Guys I totally forgot I had this channel. Thanks for all the comments and such; this whole quarantine thing is weird. Wow, so much has changed in 7.5 years. Thanks again.
No, thank YOU for posting it in the first place. Very few Star Trek scenes have ever influenced my life the way this one has. Having it on-demand on UA-cam here has been very helpful. I have to make a hard decision soon on whether I come forward with proof of wrongdoing during this crisis, fearing retaliation and the loss of my job, or if I listen to myself and stand up for the truth and for what is right. I've come back to this video of yours a lot lately. It's convincing me to do the right thing even if it's inconvenient or has potential negative consequences for me personally, when it's public safety that is at stake here (not getting any more specific than that). The needs of the many outweigh the needs of the few, another good ST quote I would do well to remember. Anyway, thanks.
@thestudy4880 Remember that human societies, cultures, theologies, and ideologies are a bell curve with two bad ends, (sometimes presented as a horseshoe, where the extremes of all sides fall into the same behaviors.) I have spent my life as a quiet bookish science nerd -- Star Trek fan implies that -- in rural conservative deeply "religious" American small towns. The opposite, in every way, of progressive. My neighbors loathe nonheterosexuals, nonwhites, nonconservatives, nonPentecostals... And they don't even really know any people in any of those groups personally. They learn that contempt and hate remotely, from multiply-rewritten palimpsest Stone Age scrolls, Pepe-frog-laden web threads, and broadcast news opinioneers. Not from personal experience, since they have no personal experience. Sure, we have a few gays, a few science-educated doctors, a few liberal professionals, but they stay closeted, quiet, in fear of what comes if the people discover them. And yet the devout conservative religiosity they trumpet is a façade, a con. Meth and fentanyl labs abound, pills and weed are sold in Pentecostal church parking lots after morning service, adultery is as rampant here as anywhere, and unpunished domestic violence, theft, and burglary abound. And yet, to hear them talk, rural white rightwing Pentecostals are as wonderful as it gets, antibiotics and chemotherapy are a liberal pharmacy con, and all a person really needs is Faith and essential oil. If they die, they didn't have enough Faith. Insanity and human folly abound in every culture and theological or political framework. Including progressivism, who sometimes assert closing all jails and ending police forces will end crime as we know it. My county doesn't have a jail and the five deputies never actually enforce any laws, so I can attest that not having law enforcement and jails won"t end predatorial behavior. Star Trek was a fond escape during youth, when I felt so alone in studying and testing scientific theories, quantitative data, inferences, and reasoning. I had to keep it a secret, though, or an adultering pill-popping spouse-beating Pentecostal deacon would scream at me for being evil. Human folly exists on all sides. I suppose, perhaps, so is some human decency. I liked Star Trek for showing an idealist but balanced path: they had science and technology, vastly reduced exploitation of human vulnerability and child hunger, but also security teams, weapons, and shields. They had the best of both worlds.
So chilling yet subtle, that little quaver in his voice when he says "...until now". Like the silent heartbreak of a surrogate father who's child has broken his heart. Then that moment of personal heartbreak is quickly shuttered by his overriding discipline and reaffirmation of his ethical and moral code. Everything Wesley needed. A proper dressing down from his Captain, and a moral wake-up call from his father, all in one.
Wesley comes from the school of no snitching, but Picard knows that institutions and their ideals of truth and integrity are only as good as the men who are willing to defend and stand up for them.
@@ronniejdio9411 Boy isn't that basic. A 911 caller about a guy wearing a trenchcoat holding an AK driving to a mall is a snitch. Someone telling their parents about their siblings doing drugs is a snitch. Fuck it. I'm siding with the snitch. Better that than to let bad people do bad things without opposition.
03:10 "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. And 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!"
You are so weak, I recommend you watch Star trek deep space nine. The characters can rebuke picard as easy as a blink of an eye, especially Garak, a MASTER.
@@MegaBorgqueen B5 (Season 2 to 4) was a a better DS9. It had 2 war arcs that were continuous instead of DS9's episodical format which interrupted the storyline with filler episodes. Ron Moore though, fixed that problem when he did Galactica with a continous format and no filler episodes.
Of all the captains, Picard was the most moral and by-the-book. That's not to say he didn't bend a few rules along the way and broke fewer, but his reasons for doing so were always measured by his moral compass. And of all the captains he was the most vulnerable and that made him a damn fine captain.
I don't think he was the most vulnerable. That would have to be Archer. Archer was the first Earth captain to really push the boundaries of human exploration, and he wasn't really prepared. He couldn't be, yet he felt he had so much he had to prove. So out he went with a a total lack of experience and a ship that was usually outmatched. The other captains at least had years of Starfleet training and had served in a professional officer corp before getting the captains chair. They were as prepared as any human could be.
@@Elthenar Picard's vulnerability is his emotional side, not his experience with command. He is a man who finds it... difficult, at best, to keep his crew - his bridge staff even - at less than arm's length. That's why him finally showing up to Poker Night at the end of All Good Things is important.
@@namillus9754 Perhaps but I still stand by my point. No captain was as in over their head than Archer. Janeway's situation was arguably worse but she had probably 2 decades of service under her belt by the time she took command of Voyager. She also had a crew that largely trained as well as anyone. Archer was the first one out there, he had nothing to fall back on and had to figure it all out on the fly.
@@Elthenar - That's why Archer is arguably the best captain of them all and by far the most important. Without Archer, the Vulcans and Andorians wouldn't have been at peace with each other and the Federation wouldn't have been formed. Easily the most important person in the Star Trek universe. I just wished Enterprise had another Season so they could have dealt with the Earth Romulan war in detail. It was a tragedy that Enterprise was cancelled after only 4 seasons. As for who's the best actor. that's easy - Patrick Stewart. He's easily the best actor to have ever starred in Trek.
@@Jimbo8012 I just wish that Enterprise had a more coherent writing staff. It was better than people think but it did have it's flaws. whole temporal cold war was pants-on-head stupid. There had more than enough ground to work with just establish the build up to the foundation of the Federation.
The morals and values this show teaches are more relevant now than ever before! I would gladly show this to a kid and that they see and admire quialities of truth, honor and duty.
This show should be watched by children for sure. It teaches all kinds of lessons and has hundred episodes or so. Plenty. I didn't have a dad and got most of my information on how to "be" from Picard. I have seen every episode twice or so and each one has a lesson.
That dressing down was a flood of cold water for the Ensign. Picard's unwavering and direct reminder with direct gaze and tremendous authority was a sight to behold. My how far we have fallen since masterworks of acting and writing like this once existed. I swear to god, simply by logical assumption, the TNG writer's room essentially crafted a new standard of integrity and dialogue, bespoke for him. You can see the difference between the quality of script between gems like this and the skidmark that was Picard Season 1. It's not his age that makes him appear meek and innefectual in the new show. It's the writing. and direction.
Some modern shows rely too much on special effects instead of good writing, If you like good writing watch the V 2009 reboot, it has many intricate storylines!
@@seriascannain6675 true, but part of the problem with modern writing is pushing agendas (not that writing never did, but now it's so hamfisted and blatant) instead of trying to tell a good story. It's like the difference between a fantastic character in a story who happens to be gay and a fantastically gay character in a story who happens to be extremely poorly written.
When he said "until now" I stood up and had a standing ovation. The inflection, the timing, the emotion...was powerful. This entire scene was powerful.
Even if this maneuver had worked, did they all expect to graduate and go out in a blaze of glory? They still would have been punished being a banned maneuver is a banned maneuver.
Agree, the whole episode had holes that made no sense. Someone died and they lied to cover it up during the trial, but the only punishment was him losing one year of credits and a mark on his record.
@Stefano Pavone ..and given that Wesley Crusher was a young boy that Captain Picard brought aboard, supported and encouraged him (probably because of his relationship with Beverly) and even gave him the rank of a bridge officer onboard HiS ship.. and to hear that HIS Ensign lied not only to a board of inquiry but to him as well.. what Captain wouldn't almost jump out of his skin and want to rip this young cadet a new one. Picard's disbelief turns to outright anger as he dresses down Cadet Crusher..
There are people out there like him my friend. Many different people, all different in their ways, but nevertheless give the sense of hope that he instills.
True but we could do with many more of them in the public eye like politics and so on, areas that can impact people in a good way, sadly, most of them are overshadowed and don't get noticed.
