Who Is Actually Captain Picard's Greatest Nemesis?

[@ajayrious]

Cmon now, we all know Picard's greatest nemesis is Lwoxana Troi. The only person he is ever genuinely terrified of.

[@deankay8894]

Im terrified of her!!

[@KyleAButler]

AHH beat me to it!

[@glennschroeder3828]

Lol beat me to it 😂

[@benjiskyler7836]

Didn't DaiMon Bok assume an alternate personae and kidnap Lwaxana, forcing Picard to pretend she was his girlfriend? And then Bok managed to change his face and voice (into someone who called Jerry Seinfeld a phony in a previous life), and yet Picard still knew who he was. Now *that* is what earns DaiMon Bok a spot on this list. 😃

[@shodanki3736]

He even went on vacation by the mention she could get on board.

[@NihlusKryik]

How could you forget Picard’s greatest nemesis, children?

[@RaptorJesus]

I thought it was *STAIRS!* ...wait, wrong Patrick Stewart role.

[@julioramirezn]

You might say parenthood and comintment 😅

[@chimericalical]

@@RaptorJesus sigh…. I immediately thought of that panel

[@chrisstetsko5020]

Eh. Picard outgrew that discomfort with Wesley over a couple of seasons. Then he grew a bond with nephew Rene in "Family", bonded with Jono in "Suddenly Human", and discovered a way to work with children "Disaster".

[@Pratalax]

Happy Picard Day!!

[@Redmage913]

My original response to the episode name’s prompting was “Locutus”, because it’s one thing when an external factor is your greatest enemy, but the worst moment is when you know you have been your own greatest villain, and under the right, terrible circumstances, you could easily become so again.

[@EarlJohn61]

My first thought was his worst enemy is Picard... but Locutus will do.

[@blackdog6969]

My idea was Picard being his own nemesis but Locutus, being him yet "wrong" isn't such a bad idea. At least until the Picard series

[@alanpennie]

​@@blackdog6969 You lock the door, You throw away the key, And there's someone in my head And it's not me...

[@OpinionsNoOneCaresAbout]

I forgot until I rewatched it recently that the species Q pissed off right before losing his powers was called the Calamaraine. Made me want to...move along home.

[@John73John]

Dang it now you got that stupid rhyme stuck in my head!

[@hyhena-gaming9986]

@@John73JohnTye second Schap

[@Bazookatone1]

But did you count to 4, and then 3 more?

[@chrisstetsko5020]

I think Q was the greatest friend and mentor Picard could've had. Q pushed Picard out of his comfort zone, taught, and most importantly, PREPARED him for the dangers that are out in space. "Q Who" and "Tapestry" are two perfect examples.

[@Seal0626]

I cannot be alone in expecting the no.1 spot to go to Lwaxana Troi. I was bracing myself the whole time.

[@renatocorvaro6924]

That she didn't even get mentioned is truly an insult.

[@summbuddie9120]

this better get on a goddamned comment response, what an oversight

[@OhWellBananas]

Steve is pretty open about how much he dislikes Lwaxana Troi and thinks she's one of the worst characters in the franchise. May have had something to do with it.

[@eyezonly8593]

😂😆😂😆 lol

[@jfrankel]

I was expecting a 30 second short where you say “the writers of Picard season 2” but this was almost as good

[@johnpazniokas1143]

I've seen lots of trekkies complain about Bok's convoluted plan in Bloodlines. Although they never stated it, I always assumed that Bok went searching for a son for his vengeance plot, found Jason and got super-excited, then sadly discovered that he wasn't Picard's son. It was only then that he came up with the DNA-resequencing plan because Jason was as close as he was gonna get.

[@John73John]

That's possible. Another possibility I was thinking of is that Jason wasn't actually even the son of Picard's ex. Bok just found a kid who was the right age, and while he was resequencing the DNA he also did a little memory manipulation to make him THINK he was her son.

[@HappyBeezerStudios]

I like how overly complicated Bok's plans are. It gives us a different Ferengi and makes for a fun advisory.

[@TheDiplomat27]

What about Tomalak played by the wonderful actor Andreas Katsulas? I know he only appeared a small number of times in TNG but he was a great foil for Picard IMO. And the few scenes he shared with Picard were always memorable.

