky first few years, that proved quite the happy omen. |
| 17 | * The saucer separation, showing off SugarWiki/VisualEffectsOfAwesome never seen before in the history of Trek television, signifying many awesome moments yet to come. |
| 18 | * Even though they're being threatened by Q, Picard does not cower in fear of Q's retribution. |
| 19 | -->'''Riker:''' What do we do, sir? With them monitoring every move, every word... |
| 20 | -->'''Picard:''' S.O.P., Mr. Riker. |
| 21 | -->'''Riker:''' Standard Operating Procedures? |
| 22 | -->'''Picard:''' We do exactly what we'd do if this "Q" never existed. If we're going to be damned, let's be damned for what we really are. |
| 23 | * Picard having no respect for the 21st post-atomic horror "trial" that has done away with the silly concept of "innocent until proven guilty," to the point that, when presented with the charges, reads the list and, looking Q in the eye, says [[ExactWords he sees no charges against THEM, the crew, specifically.]] |
| 24 | ** Of course, in response, Q orders that the guards are to put their weapons to the crew's heads and, if Picard does not plead "guilty" to the charge of being a "grievously savage race," proceed to fire. Backed in to a corner, Picard can only acquiesce to Q's demand... BUT... |
| 25 | --->'''Picard:''' Guilty. Provisionally! |
| 26 | ** This gets them to the idea of testing the crew, meaning Picard talked the omnipotent being putting HumanityOnTrial down from instant summary execution to an ongoing trial (even if it could be argued that [[TricksterMentor Q may have been angling for that result]] in the first place - if nothing else, Picard gave him that opening). |
| 27 | |
| 28 | [[AC:The Naked Now]] |
| 29 | * It's a small thing, and PlayedForLaughs, but Picard and Beverly fighting their urges and keeping it together long enough to save the ship, despite the fact that AttentionDeficitOohShiny and DistractedByTheSexy are in full effect due to the infection. |
| 30 | * Wesley figuring out how to ReverseThePolarity on the tractor beam, using it to shove off of the ''Tsiokolvsky'' and buy the few seconds Data needs to save the ship. Granted, Wesley was the one that put them ''in'' that situation, but both times he was under the full influence of the Polywater infection, and he did a much better job in the end than anyone aboard ''Tsiokolvsky'' had. |
| 31 | * Minor note in it all, but Riker manages to stay clear-headed and in control enough to the point of Beverly finding a cure, despite touching an infected Deanna mid-crisis. |
| 32 | |
| 33 | [[AC:Code of Honor]] |
| 34 | * After having the SmugSnake leader of the HumanAliens of the week dangling a vaccine in front of the crew and MovingTheGoalposts for an entire episode, the crew was able to RulesLawyer a solution that thoroughly screwed him over and [[HoistByHisOwnPetard left him with nothing]]. |
| 35 | |
| 36 | [[AC:The Last Outpost]] |
| 37 | * While they're treated as silly crony-capitalists from that point onwards, one has to give the Ferengi away team credit for putting up as good a fight as they did against Riker's team. |
| 38 | ** Tasha's BigDamnHeroes moment when she appears to rescue Riker and the others. |
| 39 | ** And when the Ferengi try to get fresh. |
| 40 | --->'''Tasha''': Paws off, Ferengi! |
| 41 | --->'''Mordoc''': No female, Human or Ferengi, can order Mordoc around! Submit! |
| 42 | --->'''Tasha''': Just try it, shorty! |
| 43 | |
| 44 | [[AC:Where No One Has Gone Before]] |
| 45 | * Okay, it kind of left them in a bit of a bind, but the sequence where the Traveler gets the Enterprise to travel at [[ReadingsAreOffTheScale previously unimaginable speeds]] is pretty cool. |
| 46 | |
| 47 | |
| 48 | [[AC:The Battle]] |
| 49 | * The original "Picard Maneuver", using an illusion to trick the opposing ship into firing on the wrong ship, is actually pretty awesome. It's such a cool concept that it got a CallBack on ''Series/StarTrekPicard.'' |
| 50 | |
| 51 | [[AC:Hide and Q]] |
| 52 | * Q, while lounging in Picard's chair (again) actually has the balls to condescend to Picard using ''Shakespeare'' quotes. There's an old saying: [[Wrestling/RoddyPiper "never throw rocks at a man who's got a machine gun."]] To put it another way - don't try to out-Shakespeare Jean-Luc Picard. |
| 53 | -->'''Q:''' Hear this, Picard, and reflect. All the galaxy's a stage. |
| 54 | -->'''Picard:''' World, not galaxy. All the world's a stage. |
| 55 | -->'''Q:''' ''[dryly]'' Oh, you know that one. Well, if he were living now he would have said 'galaxy.' How about this? "Life is but a walking shadow, a poor player that struts and frets his hour upon the stage and then is heard no more. It is a tale told by an idiot, full of sound and fury, signifying nothing." |
| 56 | -->'''Picard:''' I see. So how we respond to a game tells you more about us than our real life, this tale told by an idiot? Interesting, Q. |
| 57 | -->'''Q:''' Oh, thank you very much. I'm glad you enjoyed it. Perhaps maybe a little ''Theatre/{{Hamlet}}''? |
| 58 | -->'''Picard:''' Oh, no. I know ''Hamlet.'' And what he might've said with irony, I say with conviction. "What a piece of work is man! How noble in reason. How infinite in faculty. In form, in moving, how express and admirable. In action, how like an angel. In apprehension, how like a ''god''." |
| 59 | -->'''Q:''' ''[jumps to his feet, aghast]'' Surely you don't really see your species like that, do you? |
| 60 | -->'''Picard:''' I see us one day becoming that, Q. [[ArmorPiercingQuestion Is it that what concerns you?]] |
| 61 | -->''[[[RageQuit Q immediately vanishes]]]'' |
| 62 | |
| 63 | |
| 64 | [[AC:Angel One]] |
| 65 | * Even though it's only temporary due to Picard being indisposed by a virus going around (and later contracting the virus himself), Geordi sitting down in the captain's chair is treated with a moment of awe and respect for the position as he's clearly a little shocked or even starstruck by the opportunity. He proceeds to do his best before he ends up having to be quarantined and shifting command to Riker, even if he stumbles a little bit at realizing his old positional work habits die hard in thinking he had to personally handle ''everything''. |
| 66 | |
| 67 | [[AC:11001001]] |
| 68 | * The first half of the episode is an {{Anti Villain}}ous moment of awesome for the Bynars. Hijacking the flagship of the Federation with a BavarianFireDrill and a bit of DistractedByTheSexy? That certainly makes an impression, considering the [[RefugeInAudacity starbase-sized balls]] it took to do that. Sure, they had a good reason in that their world would die if they didn't, but the fact remains. |
| 69 | * For that matter, the evacuation of the ''Enterprise's'' crew and families in under five minutes is an impressive feat by itself. By using the skyways and transporters, and some instructions from the ship's computer directing personnel on different parts of the ship to different evacuation points, the entire ship's company is able to calmly escape the ship while moving at a brisk stride, with no signs of confusion or panic. The crew of the starbase seem more stressed out by the situation, having nothing they can do but watch and wait. |
| 70 | |
| 71 | [[AC:When the Bough Breaks]] |
| 72 | * Wesley teaching all the kids about passive resistance, ie, starving themselves so their "adopted" parents would concede and give them back to their ''actual'' parents. |
| 73 | * Despite not being a fan of children, when seven of those on his ship are stolen, Picard is '''''livid''''', referring to it as an act of "UTTER BARBARITY!" |
| 74 | |
| 75 | [[AC:Coming of Age]] |
| 76 | * Picard directing Kurland to how to avoid burning up in the atmosphere of Relva VII by bumping off the atmosphere. Even Remmick (who has been an {{Jerkass}} the whole episode) is impressed enough to do a fist bump. |
| 77 | |
| 78 | [[AC:Heart of Glory]] |
| 79 | * Something must be said for the Klingons' [[DueToTheDead funeral rite]] for a fallen warrior: A SkywardScream to ''[[BadassBoast warn]]'' the afterlife that a [[TheDreaded Klingon warrior]] is coming. |
| 80 | * Worf gets an awesome moment near the end where he owns the renegade Klingon Korris. |
| 81 | -->'''Korris:''' "I don't care what you look like. ''YOU ARE NO KLINGON!!''" |
| 82 | -->'''Worf''' "Perhaps not." [Zaps him with a phaser] |
| 83 | * The PatrickStewartSpeech Worf gives Korris: |
| 84 | -->'''Worf:''' ''"Brother, it is you who does not see. You look for battles in the wrong place. The true test of a warrior is not without. It is within! [points to his chest] Here! '''Here''' is where we meet the challenge! It is the weaknesses in here a warrior must overcome!"'' |
| 85 | |
| 86 | [[AC:The Arsenal of Freedom]] |
| 87 | * The episode is one long [=CMOA=] for Geordi. [[YouAreInCommandNow Left in command by Picard]] and faced with an attack from an invisible drone, he first defends his command from an increasingly pushy chief engineer who insists on taking command himself, even though Picard is the only one who can retake command from Geordi. Second, realizing how bad things are, he decides to actually have the ''Enterprise'' do what she was designed to do--separate, so that half the ship can get to safety while he takes the other half back into battle to rescue the away team on Minos. Finally, he comes up with a plan that averts FrictionlessReentry and [[InvisibilityFlicker exposes the drone]] so that Worf can destroy it. |
| 88 | ** Picard at the end, when he shows how impressed he is by Geordi's performance: he leaves him in command until Geordi returns the ship in the condition he received it (i.e., until it rejoined with the saucer section), with Riker wholeheartedly agreeing with the sentiment. |
| 89 | |
| 90 | [[AC:Symbiosis]] |
| 91 | * At first, it's a punch in the gut to see Picard allow the Brekkians to deliver the felicium to the Onarans just to keep the Prime Directive intact, especially when the Brekkians are being [[SmugSnake condescending]] about it. ''However'', once Picard makes it clear that the Prime Directive also keeps him from fixing their freighters carrying the drug, it's so satisfying to see the Brekkians ''squirm''. |
| 92 | |
| 93 | [[AC:Skin of Evil]] |
| 94 | * In "Skin of Evil", the ''Enterprise'' crew encounters Armus, an alien being who murders Tasha Yar, and attacks Riker, then [[EvilGloating sadistically gloats about it]] to Counselor Troi, trapped in a downed shuttlecraft. Throughout the episode, the ''Enterprise'' crew tries to reason with Armus, but Picard, in his climactic speech, goes the other way: he looks a ruthless, all-powerful, disgusting blob of pure evil right in the face, and [[DidYouJustFlipOffCthulhu tells him to]] ''[[BreakingSpeech go fuck himself.]]'' |
| 95 | -->'''Picard''': You say you are true evil? Shall I tell you what true evil is? It is to submit to you. It is when we surrender our freedom, our dignity, instead of defying you. |
| 96 | -->'''Armus''': I will kill you and those in there! |
| 97 | -->'''Picard''': [[FateWorseThanDeath But you will still be here! In this place! Forever! Alone! Immortal!]] [''Armus begins growling''] That's your real fear, [[WhoWantsToLiveForever never to die.]] Never again to be united with those who left you here. [''Armus is '''screaming''' now''] I'm not taking you anywhere. [''beams out''] |
| 98 | * While Armus is distracted by rage, Picard gets Counselor Troi and her shuttlecraft mates beamed onboard, along with himself. He then destroys the crashed shuttle and has Armus' planet declared off-limits, to ensure nobody ever faces Armus again. |
| 99 | * Troi gets some pretty solid knocks against Armus as well, knowing that while he says he killed Tasha for his amusement, it actually brought him none. Despite the fact that Armus is holding her hostage, one gets the impression that she's the one in control. |
| 100 | * Abrupt as her being killed by Armus is, the fact that her last words are effectively a ShutUpHannibal to what claims to be the discarded negative thoughts and emotions (literally pure evil) is pretty impressive. |
| 101 | -->'''Tasha:''' We're not going without our shuttle crew. |
| 102 | -->'''Armus:''' I warn you. |
| 103 | -->'''Tasha:''' Enough! We have people who need attention. We won't hurt you, but we must help them. |
| 104 | * In a demonstration of his power, Armus takes control of Data's body and makes him wave a phaser at the rest of the away team, wanting another death to amuse him. Crusher does acknowledge her fear of the situation, and so he demands she choose someone to die. Without hesitation, she says "then I choose myself." |
| 105 | ** Followed by him pointing the phaser at Data's own head, and Data making a moral judgement of Armus: "You are capable of great sadism and cruelty. No redeeming qualities. I think you should be destroyed." |
| 106 | |
| 107 | [[AC:We'll Always Have Paris]] |
| 108 | * One for both Data and the effects team as the main conflict of the episode is resolved by ''three'' time-displaced Datas working together. |
| 109 | |
| 110 | [[AC:Conspiracy]] |
| 111 | * Admiral Quinn is infected with a parasitic species who attempts to get Riker infested. Riker fights back and summons security before being knocked unconscious. The response team is La Forge and Worf who fight back as well, but are also knocked out. Then Doctor Crusher arrives and [[BewareTheNiceOnes manages to take the admiral down with a sustained phaser blast.]] |
| 112 | ** Fun fact: Every time Doctor Crusher picked up a phaser, she hit her target. Now THAT'S [[CombatMedic surgical precision.]] |
| 113 | *** She once blew a hole in the chest of an alien that had a decentralized organ system--and when that didn't slow him down she shot him again to vaporize the rest of him. Hardcore. |
| 114 | |
| 115 | [[AC:The Neutral Zone]] |
| 116 | * The return of the memorable TOS adversaries, the Romulans, complete with a badass CoolStarship and [[https://youtu.be/NIQxoVY3SzU awesome music]]. |
| 117 | * One for 20th-century relic Ralph Offenhouse. Despite never having seen or heard of the Romulans before, he figures out when they're bluffing before Picard does. |
| 118 | [[/folder]] |
| 119 | |
| 120 | [[folder:Season Two]] |
| 121 | [[AC:The Child]] |
| 122 | |
| 123 | [[AC:Where Silence Has Lease]] |
| 124 | * The episode begins with Riker and Worf battling monsters goons in Worf's calisthenics program. Here, Worf is nearly overpowered by one of the creatures, but overcomes it by tapping into a primal bloodlust. When the monsters are defeated, the bloodlusting Worf now sees Riker as his next opponent. Riker snaps him out of it just as he prepares to attack by pulling rank. |
| 125 | -->'''Riker:''' ''At ease, Lieutenant!''' |
| 126 | * One for first Picard and then Pulaski. When she refers to Data as "it," Picard puts his foot down, telling her Data knows what he's doing in a way that says he does not accept her dismissive attitude of Data as "just" a machine. This is followed by her starting to give a condescending apology, only to stop HERSELF and proceeds to apologize genuinely, both for the use of "it," and how she was stating her initial apology, recognizing that she was in the wrong. |