DS9 showed a more rounded image of humanity that was true just as much to our better nature as to our worse. However you are right in that in doing so it lost a little something from TNG. Not that this made it a bad show but it was significantly different.
@@BadWolf739 I dunno I think DS9 was a necessary counterpoint to the idealism of TNG. It showed what happens and what Starfleet officers are faced with, why their values are so important, and ultimately it showed how the rest of the universe benefited. Remember that wonderful scene with Garak and Quark talking about Root beer, Gala's moon, and the destruction of the Cardassian empire? In it all they talked about the outsider view of the Federation and in the end it showed exactly what those values stood for, how despite the suspicion and the derision and frankly some of the arrogance of them they are something that people ultimately learn to believe in and trust and rely on. I think TNG and DS9 are a perfect counterpoint to one another about the values and ideals of it all. One lays it out and the other tests it beyond its ability to hold. When DS9 breaks past those values it ultimately I think shows how important they are. Without that TNG's idealism would always seem too perfect and untested. And once I've slummed in the universes' worst hour in DS9 I feel refreshed returning to the clean idealism of TNG that acts as the guiding light, what we can all aspire to even if in practice we fall short.
The season this happened in was the same one in which Gene Roddenberry died. That's when things started to change. They no longer had him looking over their shoulder anymore. It's common knowledge that he was trying to stop Paramount from doing DS9 because he felt he'd said everything he wanted to say with TNG, not to mention they were considering things he would never consent to. I have to wonder if the battles over that didn't contribute in some way to his death. If he were alive, DS9, Voyager, Enterprise, Discovery (especially Discovery) and Picard all would not exist. That being said, I actually liked DS9 a lot. As much as I loved TNG, I thought that Sisko's rant about the Federation's attitude towards the Maquis summed up one of the things that got a little tiresome with TNG. Yeah, the Federation's great, but they've taken that greatness to the point where they believe they can do no wrong because they can't see beyond the "paradise" that is Earth.
Might I recommend The Orville? It starts out as a comical “spoof” of trek, but it quickly becomes what is basically the essence of TNG but in another franchise
I learned the importance of the truth, even when it’s inconvenient, even when we don’t like it, from Star Trek. It was reinforced a few more times through other lessons as I was growing up, but Star Trek was first. If you are willing to bend the truth when it works out in your favor, then I don’t care what other principles you hold dear, you may as well not have any. The truth is the truth, and it exists outside of your willingness to tell it.
This is a brilliantly shot sequence and great writing. Having been on multiple aviation mishap investigations, this kind of shit happens all the time. The dynamics of the military and pushing the limits lends itself to things happening, and then people clam up and protect one another once the legal proceedings start. It’s just human nature, yet another great topic addressed in this great series.
I've always felt - and probably always will - that the legal process is part of the problem. It often is less about finding out what happened so protections can be put in place to prevent harm in the future and more about how someone can get crucified over the situation. That leads to the calming up part. In the Navy, one of the things that people learn is that the first thing to do in any crisis is "cover your ass", which means find some way you can explain the situation where the blame isn't on you. It's a pretty shitty system, honestly, made so not by the people in it, but by the way higher ups or even people who have never been in the military want to treat the situations. Instead of something that will make things better, they engineer a system where the incentives are all to avoid responsibility rather than to take it. And the thing is, even the people doing the investigations act the same way when they're in bad situations themselves. When something bad happens at the highest levels, they seek to find a scapegoat as well. It's a rare person in the military that DOESN'T function this way (I did not - my first priority was always ensuring everyone's safety, getting the situation to a safe state, then determining the cause and implementing solutions to prevent it happening again), but those people (as I did) tend to leave once their contracts are up instead of staying in it.
"You told the truth up to a point-A lie of omission is still a lie." It is incredible how they address today's problem so well in a TV shows many decades ago... Or did we regress ?
I want to agree, Patrick Stewart is my favorite, but there have been so many good actors on Star Trek it'd be impossible to rank them. Avery Brooks break down at the end of "Far Beyond The Stars" brings me to tears every time.
As a long-time Trekker, who knows whole episodes of the TOS by heart, I have to say Zoe Zeldana, the new Uhura, is probably one of the top five on the show, -- ever.
This was one of those father-son moments. Wesley looked upon Captain Picard at times as a surrogate father. It wasn't just a disappointed captain, it was a disappointed dad!
*he wasn't a jerk trying to shit all over a dead kid's memory* That doesn't make him a good person. Malevolence is not the sole measure of this. He clearly pushed them to do it for his own aggrandizement. Whatever you want to point to in his conduct surrounding the result, he put them in this position for himself first. Also do not neglect the fact that he ignored the fact that one of his men couldn't do the maneuver and therefore he clearly pushed him to do something he shouldn't have, and in influencing his other pilots he caused them to not doubt that one man's weakness or encourage caution and it created a group think that lead to the accident. Locarno may not be an evil person, but he's not a good person when you look at all this. He ignored the red flag that he was risking everyone's lives over one man's weakness, and the primary reason for this was self aggrandizement.
@@davecrupel2817 Three is a gulf between evil and bad. Malevolent people are often evil or approach it. Not being a good man doesn't mean you're malevolent or evil.
I remember watching this on its original air date... When Wesley said he chose not to answer I remember shaking my head.. Thinking Picard gonna bring the lumber... 😀 😆😆
Picard wouldnt go for that "Dont let them promote you. Dont let them transfer you. Dont let them do anything that will take you off the bridge of your ship, because while you are there, you can make a difference" -James T. Kirk
@ph1980: You got that right, ph1980! Scenes like this are what truly defined Captain Picard. (William Shatner could never pull off a scene like this) "You are dismissed, Cadet!" really stood out in my mind - the condemning way he said it. People could tell that Picard wasn't just a cheap copy of Captain Kirk. He had his own unique distinctiveness. In the early days of TNG, some Trekkies criticized the new captain as a "wimp", because he was not the swashbucking-action-hero that Kirk was. The first time a TNG cast member appeared as a guest at a Star Trek Convention, it was not Patrick Stewart. But after a few years, Trekkers really started to warm up to Picard, because they could see the strengths that he had over his predecessor.
This is what makes Picard so great and I swear as I was a kid growing up watching TNG, Picard had a big impact on how I turned out in a good way by making me see things in a more moral and right way.
This was written by Ronald D. Moore and Naren Shankar, who both went on to adapt Battlestar Galactica and The Expanse, respectively...two of the best sci fi shows of all time.
With Patrick Stewart taking the sword right through the heart. “You *choose* not to answer?! But you’ve already given an answer to the inquiry.” Who needs a blaster or explosions when Picard just eviscerated a boy’s soul in with just a few words.
I usually didn't like Westley that much, he was like a comicbook-Robin-character for the most time. But in this episode I found it exciting how much he recognizes and matures during the case.
@@Vespyr_his behavior is well documented. Maybe if you are simping for a sad old former child star you shouldn't be making assumptions about strangers on the internet.
Fun fact: in the Autobiography of James T. Kirk, it's revealed that Kirk was part of a squadron that witnessed the incident in which the Kolvoord Starburst was banned, nearly getting killed and his roommate was one of the five lost.
I'm curious how the actors felt during the scene. While it is acting, imagine feeling like you're being dressed down by Patrick Stewart. Wil Wheaton was still a pretty young man at the time and he handled it well!
Wil has spoken about his time on the show, and has said he was treated wonderfully by all the cast. He said they never looked at him as a young brat kid actor, they treated him just as equal, same respect as any other adult actor on the show. Sir Patrick Stewart and Jonathan Frakes became mentors and role models to Wil, especially since Wil's own parents were horrible narcissistic cruel people, who ruined Wil's mental health. Working on TNG gave him friends, people who treated him like a normal man.
For all the talk that The Next Generation was too optimistic/idealistic, there are a handful of episodes which push away from that. This is one of them. An original crewmate lying to cover up the death of his squadmate. As others have said before, Wesley became a much better character after Wil Wheaton was written out of the regular cast. Of course, the true mantle of "greyness" would be carried by DS9 but this was a great episode for TNG.
What you didn't see off-camera: Senator: Sir, the Federation just assassinated Vreenak and forged evidence to blame it on the Dominion. Praetor: (slowly clapping) I honestly didn't think they had it in them.
Damn, that was harsh. And also completely fair. Captain Picard and Patrick Stewart whipped Wesley Crusher and Wil Wheaton into a great man. I wish I had a dad like that.