[@williamjackson6705]

You beat Me to it. I loved Katsulas & the Tomalak character. His unfortunate death may have had something to do it.

[@woogha]

My favorite Katsulas role was as Skree in the PS2 game "Primal"

[@Offbeaten]

@@woogha For me it's G'kar in Babylon 5

[@sunyavadin]

Such a great actor. And yeah, they were some pretty memorable episodes.

[@synchronos1]

Tomalak was antagonistic, but no nemesis, and not even openly hostile. And in no way was his opposition targeted against Picard specifically. In The Defector, Enterprise was just a pawn piece and the actual target the Romulan admiral. In The Enemy, it was more a standoff between two opposing factions than any hero-and-their-enemy situation.

[@vorlonesque1830]

I like to think that every few years Daimon Bok (I had to look up the spelling) shows up with some hair brained scheme to torment Picard and fails. This goes on in the years between TNG and "now" (with Bok being essentially a less prolific version of the Monarch from the Venture Bros) and Picard starts to feel sorry for the guy. He eventually orchestrates an elaborate scheme to give Bok a "win" and then reacts in a theatrical over the top "you have bested and ended me sir" way to something akin to Bok stealing his space lunch money and Bok is satisfied and never bothers Picard again.

[@BlackCover95]

That sounds like a _Lower Decks_ gag.

[@agent_meister477]

The Side Show Bob of Star Trek.

[@hezekiahramirez6965]

Bok is Picard's Mr. Mxyzptlk

[@HappyBeezerStudios]

Okay, I accept this fanon and integrate it into my headcanon.

[@dmgroberts5471]

God, imagine if it had been _Riker_ who killed his son. Bok could have come after the Enterprise in a ship crewed _exclusively_ by Riker's forgotten illegitimate offspring.

[@deathguitarist12]

Frankly, I think Picards greatest nemesis is himself. His reserved nature is him restraining himself. His constant fighting with himself is also what has lead to his success.

[@colinmontgomery1956]

Great analysis.

[@WhatKindOfNameNow]

Two things... One, I think it's more accurate to say Q is antagonistic but not villainous, not vice versa. Two, I have a fondness for Sela as a villain, partly due to her showing up in Star Trek Online running what's left of the Romulan Star Empire. She was a great presence in the game, in my opinion.

[@ATADSP]

I would say Q was a villain in season 1 and 2, but moved to antagonist with Deja Q.

[@fluffly3606]

Oh Emissary, Sela in STO is so good

[@docgramps1]

What about Riker? Every time Picard goes off to do something 'off ship', he comes back to a massive mess to sort out. Riker is the equivalent to taking a week off and coming back to six fires and a thousand emails - the true nemesis 🤣

[@Thechezbailey]

He left for 5 minutes and boom, no more Enterprise D. Broke it in half and slammed in into a planet, no less.

[@rickym5474]

@@Thechezbailey As Shaw put it, "Hot dropped the saucer section of the Enterprise D on an alien world"

[@ZeroCharisma]

Everytime Picard says "Fire at Will" Worf misinterprets his orders.

[@itsOasus]

Bloodlines is actually one of my favorite ferengi episodes in TNG because of it's plot. Imo it shows Picard's best features. It shows his humanity to other people, his diplomacy, but also his ability to just absolutely take no shit when it counts.

[@MultiRanman]

One could say that the Borg Queen is Janeway’s nemesis, and they would be right.

[@blackdog6969]

I'd say she had 2-3. Upholding the Prime Directive, Command responsibility (getting her crew home) and the Borg Queen

[@Thechezbailey]

The rogues gallery in Voyager is amazing!

[@HappyBeezerStudios]

Yeah, I would put the Borg towards Janeway as well. Much more screentime and much more different stories. TNG Borg (and many say Voyager ruined them), are single minded and tend to always do pretty much the same thing. Super threatening, but not interesting as personal nemesis. Only with Voyager did we see them be more multi-faceted.