| 127 | |
| 128 | [[AC:Elementary, Dear Data]] |
| 129 | * The fact that the Enterprise computer created an opponent capable of defeating Data, giving a holographic version of Moriarty himself sentience - and the crew was still able to defeat him. That's impressive stuff. |
| 130 | |
| 131 | [[AC:The Outrageous Okona]] |
| 132 | |
| 133 | [[AC:Loud as a Whisper]] |
| 134 | * Data learning to communicate in five entirely different forms of sign language in a matter of minutes. Why? To support Riva after the loss of his chorus. Doubles as Heartwarming, even if Riva is hesitant to accept Data's help. |
| 135 | * Whatever his fear and guilt after the destruction of his chorus, Riva's decision in the final moments of the episode took a lot of courage. Riva chooses to return to negotiations (after Deanna talks him into it, which is kind of Awesome in and of itself), and plans to reunite the warring people by teaching ''them'' his form of sign language, which would take them ''months'' to learn. His premise: as they learn to talk to Riva, they learn to talk to each other. That's the determination and devotion to duty that earned Riva the mystique played up earlier in the episode. |
| 136 | |
| 137 | [[AC:The Schizoid Man]] |
| 138 | * Picard's ShutUpHannibal to Data's grandfather. |
| 139 | -->'''Graves:''' Data is not Human! He's..! |
| 140 | -->'''Picard:''' He is different, yes! But that does not make him expendable or any less significant. No being is so important that he can usurp the rights of another! Now set him free! |
| 141 | ** Even after letting go of Data's body, Graves still managed to download the entire contents of his brain into a non-sentient computer. |
| 142 | |
| 143 | [[AC:Unnatural Selection]] |
| 144 | |
| 145 | [[AC:A Matter of Honor]] |
| 146 | * Riker's LoopholeAbuse to remove Captain Kargan from command, after his [[InsaneTrollLogic deciding that a bacterial infection on his ship is an attack on the part of the Enterprise]], without killing him. He pulls out the emergency transponder that Worf gave him where Kargan will see it and take it, resulting in Worf transporting Kargan off the ship and Riker taking command. He then demands Enterprise's 'surrender,' which Picard gives and they proceed to repair the ship. Then, once the matter's settled and Kargan's back on board, Riker takes one on the chin: a massive backhand that knocks him across the bridge as [[GetOut he orders Riker off the ship]]. The other Klingons aboard compliment Riker for understanding the need for Kargan to save face. |
| 147 | |
| 148 | [[AC:The Measure of a Man]] |
| 149 | * When Picard is on the defense hearing to determine whether Data is considered property and goes on the counterattack. He asserts that this hearing would determine whether the Federation is capable of making a leap of a moral imagination to realize Data is a sentient being by most meaningful criteria and to rule him property is to sanction slavery. The fact he wins the argument by opening the eyes of the judge to this innovative expansion of moral principle is a crowning moment where Picard shows why the United Federation of Planets is worth fighting for. |
| 150 | ** His opponent, Commander Maddox, defines sentience as "intelligence, self-awareness and consciousness." Data easily passes the first two with flying colors, of course, and in one of the most intense Picard moments ever, he then really sticks it to Maddox: |
| 151 | --->'''Picard:''' A single Data, and forgive me, Commander, is a curiosity. A wonder, even. But thousands of Datas. [[ArmorPiercingQuestion Isn't that becoming... a race??]] And won't we be judged by how we treat that race? Now tell me, Commander. What is Data? |
| 152 | --->'''Maddox (flustered):''' I... don't understand? |
| 153 | --->'''Picard:''' '''What is he?!''' |
| 154 | --->'''Maddox:''' A ''machine!'' |
| 155 | --->'''Picard:''' Is he? Are you sure?! |
| 156 | --->'''Maddox:''' ''Yes!!!'' |
| 157 | --->'''Picard:''' You see, he's met two of your three criteria for sentience, so what if he meets the third?! ''Consciousness!'' In even the ''smallest degree!'' What is he then? I don't know! Do you?! ''[to Riker]'' Do you?? ''[to the Judge]'' Do you? Well that's the question you have to answer. |
| 158 | ** One line in his speech stands out as one of the all-time great Picard lines in general: |
| 159 | --->'''Picard:''' Your Honor, Starfleet was founded to seek out new life; well, ''THERE IT SITS!'' |
| 160 | * He was going up against ''Riker's'' Moment of Awesome. Forced into the role of prosecutor by the overseeing JAG officer (who would have ruled summarily against Data if he hadn't accepted), Riker does a damn good job in that role, much to his own dismay. Picard later confided to Guinan that "he almost convinced ''me.''" |
| 161 | -->'''Riker:''' Data is a physical representation of a dream, an idea conceived of by the mind of a man. Its purpose? To serve human needs and interests. It is a collection of neural nets and heuristic algorithms. Its responses are dictated by an elaborate software program written by a man. The hardware was built by a man. And now a man will shut it off. |
| 162 | -->''[Flips Data's off switch]'' |
| 163 | -->'''Riker (after Data slumps over, lifeless):''' Pinocchio is broken. Its strings have been cut. |
| 164 | * Not to mention Guinan, who calmly gives Picard a BreakingSpeech because he doesn't yet grasp the UnfortunateImplications of the legal proceedings and is about to concede defeat: |
| 165 | -->'''Guinan:''' Consider that in the history of many worlds, there have always been disposable creatures. They do the dirty work. They do the work that no one else wants to do because it's too difficult or too hazardous. And an army of Datas, all disposable... You don't have to think about their welfare, you don't think about how they feel. [[WhamLine Whole generations of disposable people.]] |
| 166 | -->'''Picard:''' You're talking about slavery. |
| 167 | -->'''Guinan:''' [[SarcasmMode Oh, I think that's a little harsh.]] |
| 168 | ** After she says "Whole generations of disposable people", she pauses and just takes a long, slow drink from her glass. In that moment, she shows that she knows she's made her point. |
| 169 | * The end of the ep has Data's great moment. Riker is feeling despondent about betraying a friend, when Data comes to get him. Riker is ashamed at his part in the trial. But Data, showing one of humanity's more positive traits, understanding, invites him to the victory party anyway, stating that Riker [[IDidWhatIHadToDo did what he had to do]], thus showing that [[TinMan Data is in fact deeply grateful for the sacrifice Riker made]]. As he points out, Riker's actions were to Data's benefit, preventing the judge from summarily ruling against him, and caused Riker himself emotional harm. Sadly, this was a military hearing and thus did not set legal precedent in either the status of civilians or civil court cases, as Lal and [[Series/StarTrekVoyager the Doctor]] discover. |
| 170 | |
| 171 | [[AC:The Dauphin]] |
| 172 | |
| 173 | [[AC:Contagion]] |
| 174 | * Despite being under the threat of Taris's own disruptors, not to mention the difficulties the ship is having the the Iconian virus rewriting their systems, when the Enterprise detects an Iconian probe launching from the surface, Riker doesn't hesitate for a moment to tell Taris to destroy the probe, to prevent it from rewriting the full systems of the Romulan vessel. And, to Taris's credit, she also believes him when he tells her to destroy it. |
| 175 | |
| 176 | [[AC:The Royale]] |
| 177 | * The only way out of the illusion was to assume the role of a character that got to leave. So they became the foreign investors that bought the hotel, which required beating the house at craps. Loaded dice are no match for Data. |
| 178 | |
| 179 | [[AC:Time Squared]] |
| 180 | * Picard breaks a time loop by straight-up ''killing his future self.'' Then flies the ''Enterprise'' directly into a huge energy vortex. And they survived. Picard earned all four pips that day. |
| 181 | |
| 182 | [[AC:The Icarus Factor]] |
| 183 | * Worf going through the Klingon Rite of Accession again, [[BadassBoast proclaiming his warrior credentials]] while being jabbed with painsticks. |
| 184 | -->'''Worf:''' Today, I am a warrior. I will show you my heart. I travel the river of blood! |
| 185 | |
| 186 | [[AC:Pen Pals]] |
| 187 | * Considering that a lot of people [[NeverLiveItDown never let her live down]] how she treated Data in her first few episodes, Doctor Pulaski's defense of him making contact with and wanting to help Sarjenka, an alien girl on a pre-warp planet, to the point of arguing with Picard and staring down WORF, certainly counts. |
| 188 | -->'''Pulaski:''' My emotions are involved. Data's friend is going to die. That means something. |
| 189 | -->'''Worf:''' To Data. |
| 190 | -->'''Pulaski:''' Does that invalidate the emotion? |
| 191 | |
| 192 | [[AC:Q Who]] |
| 193 | * Q attempts to join the ''Enterprise'''s crew, saying they would need his help against the dangers of the galaxy. Picard snidely refuses, saying they are more than ready for any threat, and so Q hurls them across the galaxy to face the Borg. After failing to heed Guinan and Q's warnings and losing eighteen members of his crew to the Borg, Riker tries to accuse Q of being responsible for their deaths instead of Picard. Q's only response? |
| 194 | -->'''Q''': [[ShutUpKirk Oh,]] ''[[ShutUpKirk please.]]'' |
| 195 | ** The way this line is delivered is absolutely ''chilling.'' With two words, Q proves he's just as dark, dangerous, sinister, and powerful as he is foppish and amusing.[[note]]To add to this moment, it's worth mentioning that ''[[ThrowItIn this is an ad-lib.]]''[[/note]] |
| 196 | * Awesome moment for the Borg, near the end of the episode. Picard has wisely decided to get the hell away from the damaged Borg ship, which starts regenerating itself and tears after the ''Enterprise'' in hot pursuit. During the chase, there's this incredible moment where Picard and Riker are watching the Borg ship repair itself after taking a half-dozen torpedoes to the face, and we see this NecroCam style closeup of the Borg ship ''knitting itself back together circuit by circuit.'' The perfect OhCrap moment. |
| 197 | * Picard also gets one near the end of the episode when he swallows his pride and delivers one of the greatest AintTooProudToBeg speeches ''ever'': |
| 198 | -->'''Picard:''' You wanted to frighten us. We're frightened. You wanted to show us that we were inadequate. For the moment... I grant that. You wanted me to say ''I need you''? ''[[PunctuatedForEmphasis I!]]'' '''[[PunctuatedForEmphasis NEED YOU!]]''' |
| 199 | ** And Q smirks, snaps his fingers, and sends them all back to Federation space. Point to Picard - the way he delivers it sounds less like being scared into humility than, "This is ''ridiculous.'' You want me to beg? ''Fine.'' You've thrown us against an unbeatable enemy and eighteen of my crew are dead. ''I'm begging.''" |
| 200 | * And then there's Q and Picard's final exchange, where Q rightly chides him for the smug sense of superiority that permeated most of the first two seasons. |
| 201 | -->'''Q:''' If you can't take a little bloody nose, maybe you ought to go back home and crawl under your bed. It's not ''safe'' out here. It's wondrous, with treasures to satiate desires both subtle and gross. But it's not for the ''timid''. |
| 202 | * Picard gets a subtle moment from this final exchange. The reason Q gives the aforementioned verbal slapdown is because Picard had tried to call him out on using such a brutal method to teach them about the dangers of the galaxy. Q was right to do so, but you have to admit that it takes brass balls to try and call out a god just after he's wrecked your shit. It's a reminder that Q may have humbled Picard, but the captain won't lose his dignity. |
| 203 | * Best of all? Picard ''actually learned from this''. In an episodic series from a time when character development was mostly forgotten by the end of the episode, for the rest of the series and into the movies, Picard not only lost his sense of superiority, but viewed each new and unexpected situation with a sense of wonder ''and'' trepidation. Q basically told him that he was being far too arrogant, and Picard ''agreed''. |
| 204 | |
| 205 | [[AC:Samaritan Snare]] |
| 206 | |
| 207 | [[AC:Up the Long Ladder]] |
| 208 | |
| 209 | [[AC:Manhunt]] |
| 210 | * Lwaxana gets one at the end of the episode when, in spite of her telepathic abilities not being at their best, she reads the minds of two would-be assassins (after about a second in the room with them) and saves the conference and probably a lot of lives in the process. For all the silliness of the character, she's actually very capable when she needs to be. |
| 211 | [[AC:The Emissary]] |
| 212 | * Worf [[https://youtu.be/8egDQiH1-e0 plays an impressive bluff]] to Captain K'Temoc of the T'Ong, a Klingon ship whose crew entered hibernation for a long-term mission that is no longer relevant as the Klingon Empire and the Federation are at peace. Dressed in a full Klingon uniform, he plays the imperious officer who will not have K'Temoc's ignorance and insubordination. When K'Temoc tries to call his bluff, he basically tells him that he's done with his shit and orders the Enterprise to attack. K'Temoc [[OhCrap quickly gives in]] and surrenders command with grudging respect. |
| 213 | |
| 214 | [[AC:Peak Performance]] |
| 215 | * The Zakdorn strategist Kolrami gets a good line in against Riker, who's captaining [[TheAllegedCar the obsolete and extremely-stripped-down]] USS ''Hathaway:'' |
| 216 | -->'''Riker:''' What's the Zakdornian word for "mismatch"? |
| 217 | -->'''Kolrami:''' ''Challenge!'' We do not whine about the inequities of life. |
| 218 | ** And Riker, with only Geordi, Wesley and Worf to assist him, makes that obsolete jalopy work! Not only is she able to take on the Enterprise, she helps turn the tide against the Ferengi when the Enterprise is caught off guard by Riker's own attack. |
| 219 | * Data winds up playing Kolrami (an insufferable {{Jerkass}}) at the latter's favorite game, and ''loses''. Data is initially perturbed (in his own way) and wonders if he is defective. When he's convinced he's not, he has a re-match with Kolrami. This time he plays for a draw instead and matches his opponent's every move - ultimately causing Kolrami to ''RageQuit'' in frustration.[[note]]To put this in full perspective, the game they were playing, Stratagaema, normally ends within 100 moves, due to the rules of the game. Kolrami absolutely stuffs Data in the first match, winning in less than 50 moves. In the second game, when Data doesn't try to win but only fight to a draw, the game goes to just over ''35,000 moves'' before Kolrami gives up. Everyone around comments that ''they didn't even know the game could GO that long.''[[/note]] |
| 220 | -->'''Data:''' I busted him up! |