@Internet Entity I don't find it boring to story telling. He may be lawful good but he react with passion, passion is what make the story boring or not.
In that scene Patrick Stewart became his father, Alfred Stewart RSM British army. I watched his episode of "who do you think you are" and that was who he drew on for that scene. Pure class.
Alternate Ending at hearing: Wesley: I have no further comment on the matter. Admiral: You are a cover up artist and a liar Al Pacino: But not a snitch!
It is a stupid stunt, because even if it worked, that is merely proof of violating a major rule. There was no upside to performing the stupid stunt. Stupid Lacarno (Tom Paris) still got a decent life on Voyager..
Yes. Court martialled and lose many years off of their career (which is terrible at a young age). They would still be Ensigns while officers their same age would have reached LT or LT Commander.
They would've sabotaged their own Starfleet career for sure. Perhaps a civilian agency or outside world might try to recruit them for flight services, but there's no way Starfleet would want anything further to do with them. At the very least, the cadets would have been discharged from the academy and Locarno, being the leader, would have faced court martial charges. The episode therefore made no sense.
Lol, "I choose not to answer sir!" Um...yeah...that kind of doesn't actually work in the military. There is no such "choice" when your commander asks you an official question. Refusing to answer is basically the same thing as disobeying a lawful order.
Look at Will Wheaton, who can act and stand his ground with Patrick Stewart. We got a better Star Trek than we deserved. People in the 80's were screaming at this version, until it proved itself to be in the spirit of the Original series...
Star Trek made my life so much more difficult now that it has instilled me with integrity. Thanks alot! Being the only honest and scrupulous person around me is really fucking hard.
@@MuddahFukkah good luck to everyone who has the misfortune of being affected by your actions, and your friends' actions. isn't it interesting how you immediately resorted to an argument from self interest?
I'm surprised they haven't done another Star Trek series...I always thought that a "Picard prequel" would work. Picard, going to the academy and coming up in the ranks before his first command, the Star-Gazer. The series (TNG) on a few occasions mentions Picard as a wildcard, short tempered, ladies man and trouble maker. They could write in Boothbee (The gardner) in, The Crushers (Jack and Beverly). Picard’s brother, Rubarè. A bitter relationship between the two-even after he graduates and when he takes command of his own ship. Picard tried talking to Rubaré before leaving to his first ship-to reconcile (maybe after their father died or something) all the turmoil between them. But they leave things the way they were before coming back (maybe a few seasons down the road). It would give the viewer a better understanding what happened between the two of them. “Family” in TNG does…but we get a real brief glimpse of it when they throw punches. I always thought that type series could work. The scene here shows how far he (Picard) has come in Star-fleet from where he began as a first year cadet.
Yeah that would be an interesting plot. But it would never have made it as a tv series on its own. Don't get me wrong it has potential but perhaps one or maybe two movies could cover that same thing. Besides, to much time has gone by for that to take root now. Too bad, it would have been cool to see.
I don't know-seem like a few episodes I've watched, Picard talks about his past in a few times. Aside from Kirk-picard was my favorite-janeway-ehhh...sisco had his moments. I think if the writers at paramount (Star Trek writers) could play with the idea. Here's this cocky smart ass cadet talking shit and picking fights--the veiwer(s) are thinking...he's commanding the enterprise? (Stargazer). See how he met Guinan-, pretty vague on how they know each Other. Q could show up-erase, picards memory at the end of the episode, show him what would happen if he didn't join star fleet. Writers could play with it. Think it could work.
Agreed. I've been pining for "Picard Begins" for a few years. You called out all the parts that need to be in there. What's difficult is that he served on the Stargazer of *twenty-years* before abandoning it. There's a 4 year gap between then and the Farpoint mission so maybe this story could take place in there. Pre-Enterprise Picard recalling the events that led him to where he is. My only gripe would be a lack of Q, who, is the perfect foil for Picard.
They were going to, but it got replaced with Discovery. From what little information was revealed, they had planned to turn the Ferengi Union into one of the major powers through their reform. Personally, I think several story arcs from Star Trek Online are worth adapting into television series' arcs, particularly the story of New Romulus and The Iconians, but also the backstory of the Na'kul and the details of the Temporal Coldwar and the return of the Vaaduar. It'd also be nice for the Voth, Undine(Species 8472) and Tholians to get more screentime.
How about "You can't handle the F***ING TRUTH!!!" (a few drops of spittle lands on wesleys lying face) ***** SMACK********** SMACK********** SMACK*****
Wesley was more concerned about saving his own ass than admitting his involvement in the accident which resulted in Joshua Albert's death. Some friend.
In a military unit it is common for the members to be loyal to each other. You can try to sell the idea of doing things for god and country, but often a unit will do the things they need to do for each other. Wesley would have had to throw the rest of his team under the bus. This was the first time that he truly belonged in a peer group of others of his own age.
I like this scene with Wesley. After how many times he saved the Enterprise or was part some plot where he was a Mary Sue, he finally shows signs of humanity. He makes a terrible mistake. Makes him worth something more.
It's a great episode. But I cannot get over the silly idea that these cadets thought that they could perform a dangerous, illegal maneuver in front of an entire graduating class and not be punished so long as they executed the maneuver successfully. By doing it so flagrantly and publicly, they would guaranty that they would receive punishment.
Look up the shenanigans of the engineering students of CalTech or UBC or MIT or any technical college/university. They conducted elaborate feats like hanging Volkswagon bugs off the sides of bridges, placing exotic art sculptures on roofs, or ruining football fields with lime and burning gasoline to write immortal effigies. Yes, they got in trouble, and their stunts required lots of money to fix/repair, but it also made them legends and they were all graduating anyway so their punishment was minimal.
Sound proof doors. The captain's ready room was always for private discussion with his crew. Remember Commander Riker was yelled at by Picard in many episodes in their too.
Picard is the best of us, the eminent human leader. Not perfect, but always seeking improvement and striving to do the right thing. This is one great reason why TNG is the best series ever published.
It was after having watched this entire episode that I realized Captain Picard may have been bluffing when he threatened to inform Admiral Brand about the Starburst maneuver. If you watch the scene where Picard and Boothby are reminiscing, they discuss an incident where Boothby helped Picard hide an "incident" that occurred while he was a cadet. He says I did it because you were right, it shouldn't have held you back from being the fine captain you are. He says I just pushed you to do what you thought was right. If the boy never admitted the incident to Admiral Brand then he would have never said anything, but because he did admit the truth picard says i just needed to help you do what you thought was right and for that boy it was admitting the truth.
But, Wesley wasn't right. If Picard had said nothing, that would've been a lie of omission. In the scene where the truth comes out, I get the feeling that Admiral Brand, et el, had already figured it out. To find out if someone is lying, ask them a question you already know the answer to. Speaking of Admiral Brand, she'd take her only grandchild behind the woodshed, if necessary and that grandchild wouldn't be sitting down for a week! Go Granny Go!
Not just in Star Trek - this lesson holds up in everyday life now. If there are time were telling the truth is hard, it is still easier that the other alternatives. Take my word for that one.
Wesley: so you can satisfy a personal vendetta picard? Picard: wha... Wesley: I know you haven't ever recovered from your actions on the stargazer, you killed countless people... now you're coming at me? come now picard picard: on no, you little bi**ch (starts slapping wesley profusely)
I always think of Al Pacino's speech at the end of 'Scent of a Woman' when I see this. I understand why Picard has to question Wesley in this manner, but I feel like he's missing the point in Wesley's case. Wesley is staunchly defending his friends, and while the proverbial shit is hitting the fan, he's standing and facing it. Its that kind of resolve that would hold up if he were to be captured by an enemy force. And that leadership is built off of. Punishing him for this would be turning away a valuable asset to Starfleets future.
Wesley, and the other cadets performed a banned maneuver, with the idea that by doing so, they'd graduate in a blaze of glory. One pilot died, and the other four almost got killed as well. The survivors then preceded to lie under oath during the investigation. Is that behavior you want to encourage? Leadership is not built on lies and ego building. It's built on credibility and trust.
I wonder what kind of speech Kirk would have given the boy. I'd like to think that Kirk would have slapped the kid after the "I choose not to answer." part.