[@ZoeMalDoran]

I got a good giggle out of you saying you weren't going to make a contrived paternity test joke, and then doing it not just once, but twice... and frequently having to come back to things you didn't want to mention like Picard season 2. Always love your comedic takes on episodes. Stay awesome, Steve 🖖

[@cobaltwolfknight]

Q's purpose in Picard, season 2 is to ensure that (spoilers) Queen Jurati is present when the scary alien super weapon shows up so that she can stop it. She only exists as such because of the time travel and alternate universe shenanigans, and Q orchestrated everything to create her. Helping Picard overcome his psychological issues surrounding his mother was a happy side effect.

[@alanpennie8013]

This is a good point. Also without Q's elaborate mind fuckery Picard murders a whole lot of people because of Borgati's sketchy behaviour.

[@Tempest2005]

So, Q is my favorite Star Trek character followed by Benjamin Sisko, but I highly recommend checking out Q-Squared by Peter David. It's a fantastic novel that ties a lot of threads together and has a major shift in the relationship in Picard and Q's relationship. I, Q is a fun romp through Q's psyche and his relationship with his family and is written by Peter David and John De Lancie.

[@shahzebhasan9995]

Others have already mentioned similar ideas, like Badger Tom, but I can't be the only one who thought that Steve was going to conclude that Picard was his own worse enemy after the speech about Picard being haunted by his past.

[@icetwo]

Answer: Lwaxana Troi

[@scot8472]

PIC season 2 made me appreciate TNG season 1. Now, that’s impressive.

[@KariIzumi1]

“Code of Honor” notwithstanding, I have to agree 😂

[@firefly4f4]

I was going to say that Q isn't really a nemesis or villain, but then you used the word that came immediately to my mind: antagonist.

[@Davesknd]

Picard's greatest enemy? Writers who aren't able to write a well-balanced diplomat who is gracious under fire and expresses his emotions healthily on the holodeck or with friends and family.

[@benmcelwain5301]

Funny guess: His uniform top. His constant need to perform "the Picard maneuver" makes it the clear front runner.

[@Mallory-Malkovich]

Based on how season 2 of _Picard_ turned out, I'm gonna say Akiva Goldsman is Picard's greatest nemesis.

[@atalcot1]

Bok wouldn’t have been the first to come to my mind, but the more I think about it he’s really the only recurring villain who has an actual personal grudge against Picard as opposed to characters like Sela or Tomalak who are mostly motivated by military/political objectives.

[@HiopX]

As far as I remember, Picard only quoted Moby Dick in reference to the Borg. "And he piled upon the whale's white hump, the sum of all the rage and hate he felt. And if his chest had been a cannon, he'd shot his heart upon it" I think Picard made his perspective quite clear with that one

[@tonyjackson4078]

I think it's the Federation. Picard is extremely loyal, but has many times been drug through mud by his own beloved Federation. Be it the Drumhead episode, continued doubt following his experience as Locutus, to ageism in Picard, it seems the Federation loves Picard saving the day, if only to use the decisions he makes to do so against him later.

[@st.anselmsfire3547]

There's no question: Picard's greatest nemesis is the team behind Picard Season 2.

[@PietyRules]

I agree. The "balanced ledger" line is really good.

[@krazyglue60]

Can’t believe you left Ensign Sonya Gomez off this list. She accomplished something the others never did: she got him to change his shirt.

[@AllMyKittys]

Lol

[@chrisstetsko5020]

No he didn't. Q cleaned it for him.

[@langleymneely]

I know it may sound like Im being cute but I actually think Picards biggest nemesis is duty itself, that and the Naussican knife to the heart from Tapestry. It sadly, in retrospect especially thanks to Picard season 1, helped instill an almost unhealthy sense of dogged obsession with duty over all other aspects of his life going forward. It eventually leads to him living alone in the empty family chateau he never truly wanted to return to.

[@trinastechnobabble]

I am totally surprised that you mentioned Sela but never never mentioned the first real Romulan nemesis that he really had, Commander Tomalak who featured in no less than 4 episodes which is the same as Sela. I personally found Commander Tomalak a better character and nemesis.

[@Thechezbailey]

I wish we had gotten more Tomalok. I'm a huge Katsulas fan, and a Romulan fan.