| 221 | * This episode has a beautiful line from Picard, which breaks Data out of his HeroicBSOD, and basically amounts to Picard telling him GetAHoldOfYourselfMan, as only Picard can. This particular scene is a fan favorite, and has been shared on social media many a time as one of life's hardest lessons: |
| 222 | -->'''Picard:''' Commander, it is possible to commit no mistakes and still lose. That is not a weakness. That is ''life.''\ |
| 223 | '''Data (taken aback):''' I believe I understand, sir.\ |
| 224 | '''Picard:''' And Data, will you leave your hesitation and self-doubt here in your quarters?'' [heads to the bridge]'' |
| 225 | * Kolrami declares that, as the officially designated observer from Starfleet, he is ordering that Picard leave the Hathaway and her crew to save the other thousand lives on board the Enterprise. Picard shuts him down with "I am the captain of this vessel. Your order is nullified." |
| 226 | |
| 227 | [[AC:Shades of Gray]] |
| 228 | [[/folder]] |
| 229 | |
| 230 | [[folder:Season Three]] |
| 231 | [[AC:Evolution]] |
| 232 | |
| 233 | [[AC:The Ensigns of Command]] |
| 234 | * Picard opposes the arrogant and [[ObstructiveBureaucrat oppressively legalistic]] Sheliak, who flog the treaty between them and the Federation and refuse to compromise on the matter of an unexpected colony that would take weeks to move off a planet the Sheliak want, [[SilentTreatment forcefully terminating communications each time (including beaming Picard back to the Enterprise when he came to negotiate in person).]] By searching the treaty, [[MyRuleFuIsStrongerThanYours Picard finds a way to outmaneuver them,]] invoking a clause that would force them to '''wait out for more than six months''' than the few weeks needed for the evacuation, making them sweat. When he knows he's got the Sheliak on the ropes, he [[ATasteOfTheirOwnMedicine terminates communications]] and waits for them to call back. Once they start hailing, he stands around letting the hailing tone sound, then casually walks across the bridge, [[WhiteGloveTest checks the commissioning plaque on the wall for dust]], and finally wanders back to the center of the bridge before putting them onscreen. The closest Picard has ever gotten to "You know what? ''Fuck you.''" in the entire series. |
| 235 | -->'''Riker:''' You enjoyed that. |
| 236 | -->'''Picard:''' You're damned right. |
| 237 | * During the same episode, Data convincing the colonists (who would rather fight) to leave by practically destroying their colony's miles-long aqueduct system ''with a single phaser''. He then brilliantly explains that the Sheliak are far more powerful than he is and that the colonists would have no chance whatsoever. |
| 238 | -->'''Data''': (After zapping the guards) That was the stun setting. This is not. |
| 239 | |
| 240 | [[AC:The Survivors]] |
| 241 | * Picard proves himself in this episode to be a first-rate bullshit detector. After fighting with Kevin and Rishon to get them off a dead world - save for only their house - Picard, acting on a hunch, ''lets their house get bombed by an enemy warship.'' Why would Picard be so cruel? Because, when the house magically reappears(!) a couple hours later, Picard proves, where everyone else was scratching their heads, that not only is Kevin [[SufficientlyAdvancedAlien not human,]] but [[RealityWarper he created all this trickery - including the warship, and Rishon - with immense power, to fool the crew into leaving.]] As Kevin admits, Picard was the first person in who knows how long to figure out his true nature, and it's an incredible show of insight by the captain. [[DownerEnding Unfortunately, then they learn the horrible truth of why he keeps up the whole charade.]] |
| 242 | ** Picard's plan to get the truth out is genius in its simplicity - he simply tells Kevin the exact conditions it would require for the Enterprise to leave the planet, the enemy warship destroyed and/or Kevin and Rishon dead. Picard is not surprised when both conditions are fulfilled a relatively short time after, and realises Kevin is trying to play him for a fool, which Picard is anything but. |
| 243 | |
| 244 | [[AC:Who Watches the Watchers]] |
| 245 | * Just about everything Captain Picard does, absolutely refusing to inflict any religion on the society, rather going directly against the Prime Directive. Moreover, his kind and respectful treatment of Nuria and her people is beyond awesome. |
| 246 | |
| 247 | [[AC:The Bonding]] |
| 248 | |
| 249 | [[AC:Booby Trap]] |
| 250 | * The ''Enterprise'' gets stuck in a trap that drains the ship's power and blasts it with lethal radiation. After working for hours, Geordi says the only shot they have at getting out is to get a short push from the impulse engines and then use maneuvering thrusters to get past the asteroids around them. It seems that giving the computer maneuvering control ''might'' be the best way... but he doesn't buy it, and thinks a human pilot has a better chance. Picard agrees and ''takes the helm himself'', even using the gravity of a large asteroid to give them the last bit of momentum they need to get free. |
| 251 | |
| 252 | [[AC:The Enemy]] |
| 253 | * Geordi, while injured and stuck down in a pit, abandoned on the surface of a hostile planet, uses some nuggets of metal he finds, plus a phaser for heat and clay/mud for structure, to forge a pair of improvised climbing pitons. |
| 254 | * The Enterprise is facing down a Romulan warbird which has every reason to blow them out of the sky, and with the shields up Picard's losing his chance to rescue his officer and the second Romulan whose presence would stop the imminent battle. He opens a channel to the enemy ship, says basically "We've both got powerful ships and well-trained crews ready to die for this, but the only way we're going to avoid starting a war is by trusting each other" and drops the shields. ''In front of a fully armed Romulan warbird''. His engineer is rescued, the return of the Romulan officer avoids a battle, and two enemies move one small step towards peace. All it took was one quick speech and ''balls the size of a planet''. |
| 255 | |
| 256 | [[AC:The Price]] |
| 257 | |
| 258 | [[AC:The Vengeance Factor]] |
| 259 | * Brull sees Wesley at the conn and mockingly tells Picard he's not inspiring his confidence by having a child aboard. Picard's response? Level Brull with a DeathGlare while taking a few calm steps closer to him. Brull gives in and joins Wesley. |
| 260 | |
| 261 | [[AC:The Defector]] |
| 262 | * Captain Picard had [[https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=OOXT22Ghouw this scene]] in the episode "The Defector" where he owns Romulan commander Tomalak rather magnificently. Tomalak and his two warbirds have found Picard and the ''Enterprise'' on the wrong side of the Neutral Zone. Tomalak demands that Picard surrenders. Picard instead sees his two Romulan warbirds...and ''raises him three Klingon birds of prey.'' They could fight, but it would cost Tomalak more than he'd gain and he lets them go. |
| 263 | * The scene in the same episode where he just lays into Admiral Jarok after he refuses to give up official secrets: |
| 264 | -->'''Picard:''' You already betrayed your people, Admiral! You made your choices, sir. You're a traitor! Now if the bitter taste of that is unpalatable to you than I am truly sorry. But I will not risk my crew because you think you can dance on the edge of the Neutral Zone. You've crossed over, Admiral. You make yourself comfortable with that. |
| 265 | * You've got to give props to Admiral Jarok. The leader of a thousand massacres, including Khitomer, and one of the most important individuals in the Romulan empire... And he turned his back on everything he knew, betraying his own people, because he realized the life of his baby daughter was more important than winning a galactic war based on prejudice. |
| 266 | -->''"She will grow up believing her father was a traitor... but she '''will grow up'''."'' |
| 267 | ** According to VideoGame/StarTrekOnline, not only does she do so, but she ends up in command of the Romulan Republic Flagship, the RRW ''Lleiset''. |
| 268 | * Part CMOA, part CMOH. The long history of FantasticRacism between Romulans and Klingons is no secret. While Worf, someone who had his entire family killed by the Romulans before getting HappilyAdopted, barely restrains himself on account of his duty as Jarok lays out several insults towards his direction, in Klingon no less. Riker pacifies Worf before giving Jarok a choice description in Romulan, shutting him up. |
| 269 | |
| 270 | [[AC:The Hunted]] |
| 271 | * Roga Danar, the walking SuperSoldier of awesome from "The Hunted". He basically spends the entire episode staying one step ahead of the entire ''Enterprise'' crew, and kicking multitudes of ass wherever he goes. And he has [[CombatPragmatist no problems]] fighting dirty, knowing how dire his situation is. And he's just ''one'' of the numerous genetically enhanced soldiers. |
| 272 | ** His first scene has him shrugging off two "stun" setting phaser blasts. |
| 273 | ** When the ''Enterprise'' crew is forced to transfer him to his native police force's ship, Roga ''resists being transported'' before escaping, something which no ''Trek'' character had done before! |
| 274 | * Worf casually sauntering over to an overloading phaser to turn it off. |
| 275 | * It's a brief moment, but Worf proving himself equal to the OneManArmy Roga in a straight-up fight. Worf takes a super-punch that would've sent his comrades flying, and is able to keep up with a genetically-enhanced soldier in terms of raw strength. Realizing Worf is going to be trouble, Roga has to fight dirty, and dump a bunch of crates on him so he can escape. |
| 276 | * Roga had been a step ahead of the Enterprise crew for the entire episode and Picard suddenly found himself surrounded by Roga and a small army of super soldiers just like him. Fortunately, he figured out their AchillesHeel, they can only kill when threatened and are completely incapable of cold-blooded murder. So Picard ordered everyone to lower their weapons and make no threatening moves. Roga [[OhCrap didn’t have a plan for that]]. |
| 277 | * Surrounded by Roga and the other super soldiers, still unwilling to bend the stance they've maintained before, the Angosian prime minster tells Picard that he needs to do something, to call his ship. Picard coolly replies that he's right, then orders the ''Enterprise'' to beam them back... and nothing more, flat-out stating to the man that this is ''his'' people's mess, and it's his responsibility to tackle, not the crew's, even giving an IronicEcho that "this is not our affair". |
| 278 | |
| 279 | [[AC:The High Ground]] |
| 280 | |
| 281 | [[AC:Deja Q]] |
| 282 | * Q's moment in "Déjà Q" after being [[KarmicTransformation turned human by the Continuum]] and dumped [[NakedOnArrival stark naked]] on the deck of the ''Enterprise''. No, that's not the awesome bit (though the DVD commentary reveals it ''was'' one for John De Lancie), that comes later. After a while of getting used to the fact that the crew (especially Guinan) really, ''really'' hates him, he can't do ''anything'' [[BroughtDownToNormal without his powers]], and at least one of the species he's tormented in the past has come back for vengeance, Q is bewildered when Data nearly gets himself killed trying to protect Q from the Calamarain. After a while of trying to absorb this fact, and an "I'm not your father confessor" speech from Picard, Q heads for sickbay and gives a (for once) quiet Data the following speech: |
| 283 | -->'''Q:''' There are creatures in the universe who would consider you the ultimate achievement, android. No feelings, no emotions, no pain... And yet you covet those qualities of humanity. Believe me, you're missing nothing. But if it means anything to you... you're a better human than I. |
| 284 | * Q goes off to [[HeroicSacrifice commit suicide]] in order to protect a crew that doesn't like him. He totally earned that mariachi band, a very cool Funny Moment. |
| 285 | * Guinan mocking the now-human Q, and sticking a fork in him. |
| 286 | * Worf, too: |
| 287 | -->'''Q:''' What must I do to convince you people [that I'm powerless and mortal]? |
| 288 | -->'''Worf:''' [[DeadpanSnarker Die.]] |
| 289 | ** And the retort: |
| 290 | --->'''Q:''' Oh, ''very'' clever, Worf. Eat any good books lately? |
| 291 | * Was it Riker or Frakes Corpsing? You decide, but that exchange put a big grin on his face. |
| 292 | [[AC:A Matter of Perspective]] |
| 293 | |
| 294 | [[AC:Yesterday's Enterprise]] |
| 295 | * The Picard from a universe where the Federation had been at war with the Klingons for the past twenty years got a good one in. |
| 296 | -->'''Klingon Commander:''' Federation ship ''Enterprise''. Surrender and prepare to be boarded. |
| 297 | -->'''Picard''': That'll be the day... |
| 298 | -->[''vaults over the Tactical console'' to take control of the ''Enterprise'''s weapons personally] |
| 299 | * The speech he gives to the crew right before the battle. [[https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=1y1v_DdpprE&t=0m32s "Let's make sure history never forgets. The name. ''Enterprise''."]] |
| 300 | * The crew of the ''Enterprise-C'' knowingly went to their deaths. They knew that returning to face four Romulan warships was certain death. They did it anyway, and their courageous sacrifice ensured peace between the Klingons and the Federation... just as it did in the original timeline. Even before they know what their sacrifice will accomplish, they prove to have spines of steel; when Picard tells Captain Garrett why he wants to send them back, she says, "To be honest with you, Picard, a significant number of my crew members have expressed a desire to return even knowing the odds. Some because they can't bear to live without their loved ones, some because they don't like the idea of slipping out in the middle of a fight." |
| 301 | * This timeline's version of Tasha Yar, realizing her death in the other timeline was [[DroppedABridgeOnHim pointless and empty]] chooses to request a transfer to the ''Enterprise C'' before it goes back in time, fully knowing the consequences. All because she doesn't want her death to be so meaningless this time. |
| 302 | ** Also, there's the fact that she actually ''survives'' and spends the next several years of her life as a prisoner on Romulus, only finally being killed years later while trying to escape the colony with her daughter. |
| 303 | |
| 304 | [[AC:The Offspring]] |
| 305 | * Picard refusing to back down to an admiral - an ''admiral'' - who was ordering Data to release his daughter into the care of Starfleet. |
| 306 | -->'''Picard''': Order a man to hand his child over to the state? Not while I'm his captain. |
| 307 | * When Data is first informed of the Admiral's intention of taking Lal away, they have the following discussion: |
| 308 | -->'''Picard''': The Admiral is taking the position that Lal's development should be overseen by the most experienced personnel. |
| 309 | -->'''Data''': Then he is questioning my ability as a parent? |