+Walter Gonzalez here's an idea "mr crusher i am... responsible for the 300 crew members aboard.. this ship just as... you were responsible for your... team. there is.. no shame in aiming high mr crusher; ambition is what... drives us, what makes us human and i will... not reprimand you for a... honset failure, but if you are not... brave enough to... admit your mistakes, both to me and... to yourself, then surely... surely any attempt at... achievement you make would be... troubled by the same... flaw, the same mistake that you were not brave enough to admit to... in an attempt to look... infallible. mr crusher if you do not have the... courage to... tell the truth, to... improve upon yourself then you... you are not fit to serve on MY vessel and... i would... demand you ask yourself whether you are... fit to serve anywhere in starfleet" is that kirk enough?
Original Kirk would have just double axe handled Wesley and then hit him with a paper-mache rock. NuKirk would have done the Kolvoord Starburst himself and then had sex with Wesley's mom.
Picard: "The first duty of every Starfleet officer is to the truth!" Sisko: "So, I lied, I cheated, I bribed men to cover the crimes of other men. I am an accessory to murder. But most damning thing of all, I think I can live with it. And if I had to do it all over again, I would."
"The truth, the FOUNDING PRINCIPLE on which Starfleet is based" Also Starfleet: "...yeah lets file this under the Omega Directive" Also Starfleet "Lets have this ambassador covertly assassinated to gain allies in a war"
"I'm going to make this easy for you, Mr. Crusher. Either you come forward and tell Admiral Brand what really happened, or I will!" I wish that Picard hadn't "made it easy" for Wesley. There was no room for Wesley to make the moral choice on his own, since Picard only left him the option of acting in his self-interest at that point.
He just kept talking in one long, incredibly unbroken sentence moving from topic-to-topic so that no one had a chance to interrupt, it was really quite hypnotic.
incredibly unbroken sentence, Moving from topic to topic, Incredibly unbroken sentence, Moving from topic to topic. Moving from topic to topic. Quite hypnotic.
People need to remember Picard spent a lifetime building his reputation and proving his conviction to honour truth justice, loyalty. Never asking someone else to take a risk he wouldn't take himself. The Stargazer bridge. Captain is dead, his friend. Smoke, klaxons sounding. Under attack. Takes command and saves the crew. Leading the rescue mission to rescue the ambassador. Not backing down from god like entities. Negotiations w/ Kingons, Cardasions, Romulans. His personal & professional relationship and record he stood up and promised Starfleet and the UFP that Wesley would make a fine cadet. Admiralty would have to question what was wrong with Picard for allowing a child free reign on a star ship? Recommending an immature reckless teenager for the academy. A captain is responsible for the conduct of his entire crew. He choose to cover his butt when He got a cadet killed?
Guys I totally forgot I had this channel.
Thanks for all the comments and such; this whole quarantine thing is weird.
Wow, so much has changed in 7.5 years.
Thanks again.
No, thank YOU for posting it in the first place. Very few Star Trek scenes have ever influenced my life the way this one has. Having it on-demand on UA-cam here has been very helpful.
I have to make a hard decision soon on whether I come forward with proof of wrongdoing during this crisis, fearing retaliation and the loss of my job, or if I listen to myself and stand up for the truth and for what is right. I've come back to this video of yours a lot lately. It's convincing me to do the right thing even if it's inconvenient or has potential negative consequences for me personally, when it's public safety that is at stake here (not getting any more specific than that). The needs of the many outweigh the needs of the few, another good ST quote I would do well to remember.
Anyway, thanks.
This quarantine thing really brings us all together huh?
How's get funked sound loser
@@DanTheManMS I would stand my ground and thell the truth. He's the ONE mun I would trust with ANYTHING...ANYTHING in the world
@thestudy4880 Remember that human societies, cultures, theologies, and ideologies are a bell curve with two bad ends, (sometimes presented as a horseshoe, where the extremes of all sides fall into the same behaviors.)
I have spent my life as a quiet bookish science nerd -- Star Trek fan implies that -- in rural conservative deeply "religious" American small towns. The opposite, in every way, of progressive. My neighbors loathe nonheterosexuals, nonwhites, nonconservatives, nonPentecostals... And they don't even really know any people in any of those groups personally. They learn that contempt and hate remotely, from multiply-rewritten palimpsest Stone Age scrolls, Pepe-frog-laden web threads, and broadcast news opinioneers. Not from personal experience, since they have no personal experience. Sure, we have a few gays, a few science-educated doctors, a few liberal professionals, but they stay closeted, quiet, in fear of what comes if the people discover them.
And yet the devout conservative religiosity they trumpet is a façade, a con. Meth and fentanyl labs abound, pills and weed are sold in Pentecostal church parking lots after morning service, adultery is as rampant here as anywhere, and unpunished domestic violence, theft, and burglary abound. And yet, to hear them talk, rural white rightwing Pentecostals are as wonderful as it gets, antibiotics and chemotherapy are a liberal pharmacy con, and all a person really needs is Faith and essential oil. If they die, they didn't have enough Faith.
Insanity and human folly abound in every culture and theological or political framework. Including progressivism, who sometimes assert closing all jails and ending police forces will end crime as we know it. My county doesn't have a jail and the five deputies never actually enforce any laws, so I can attest that not having law enforcement and jails won"t end predatorial behavior.
Star Trek was a fond escape during youth, when I felt so alone in studying and testing scientific theories, quantitative data, inferences, and reasoning. I had to keep it a secret, though, or an adultering pill-popping spouse-beating Pentecostal deacon would scream at me for being evil.
Human folly exists on all sides. I suppose, perhaps, so is some human decency. I liked Star Trek for showing an idealist but balanced path: they had science and technology, vastly reduced exploitation of human vulnerability and child hunger, but also security teams, weapons, and shields. They had the best of both worlds.
So chilling yet subtle, that little quaver in his voice when he says "...until now". Like the silent heartbreak of a surrogate father who's child has broken his heart. Then that moment of personal heartbreak is quickly shuttered by his overriding discipline and reaffirmation of his ethical and moral code. Everything Wesley needed. A proper dressing down from his Captain, and a moral wake-up call from his father, all in one.
Wesley comes from the school of no snitching, but Picard knows that institutions and their ideals of truth and integrity are only as good as the men who are willing to defend and stand up for them.
Greatness of the episode is how both are right
From a certain point of view
"snitch" is a dishonest person's word.
@@davecrupel2817 snitch is someone who rats someone out
@@ronniejdio9411 Boy isn't that basic.
A 911 caller about a guy wearing a trenchcoat holding an AK driving to a mall is a snitch.
Someone telling their parents about their siblings doing drugs is a snitch.
Fuck it. I'm siding with the snitch. Better that than to let bad people do bad things without opposition.
@@davecrupel2817 the 2nd one is different a snitch. The first one is a fantasy fallacy that's never happened
"Damn, he set the Picard Speech on kill, narrow beam."
03:10
"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.
And 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, Mister Crusher--either you come forward and tell Admiral Brand what really took place, or I will!"
ouch....
@@rhenvao2844 OUCH.....
This is becoming a speech.
@@pinballwiz45b You're the captain, sir. You're entitled.
IM SO SORRY SPACE DAD
I’m sorry regular dad. I’m sorry you’re not from space. There’s less cnts in space.
He’s was Space Dad to us all.
Alternate reality Wesley: I'm a gay robot! You're not my space dad!!!
Picard: I said dismissed!!
Cringe .The only Space Dad is Optimus Prime .
Patrick Stewart's performance as Jean-Luc is suitably dignified and hard-hitting.
I feel guilty and it's not even me he's telling off. 😂
Watching this speech makes me want to fess up and I didn't even do anything!
Is your first duty to the truth?
The whole truth and nothing but the truth
You are so weak, I recommend you watch Star trek deep space nine. The characters can rebuke picard as easy as a blink of an eye, especially Garak, a MASTER.
@@MegaBorgqueen B5 (Season 2 to 4) was a a better DS9.
It had 2 war arcs that were continuous instead of DS9's episodical format which interrupted the storyline with filler episodes.
Ron Moore though, fixed that problem when he did Galactica with a continous format and no filler episodes.
Of all the captains, Picard was the most moral and by-the-book. That's not to say he didn't bend a few rules along the way and broke fewer, but his reasons for doing so were always measured by his moral compass. And of all the captains he was the most vulnerable and that made him a damn fine captain.
I don't think he was the most vulnerable. That would have to be Archer. Archer was the first Earth captain to really push the boundaries of human exploration, and he wasn't really prepared. He couldn't be, yet he felt he had so much he had to prove. So out he went with a a total lack of experience and a ship that was usually outmatched.