[@HappyBeezerStudios]

Tomalak was so romulan. He did all the things we would expect from a romulan, but has his own character.

[@chrisstetsko5020]

Eh! Picard punked Tomalak TWICE. And the third doesn't count because it was a holo-projection to fool Riker. But Yes, Andreas Katsulas was a wonderful actor and I enjoyed watching him as G'Kar.

[@cyrussoxlegion]

The drumhead has one of my favorite Star Trek quotes of all time: "the road from legitimate suspicion to rampant paranoia is very much shorter than we think" -Jean-Luc Picard Definitely a very apropos quote for our times...

[@ATADSP]

Excellent video Steve! I think Shinzon's biggest problem is that the creators of Nemesis wanted to make "The Wrath of Khan" but that had already been done, Moby Dick quoting and all, with First Contact and its part of the reason that movie is the best TNG era movie. Shinzon had no actual personal history with Picard, so setting him up to be his "True Nemesis™" made no sense. He never struck me as Picard's dark shadow, just some guy who at the end of the day was only similar to Picard because they were both bald.

[@HomeWatchViewer]

Captain Picard's Greatest Nemesis's are: Akiva Goldsman, Michael Chabon, Kirsten Beyer, and Alex Kurtzman. CBS, they killed him.

[@oolooo]

25:10 To be fair , his vision was highly impaired after being in the dark and being electrocuted for like two days straight .And for all I rag on Picard , he is smart enough to know that if a dude is trying to torture you for compliance , you contradict him on everything he commands , even if he says the Sky is Blue .Always make them feel like they have lost control .

[@NobenStudio]

13:10 That Springer/Maury pause was absolutely perfect.

[@RedTooth552]

Picard was returned in spite of Jellico's staggering and dangerous incompetence by the actions of Data, Geordie, and Riker, not because of it. All Jellico did was break crew morale, disrupt work patterns in a crisis, strip engineering of proper staff levels before having them rebuild the ship's vital systems, and ignore every warning the people who led the assorted departments delivered that he was making things worse. The only thing he did right was listen to Data and Geordie when they came up with an actionable plan which is kind of a miracle since he has all the hallmarks of 'new boss who wants to make a mark so has to fuck with everything so he can put in on his next resume.'

[@JagoHazzard]

"It is I, Daimon Bok! Tell me, Jean-Luc, did you enjoy your tea? Because I PEED IN IT!"

[@yaoiboi60]

That maury skit was stupid good.

[@bepkororoti8019]

That Riker impression killed me, well played 😂

[@obiwanpez]

25:20 - Aaaaaand that's when I take a deep breath and bite back the tears.

[@obiwanpez]

0:00 - Me: "Himself!" ; 35:40 - Also Me: "HA!"

[@jeremy1860]

From what I've heard, Sela's involvement in the Klingon plotline was originally meant to go to the earlier Romulan antagonist Tomalak. And while Sela was a great foe, I would've liked to see the latter carry on as a recurring foil to Picard and the Enterprise 😊

[@badgertom]

If we are to believe that Picard season 2 is canon, then Picard's greatest enemy is clearly...... Drumroll please.......... Himself!

[@shahzebhasan9995]

I can't be the only one who thought Steve was going to say that at the end of his speech about Picard being haunted by his past...

[@atalcot1]

Technically speaking, Picard from S2 isn’t even Picard, just an android with a cloud backup of his memories.

[@trulytrekkie]

Indeed, I am not sure there could be another answer beside the Borg. I like how you mention it takes time for Picard to recover... in fact... I am not sure he ever does. When the Enterprise rescues Hugh, Picard refuses to meet him. Then, in First Contact, Picard's famous monologue demonstrates how he has not gotten over it. And in one of the few really good moments of Picard, Season 1, when Seven asks Picard if he has ever fully recovered his humanity after being assimilated, Picard says no. I am unsure if he would ever admit that to someone else, but I believe it is true.

[@alanpennie8013]

Most of the Borg stuff in Picard season 1 was great, a really interesting new take on his old antagonists. Shame about the rest of the season.