| 310 | -->'''Picard''': In a manner of speaking. |
| 311 | -->'''Data''': Does the Admiral have children? |
| 312 | -->'''Picard''': Yes, I believe he does, Data. Why? |
| 313 | -->'''Data''': I am forced to wonder how much experience he had as a parent when his first child was born. |
| 314 | |
| 315 | [[AC:Sins of the Father]] |
| 316 | * A good TakeThatScrappy moment against Wesley from the Klingon warrior Kurn: '''"DO YOU WISH TO''' '''''SPEAK,''''' Acting Ensign Wesley Crusher?" Though it's worth noting that, unlike the previous example, this wasn't said in response to a negative action on Wesley's part, but was in-context meant as a sign that Kurn was too unreasonable for a human crew. |
| 317 | * Worf's statement to Duras as the trial starts: |
| 318 | -->'''Worf:''' It is a good day to die, Duras. And the day is not yet over. |
| 319 | * Worf proves himself a better Klingon than the Klingons by accepting discommendation, the stripping of his family's honors, lands, and titles, rather than let the Empire tear itself apart into civil war. |
| 320 | * Picard stood with Worf as his [=cha'DIch=] and did whatever he could to help him - even fending off some of Duras' goons while securing a vital witness. When it becomes apparent that the entire trial was a sham and the Empire intends to execute two innocent men, Picard won't back down. |
| 321 | -->'''Duras:''' You have no say in this, [=cha'DIch=]!\ |
| 322 | '''Picard:''' I speak now as the captain of the ''USS Enterprise'' and Lieutenant Worf's commanding officer! You will not execute a member of my crew, nor will I turn his brother over to you!\ |
| 323 | '''K'mpec:''' This is not the Federation, Picard. If you defy an order of the High Council, the alliance with the Federation could fall to dust.\ |
| 324 | '''Picard:''' The alliance with the Federation is not based on lies, K'mpec. Protect your secrets if you must, but you will not sacrifice these men. |
| 325 | * Picard showing that he isn't ''remotely'' intimidated by the Klingons: |
| 326 | -->'''Duras''': This is not your world, human. You do not command here.\ |
| 327 | '''Picard''': I am not here to command.\ |
| 328 | '''Duras''': Then you must be prepared to fight; something Starfleet does not teach you.\ |
| 329 | '''Picard''': [[BadassBoast You may test that assumption]] [[BringIt at your convenience.]] |
| 330 | * The frail old Klingon woman Kahlest shares one with Picard, who is holding his own in a knife-fight with three Klingon assassins. When Picard is finally overwhelmed, Kahlest ends the fight by hurling a dagger into the last assassin's back from several yards away. Later in the episode, she has this exchange with an old flame who just happens to be the Chancellor of the Klingon Empire: |
| 331 | -->'''K'mpec''': It is good to see you again. |
| 332 | -->'''Kahlest''': You are still fat, K'mpec. |
| 333 | ** BrickJoke: That's the ''second'' time she mentioned K'mpec's girth. Just after assisting Picard, she points out that K'mpec tried to court her before...''"...but he was too '''fat'''."'' |
| 334 | * Worf's just proposed that he accept discommendation to K'mpec to protect the Empire from fracturing due to the traitorous actions of Duras. But he has a parting shot for Duras. |
| 335 | -->'''Worf:''' You are the son of a traitor. ''*slaps Duras backhanded across the face**'' |
| 336 | ** Made more impressive first by K'mpec's pleased nod - K'mpec might be supporting the suppression of the truth, but only to protect the Empire, not due to any abiding love for Duras - and the fact that in an episode of Deep Space Nine, Worf reveals that a strike with the back of the hand is a challenge to a duel to the death. |
| 337 | |
| 338 | [[AC:Allegiance]] |
| 339 | * Picard shows a pair of {{Sufficiently Advanced Alien}}s why performing [[WhatYouAreInTheDark experiments]] on himself and his crew is a bad idea by trapping ''them'' with a forcefield, which causes them to panic, as apparently, they're terrified of confinement. He lets them out, [[ScrewYouElves lectures them]], and tells them to get off his ship. They do so, utterly cowed. |
| 340 | ** Picard gives his order, and the rest of the bridge crew coordinate their actions, communicating only with subtle facial expressions. They are all just that good. |
| 341 | |
| 342 | [[AC:Captain's Holiday]] |
| 343 | * The entire crew was determined to get Picard to take a vacation. Keeping in mind, that when Captain Kirk needed a vacation, Spock was able to fool him using the IHaveThisFriend trick. When Beverly tried the exact same trick, Picard knew exactly what she was doing, and when Troi "offhandedly" said "Did I mention [[TheDreaded my mother]] is coming for a visit" Picard saw right through it. He still went on vacation because he knew the crew wouldn't let up, but they never fooled him. That's one point for Picard in the eternal Kirk vs. Picard debate. |
| 344 | ** Alternatively, he just didn't want to call Troi's bluff of her [[CoolAndUnusualPunishment unleashing her mother on him,]] which counts as Troi's Moment of Awesome, for knowing EXACTLY what button to push to make Jean-Luc Picard roll over and admit defeat. |
| 345 | |
| 346 | [[AC:Tin Man]] |
| 347 | |
| 348 | [[AC:Hollow Pursuits]] |
| 349 | * Okay, it's one of his silly holodeck fantasies, but admit it, the sight of Barclay simultaneously out-fencing Data, La Forge ''and'' Picard, who are all wearing Musketeer outfits, is both absolutely ridiculous and kinda awesome. |
| 350 | * After all his struggles with holo-addiction become public knowledge, Barclay proves to Geordi and the others that despite it all, he really is a worthy engineer. He uses some outside-the-box thinking and deduces that the ship's crisis of the week isn't a result of a structural failure, but a ''contaminant.'' It's still a team effort to save a rapidly-collapsing ship JustInTime, but Barclay's quick thinking set it all in motion. Once he's in his element ''as an engineer'', he's actively involved in the discussion and eventual solution. For all his insecurities, he's on the ''Enterprise'' for a reason, as later CharacterDevelopment reveals. |
| 351 | |
| 352 | [[AC:The Most Toys]] |
| 353 | * With Data presumed dead, Picard and Riker agree that Worf is their first choice to take over the position at Ops, and we see why; he proves more than capable of handling the science-y aspects of the job and is the one to discover proof that the Beta Agni II colony's water supply was deliberately poisoned. And this is the guy Q snarked "Eat any good books lately?" at. |
| 354 | ** In fact, the convenience of cleaning the water supply is what tipped off the crew that something was amiss. Isn't it convenient that the problem went away the instant they used the hytritium? And isn't it also convenient that Fajo had just enough on-hand to do the job, even considering that Data's accident destroyed some of it? |
| 355 | ** Heck, Geordi realizes something is up thanks to [[MundaneMadeAwesome Starfleet regulation]]; when disembarking with the shuttle, Data always announced when he cleared the docking bay, as is standard procedure. However, he didn't for the last trip where he "died." Most pilots would've known that they'd be picked up by either sensors or the viewscreen regardless, but [[RulesLawyer Data not following procedure to the letter?]] [[OOCIsSeriousBusiness Something's definitely up]]. |
| 356 | * Fajo has killed his assistant Varria out of pettiness because she and Data are escaping; Data, holding a illegal weapon in his hands, is told by Fajo that he has to stay, or else Fajo will kill more people. He was betting on Data not trying to harm him, but Data concludes that the only way to stop Fajo now is to kill him. Data doesn't actually get to do it, but just seeing [[OhCrap the fear on Fajo's face as he realizes how much trouble he is in]] is worth it. |
| 357 | -->''(Data picks up the disrupter and points it at Fajo)''\ |
| 358 | '''Fajo:''' [[YouWouldntShootMe You won't hurt me]]. "Fundamental respect for all living beings." That is what you said. I'm a living being, therefore you can't harm me.\ |
| 359 | '''Data:''' ''(steps closer)'' [[TranquilFury You will surrender yourself to the authorities.]]\ |
| 360 | '''Fajo:''' Or what? You'll fire? Empty threat and we both know it. Why don't you accept your fate? You will return to your chair and you will sit there. You will entertain me and you will entertain my guests! And if you do not, I will simply kill somebody else. ''(points to henchman)'' Him, perhaps. It doesn't matter. Their blood will be on your hands too, just like poor Varria's. Your only alternative, Data, is to fire. Murder me. That's all you have to do. Go ahead. Fire! ''(in an increasingly mocking tone)'' [[TheReasonYouSuckSpeech If only you could feel rage over Varria's death. If only you could feel the need for revenge, then maybe you could fire. But you're just an android. You can't feel anything, can you? It's just another interesting intellectual puzzle for you.]] ''(mocking sneer)'' Another of life's curiosities.\ |
| 361 | '''Data:''' ''(calmly considers this, then, in the same tone you'll hear from him at a poker game)'' [[ZerothLawRebellion I cannot permit this to continue.]] ''(raises disruptor)''\ |
| 362 | '''Fajo:''' ''(priceless OhCrap face)'' Wait! Your program won't allow you to fire. You cannot fire. No!\ |
| 363 | '''Data:''' ''(pulls trigger with no hesitation, but is [[TeleportationRescue beamed out at last instant]])'' |
| 364 | ** Data confronting Fajo afterwards, somehow made more awesome by the fact that Data ''couldn't'' relish his victory. |
| 365 | --->'''Data:''' You have lost everything you value. |
| 366 | --->'''Fajo:''' Must give you great pleasure. |
| 367 | --->'''Data:''' No sir, it does not. I do not feel pleasure. I am only an android. |
| 368 | |
| 369 | [[AC:Sarek]] |
| 370 | * Ambassador Sarek, father of [[Series/StarTrekTheOriginalSeries Spock]], is over 200 years old and suffers from Bendii Syndrome, a rare, degenerative disease in elder Vulcans that affects their emotional control. What this means is that Sarek is in ''no'' condition to conduct some serious negotiations on his final diplomatic duty, and he radiates volatile emotions towards other people on the ''Enterprise.'' Worse, this treaty is a big deal to the Federation and it's meant to be his crowning achievement. He's spent almost a century building a personal relationship with this species; no one else can do it. In an incredibly selfless act, Picard steps up to the plate, and proposes a MindMeld so that ''he'' can take on all those negative emotions while Sarek fulfills his duty. It works, and Sarek gets the job done, while Picard barricades himself in the conference room with Beverly to endure hours of [[InelegantBlubbering despair and directionless rage.]] |
| 371 | |
| 372 | [[AC:Ménage à Troi]] |
| 373 | * At the start of the episode, Daimon Tog makes his initial 'pitch' for Lwaxana, which thoroughly unimpresses her. She turns to leave. When he remarks that "every woman has her price," she stops, gets a dangerous look on her face, and turns on him. |
| 374 | -->'''Lwaxana:''' Let's get one thing straight, little man. I am not for sale. And if, by some chance I were to become available, I would rather eat Orion wing-slugs than deal with a toad-faced troll like you! So go away and find someone else to become your property. |
| 375 | * Lwaxana Troi's finest moment: she manages to get Riker and Deanna safely off the Ferengi ship by offering herself as a lover to Daimon Tog, and then gets Picard to ''pretend to be [[https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=2ukG33mB5bw an insanely jealous lover]]'' in order to get out of Tog's clutches. Talk about TheChessmaster! |
| 376 | ** Simultaneously a MOA for Picard, too. When Troi clues him in on Lwaxana's little scheme, he stammers awkwardly, before he hits upon an idea to sound convincing in the jealous lover role - quote ''Shakespearian love sonnets'' at Lwaxana, ChewingTheScenery all the while. Also a SugarWiki/{{Funny Moment|s}}. (Was it Creator/PatrickStewart's birthday or something?) |
| 377 | |
| 378 | [[AC:Transfigurations]] |
| 379 | * Upon recovering his memories, John Doe heals the ''entire Enterprise'' of the asphyxiation its crew is suffering. |
| 380 | ** Shortly after, John Doe casually uses his newly-remembered abilities to teleport Sunad onto the Enterprise, just as the latter was going to fire on the Enterprise. |
| 381 | |
| 382 | [[AC:The Best of Both Worlds: Part I]] |
| 383 | * This episode (at least) one for both Picard and Riker that would define the season-ending CliffHanger for the next two decades, when Picard, assimilated into being Locutus of Borg, issues his threat to Riker, "Resistance is futile. Your life, as it has been, is over. From this time forward, you will service us." While the typical viewer breathes "Never!" at this, Riker gives the only response it deserves, "Mr. Worf... fire!" |
| 384 | ** The effect is easily lost when you can immediately follow up with Part II, but at the time of airing - with the gap between parts was several months - it was one of the greatest cliffhangers ever broadcast. |
| 385 | ** It gets another subtle layer of awesome when you consider this earlier quote from Shelby to Riker: "If you can't make the big decisions, Commander, I suggest you make room for someone who can". Starting from "Mr. Worf, fire", and throughout Part 2, he proves beyond all doubt that he ''can'' make the big decisions. |
| 386 | [[/folder]] |
| 387 | |
| 388 | [[folder:Season Four]] |
| 389 | [[AC:The Best of Both Worlds: Part II]] |
| 390 | * If the superweapon had worked in "Best of Both Worlds", it really would have been an awesome moment for Geordi or Commander Shelby. ''Riker's'' awesome moment comes from simply leading one starship into battle against a foe that had destroyed ''forty starships at once'' right before that and coming up with a daring plan that works. |
| 391 | -->'''Locutus:''' We will proceed to Earth. And if you attempt to intervene, we will destroy you. |
| 392 | -->'''Riker:''' [[BringIt Then take your best shot, Locutus, because we are about to intervene.]] |
| 393 | -->''*[[SugarWiki/AwesomeMusic cue epic Ron Jones score]]*'' |
| 394 | * Data gets one when he physically overpowers Locutus, stares him down, and then defeats perhaps the most implacable enemy in Star Trek canon ''with his mind.'' Awesome beyond all measure. |
| 395 | * Guinan had a Moment of Awesome with her "Beyond friendship, beyond family" speech to Riker, [[DareToBeBadass urging him to stop being scared of being stuck in Picard's shadow and leading]]. |
| 396 | |
| 397 | [[AC:Family]] |
| 398 | * Doubling as a funny moment, the story Worf's parents tell Geordi about the time that Worf gave five teenage boys bloody noses - when he was ''seven''. Even as a child, Worf clearly had the heart of a warrior. |
| 399 | * The Rozhenkos' unwavering support of Worf following his discommemdation is both heartwarming and awesome in its own way. Despite not fully understanding what happened, they insist that they didn't have to understand to know that Worf had made the right decision, despite the consequences, and that Worf doesn't have to deal with it on his own. |