The other captains at least had years of Starfleet training and had served in a professional officer corp before getting the captains chair. They were as prepared as any human could be.
@@Elthenar Picard's vulnerability is his emotional side, not his experience with command. He is a man who finds it... difficult, at best, to keep his crew - his bridge staff even - at less than arm's length. That's why him finally showing up to Poker Night at the end of All Good Things is important.
@@namillus9754 Perhaps but I still stand by my point. No captain was as in over their head than Archer. Janeway's situation was arguably worse but she had probably 2 decades of service under her belt by the time she took command of Voyager. She also had a crew that largely trained as well as anyone. Archer was the first one out there, he had nothing to fall back on and had to figure it all out on the fly.
@@Elthenar - That's why Archer is arguably the best captain of them all and by far the most important. Without Archer, the Vulcans and Andorians wouldn't have been at peace with each other and the Federation wouldn't have been formed. Easily the most important person in the Star Trek universe.
I just wished Enterprise had another Season so they could have dealt with the Earth Romulan war in detail. It was a tragedy that Enterprise was cancelled after only 4 seasons.
As for who's the best actor. that's easy - Patrick Stewart. He's easily the best actor to have ever starred in Trek.
@@Jimbo8012 I just wish that Enterprise had a more coherent writing staff. It was better than people think but it did have it's flaws. whole temporal cold war was pants-on-head stupid. There had more than enough ground to work with just establish the build up to the foundation of the Federation.
The morals and values this show teaches are more relevant now than ever before! I would gladly show this to a kid and that they see and admire quialities of truth, honor and duty.
Orville has them =)
And Justice
This show should be watched by children for sure. It teaches all kinds of lessons and has hundred episodes or so. Plenty. I didn't have a dad and got most of my information on how to "be" from Picard. I have seen every episode twice or so and each one has a lesson.
I never noticed the hurt in Picards voice until now.
it was all fine until Wesley lied to him directly.
That dressing down was a flood of cold water for the Ensign. Picard's unwavering and direct reminder with direct gaze and tremendous authority was a sight to behold. My how far we have fallen since masterworks of acting and writing like this once existed. I swear to god, simply by logical assumption, the TNG writer's room essentially crafted a new standard of integrity and dialogue, bespoke for him. You can see the difference between the quality of script between gems like this and the skidmark that was Picard Season 1. It's not his age that makes him appear meek and innefectual in the new show. It's the writing. and direction.
Some modern shows rely too much on special effects instead of good writing, If you like good writing watch the V 2009 reboot, it has many intricate storylines!
@@seriascannain6675 The "V"?
"V"?
@@seriascannain6675 true, but part of the problem with modern writing is pushing agendas (not that writing never did, but now it's so hamfisted and blatant) instead of trying to tell a good story.
It's like the difference between a fantastic character in a story who happens to be gay and a fantastically gay character in a story who happens to be extremely poorly written.
@@SubduedRadical The loss of nuance and substance.
Whoever wrote this episode is a gift we all need to appreciate.
The story has a bias. The experiment couldn't be done with unmanned ships?
@@manuell3505 It wasn't an experiment, it was a training exercise, so the point for them to be human operated.
When he said "until now" I stood up and had a standing ovation. The inflection, the timing, the emotion...was powerful. This entire scene was powerful.
If you notice his voice wavers slightly as if he is choked up. Brilliant acting.
This is what happens when you get a theatre actor to do your sci fi.
get over yourself
This is when Wesleys world of Bullsh8 came crashing down
@@jayjohn9680 yes, and it was glorious
Even if this maneuver had worked, did they all expect to graduate and go out in a blaze of glory? They still would have been punished being a banned maneuver is a banned maneuver.
Brian Johnson a diploma is only paper if you passed all your classes
Agree, the whole episode had holes that made no sense. Someone died and they lied to cover it up during the trial, but the only punishment was him losing one year of credits and a mark on his record.
If it had worked they would have gotten a slap on the wrist and had a great story to tell on all the ships they served on.
What's the maneuver called?
Wow, it's almost as though teenagers don't think things through.
The look in Picard’s eyes when he hears “I choose not to answer”...
@Stefano Pavone ..and given that Wesley Crusher was a young boy that Captain Picard brought aboard, supported and encouraged him (probably because of his relationship with Beverly) and even gave him the rank of a bridge officer onboard HiS ship.. and to hear that HIS Ensign lied not only to a board of inquiry but to him as well.. what Captain wouldn't almost jump out of his skin and want to rip this young cadet a new one. Picard's disbelief turns to outright anger as he dresses down Cadet Crusher..
We need a real life Picard.
There are people out there like him my friend. Many different people, all different in their ways, but nevertheless give the sense of hope that he instills.
True but we could do with many more of them in the public eye like politics and so on, areas that can impact people in a good way, sadly, most of them are overshadowed and don't get noticed.
Wil Wheaton really needs to learn from Picard.
We have one. DJT!
We have one. Patrick Stewart.
I miss this show there isnt a single show that is about good things, hope, elevation of man kind. Not even the star trek series after.
DS9 appeals to the uglier side of humanity.
DS9 showed a more rounded image of humanity that was true just as much to our better nature as to our worse. However you are right in that in doing so it lost a little something from TNG. Not that this made it a bad show but it was significantly different.
@@BadWolf739 I dunno I think DS9 was a necessary counterpoint to the idealism of TNG. It showed what happens and what Starfleet officers are faced with, why their values are so important, and ultimately it showed how the rest of the universe benefited. Remember that wonderful scene with Garak and Quark talking about Root beer, Gala's moon, and the destruction of the Cardassian empire? In it all they talked about the outsider view of the Federation and in the end it showed exactly what those values stood for, how despite the suspicion and the derision and frankly some of the arrogance of them they are something that people ultimately learn to believe in and trust and rely on.
I think TNG and DS9 are a perfect counterpoint to one another about the values and ideals of it all. One lays it out and the other tests it beyond its ability to hold. When DS9 breaks past those values it ultimately I think shows how important they are. Without that TNG's idealism would always seem too perfect and untested. And once I've slummed in the universes' worst hour in DS9 I feel refreshed returning to the clean idealism of TNG that acts as the guiding light, what we can all aspire to even if in practice we fall short.
The season this happened in was the same one in which Gene Roddenberry died. That's when things started to change. They no longer had him looking over their shoulder anymore. It's common knowledge that he was trying to stop Paramount from doing DS9 because he felt he'd said everything he wanted to say with TNG, not to mention they were considering things he would never consent to. I have to wonder if the battles over that didn't contribute in some way to his death. If he were alive, DS9, Voyager, Enterprise, Discovery (especially Discovery) and Picard all would not exist.
That being said, I actually liked DS9 a lot. As much as I loved TNG, I thought that Sisko's rant about the Federation's attitude towards the Maquis summed up one of the things that got a little tiresome with TNG. Yeah, the Federation's great, but they've taken that greatness to the point where they believe they can do no wrong because they can't see beyond the "paradise" that is Earth.
Might I recommend The Orville? It starts out as a comical “spoof” of trek, but it quickly becomes what is basically the essence of TNG but in another franchise
I learned the importance of the truth, even when it’s inconvenient, even when we don’t like it, from Star Trek. It was reinforced a few more times through other lessons as I was growing up, but Star Trek was first. If you are willing to bend the truth when it works out in your favor, then I don’t care what other principles you hold dear, you may as well not have any. The truth is the truth, and it exists outside of your willingness to tell it.
This is a brilliantly shot sequence and great writing. Having been on multiple aviation mishap investigations, this kind of shit happens all the time. The dynamics of the military and pushing the limits lends itself to things happening, and then people clam up and protect one another once the legal proceedings start. It’s just human nature, yet another great topic addressed in this great series.
Yea. It was startling how good the camera work in this shot was for syndicated television at the time.
I've always felt - and probably always will - that the legal process is part of the problem.
It often is less about finding out what happened so protections can be put in place to prevent harm in the future and more about how someone can get crucified over the situation. That leads to the calming up part. In the Navy, one of the things that people learn is that the first thing to do in any crisis is "cover your ass", which means find some way you can explain the situation where the blame isn't on you.
It's a pretty shitty system, honestly, made so not by the people in it, but by the way higher ups or even people who have never been in the military want to treat the situations. Instead of something that will make things better, they engineer a system where the incentives are all to avoid responsibility rather than to take it. And the thing is, even the people doing the investigations act the same way when they're in bad situations themselves. When something bad happens at the highest levels, they seek to find a scapegoat as well.