[@HappyBeezerStudios]

It's good to see the consequences of earlier events. And Picard shows how one can never fully heal from the trauma, but also continue their live without being reduced to it. Not standalone episodes that return to the status quo but also not a bunch of people which are defined by their issues. Because we all have our demons, but we manage to live with them.

[@Tolly7249]

Joke response: What, no Lwuxana Troi? Actual response: You're right on the money, and Family continues to be one of the best episodes of Trek ever made. The scene in the vineyard where he finally breaks down haunts me to this day.

[@davebo9615]

Apparently his mom did some lasting psychological damage. He was so damaged he never brought it up through 7 seasons of the show, and 4 movies.

[@mpat1986]

Thanks for the shout-out. Perfect pronunciation, which is even hard for many Germans! 🙂

[@SteveShives]

Glad I got it right! I often don't.

[@originalsubwayjones]

"But, as Captain Picard could tell you....." I would have waited forever during your comedic pause at the end... great topic, I too was waiting for you to mention Q, but I too didn't feel that he really fit the category of Nemesis. I've been enjoying your videos, some are years old now, many are long. Gonna take me a while to get thought it, but I already like you and the basic format is perfect, so I'm sure I'll manage.

[@sunspot478]

All through the TNG run, being a hormonal teenage male, I was all about the Troi. But now in my older age, I gotta say that I have found a new appreciation for Dr. Crusher's elegance, both in her conduct and her appearance. ... And I kinda find that far more appealing.

[@ttintagel]

As a young girl desperate for a strong but kind father figure, I spent the original run desperately crushing on Picard. It's only as a more mature woman that I came to really appreciate Riker with his vulnerability, decency, and enduring sense of humor.

[@sunspot478]

@@ttintagel All four characters, and the actors that play them, are worthy and deserving of our admiration.

[@MahraiZiller]

Oh man, I was spending so long in this video waiting for Q to turn up. But then I thought "no, he's an antagonist, but not really a nemesis", and I was so happy when moments later you said just that. As for what you said about Picard being shown how "surrounded" he was in Chain of Command, it reminded me of a particularly horrifying story I once heard about the World Cup in Argentina in 1978, whilst the military Junta was in control of the government. Apparently, when Argentina won the final and the citizens were partying in the streets, the guards of some of the "disappeared" - the political opponents who were taken, locked up and tortured - took their captives out in a car to let them drive around whilst everyone was celebrating. One of those "disappeared" later told how alone it made her feel - that she knew she could call out in that moment about who she was and what was happening to her, and nobody would care, and she realised this was what they were doing to her with this car ride, making her feel completely alone and irrelevant and surrounded and uncared about. I wouldn't be surprised if the writers of Chain of Command had heard that story, and crafted that scene based on it.

[@Psittacus_erithacus]

Wow, that's a hell of a thing. Would you mind pointing me to a source? I think I want to add that story to my "the world is bleaker than you think it is" collection … not that said collection needs any help growing itself lately, but hey. Completionism is a virtue, right?

[@dataportdoll]

Steve I appreciate the lengths you go to for these videos, like learning the Maury-sit.

[@karlkutac1800]

"Rhyming...that's gonna cost ya" -lol. Priceless

[@Xandras25]

I was scared you weren't going to do the Maury joke but you did not disappoint , bravo!!

[@kevinkottom1526]

It may not have been your quote, but you put that sequence together, and I enjoyed it thoroughly!

[@briancowe9733]

Enjoyed that one a lot. I'd like to add to your conclusion that because Starfleet also criticised and showed doubt in Picard's actions relating to The Borg that it would merely compound Picard's doubt in himself more. Making The Borg give him even more anxiety to deal with.

[@kinorai]

A cabinet's glass door is Picard's worst enemy. No! Noooooo!

[@patrickdodds7162]

We truly see the destructive power of the Borg, not in the harrowing battle sequence at the beginning of DS9's "Emissary" or the body horror in Star Trek: First Contact, but in two different scenes of individuals, Picard and Sisko, breaking down into heavy tears of the deepest sorrow at what the Borg had taken from each of them. Nothing in Trek has ever shown the Borg as more of a threat to humanity.

[@eriks2962]

i was thinking Steve. You should make a video on the tragedy of Worf's love life!