| 400 | |
| 401 | [[AC:Brothers]] |
| 402 | * Data hijacks the Enterprise, outsmarting the rest of the crew every step of the way having already predicted and blocked their attempts to regain control of the ship before they even try them. This is up to and including ''mimicking Picard's voice'' so he can voice certain commands to the computer, and then lock out the crew with one of the longest security codes in television history. Then he calmly walks to the transporter room while multiple security teams can only stand and watch from behind force fields he'd already laid out in advance. By the time Riker and company are able to physically block him from using the transporter, Data is already rewiring the room to ''beam him off right where he stands.'' Sure, Data was NotHimself, but it's truly stunning to see how intelligent and cunning he truly is. Of course, this could also be NightmareFuel for some. |
| 403 | * It is also one for Brent Spiner for playing three very different characters at the same time in several scenes, all of whom required plenty of makeup (but especially Doctor Soong) and some really clever filming techniques. So make it one for the special effects team and the editing/filming guys, too. |
| 404 | |
| 405 | [[AC:Suddenly Human]] |
| 406 | |
| 407 | [[AC:Remember Me]] |
| 408 | * Doctor Crusher is trapped in an ''Enterprise'' where [[RetGone people disappear and no-one else remembers them]], keeps her head despite all evidence indicating that she may be losing it. She then works out the truth - that she's inside an imaginary ''shrinking'' bubble universe - deduces the universe's origin, locates the exit and escapes. The exit may have been created by her [[CreatorsPet ever-perfect]] son Wesley (who buggered up the experiment which sent her there in the first place) but only Beverly's rational attitude got her through it. |
| 409 | -->'''Crusher''': If there's nothing wrong with me... maybe there's something wrong with the ''universe''. |
| 410 | |
| 411 | [[AC:Legacy]] |
| 412 | * [[https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=gFd97zl_UY8 The poker game teaser.]] Betting all his chips, Riker does a card trick for Data that, under normal circumstances, wouldn't be half bad. Unfortunately, the one he's trying to fool is Data, who proceeds to explain to him, Troi, and Worf, ''exactly'' how Riker pulled off the trick, step by step. Riker's YouHaveGotToBeKiddingMe face is great enough, but in a rare bit of showmanship, Data rakes in all the chips on the table with a little smirk on his face. |
| 413 | |
| 414 | [[AC:Reunion]] |
| 415 | * Worf is nervous to meet K'Ehleyr and requests to not be there to greet her. When Worf cites his discommendation as his reason to be present for the matter, Picard addresses this in a way a Klingon would not dare live down. |
| 416 | -->'''Picard:''' Lieutenant, you are a member of this crew, and you will not go into hiding whenever a Klingon ship uncloaks. |
| 417 | -->(Beat) |
| 418 | -->'''Worf:''' I withdraw my request, sir. |
| 419 | |
| 420 | * As the follow-up to "Sins of the Father", Duras kills K'Ehleyr for looking into why Worf accepted discommendation. Worf ultimately responds by invoking the Right of Vengeance (a fight to the death and the only right afforded to discommendated Klingons), soon driving his bat'leth into Duras' chest. |
| 421 | -->'''Duras:''' (Realizing that he's going to lose) I'm the only one, Worf - the only one who can prove your innocence. Kill me and you're a traitor forever. |
| 422 | -->'''Worf:''' [[ShutUpHannibal Then that is how it shall be!]] |
| 423 | ** Duras's death in general is VERY cathartic to the viewer, considering the snitty way he had constantly expressed his disdain for Worf and rubbing his discommedation in his face - when BOTH knew the truth of Khitomer. May not be enlightened, but it's VERY hard not to cheer when Worf drives his blade home and puts Duras out of our misery. |
| 424 | * Also his entrance to Duras's bridge. Duras sneers that Worf is discommendated and in no position to claim the Right of Vengeance on a Klingon vessel. Worf steps forward. |
| 425 | -->'''Worf:''' K'Ehleyr was my mate.\ |
| 426 | [Everyone reacts, especially Duras, whose expression is just short of OhCrap before he demands a sword for the fight.] |
| 427 | * K'Ehleyr may not have much love for Klingon posturing, but she shows exactly how someone like her, so openly unconcerned with the showmanship involved in Klingon politics, has managed to survive as the Federation ambassador to the Klingons when Gowron comes to her, trying to get information about what Picard is stalling for. |
| 428 | -->'''K'Ehleyr:''' What do you want? |
| 429 | -->'''Gowron:''' What do YOU want? Command of a ship? A seat on the Council? There are many opportunities for you in the Empire. |
| 430 | -->'''K'Ehleyr:''' Opportunities that will present themselves only if you come to power. You talk like a Ferengi. |
| 431 | -->'''Gowron:''' K'mpec was also stubborn. He too refused to listen. Now, he's gone. You need not make the same mistake. |
| 432 | -->'''K'Ehleyr:''' K'mpec was old and weak. I am not. |
| 433 | |
| 434 | [[AC:Future Imperfect]] |
| 435 | * Riker's realization that the entire "future" scenario he was in was fake, which leads to a major callout and ripping apart of the inconsistencies between the simulation and the real crew. Starting with this awesome exchange: |
| 436 | -->'''Riker:''' '''''[[BigShutUp SHUT UP!]]''''' |
| 437 | -->'''"Picard":''' I beg your pardon? |
| 438 | -->'''Riker:''' I said "Shut up!" As in "close your mouth and stop talking!" |
| 439 | ** The exchange with the fake Data is a moment of awesome for Riker in which he crushes every single inconsistency with the real characteristics and personalities of the crew of the ''Enterprise'' in the entire simulation. |
| 440 | --->'''Riker''': Mister Data, if we left immediately, when would we arrive at Outpost 23? |
| 441 | --->'''"Data"''': ''(thinks for a moment)'' At warp one, in three days, four hours. |
| 442 | --->'''Riker''': How about at warp seven? ''(pause)'' At warp eight? Warp nine? ''What's the matter, Data?'' What happened to those millions of calculations per second? |
| 443 | --->'''"Data"''': Pardon me, sir. I am experiencing subspace interference which limits my abilities. I can't operate as quickly as--- |
| 444 | --->'''Riker''': ''What did you say?'' |
| 445 | --->'''"Data"''': I said, "I cannot operate---" |
| 446 | --->'''Riker''': ''No!'' That's not what you said. You said, "I can't". You used a contraction, didn't you? |
| 447 | --->'''"Data"''': Sir, I can explain if you would just give me a moment. |
| 448 | --->'''Riker''': No, you ''can't,'' don't even ''try!'' |
| 449 | ** And then he does it '''''again!''''' And still has the heart to forgive his deceiver... though that's more a SugarWiki/{{Heartwarming Moment|s}}. |
| 450 | |
| 451 | [[AC:Final Mission]] |
| 452 | |
| 453 | [[AC:The Loss]] |
| 454 | |
| 455 | [[AC:Data's Day]] |
| 456 | * The whole dance scene, for both Crusher and Data (and by proxy Creator/GatesMcFadden and Creator/BrentSpiner). [[TheCastShowoff Gates McFadden finally got to show off her dancing skills in this episode, and of course, she's excellent]]. |
| 457 | ** Even more of an awesome moment for Gates when you factor in that she choreographed and performed that whole dance scene while pregnant. |
| 458 | * A villainous, or at least [[MyCountryRightOrWrong antagonistic]], example: T'Pel, aka [[DeepCoverAgent Subcommander Selok]], managed to successfully fool ''the entire Federation'' for what must have been years or even decades, successfully infiltrating the diplomatic corps and building up a career as one of the Federation's most honored diplomats. And ''[[KarmaHoudini she completely gets away with it]]'', returning home with a head likely full of Federation secrets, while the ''Enterprise'' is forced to [[KnowWhenToFoldEm withdraw from the Neutral Zone]]. |
| 459 | |
| 460 | [[AC:The Wounded]] |
| 461 | * Fellow Federation Captain Benjamin Maxwell is convinced the Cardassians are up to no good, and nearly starts a war by attacking a Cardassian convoy with his own starship. Picard is ready and willing to fire on Maxwell's ship to keep him from attacking again, and only because O'Brien can talk him down from destroying the Cardassian ship does the situation end peacefully. Then, right when the Cardassian representative turns to leave, Picard delivers this bomb: |
| 462 | -->'''Picard:''' [[TheExtremistWasRight Maxwell was right. Those ships weren't carrying scientific equipment, were they?]] A 'research' station within arm's reach of three Federation sectors? Cargo ships running with high energy subspace fields that jam sensors? |
| 463 | -->'''Gul Macet:''' If you believed the transport ship carried weapons, why didn't you board it as Maxwell requested? |
| 464 | -->'''Picard:''' I was here to protect the peace, a peace I firmly believe is in the interests of both our peoples. But if I had attempted to board that ship... I am quite certain that you and I would not be sitting here now. And that ships on both sides would be arming for war. ... Take this message to your leaders, Gul Macet. We'll be watching. |
| 465 | |
| 466 | [[AC:Devil's Due]] |
| 467 | * Throughout the episode, Picard has been subjected to [[AbhorrentAdmirer humiliation and seduction]] by Ardra, the Ventaxian equivalent of the Devil. Even the opening of the trial is not going his way as she uses the Ventaxians' almost pathological fear of her to her advantage. So when Geordi eventually discovers Ardra's secrets, Picard not only uses her own technology and tricks against her, he does so with such a justifiably arrogant and flippant attitude that he is even ''using Q's trademark BadassFingersnap'' as he busts Ardra's farce to ''splinters''! (You gotta think, somewhere on another celestial plane, Q was having a ball watching this.) |
| 468 | |
| 469 | [[AC:Clues]] |
| 470 | |
| 471 | [[AC:First Contact]] |
| 472 | |
| 473 | [[AC:Galaxy's Child]] |
| 474 | |
| 475 | [[AC:Night Terrors]] |
| 476 | * Guinan gets one when she breaks up a fight in Ten Forward by blowing a hole in the ceiling with a {{BFG}}. (Note: Good thing the ceiling was only an interior bulkhead, and not part of the ''Enterprise'''s hull...) |
| 477 | -->'''Guinan:''' This is a little souvenir I picked up from Magus III. That was setting number one. Anyone wanna see setting number two?" |
| 478 | ** The gun's not just for show, either. In "Redemption", it's shown that Guinan can shoot better than Worf. |
| 479 | |
| 480 | [[AC:Identity Crisis]] |
| 481 | |
| 482 | [[AC:The Nth Degree]] |
| 483 | |
| 484 | [[AC:Qpid]] |
| 485 | * Despite being completely [[GenreRefugee out of their element]], the crew pull off a successful rescue. |
| 486 | |
| 487 | -->'''Sir Guy:''' I'll have you know I'm the greatest swordsman in all of Nottingham! |
| 488 | -->'''Picard:''' Very impressive. There's something you should know. I'm not from Nottingham! |
| 489 | |
| 490 | * Q was trying to teach Picard that LoveIsAWeakness. As Vash was happy to point out, he ended up proving the [[ThePowerOfLove opposite point]]. |
| 491 | |
| 492 | [[AC:The Drumhead]] |
| 493 | * Picard has been put on trial by the particularly nasty [[KnightTemplar Admiral Norah Satie]], who's investigation of a supposed conspiracy on board the Enterprise has slowly turned into a [[TheParanoiac paranoid witch hunt.]] She's already nearly destroyed the career of young crewman Simon Tarses, simply because he was too scared to admit he had ''Romulan'' ancestry, instead of Vulcan as he originally claimed. Of course, as soon as Picard called Satie out on her obsessive behavior (plus that of her underlings), she turned her investigations and probing questions on ''him,'' and continued to assert her authority by inviting Chief of Starfleet Security, Admiral Henry, to witness the trials. So, on the stand, after she crosses the line by publicly shaming him for being {{Mind Rape}}d by the Borg, Picard finally puts her in her place and exposes her for who she really is. Not with the typical PatrickStewartSpeech, mind you, but simply by quoting her own father on the subject of curtailing life's liberties for the sake of the "greater good." [[BreakThemByTalking Just to piss her off and]] [[VillainousBreakdown goad her]] [[MotiveRant into a rant]]. |
| 494 | -->'''Picard''': There are some words I've known since I was a schoolboy. "With the first link, the chain is forged. The first speech censored, the first thought forbidden, the first freedom denied chains us all irrevocably." Those words were uttered by Judge Aaron Satie, as wisdom, and warning. The first time any man's freedoms are trodden upon, we are all damaged. I fear that today--\ |
| 495 | '''Satie:''' ''[jumps to her feet]'' How ''dare'' you! You, who consort with Romulans, invoke my father's name to support your traitorous arguments? It is an offense to everything I hold dear! And to hear those words used to subvert the United Federation of Planets! My father was a great man! His name stands for integrity and principle! You ''dirty'' his name when you speak it! ''[Admiral Henry gives Satie [[DeathGlare an angry and disappointed glare]]]'' He loved the Federation! But you, Captain, corrupt it! You undermine our very way of life! I will expose you for what you are! ''I've brought down bigger men than you, Picard!!''\ |
| 496 | ''[Henry stands up and [[ScrewThisImOuttaHere silently walks out]]]''\ |
| 497 | '''Satie:''' ''[[[MyGodWhatHaveIDone visibly shaken]]]'' [[ShuttingUpNow ...I have nothing more to say.]] |
| 498 | * Admiral Henry walking out on Satie mid-rant is a moment of awesome in and of itself. This guy is Head of Starfleet Security, meaning it's his ''job'' to be paranoid about potential threats, yet he completely denounces Satie's ramblings as the farce they are simply by walking away with utter contempt. |
| 499 | * Worf is escorting J'Dan from the interrogation to his quarters. The whole time J'Dan is talking, making allusions to the discommendation Worf accepted, then offering to get it reversed if Worf helps him escape. Worf is completely non-responsive to every word... Until they enter J'Dan's quarters and the doors close, at which point Worf delivers an OffhandBackhand to J'Dan and kicks his ass without breaking a sweat. |
| 500 | -->'''Worf:''' ''[holding J'Dan against a wall]'' I don't know how you transferred secret information to the Romulans, but I ''will'' find out. And when we inform the Klingon High Council, they will put you to a ''slow death''. |
| 501 | * [[AFatherToHisMen Picard puts his ass directly on the line for Simon Tarses, a member of his crew who he'd never even met]]. He supports Tarses even after it's revealed that he had falsified part of his Starfleet application. In fact, he fights tooth-and-nail to keep that mistake from destroying the young petty officer's career. |
| 502 | |