It's a rare person in the military that DOESN'T function this way (I did not - my first priority was always ensuring everyone's safety, getting the situation to a safe state, then determining the cause and implementing solutions to prevent it happening again), but those people (as I did) tend to leave once their contracts are up instead of staying in it.
"You told the truth up to a point-A lie of omission is still a lie."
It is incredible how they address today's problem so well in a TV shows many decades ago... Or did we regress ?
"progressives" are actually regressive.
@@LawlessNate Stop projecting.
@@Carakav So your argument is "no u".
@@LawlessNate It's a response which is intellectually on par with a with your original empty, jingoistic, talking point.
@@Carakav Trump won the election; the voter fraud will be proven in court and the conservative majority SCOTUS will confirm him to a second term.
Patrick Stewart is easily the best actor on Star Trek.
I want to agree, Patrick Stewart is my favorite, but there have been so many good actors on Star Trek it'd be impossible to rank them. Avery Brooks break down at the end of "Far Beyond The Stars" brings me to tears every time.
"Patrick Stewart is easily the best actor." Fixed!
It's either him or Leonard Nimoy.
As a long-time Trekker, who knows whole episodes of the TOS by heart, I have to say Zoe Zeldana, the new Uhura, is probably one of the top five on the show, -- ever.
Correct. There's simply no comparison. These days the actors they have on Discovery and Picard, however, are gaining ground.
Picard scared Wesley into realizing what was going on around him. How Nick wasn't really his friend but self-centered and egotistical.
This was one of those father-son moments. Wesley looked upon Captain Picard at times as a surrogate father. It wasn't just a disappointed captain, it was a disappointed dad!
*he wasn't a jerk trying to shit all over a dead kid's memory*
That doesn't make him a good person. Malevolence is not the sole measure of this. He clearly pushed them to do it for his own aggrandizement. Whatever you want to point to in his conduct surrounding the result, he put them in this position for himself first. Also do not neglect the fact that he ignored the fact that one of his men couldn't do the maneuver and therefore he clearly pushed him to do something he shouldn't have, and in influencing his other pilots he caused them to not doubt that one man's weakness or encourage caution and it created a group think that lead to the accident.
Locarno may not be an evil person, but he's not a good person when you look at all this. He ignored the red flag that he was risking everyone's lives over one man's weakness, and the primary reason for this was self aggrandizement.
Nick Locarno was right about loyalty to the team, but the team is Starfleet, not merely Nova Squadron.
@@BollocksUtwat If he's not a good person, OR a bad person, then what the hell *is* he?
@@davecrupel2817 Three is a gulf between evil and bad. Malevolent people are often evil or approach it. Not being a good man doesn't mean you're malevolent or evil.
I confess!!!! I stole a dollar out of my mom's purse when I was 8. Please forgive me Captain Picard
I’m going to make this simple for you Mr. Sapre - either you come forward and tell your mother what really took place or I will!
@@VulKus117 im dead
@@VulKus117 I… I can’t :-(
Then you don't deserve to wear that uniform!
I remember watching this on its original air date... When Wesley said he chose not to answer I remember shaking my head.. Thinking Picard gonna bring the lumber... 😀 😆😆
Jean-Luc Picard for president. Who's with me.
if only he was real
He's not a natural-born U.S. citizen, so it's a no-go. Unfortunately.
Federation President.
Everyone.
Picard wouldnt go for that
"Dont let them promote you. Dont let them transfer you. Dont let them do anything that will take you off the bridge of your ship, because while you are there, you can make a difference"
-James T. Kirk
Picard's First Duty message needs to be required listening for any leader in office.
@ph1980: You got that right, ph1980! Scenes like this are what truly defined Captain Picard. (William Shatner could never pull off a scene like this) "You are dismissed, Cadet!" really stood out in my mind - the condemning way he said it.
People could tell that Picard wasn't just a cheap copy of Captain Kirk. He had his own unique distinctiveness. In the early days of TNG, some Trekkies criticized the new captain as a "wimp", because he was not the swashbucking-action-hero that Kirk was. The first time a TNG cast member appeared as a guest at a Star Trek Convention, it was not Patrick Stewart. But after a few years, Trekkers really started to warm up to Picard, because they could see the strengths that he had over his predecessor.
This is what makes Picard so great and I swear as I was a kid growing up watching TNG, Picard had a big impact on how I turned out in a good way by making me see things in a more moral and right way.
That's how i felt about picard but then i watched TNG and now he's my favorite captain.
When I got to 1:48 I felt this gut-wrenching fight-or-flight sensation like hell itself was descending upon me.
At 2:03 That had me wondering... was Picard going to just slap that Wesley before saying... how dare you! or shut up wesley! or liar!
You wanted to fess up but had done nothing.
This was written by Ronald D. Moore and Naren Shankar, who both went on to adapt Battlestar Galactica and The Expanse, respectively...two of the best sci fi shows of all time.
With Patrick Stewart taking the sword right through the heart. “You *choose* not to answer?! But you’ve already given an answer to the inquiry.” Who needs a blaster or explosions when Picard just eviscerated a boy’s soul in with just a few words.
Naren Shankar is Fred Freiberger and Kathleen Kennedy. He shows up late and starts ruining the franchise by ripping it out from the inside.
I usually didn't like Westley that much, he was like a comicbook-Robin-character for the most time.
But in this episode I found it exciting how much he recognizes and matures during the case.
To bad Wil Wheaton is a damaged lunatic
@@dpsmyface3868 You guys are far more damaged.
@@dpsmyface3868 If you guys don't know the difference between fantasy and reality. You shouldn't be commenting on the mental health of others.
@@Vespyr_his behavior is well documented. Maybe if you are simping for a sad old former child star you shouldn't be making assumptions about strangers on the internet.
Wes was to big of a Mary Sue. You just couldn't enjoy his character.
Fun fact: in the Autobiography of James T. Kirk, it's revealed that Kirk was part of a squadron that witnessed the incident in which the Kolvoord Starburst was banned, nearly getting killed and his roommate was one of the five lost.
Picard: "You told the truth up to a point-A lie of omission is still a lie."
Ethics 101 for today's youth...
Ethics 101 for Benjamin Sisko.
Ethics 101 for journalists.
Ethics 101 for presidents, PMs and all politicians.
Ethics 101 for Jedi.
Obi Wan disapproves.
What a great script, and what a great actor. Both together make an amazing scene!
Wesley:"I choose not to answer, sir!"
Picard:"oh hell no!"
Not even Q managed to drive Picard so angry.
Recall when Ensign Ro deserted. That's the angriest I've ever seen Picard.
Can you imagine how intense it must have been filming this scene?
I'm curious how the actors felt during the scene.
While it is acting, imagine feeling like you're being dressed down by Patrick Stewart. Wil Wheaton was still a pretty young man at the time and he handled it well!
Wil has spoken about his time on the show, and has said he was treated wonderfully by all the cast. He said they never looked at him as a young brat kid actor, they treated him just as equal, same respect as any other adult actor on the show. Sir Patrick Stewart and Jonathan Frakes became mentors and role models to Wil, especially since Wil's own parents were horrible narcissistic cruel people, who ruined Wil's mental health. Working on TNG gave him friends, people who treated him like a normal man.
Everything i needed to know about life I learned from Jesus and Captain Picard.
Jason Adank who needs school when youv got Picard?
Greg K ,Don't talk shit about peoples religion! That's rude AND disrespectful!
*Lovely TT*
I didn't bring it up *Jason Adank* Did!
I was just pointing out *The Truth* about it!
All I have to say is *TRUTH HURTS!*
I think you're talking about the devil. ua-cam.com/video/Xc9EbCiGsgM/v-deo.html
Greg K ,ACTUALLY that's NOT the truth that's just what YOU believe!
Tears down my cheeks. Patrick Stewart is incredible. His acting emerges from the soul, from the foundation of mankind.
it's amazing how his.. what I would categorize as soft counterpoints make a BIIIIIIIG statement and an even bigger impact to follow.
One of Patrick Stewart's finest moments in the series.
Picard's really good with speeches including this one
Stewart was trained from Shakespeare plays, and it shows.
The most compelling scenes in Star Trek are often just two characters in a room, with amazing dialogue like this.