[@shibolinemress8913]

Beware of Ferengi bearing gifts... 😊. I remember thinking that Jason Vigo was going to be Picard's David Markus. I do wish we'd seen him again.

[@renatocorvaro6924]

Steve: "Who is Picard's greatest nemesis?" The Big Brain from Futurama: "MEEEE!"

[@jonesthemoblin1400]

I've always assumed that the timeline Cela exists in is a shifted timeline from where the show started. Specifically, when the prime timeline re-asserted itself, it did so with some relatively minor changes. For example: the existence of Cela who did not exist prior to Yesterday's Enterprise but did exist following the events of that episode. But it's also similar enough to the timeline from seasons 1&2 that those episodes all still happened.

[@AtoManPL]

Indeed, Tasha returning to the past with Enterprise-C did put the timeline on "original track", so to speak, but it wasn't 100% the same timeline. That feat would be achieved if she did not come back with them, but because she did, the events in the past (or future, relative to Enterprise-C) would unfold in an identical way they did, from Picard's perspective, until he met Sela. But that wouldn't have an effect on Tasha still dying like she did. Temporal mechanics can go either way in Star Trek, but Voyager's mishaps seem to imply that you can't really "restore" the timeline completely, but you can "patch it up" so for a bystander it would be undistinguishable from the original one.

[@danboyle7165]

In a similar but opposite way, "The Inner Light". Even Picards positive memories from his past have INTENSITIES within his mind.

[@DavBotsArcade]

Picard also noted the change to a FOUR shift rotation after he got back and thought, "hmm, looks alright to me."

[@davidrickman2945]

Groppler Zorn was behind every villain on Star Trek: TNG. They all answered to him, even the Borg feared him. He's the Moriarty criminal mastermind of the Alpha Quadrant.

[@empatheticrambo4890]

Gul Madred is my personal pick for best Picard villain, but isn't recurring enough to be Nemesis. Also, Mad Red is such silly way to do a villain name, I love it

[@willmfrank]

"Mad Red" is good, but for a silly villain name, nothing beats Sisko's nemesis, Gull Duck Hat. 😉😁😃😄😆

[@silverharloe]

12:14 and then promptly orders Geordi to forget how to do that ever again and never tell anyone else (in this timeline - turns out Scotty in the Kelvin timeline knows the trick), so we never have to acknowledge that one-way beaming across light years is a thing now.

[@TimothyMReynolds]

The writers of STAR TREK PICARD are Captain Picard’s greatest nemeses.

[@greyzonefilm]

So relieved that you didn't do a prolonged Maury Povich bit with that manilla envelope. We really dodged a bullet there.

[@goodwill559]

13:25 best line of the episode: revenge is not profitable

[@barrywhite6060]

The Borg Queen was on the ship that assimilated him. In First Contact when they meet she says 'How could you forget me so quickly, we were vary close you and I. You can still hear our song.' Then there's a flash showing her with him and then he remembers her. She doesn't explain it is that's she's still alive, but I think she is the one and only Borg Queen but she's able to transfer a copy of herself to any Borg ship that needs her to be there and the ship has the means to make a copy of her physical body, but she never physically leaves the main Borg HQ (I don't know what is called😂) I that way she can be everywhere she's needed but never be in any physical danger because she never actually leaves the Borg HQ.

[@Darbobski]

Steve, I really felt you were angling toward a more existential enemy with this one, but never quite got there. His pride, arrogance, ego and general stick-up-the-bum attitude ultimately made it more difficult to accept failure. He rarely processed what he needed to unless it was drug out of him by a nosey counselor, pushy first officer or randy red head who though he owed her a husband. It seemed to me that Picard's worst enemy, as is often true for all, is himself.

[@evilzzzability]

"Maybe Worf, but no one else!" ROFL 😂😂

[@connie1617]

WOOO new video! I needed this today

[@howardmoses9979]

Another problem is that the first Superboy story was published in 1945. The Earth-Two Superman remembers being Superboy. In later years, it was retconned that there was no Earth-Two Superboy, and that the early Superboy stories were the first appearances of the Kal-El of Earth-One. Reconning always invites more questions than answers.