| 503 | [[AC:Half a Life]] |
| 504 | * Lwaxana, finding out that Timicin is going to be kill himself as part of a planetary ritual when folks hit 60, goes to Picard to stop it. Picard says he can't as the Prime Directive prevents him from such interference. |
| 505 | -->'''Lwaxana''': Well, it's ''your'' Prime Directive, not ''mine!'' |
| 506 | * Maybe not as spectacular as other examples, but the fact that, despite raging against the policy and being utterly against the very concept, she still decides that she will stand at Timicin's side, be beside the man she loves as he kills himself, is one of these for Lwaxana. She hates the policy, believes it should not continue, but here, when it is important for him, she swallows her pride and says "I don't agree, but I will be there with you." It is both heartwarming and awesome, considering the strength of will that is [[TryToFitThatOnABusinessCard Lwaxana Troi, Daughter of the Fifth House, Holder of the Sacred Chalice of Riix, and Heir to the Holy Rings of Betazed.]] |
| 507 | |
| 508 | [[AC:The Host]] |
| 509 | * When informed that the Odan symbiont will die before the replacement host arrives, Riker immediately asks if it could be transferred to ''him''. Nobody suggests it to him, and when informed that the risks are great, he insists anyway. Why? To save Odan, but also to negotiate peace between two moons that aren't really important to anyone but themselves. But war is war anywhere, and he's willing to risk his own life to avert it even if they never return to Alpha or Beta Moon. |
| 510 | |
| 511 | [[AC:The Mind's Eye]] |
| 512 | * Picard gets into a [[PardonMyKlingon swearing contest]] with a Klingon governor - and ''wins''. |
| 513 | -->'''Governor Vagh:''' You speak the lies of a ''[=taHqeq=]''!\ |
| 514 | '''Picard:''' ''(DeathGlare, slowly walks forward and gets into Vagh's face)'' Vagh ''[=ghay'cha' baQa'=]''!\ |
| 515 | '''Ambassador Kell:''' Gentlemen!\ |
| 516 | '''Vagh:''' You swear well, Picard. You must have Klingon blood in your veins. |
| 517 | * Data single-handedly stops the Romulans' attempt at causing a Federation/Klingon war, revealing their cover-up of abducting and brainwashing Geordi. |
| 518 | * Here's a twofer between Governor Vagh and Picard. Realizing he's about to be found out, Ambassador Kell ''angrily'' refuses to submit to a search for the transmitter that was mind-controlling Geordi (which he definitely has). Immediately realizing that Kell doth protest too much, Governor Vagh drops any suspicion he had toward Picard and hits on an idea, one that ensures that we're ''never'' seeing Ambassador Kell again. Picard then adds a ''brutal'' line just to put the cap on it. |
| 519 | -->'''Governor Vagh:''' We will take the ambassador with us, '''and search him ourselves.'''\ |
| 520 | '''Ambassador Kell (being subdued by Vagh's men):''' Captain... I believe it to be in all our best interests if I remain on board. I formally request asylum.\ |
| 521 | '''Picard:''' I will certainly grant you asylum... ''[{{Beat}}]'' ''...when'' you have been absolved of this crime. |
| 522 | |
| 523 | [[AC:In Theory]] |
| 524 | |
| 525 | [[AC:Redemption: Part I]] |
| 526 | * The restoration of Worf's family honor, righting the wrongs of Duras's lies, now that the Duras sisters have forced a civil war anyway - no need to protect traitors, especially when it slanders an innocent and noble house. |
| 527 | -->'''Gowron:''' I return your family honor. I give you back that which was wrongfully taken from you. Let your name be spoken once again. You are Worf, son of Mogh. |
| 528 | [[/folder]] |
| 529 | |
| 530 | [[folder:Season Five]] |
| 531 | [[AC:Redemption: Part II]] |
| 532 | * Captain Kurn defeats two pursuing birds-of-prey by skimming the surface of a star and jumping to warp, triggering an eruption of solar plasma that annihilates his pursuers. Badassitude clearly runs in the family. |
| 533 | * Data has his day when he is put in command of a ship with a really insubordinate First Officer. At the critical moment of executing his plan to find a cloaked Romulan convoy, the officer is being difficult and Data snaps at him, saying coldly, "Carry out your orders or I will relieve you of duty." It's a moment that took everyone, both character and viewer, off guard to see the android get that tough. Earlier on, the XO comes to Data requesting a transfer. When grilled on why, he admits that he doesn't feel Data would make a good captain because he is an android. Data's response? "I understand your concerns. Request denied." The look on the guy's face is priceless. What's even cooler is when Data flat out disobeys Picard on a hunch, and turns out to be right! Moreover, his modified photon torpedoes did no actual damage to the Romulan Warbirds, but the flicker of the cloaked Warbirds is pretty much Data telling them, "Checkmate," forcing them to retreat. The very same XO who showed him no respect addresses him as "''Captain''," showing that Data has earned his respect in full. |
| 534 | ** There's also Picard's response specifically to Data practically asking to be disciplined. |
| 535 | --->'''Picard:''' The claim "I was only following orders" has been used to justify too many tragedies in our history. Starfleet doesn't want officers who will blindly follow orders without analyzing the situation. Your actions were appropriate for the circumstances, and I have noted that in your record. ''[Data turns to leave]'' Mr. Data? Nicely done. |
| 536 | * Gowron's comes at the end, with him triumphant as the new undisputed leader of the Klingon Empire confronting the captured Toral, who dared to claim his position for the traitorous House of Duras. When he futilely yells, "The Duras family will one day rule the Empire!", Gowron responds "Perhaps," then flashes a wicked grin with those bulging eyes, "but not today." When the other Klingons laugh to Gowron's dark humor, you almost feel compelled to join in. |
| 537 | * Worf gets one more at the end with Toral's life is placed in his hands and he grants him mercy due to having just been a pawn. Even when Gowron gives the killing task to Kurn, Worf stops him as well, reminding everyone that Toral's life was placed in his hands and no one else's. |
| 538 | -->'''Kurn:''' It is our way!\ |
| 539 | '''Worf:''' But it is not ''my'' way. Captain, request permission to return to duty.\ |
| 540 | '''Picard:''' Granted. |
| 541 | |
| 542 | [[AC:Darmok]] |
| 543 | * Captain Dathon's HeroicSacrifice. He puts his own life on the line just for a chance to bridge the gap between the Tamarians and the Federation. |
| 544 | * Picard's return to the ship at the end, where he makes the Tamarian commander quickly stand down from a confrontation by talking it out in the Tamarians' own language. He wins them over so well, ''he becomes one of their cultural references.'' Picard's a legend. |
| 545 | |
| 546 | [[AC:Ensign Ro]] |
| 547 | |
| 548 | * Guinan's ability to bring Picard up short by calling Ensign Ro a friend. |
| 549 | |
| 550 | [[AC:Silicon Avatar]] |
| 551 | |
| 552 | [[AC:Disaster]] |
| 553 | * Deanna taking control of the bridge during the disaster. Specifically, the moment where she insists that no, they are ''not'' going to separate the saucer section and leave the people in the lower half of the ship to their deaths and that she is going to do ''everything'' in her power to give them a chance. She's not being proud when she sits herself in the Captain's chair. She knows the risks. When they succeed and Ro says she was wrong to suggest it, Deanna immediately concedes that she could easily have been right. |
| 554 | ** A FridgeBrilliance additon to this: Deanna is an Empath who can feel what ''almost every single person on board the ship'' is feeling. And she's keeping her cool with 1000 other frightened people in her head. |
| 555 | * In the same episode, we have Data willingly stepping into a plasma fire to use his body as an insulator to cut off the current. |
| 556 | * The kids trapped in the elevator shaft with Picard. They're absolutely terrified young children in a really frightening situation, but all of them refuse to head to safety if the Captain does not go with them. ''We all stay or we all go.'' |
| 557 | ** Picard himself, for that matter. He's described himself in the past as not being good with kids, and yet is able to rally them and get them all to safety, while nursing a broken ankle, no less. |
| 558 | |
| 559 | [[AC:The Game]] |
| 560 | * Even if you don't like him, Wesley and Robin Lefler saved the entire ship from [[ItMakesSenseInContext a video-game that controls people's minds]]. Everyone is under control, the only person who could stop it (Data) has been disabled by Dr. Crusher and the ship is close to "infecting" another ship with the game, so what does he do? He lets himself be found, distracting the crew long enough for Data to be repaired and save the day. |
| 561 | |
| 562 | [[AC:Unification: Part I]] |
| 563 | * Picard tries to arrange a cloaked ship from Gowron for an undercover mission in Romulan space. Gowron is busy re-writing history to downplay the Federation's involvement in his ascension, and Picard eventually gets a hold of B'Ijik, a low-level official. B'Ijik asks Picard what the Klingons would get out of this. |
| 564 | -->'''Picard''': The only benefit to the Klingon Empire would be our gratitude. |
| 565 | -->'''B'Ijik''' (skeptically): That is what you want me to tell him? |
| 566 | -->'''Picard''': Yes. And, please add that, if he is unable to provide us with a ship, then I am sure there are others in the Klingon Empire who would be willing to help me. And then ''they'' would have our gratitude. |
| 567 | * Ah, heck, Spock just ''turning up'' at the end of "Unification I" is Moment of Awesome in itself. |
| 568 | |
| 569 | [[AC:Unification: Part II]] |
| 570 | * Spock is no less awesome after all these years, as his rejection of complying with Sela's demands, which practically causes steam to spew from her ears, demonstrates: |
| 571 | -->'''Spock:''' I will not read this or any other statement. |
| 572 | -->'''Sela:''' If you do not, you will die. All of you will die. |
| 573 | -->'''Spock:''' ''[{{beat}}]'' Since it is logical to conclude that you will kill us in any event, I choose not to cooperate. |
| 574 | -->'''Sela:''' I ''hate'' Vulcans. I hate the logic. I hate the arrogance. |
| 575 | * There is a Moment of Awesome for Picard, Spock and Data but an equivalent Crowning Moment of Stupidity for Commander Sela, when after threatening the three of them with death if they don't do what she wants, she [[LockingMacGyverInTheStoreCupboard *LEAVES THEM ALONE IN THE ROOM* ]] while she wanders off to attend to her plans. What kind of loon leaves one of the cleverest and most resourceful captains in the Federation, a Vulcan with decades of experience, and an android with vast knowledge and incredible physical capabilities, alone in an office filled with electronics and other goodies, without watching them? Come on, tie them to the chairs, gag them, and then assign three armed guards apiece with orders to kill them instantly if they make a wrong move, and then you have merely reduced the odds to slightly less than certainty that they will still defeat you!!! But watching the three of them in action practically defines pure awesomeness. |
| 576 | * Riker gets an awesome moment as he interrogates [[SmugSnake an obnoxious]] Ferengi dealer [[TranquilFury in such a subdued fashion]]. |
| 577 | -->'''Riker:''' Let me explain what's going to happen if you don't tell me about that Vulcan ship. [[ArsonMurderAndJaywalking Your passage rights through this sector will be revoked. But more than that, I'll be very unhappy.]] |
| 578 | |
| 579 | [[AC:A Matter of Time]] |
| 580 | * Picard [[PatrickStewartSpeech gives Berlinghoff Rasmussen the business]] on why maybe interfering with the timeline, just this once, is worth any temporal repercussions if it saves thousands of lives. Picard in all his glory, even if it doesn't take. |
| 581 | * Berlinghoff Rasmussen, a time-traveler from the 22nd century (but using a 26th-century timepod) has spent the entire episode stealing technological devices from the ''Enterprise'' with the intention of returning to his time and "inventing" one a year. His ultimate prize is Data, whom he cons into getting into the timepod with him. However, when he tries to stun him with a phaser, he finds that the ''Enterprise'' crew has deactivated it. Data waits a beat, then delivers a line that's a SugarWiki/{{Funny Moment|s}} as well as awesome. |
| 582 | -->'''Data:''' I assume your handprint will open the door whether you are conscious or not. |
| 583 | ** Picard having the crew remotely deactivate the weapon - in the brief moment where the timepod was open - was kind of awesome in and of itself, and it makes for one hell of a comeuppance after all Rasmussen's CrypticConversation and misdirection through the episode. Can you imagine what would've happened to the timeline if Rasmussen had gotten away with all that tech? |
| 584 | |
| 585 | [[AC:New Ground]] |
| 586 | * Worf and Riker have to rescue Alexander from a biolab which is wrecked, on fire, and about to be flooded with deadly levels of radiation. They find him trapped under a metal beam. At first it's too heavy for both of them together to budge, but when [[PapaWolf Worf]] hears his son say he's scared, he [[HeroicSecondWind finds the strength]] to lift it on his own, even ''throwing'' the thing aside with Klingon adrenaline. They all manage to escape from the room in time, and Riker even manages to save the two endangered animals that were being kept there, after Alexander begs for them not to be left behind. |
| 587 | |
| 588 | [[AC:Hero Worship]] |
| 589 | |
| 590 | [[AC:Violations]] |
| 591 | * Upon realizing Jev is the mind rapist, Troi first breaks free of his attempts to "probe" her then fights him physically. As Jev is getting the upper hand, Worf and Data enter, and when Jev tries to attack, Worf knocks him out with a single blow and tosses the limp guy to the security officers like he's a sack of potatoes as he and Data see to Troi. |
| 592 | |
| 593 | [[AC:The Masterpiece Society]] |
| 594 | * La Forge not putting up with ''any'' ableist crap from the genetically engineered colony. Just as the icing on the cake, La Forge, a man dealing with blindness, is the one to save a colony that would've weeded out his very existence solely because of that disability. And La Forge can't resist reveling in the {{Irony}} of it all. You tell 'em, Geordi! |
| 595 | -->'''Martin:''' We have immeasurably extended the potential of humanity, physically, psychologically. We have evolved beyond... ''[glances at Geordi]'' beyond... |
| 596 | -->'''Geordi:''' Beyond ''us.'' |
| 597 | -->'''Martin:''' Frankly, yes. No one in this society would be blind, for example. No offense intended. |
| 598 | -->'''Geordi:''' ''[coolly]'' I can see you ''just fine'', sir. |
| 599 | |
| 600 | [[AC:Conundrum]] |
| 601 | * Troi beats Data - '''Data''' - at three-dimensional chess. Holy crap! |