For all the talk that The Next Generation was too optimistic/idealistic, there are a handful of episodes which push away from that. This is one of them. An original crewmate lying to cover up the death of his squadmate. As others have said before, Wesley became a much better character after Wil Wheaton was written out of the regular cast. Of course, the true mantle of "greyness" would be carried by DS9 but this was a great episode for TNG.
I am Locutus of Borg
You are Borg
I am Locutus of Borg
You will assist us
Such a good song!
Suriner darkmateria - the picard song
ftw
When that "truth" part came up, I was suddenly reminded of the song...off to go find it lol
Picard: "The first duty of every Starfleet officer is to the TRUTH!"
Sisko: "Hold my synth-ale."
Good one.
@@veritasg9020 In the end, though, Sisko didn't have to live with it, did he?
What you didn't see off-camera:
Senator: Sir, the Federation just assassinated Vreenak and forged evidence to blame it on the Dominion.
Praetor: (slowly clapping) I honestly didn't think they had it in them.
Because Sisko CAN live with it..
Inter Arma Enim Silent Leges.
Damn, that was harsh. And also completely fair. Captain Picard and Patrick Stewart whipped Wesley Crusher and Wil Wheaton into a great man. I wish I had a dad like that.
Picard is a great morality role model
Most of my sense of morality comes from Jean-Luc Picard.
@Internet Entity I don't find it boring to story telling. He may be lawful good but he react with passion, passion is what make the story boring or not.
In that scene Patrick Stewart became his father, Alfred Stewart RSM British army. I watched his episode of "who do you think you are" and that was who he drew on for that scene. Pure class.
Alternate Ending at hearing:
Wesley: I have no further comment on the matter.
Admiral: You are a cover up artist and a liar
Al Pacino: But not a snitch!
THIS is the best clip so far!!!! You didn't cut off anything relevant to the scene. THANK YOU!!!
The pause, before Picard goes into his accusation. Holy shit that is some acting.
Sir Patrick is a trained Shakespearean actor, no surprise how good his acting was here.
You can actually see the heartbreak in Picard’s eyes as he dresses down Wesley. Brilliant performance by Mr. Stewart
It is a stupid stunt, because even if it worked, that is merely proof of violating a major rule. There was no upside to performing the stupid stunt.
Stupid Lacarno (Tom Paris) still got a decent life on Voyager..
+toad g In the words of the great Homer Simpson. "Stupid things is what makes life worth living."
Also, fuck the rules.
They would probably be barred from Starfleet service.
Yes. Court martialled and lose many years off of their career (which is terrible at a young age). They would still be Ensigns while officers their same age would have reached LT or LT Commander.
They would've sabotaged their own Starfleet career for sure. Perhaps a civilian agency or outside world might try to recruit them for flight services, but there's no way Starfleet would want anything further to do with them. At the very least, the cadets would have been discharged from the academy and Locarno, being the leader, would have faced court martial charges. The episode therefore made no sense.
@@oldtwinsna8347 Not necessarily if this stunt would work and you have dad who is the Admiral of the Starfleet :D
"A lie of omission is still a lie." - Tell that to our main stream media.
And Wil Wheton I'm sure.
Like Fox? The most watched news program in the country?
I’m so used to the Picard Song edit that this scene feels wrong to me without the music
Lol, "I choose not to answer sir!" Um...yeah...that kind of doesn't actually work in the military. There is no such "choice" when your commander asks you an official question. Refusing to answer is basically the same thing as disobeying a lawful order.
Picard isn't his commander through.
Starfleet isn't a 21st century military
I love this scene. It really shows the integrity Jean Luc Picard has. The integrity that made him Starfleets most respected Captain.
That made him captain of the flagship.
Look at Will Wheaton, who can act and stand his ground with Patrick Stewart. We got a better Star Trek than we deserved. People in the 80's were screaming at this version, until it proved itself to be in the spirit of the Original series...
Star Trek made my life so much more difficult now that it has instilled me with integrity. Thanks alot! Being the only honest and scrupulous person around me is really fucking hard.
I love next generation and i love picard, he's awesome not just a skilled captain but a father and brother figure to those under his command.
"A lie of ommission is still a lie." This is a statement that everyone needs to live by, to male this a better world
You would snitch on your friends?... OK, pal... Good luck with that attitude in life.
@@MuddahFukkah you have terrible friends i think
@@MuddahFukkah That only matters if you HAVE friends to snitch on. If nobody's your friend, snitching is easy as breathing.
@@MuddahFukkah good luck to everyone who has the misfortune of being affected by your actions, and your friends' actions. isn't it interesting how you immediately resorted to an argument from self interest?
@@MuddahFukkah If your friends got someone killed through stupidity and tried to cover it up by lying under oath, would you cover for them?
By far the best scene in the entire series.
Iskander4000 This claim discredits countless other timeless scenes. It's good no doubt. But there are so many throughout this series.
If Picard blasted wesley right there… nothing could or would hold a candle to it
Idk lol there's a LOT of competition
I'm surprised they haven't done another Star Trek series...I always thought that a "Picard prequel" would work. Picard, going to the academy and coming up in the ranks before his first command, the Star-Gazer.
The series (TNG) on a few occasions mentions Picard as a wildcard, short tempered, ladies man and trouble maker. They could write in Boothbee (The gardner) in, The Crushers (Jack and Beverly). Picard’s brother, Rubarè. A bitter relationship between the two-even after he graduates and when he takes command of his own ship. Picard tried talking to Rubaré before leaving to his first ship-to reconcile (maybe after their father died or something) all the turmoil between them. But they leave things the way they were before coming back (maybe a few seasons down the road). It would give the viewer a better understanding what happened between the two of them. “Family” in TNG does…but we get a real brief glimpse of it when they throw punches.
I always thought that type series could work. The scene here shows how far he (Picard) has come in Star-fleet from where he began as a first year cadet.
Yeah that would be an interesting plot. But it would never have made it as a tv series on its own. Don't get me wrong it has potential but perhaps one or maybe two movies could cover that same thing. Besides, to much time has gone by for that to take root now. Too bad, it would have been cool to see.
I don't know-seem like a few episodes I've watched, Picard talks about his past in a few times. Aside from Kirk-picard was my favorite-janeway-ehhh...sisco had his moments. I think if the writers at paramount (Star Trek writers) could play with the idea. Here's this cocky smart ass cadet talking shit and picking fights--the veiwer(s) are thinking...he's commanding the enterprise? (Stargazer). See how he met Guinan-, pretty vague on how they know each Other.
Q could show up-erase, picards memory at the end of the episode, show him what would happen if he didn't join star fleet. Writers could play with it. Think it could work.
Agreed. I've been pining for "Picard Begins" for a few years. You called out all the parts that need to be in there. What's difficult is that he served on the Stargazer of *twenty-years* before abandoning it. There's a 4 year gap between then and the Farpoint mission so maybe this story could take place in there. Pre-Enterprise Picard recalling the events that led him to where he is. My only gripe would be a lack of Q, who, is the perfect foil for Picard.
They already have a "wildcard, short tempered, ladies man and trouble maker". Captain Kirk.
They were going to, but it got replaced with Discovery. From what little information was revealed, they had planned to turn the Ferengi Union into one of the major powers through their reform. Personally, I think several story arcs from Star Trek Online are worth adapting into television series' arcs, particularly the story of New Romulus and The Iconians, but also the backstory of the Na'kul and the details of the Temporal Coldwar and the return of the Vaaduar. It'd also be nice for the Voth, Undine(Species 8472) and Tholians to get more screentime.
After that Wesley to Locarno: I cannot call captain Picard a liar ! 😱😱😱
You can't handle the truth!
Well played LMFAOO!!!!!
How about "You can't handle the F***ING TRUTH!!!" (a few drops of spittle lands on wesleys lying face)
***** SMACK********** SMACK********** SMACK*****
Wesley was more concerned about saving his own ass than admitting his involvement in the accident which resulted in Joshua Albert's death. Some friend.
He was doing it because both him and his friends would lose everything they worked towards.
In a military unit it is common for the members to be loyal to each other. You can try to sell the idea of doing things for god and country, but often a unit will do the things they need to do for each other. Wesley would have had to throw the rest of his team under the bus. This was the first time that he truly belonged in a peer group of others of his own age.
You don't challenge Picard on navigation history, he's a pretty damn accomplished helmsman.