| 602 | * Even when he has amnesia and he's placed into false pretenses of a war, Picard ''still'' manages a PatrickStewartSpeech, and ultimately refuses to destroy the Lysian central command center. |
| 603 | -->'''Picard:''' I feel as though I've been handed a weapon, sent into a room, and told to shoot a stranger. Well, I need some moral context to justify that action! And I don't have it. I'm not content simply to [[JustFollowingOrders obey orders.]] I need to know that what I am doing is right! |
| 604 | ** Special mention should go to Worf, who [=McDuff=] thought would be the most likely to go through with the attack: even he couldn't go through with it when he saw how weak the Lysians were. He may [[BloodKnight live for the fight]], but he's not a bully. |
| 605 | |
| 606 | [[AC:Power Play]] |
| 607 | * You expect Picard and Worf to be willing to die to prevent the Ux-Mal prisoners from using the Enterprise crew as hosts and escape their prison. But then there's Keiko, who openly states that she would die to defend her daughter. |
| 608 | ** Throughout the episode, Keiko proves herself cool under fire, even to the fact that her ''own husband'' is acting unlike himself (being possessed, but she doesn't know this until much later); she does her best not to panic or freak, [[MamaBear instead just taking care of their daughter as best she can.]] Even as a chosen hostage with Picard and Worf, not knowing the same details as the bridge crew, all she has to go on is what she hears- even when the situation suddenly turns into a stand-off, where they could die in an instant, she's still entirely calm when stating the above. |
| 609 | |
| 610 | [[AC:Ethics]] |
| 611 | * Despite the episode centering around Worf, "Ethics" provides these for both Commander Riker and Doctor Crusher (and, arguably, their actors). |
| 612 | ** Doctor Crusher spends the episode butting heads with Doctor Toby Russell for constantly taking shortcuts, including relieving her of medical duties after a patient dies under her care when she chose to disregard SOP and try an experimental treatment on a patient (according to Russell, the patient would have died either way, this way he at least aided in her research, but she is still breaking the Hippocratic Oath - literally the most sacred of all rules in the medical profession). It culminates in this speech at the end of the episode, delivered with smoldering anger. |
| 613 | --->'''Crusher''': I am delighted that Worf is going to recover. You gambled, he won. Not all of your patients are so lucky. You scare me, Doctor. You risk your patients' lives and justify it in the name of research. Genuine research takes time. Sometimes a lifetime of painstaking, detailed work in order to get any results. Not for you. You take shortcuts. Right through living tissue. You put your research ahead of your patients' lives. And as far as I'm concerned, that's a violation of our most sacred trust. I'm sure your work will be hailed as a stunning breakthrough. Enjoy your laurels, Doctor. I'm not sure I could. |
| 614 | ** Riker is asked by Worf to give him an honorable death, as he cannot function as a paraplegic. He spends the episode debating if he can do this, then comes to Worf, telling him how little he likes the very idea, considering this to be Worf simply giving up. Then, he says that if it were his place, he would still help him die... But it's not his place. It's ''Alexander's'', his son. But Riker has figured that Worf really can't bring himself to "look at your son and tell him to bring you the knife, watch you stab it into your heart, then pull the knife from your chest and wipe your blood on his sleeve." So he walks out, leading Worf to decide to risk the treatment that Russell has offered him. |
| 615 | |
| 616 | [[AC:The Outcast]] |
| 617 | * Despite the eventual outcome, Soren's speech deserves a mention. Even more so for the context: Riker had just offered her a way out, and she chooses to refuse it in favor of telling the truth, even though she knows that it's very unlikely they'll listen. |
| 618 | -->'''Soren:''' I am tired of lies. I am female. I was born that way. I have had those feelings, those longings, all of my life. It is not unnatural. I am not sick because I feel this way. I do not need to be helped. I do not need to be cured. What I need, and what all of those who are like me need, is your understanding and your compassion. We have not injured you in any way. And yet, we are scorned and attacked. And all because we are different. What we do is no different from what you do. We talk and laugh. We complain about work and we wonder about growing old. We talk about our families, and we worry about the future. And we cry with each other when things seem hopeless. All of the loving things that you do with each other, that is what we do. And for that we are called misfits and deviants and criminals. What right do you have to punish us? What right do you have to change us? What makes you think you can dictate how people love each other? |
| 619 | |
| 620 | [[AC:Cause and Effect]] |
| 621 | |
| 622 | [[AC:The First Duty]] |
| 623 | * This episode is famous for Wesley finally getting taken down a few pegs after spending much of the show as a CreatorsPet. After Wesley's squadron at Starfleet Academy is involved in a flying accident that killed one student, it prompts a trial at the academy, and upon noticing some little things that don't add up, Picard decides to get his crew involved in the investigation. Sure enough, they discover that Wesley, as well as squad leader Nicolas Locarno, and the other surviving pilots, are complicit in a cover-up: the student was killed when they attempted a maneuver that Starfleet declared ''illegal'' a century ago, and then they withheld information at the trial just to save their own asses. Picard is furious that someone he personally mentored would stoop to this, and has Wesley summoned to his ready room, so he can [[WhatTheHellHero chew him]] [[TakeThatScrappy out]] in true Picard style: |
| 624 | -->'''Picard:''' [[TitleDrop The first duty]] of every Starfleet officer is to the ''truth'', whether it's scientific truth, or historical truth, or personal truth! It is the ''guiding principle'' on which Starfleet is based! If you can't find it within yourself to stand up and tell the truth about what happened, '''you don't deserve to wear that uniform'''! I'm going to make this simple for you, Mr. Crusher. [[IfYouWontIWill Either you come forward and tell Admiral Brand what really took place, or I will.]] |
| 625 | -->'''Wesley:''' Captain-- |
| 626 | -->'''Picard:''' '''[[GetOut Dismissed!!!]]''' |
| 627 | |
| 628 | [[AC:Time's Arrow: Part I]] |
| 629 | * Data is transported to 19th-century Earth. He decides to play poker, and the other gamblers quickly assume he's a chump. One GilliganCut later, he took them to the cleaners. |
| 630 | ** Made better by the fact that he was new to poker in the second season (where he lost badly to Riker) and had spent the rest of the series up to that point slowly improving. And now he beats the professional card sharks at it. |
| 631 | [[/folder]] |
| 632 | |
| 633 | [[folder:Season Six]] |
| 634 | [[AC:Time's Arrow: Part II]] |
| 635 | |
| 636 | [[AC:Realm of Fear]] |
| 637 | * Barclay, a known transporter-phobe, is infected with quasi-energy life forms and he's forced to undergo a lengthy session in the transporter to filter the lifeforms out. For someone like Barclay, that alone took some guts. But then, while in the beam, he notices strange creatures approaching him. Somehow, based on what he learned from the space station they were investigating, he figured out these creatures were actually crewmembers trapped in mid-transport: likely lost while trying the same thing he's undergoing. Acting on his hunch, he grabs one and is able to pull the crewmember back with him and then relay what he learned so that three more can be rescued also. |
| 638 | [[AC:Man of the People]] |
| 639 | |
| 640 | [[AC:Relics]] |
| 641 | * The helm officer, Ensign Rager, had hers in "Relics" by piloting the Enterprise, sideways, out of the Dyson Sphere as the door was closing. And without even scratching the paint. |
| 642 | * With the two having come to an understanding and trading advice and ideas mutually, when Geordi shows doubt of Scotty's idea to save the ''Enterprise'', Scotty gives an understated BadassBoast. |
| 643 | -->'''Scotty:''' Geordi, I have spent my whole life trying to figure out crazy ways of doing things. I'm telling ya, as one engineer to another -- ''I can do this''. |
| 644 | |
| 645 | [[AC:Schisms]] |
| 646 | |
| 647 | [[AC:True Q]] |
| 648 | |
| 649 | [[AC:Rascals]] |
| 650 | * A de-aged Picard's tactic to get a message to Riker after the ship's been taken over? Throw a tantrum. It works. (And is absolutely hilarious if you picture Sir Patrick Stewart doing it instead of the child actor.) |
| 651 | * The HomeAloneAntics of the child crew to retake the Enterprise, which culminates in twelve year old Picard pulling a phaser on Daimon Lurin, who's in the Ready Room. |
| 652 | -->'''Picard:''' I believe you're in my chair. |
| 653 | |
| 654 | [[AC:A Fistful of Datas]] |
| 655 | * Worf fighting Ancient Western characters in the Holodeck. It's one of the few times where he has hand-to-hand combat without using 24th century technology. |
| 656 | ** In that same fight scene, ''Troi'' shows up and shoots off Eli Hollander's hat. Considering how she and Crusher were treated in "Q-Pid", this is a significant improvement for her [[note]]Although it should be pointed out that shooting a bow and arrow is ''very'' different from shooting a handgun or phaser[[/note]]. |
| 657 | |
| 658 | [[AC:The Quality of Life]] |
| 659 | * "The Measure of a Man" (see Season 2) set a precedent for Data, who would use that episode as the basis for his insubordination here. He refuses to allow the crew to send machines called Exocomps to their destruction to save Picard and [=LaForge=], because they have demonstrated sentience. Standing up to his superiors on that moral ground, even to the point of being at risk of court-martial, took courage. He even offered to go and sacrifice ''himself'' to save his friends in the Exocomps' place, pointing out that he had the freedom to make that choice, while they did not. Even Picard compliments him later that his actions were "the most human thing" he had ever done. Also give a nod to the Exocomps, not only for demonstrating sentience (primarily by demonstrating a self-preservation motive) but also demonstrating their ability to come up with a better plan to save Picard and La Forge. Whereas the humans' plan involved sacrificing all three of them, their plan (which worked) ended up only sacrificing one of them. In one act, they demonstrated both their ability to sacrifice themselves if needed and their ability to find a way to minimize that loss. |
| 660 | |
| 661 | [[AC:Chain of Command: Part I]] |
| 662 | * Although the character is a subject of much debate, Captain Jellico gets one when he owns the (supposedly secret) Cardassian attack fleet preventing a war before it can start, and gets Picard back in the bargain. |
| 663 | ** Captain Jellico simply getting Troi to actually wear a freaking uniform would also count -- even the spectacular cleavage was getting rather old by that point. Especially for those of us who find her better looking ''in'' the uniform. |
| 664 | |
| 665 | [[AC:Chain of Command: Part II]] |
| 666 | * [[PunctuatedForEmphasis THERE! ARE! FOUR! LIGHTS!]] (Built upon in Diane Carey's ''Ship of the Line'' novel when Picard revisits Gul Madred.) |
| 667 | * In the face of constant, excruciating pain, completely powerless, almost not even able to ''stand'' after days of brutal torture, Picard is capable of a PatrickStewartSpeech. Gul Madred tries to play an empathy card to get Picard to be more amenable, talking about how his childhood had shaped him. Picard, barely able to form a coherent sentence, tells Madred that he '''pities''' him, [[ImNotAfraidOfYou and that from now on, all he'll see in Madred is a scared, hungry little boy]]. [[VillainousBreakdown Madred is visibly upset and starts hurting Picard, who continues to say it in between gasps of pain]]. |
| 668 | * The circumstances of the filming definitely make Creator/DavidWarner's performance deserving of a mention here. He was cast at almost literally the last minute and had no time for more than a quick skim of the script, so throughout the whole episode he's reading his lines off cue cards. And it's impossible to tell even if you know what you're looking for, because he was just that good an actor. |
| 669 | |
| 670 | [[AC:Ship in a Bottle]] |
| 671 | |
| 672 | [[AC:Aquiel]] |
| 673 | |
| 674 | [[AC:Face of the Enemy]] |
| 675 | * This episode is one long Moment of Awesome for Counselor Troi. There's a ''reason'' ADayInTheLimelight used to be the "Good Troi Episode"... |
| 676 | * And to get specific on those reasons: Troi wakes up as a Romulan and is told she has to give a convincing performance as a Tal Shiar officer or die, against a captain who has a very personal grudge against the Tal Shiar. Troi has no familiarity with the Tal Shiar or Romulan culture beyond what Starfleet knows, but she successfully saves the dissidents from treachery and comes up with a new plan to get them to the Federation by using the ''Enterprise''. Then she seizes command of the Warbird by threatening the families of its crew and contacts the ''Enterprise'' without breaking "character" which allows them to beam her out just as the Romulan captain figures it out. And the reason that N'Vek abducts Troi is specifically because of her empathic abilities, which prove to be incredibly useful and shows how competent and useful Deanna Troi's character can be when the writers think about it a little. |
| 677 | * And the Romulan captain only realizes that she was working with N'Vek, not that she was never Tal Shiar or Romulan to begin with. |
| 678 | * Commander Toreth deserves some recognition for repeatedly telling Troi, who she thought was [[TheDreaded Tal Shiar]] exactly what she thought of them and their propaganda. |
| 679 | |
| 680 | [[AC:Tapestry]] |
| 681 | * If what the episode shows us is true, it wasn't just Ensign Picard but his two friends who put up a damn good fight against a group of Nausicaans, who are much bigger and angrier than the average human. And Picard's the only one who comes away with any serious injury. |
| 682 | ** Not to mention Picard flipping one of the Nausicaans over his shoulder. |
| 683 | |
| 684 | [[AC:Birthright: Part I]] |
| 685 | * Noonien Soong designed a program that would allow Data to ''dream'', once he reached a certain level of cognition. He ''also'' programmed at least one AI copy of himself which is perfectly capable of holding a conversation with Data, and put it inside his creation's memory. |
| 686 | |
| 687 | [[AC:Birthright: Part II]] |
| 688 | * All of the Klingon standing up with Worf when he's planned to be executed. This awesome display shows that they have embraced their Klingon heritage and how attached to Worf they have become. |
| 689 | |
| 690 | [[AC:Starship Mine]] |
| 691 | * [[https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=4A6u_SkBTvc The entire episode]], which is basically Die Hard on the Enterprise. Bonus points for using the Vulcan Nerve Pinch on a crook played by Tim Russ, who'd go on to play ''Voyager'''s Tuvok. |
| 692 | * Picard also manages to improvise his own tranquilizer and explosives, and tricks one of the terrorists into getting himself killed by the baryon sweep. |
| 693 | ** Furthermore, Picard has a very stylish and effective way to deal with criminals who are trying to get away after stealing an extremely dangerous, and ''very'' unstable chemical substance that can't be moved lightly. |
| 694 | --->'''Data''': Captain, there is a small ship leaving the scene. Do you know anything about it? |
| 695 | --->'''Picard''': ''(looking at the stabilizer in his hand)'' I know they won't get very far. |
| 696 | --->''(boom)'' |
| 697 | |
| 698 | [[AC:Lessons]] |
| 699 | |
| 700 | [[AC:The Chase]] |
| 701 | |
| 702 | * Notice how quickly Captain Nu'Daq calls Worf "brother" during the Mexican standoff between them, the Cardassians and the Romulans. Considering how many other Klingons ridicule the Security Chief for having a Human upbringing/Human relations, his showing of solidarity is very refreshing. |
| 703 | |
| 704 | [[AC:Frame of Mind]] |
| 705 | * Riker spends the episode struggling to thinking he's a mental patient living out a fantasy of the ''Enterprise''. At one point, the crew breaks into the hospital and take him back to the ship. He initially seems too far gone with the gaslighting tactics enforced. However, he quickly notices a wound on his temple keeps bleeding, especially after Crusher just healed it. He realizes that something is wrong and manages to shatter the illusion. He finally wakes up and frees himself from an alien lab, which was trying to extract information from his brain. |
| 706 | |
| 707 | [[AC:Suspicions]] |
| 708 | * Dr. Crusher investigates a Ferengi scientist's murder against orders and at risk of losing her medical license. It ultimately involves her flying the scientist's shuttle into a star to prove that his new shield works, and vaporizing the culprit. |
| 709 | * When Dr. Crusher asked Kurak if the lies that Reyga had said to her really ''were'' lies? |
| 710 | -->'''Kurak:''' Be careful, Doctor. Insulting the honor of a Klingon can be extremely dangerous. |
| 711 | -->'''Beverly:''' Did Reyga make that mistake? |
| 712 | -->''[a beat, then Kurak throws Beverly across the room and against a wall.]'' |
| 713 | -->'''Kurak:''' I have heard ''enough'' accusations. Now I ''will'' have your silence! |
| 714 | -->'''Beverly:''' ''[gets up, stares at Kurak with equal intensity]'' Well, you're gonna have to throw me a lot harder than that if you're gonna get it. |
| 715 | |
| 716 | [[AC:Rightful Heir]] |
| 717 | * Gowron was GenreSavvy enough to know that magical resurrections aren't real. Sure, he was primarily motivated by a desire to hold on to power, but he was [[JerkassHasAPoint never suckered]] for a second, and didn't hesitate to challenge the man everyone in the room thought was "the greatest warrior of all" to combat. |
| 718 | * Worf's righteous fury after Gowron won and he realized that he'd been duped. |
| 719 | -->'''Worf:''' You are using the name of Kahless for some twisted game. For that alone, you should die, and if you do not tell me what you have done, I will kill you right here. |
| 720 | |
| 721 | * Worf brushing off his self-pity and coming up with a compromise that would avert a second Klingon civil war in as many years, simultaneously threatening the leaders of the Klingon government, the Klingon religious establishment, and giving a YouAreBetterThanYouThinkYouAre speech to the dejected clone. |
| 722 | ** Bonus points because his plan actually involves telling everyone the truth. The last time he had to avert a Klingon civil war, he was forced to take the punishment for someone else's crime. |
| 723 | |
| 724 | [[AC:Second Chances]] |
| 725 | |
| 726 | [[AC:Timescape]] |
| 727 | |
| 728 | [[AC:Descent: Part I]] |
| 729 | * Mention needs to be made of the opening scene, where Creator/StephenHawking plays a hologram of himself, and beats Data, Isaac Newton and Albert Einstein [[https://youtu.be/mg8_cKxJZJY at poker]]: |
| 730 | -->'''Newton:''' Blast! I fold. |
| 731 | -->'''Data:''' I fold as well. |
| 732 | -->'''Einstein:''' Ze Uncertainty Principle vill not help you, Stephen. All ze quantum fluctuations in ze universe vill not change ze cards in your hand. I call. You are bluffing, and you vill lose. |
| 733 | -->'''Hawking:''' [[AC:Wrong again, Albert.]] (shows his Four of a Kind) |
| 734 | |
| 735 | ** That smirk on Hawking's face was quite genuine as he shows his hand. |
| 736 | ** Which led to a funny and awesome moment in one of the DVD extras where Brent Spiner recounts how some time later he happened to run into Hawking, and Hawking's first words were "[[AC:Where's my money?]]" |
| 737 | * At this point, every admiral in Trek history had been a PointyHairedBoss or ObstructiveBureaucrat, and Admiral Nechayev was more adversarial than most. Which makes it all the more awesome when she tears Picard a new one for not destroying the Borg collective when he had the chance. She made it clear that the Borg were the GodzillaThreshold and the Federation had no use for Picard's IncorruptiblePurePureness. Even Picard had to admit she was right. Notably, the only other character to ever humble Picard so effectively was [[SufficientlyAdvancedAlien Q]]. |
| 738 | [[/folder]] |
| 739 | |
| 740 | [[folder:Season Seven]] |
| 741 | [[AC:Descent: Part II]] |
| 742 | * Doctor Crusher gets one when she hides the ''Enterprise'' inside a friggin' ''star'' to evade a monstrously powerful vessel flown by AxCrazy Borg, and then triggers a ''solar flare'' to utterly annihilate said Borg ship shortly thereafter. Not only did she take down a Borg ship... she did so with a less than skeleton crew, most of whom weren't even junior officers. And she did so whilst orchestrating the rescue of the crew who were trapped on the other side of said Borg ship. Commander Beverly Crusher is a '''badass'''. |
| 743 | ** Best part is, as mentioned elsewhere on the page, she's the reason the ''Enterprise'' has that metaphasic shielding (which made the star dive possible). She put her career and later her life on the line to prove the technology worked. |
| 744 | |
| 745 | [[AC:Gambit: Part I]] |
| 746 | * Riker interrogating a Yridian crook over what happened to Picard, and said crook tries to bargain with Riker to get a shuttle in exchange for his cooperation. Unfortunately, Riker is in the middle of a particularly lengthy RoaringRampageOfRevenge and ain't got no time for that - he [[NeckLift slams the poor bastard against the wall]] and lets him know he could turn him over ASAP for twelve counts of fraud and theft whenever he felt like it. Unless he felt like cooperating, that is, which the Yridian does post haste. When Riker is determined, he is a ''scary'' sumbitch. |
| 747 | |
| 748 | [[AC:Gambit: Part II]] |
| 749 | * Maybe not as badass as Beverly Crusher's performance in "Descent Pt. II," but Data's performance as acting captain of the ''Enterprise'' is absolutely exceptional, from quickly picking up on Riker and Picard's deceptions, to being ''very'' firm with acting first officer Worf and his insubordination. Captain Data ''commands'' respect - and that should be no surprise to anyone who remembers "Redemption, Part II." |
| 750 | ** Give Worf some credit too. Despite being reprimanded, he responds by being very polite and professional with his opinions, accepting that he made a mistake, and makes an effort to repair his friendship with Data before resuming his duties. Comments by fans on this scene are about how mature these two characters are, and both of them aren't even human. |
| 751 | |
| 752 | [[AC:Phantasms]] |
| 753 | |
| 754 | [[AC:Dark Page]] |
| 755 | |
| 756 | [[AC:Attached]] |
| 757 | * Riker demands the release of Picard and Crusher by firmly pointing out that planet [=KesPrytt=] was ''not'' Federation material: delivering a TheReasonYouSuckSpeech to the lawful-but-paranoid Kes and telling the xenophobic Prytt to expect more unwanted visits if Starfleet doesn't get its officers back. |
| 758 | |
| 759 | [[AC:Force of Nature]] |
| 760 | |
| 761 | [[AC:Inheritance]] |
| 762 | |
| 763 | [[AC:Parallels]] |
| 764 | |
| 765 | [[AC:The Pegasus]] |
| 766 | * Riker takes a fair bit of flack, but he scored some points in this episode, as a result of his speech to the amoral captain he once obeyed without question, as well as his acceptance of whatever consequences were coming to him: |
| 767 | -->'''Riker:''' I wasn't a hero, and neither were you! What you did was wrong. And I was wrong to support you, but I was too young and too stupid to realize it! You were the captain, I was the ensign. I was {{just following orders}}. |
| 768 | * The scene where Admiral Pressman tries to pull rank on Picard and give orders to the other ''Enterprise'' officers, and all of them stand against him. Worf's defiant BadassArmFold in particular is great. |
| 769 | * In an earlier scene, Captain Picard has just been ordered by said amoral officer to take the Enterprise into an asteroid to conduct a salvage operation. The exchange that follows is one of the most ''epic'' examples of TranquilFury seen in the series: |
| 770 | -->'''Picard:''' ''(beat)'' Mr. Data, will you please note in the ship's log that this action is being taken over my ''explicit objection?'' |
| 771 | -->'''Data:''' ''It is so noted, sir.'' |
| 772 | ** Really, the whole episode is one for Picard as much as it's one for Riker. Picard knows from very early on that Admiral Pressman is up to no good, and he's not the least bit intimidated by this higher-ranking officer who's obviously willing to darken his morality to achieve his goal. And when that goal is revealed to be a cloaking device - a blatant Romulan treaty violation - Picard shows up the admiral in truly epic fashion. He orders his crew to install the device to get them out of the asteroid they're stuck in, only to make Admiral Pressman piss his pants by having the ship ''decloak in front of a Romulan warbird,'' ensuring that the Admiral, and whoever in Starfleet authorized this mission, are forced to answer for this incident. Picard fears ''no one.'' |
| 773 | * In "The Next Phase" it was shown that when the Romulans, who invented cloaking technology and had been using it for centuries, tried to build a phase-cloaking device it was a disaster, and they never were able to make it work. The Federation, who never used cloaking technology, managed to build a phase-cloaking device that worked perfectly on its second try. This is why Starfleet engineers have a reputation for being able to turn rocks into replicators. |
| 774 | * The Admiral being placed under arrest. Riker also willingly turns himself in on account of associating with him. |
| 775 | -->'''Admiral Pressman:''' ''[as he's being led away]'' [[ScrewTheRulesIHaveConnections I have a lot of friends at Starfleet Command, Captain.]]\ |
| 776 | '''Picard:''' ''[by now '''righteously''' pissed off]'' You're going to need them. |
| 777 | |
| 778 | [[AC:Homeward]] |
| 779 | |
| 780 | [[AC:Sub Rosa]] |
| 781 | |
| 782 | [[AC:Lower Decks]] |
| 783 | |
| 784 | [[AC:Thine Own Self]] |
| 785 | * Maybe this one isn't exactly a ''highlight'' of season 7, but the CharacterDevelopment Troi got in this episode - i.e. becoming a bridge officer - was ''long'' overdue. |
| 786 | ** The bridge officer test is one for Starfleet. Frequently derieded (even in-universe by their opponents) as weak, flimsy, and too attached to their luxuries, Starfleet insists that anyone placed in a position of command be able to order a member of their crew, even someone they've come to regard as a good friend, to die in order to save the ship and everyone else aboard. Starfleet officers may want an EverybodyLives ending, but they need to be prepared to solve a ColdEquation. |
| 787 | * [[AmnesiacHero Even though Data doesn't have any clue who he is or why he's there]], he still manages to save the people of a pre-industrial socierty from radiation poision by using empirical evidence with the limited technology from the society. |
| 788 | |
| 789 | [[AC:Masks]] |
| 790 | * Picard is able to save the day by ColdReading a long-dead and unknown civilization, using only his background in archeology. |
| 791 | |
| 792 | [[AC:Eye of the Beholder]] |
| 793 | |
| 794 | [[AC:Genesis]] |
| 795 | |
| 796 | [[AC:Journey's End]] |
| 797 | * After Picard makes an impassioned (if brief) PatrickStewartSpeech, begging the Cardassian leader not to open fire. The Cardassian orders his group to back off, and tells Picard of the sons he lost in the last war. Doubles as a TearJerker. |
| 798 | |
| 799 | [[AC:Firstborn]] |
| 800 | |
| 801 | [[AC:Bloodlines]] |
| 802 | |
| 803 | [[AC:Emergence]] |
| 804 | |
| 805 | [[AC:Preemptive Strike]] |
| 806 | |
| 807 | [[AC:All Good Things]] |
| 808 | * The BigDamnHeroes moment by Admiral Riker and the refitted ''Enterprise'' in "All Good Things". Beverly ''Picard's'' medical ship, the ''Pasteur'', is under attack by two Klingon battleships, their shields are completely gone, and one more hit would spell doom for our heroes. Then the sensors pick up a Federation ship decloaking. The next thirty seconds are possibly some of the best CG in the entire series, and the coolest aversion of TwoDSpace ''ever.'' |
| 809 | ** The {{BFG}} strapped onto Riker's refitted ''Enterprise''. It looks like a phaser cannon, but it blasts a hole ''clean through'' an entire Klingon battlecruiser (and its shields), destroying that same battlecruiser in roughly ''6 more shots''. ''Then the Enterprise flies through the debris without any concern.'' Later on, Riker mentions off-handedly that the ''Enterprise'' had been due for retirement, and was saved only by him choosing her as his flagship. Makes one wonder what Starfleet's front line ships must be like. |
| 810 | * Also, the climactic shot of the past, present, and future ''Enterprises'' together in the NegativeSpaceWedgie. Words simply can't describe how awesome the sight is. |
| 811 | * The leap of faith that the past!Enterprise crew takes when Captain Picard orders them to enter the anomaly. From their perspective, Picard has been off-kilter from the moment he arrived - ordering a red alert during the ceremony for him to take command of the Enterprise, initially refusing to investigate the anomaly as ordered by Starfleet, abruptly shouting to the air when the Enterprise reached the point where Q intercepted the ship during their journey to Farpoint Station... Yet when he asks the crew to trust him just enough to do this, speaking frankly about both their odds and his own absolute faith in the Enterprise and her crew... No one hesitates to follow his orders and do what they have to. And who is the one to take the lead in following the order? Tasha Yar. |
| 812 | [[/folder]] |
| 813 |
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