I like this scene with Wesley. After how many times he saved the Enterprise or was part some plot where he was a Mary Sue, he finally shows signs of humanity. He makes a terrible mistake. Makes him worth something more.
It's a great episode. But I cannot get over the silly idea that these cadets thought that they could perform a dangerous, illegal maneuver in front of an entire graduating class and not be punished so long as they executed the maneuver successfully. By doing it so flagrantly and publicly, they would guaranty that they would receive punishment.
Look up the shenanigans of the engineering students of CalTech or UBC or MIT or any technical college/university. They conducted elaborate feats like hanging Volkswagon bugs off the sides of bridges, placing exotic art sculptures on roofs, or ruining football fields with lime and burning gasoline to write immortal effigies. Yes, they got in trouble, and their stunts required lots of money to fix/repair, but it also made them legends and they were all graduating anyway so their punishment was minimal.
I know it is well known, but damn Patrick Stewart just kills every scene he is in.
Do you think everybody on the Bridge heard Wesley getting yelled at behind that closed door??😁🤣
Sound proof doors. The captain's ready room was always for private discussion with his crew. Remember Commander Riker was yelled at by Picard in many episodes in their too.
Picard is the best of us, the eminent human leader. Not perfect, but always seeking improvement and striving to do the right thing.
This is one great reason why TNG is the best series ever published.
It was after having watched this entire episode that I realized Captain Picard may have been bluffing when he threatened to inform Admiral Brand about the Starburst maneuver. If you watch the scene where Picard and Boothby are reminiscing, they discuss an incident where Boothby helped Picard hide an "incident" that occurred while he was a cadet. He says I did it because you were right, it shouldn't have held you back from being the fine captain you are. He says I just pushed you to do what you thought was right. If the boy never admitted the incident to Admiral Brand then he would have never said anything, but because he did admit the truth picard says i just needed to help you do what you thought was right and for that boy it was admitting the truth.
How do you mean? Details, please.
But, Wesley wasn't right. If Picard had said nothing, that would've been a lie of omission. In the scene where the truth comes out, I get the feeling that Admiral Brand, et el, had already figured it out. To find out if someone is lying, ask them a question you already know the answer to. Speaking of Admiral Brand, she'd take her only grandchild behind the woodshed, if necessary and that grandchild wouldn't be sitting down for a week! Go Granny Go!
And he grew a set, and got not!Tom Paris expelled from the Academy as a result.
Not just in Star Trek - this lesson holds up in everyday life now.
If there are time were telling the truth is hard, it is still easier that the other alternatives.
Take my word for that one.
This sums up perfectly why wesley crusher is so hated by fans wesley never deserved to wear that uniform let alone graduate
The crew on the Enterprise referring to each other by their rank is like when your mother calls you by your full name.
Man, Wesley really got his ass ripped.
this clip changed my life and shaped who I became. Thank you Mr. Wheaton, Sir Stewart, and Star trek as a whole.
Wesley: so you can satisfy a personal vendetta picard?
Picard: wha...
Wesley: I know you haven't ever recovered from your actions on the stargazer, you killed countless people... now you're coming at me? come now picard
picard: on no, you little bi**ch (starts slapping wesley profusely)
I never realised that Wesley was wearing a Voyager style uniform.
🐺
I always think of Al Pacino's speech at the end of 'Scent of a Woman' when I see this.
I understand why Picard has to question Wesley in this manner, but I feel like he's missing the point in Wesley's case.
Wesley is staunchly defending his friends, and while the proverbial shit is hitting the fan, he's standing and facing it. Its that kind of resolve that would hold up if he were to be captured by an enemy force. And that leadership is built off of. Punishing him for this would be turning away a valuable asset to Starfleets future.
that was a terrible movie.
@@scottmatheson3346 that's great, but I didn't ask
Wesley, and the other cadets performed a banned maneuver, with the idea that by doing so, they'd graduate in a blaze of glory. One pilot died, and the other four almost got killed as well. The survivors then preceded to lie under oath during the investigation. Is that behavior you want to encourage? Leadership is not built on lies and ego building. It's built on credibility and trust.
I can see officers for years to come performing renditions of this scene. Inspiring.
Ben Sisko: "Well...some truths are more equal than others...."
Difficult to know where Patrick Stewart ends and Picard begins, it’s so seamless.
I wonder what kind of speech Kirk would have given the boy. I'd like to think that Kirk would have slapped the kid after the "I choose not to answer." part.
+Walter Gonzalez here's an idea "mr crusher i am... responsible for the 300 crew members aboard.. this ship just as... you were responsible for your... team. there is.. no shame in aiming high mr crusher; ambition is what... drives us, what makes us human and i will... not reprimand you for a... honset failure, but if you are not... brave enough to... admit your mistakes, both to me and... to yourself, then surely... surely any attempt at... achievement you make would be... troubled by the same... flaw, the same mistake that you were not brave enough to admit to... in an attempt to look... infallible. mr crusher if you do not have the... courage to... tell the truth, to... improve upon yourself then you... you are not fit to serve on MY vessel and... i would... demand you ask yourself whether you are... fit to serve anywhere in starfleet"
is that kirk enough?
+HASEnoncorperated holy crap. Perfect lolol
Oatsman4
alternitively:
"Wesley... I put it... to you... that the... human condition is..." [wesley's head explodes].
Walter, in the Picard/Kirk debate, I prefer Picard. But you're right. Kirk would have slapped the dog shit out of him.
Original Kirk would have just double axe handled Wesley and then hit him with a paper-mache rock.
NuKirk would have done the Kolvoord Starburst himself and then had sex with Wesley's mom.
Wesley: But sir I thought you told me to... shut up..
Picard: "The first duty of every Starfleet officer is to the truth!"
Sisko: "So, I lied, I cheated, I bribed men to cover the crimes of other men. I am an accessory to murder. But most damning thing of all, I think I can live with it. And if I had to do it all over again, I would."
"The truth, the FOUNDING PRINCIPLE on which Starfleet is based"
Also Starfleet:
"...yeah lets file this under the Omega Directive"
Also Starfleet
"Lets have this ambassador covertly assassinated to gain allies in a war"
Endearing Wesley episodes didn't happen often, but when they did...
Imagine Sisko listening to a speech like this after the Dominion War.
"I'm going to make this easy for you, Mr. Crusher. Either you come forward and tell Admiral Brand what really happened, or I will!" I wish that Picard hadn't "made it easy" for Wesley. There was no room for Wesley to make the moral choice on his own, since Picard only left him the option of acting in his self-interest at that point.
How would Archer have handled it?
"That was wrong, Wesley, but I'm getting a bit distracted by Porthos who wants his doggy-treat now."
Probably better than how Kirk would've handled it.
@@CoolsBreeze Kirk would be to busy screwing the weekly alien poon tang to worry about a bunch of suicidal cadets
Let's see Picard try this speech on the Sisko. The universe would probably implode. And it would be awesome!
He really did view Wesley like a son.
Wil Wheaton deserves a lot more credit for this episode.
This is becoming a speech
You're the Captain, Sir. You're entitled.
Hmph! I'm entitled to ramble on about something that everybody else knows.
Captain Jean-Luc Picard of the USS Enterprise.
Captain Jean-Luc Picard of the USS Enterprise.
He just kept talking in one long, incredibly unbroken sentence moving from topic-to-topic so that no one had a chance to interrupt, it was really quite hypnotic.
incredibly unbroken sentence,
Moving from topic to topic,
Incredibly unbroken sentence,
Moving from topic to topic.
Moving from topic to topic.
Quite hypnotic.
People need to remember Picard spent a lifetime building his reputation and proving his conviction to honour truth justice, loyalty. Never asking someone else to take a risk he wouldn't take himself.
The Stargazer bridge. Captain is dead, his friend.
Smoke, klaxons sounding.
Under attack. Takes command and saves the crew.
Leading the rescue mission to rescue the ambassador.
Not backing down from god like entities. Negotiations w/ Kingons, Cardasions, Romulans.
His personal & professional relationship and record he stood up and promised Starfleet and the UFP that Wesley would make a fine cadet.
Admiralty would have to question what was wrong with Picard for allowing a child free reign on a star ship? Recommending an immature reckless teenager for the academy.
A captain is responsible for the conduct of his entire crew.
He choose to cover his butt when
He got a cadet killed?
This why context is important, half truths have the intentions of a lie
Why is Picard so annoyed that Crusher won't answer? After all, what he learned, week after week, was to SHUT UP WESLEY!