[@weiwentang324]

Nice words at the end thanks for that Steve! 👍

[@WhammeWhamme]

I agree that the Borg Queen isn't it, and feel like "the Borg" are too numerous and varied to count, but I'm very happy to count "Locutus of Borg" as the winner. Locutus is the one that gives him nightmares, that tore down things he cares about and is the one enemy that he can never, ever, be sure won't come back and destroy everything he cares about. Basically agreeing but in a nitpicky fandom-y way! :)

[@Anomalous_Phenomenon]

Mundane comment here telling what you already know, just in case you read all of these: You, my friend, are very good at making engaging and insightful videos. Please keep it up!

[@BlakeLaoshi]

Picard is simply Q's favorite playmate because he's the only one who seems at all willing to go along with Q's whims. If nothing else, P and Q are like Player and Quizmaster except for one episode where another Q gets involved. So nah, Q ain't no nemesis. They're annual play-buddies. No matter how fantastical or bleak the situation presented to Picard is, there's never a real sense of danger due to plot armors and the fact that the initial Encounter at Farpoint dictated the entire nature of the relationship afterwards... Q never really killed anyone that he didn't eventually restore.

[@BlakeLaoshi]

Well, you know, except the deaths caused by the premature exposure to the Borg... Hmmm

[@lifotheparty6195]

@@BlakeLaoshi well, we can also speculate about the possible deaths without that exposure.

[@snarkylive]

Q warned the Federation that the Borg exist and spared the Federation assimilation by allowing them to prepare for any possibly scenario, even time travel. This gave Janeway a lot of time to think about how she would deal with the Borg based on their understanding of how they think, and she played them well. Any deaths by Q were deemed necessary to scare the Federation properly to respond to the threat of the Borg that exists in their galaxy.

[@snarkylive]

My interpretation is, I think the idea was that Q was trying to determine what type of entity should dominate the milky way, and they found the borg and certain others (the angry energy) to be uninteresting so they limited them, but they mostly wanted things to play out semi-naturally.

[@mkang8782]

As someone else mentioned, Lwaxana Troi deserves honorable mention, as he made great efforts to avoid her. (Only mostly joking.)

[@davajita]

Not necessarily apropos of the video's topic, but one well-written bit of dialogue I appreciate in Chain of Command is in the scene where Gul Madred has just sent his daughter away. The first thing Picard says is "Your daughter is lovely." To which Madred replies, "Yes, I think so." Ordinarily such a compliment might elicit verbally expressed gratitude, but Madred saying thank you to Picard would carry implicit respect as acknowledging the observation of an equal. So instead he answers merely with a judgment of Picard's statement, further affirming his control. I feel little things like this separate decent writing from great writing.

[@nikoteardrop4904]

"Chain of Command" is almost a preview for DS9. Not really because of the involvement of the Cardasians, but because of the tone and writing. I feel like if Jellico was introduced on DS9, he'd been received better by the broader fandom.

[@mdharrisuiuc]

I remember seeing the borg episodes on first airing way back when I was a kid. It was as terrifying as star trek ever got, IMO. It was the first time I experienced a genuine sense of stress and tension via TV, when they beamed to the cube and were the ones having to sneak around and escape. I am curious to know the reason for the Q collective pitting humanity against the borg, and wish it had been a part of Picard S2.

[@tuchehstone]

Then you'll likely be satisfied by season 3.

[@mrkelly4822]

I haven't watch this video yet, but these are my guesses. With characters we have seen in more than one episode. Q (a Q) Lore, (Android) Daimon Bok (Ferengi) Professor Moriarty (hologram) Commander Tomalak (Romulan)

[@medleystudios72]

Agree 100% with your conclusions, especially about both Q and the Borg.

[@DavidPeoplesTV]

In my mind, Picard’s greatest enemy is “the question” that Q constantly presents to him. The question of whether or not humanity is ready to face the challenges ahead of them, whether or not humanity has truly grown and evolved as far as Picard thinks.

[@johnpotts8308]

The Borg Queen would be a more fitting Nemesis for Capt. Janeway (though Villain Decay meant she got beaten too often) and Gul Dukat for Capt. Sisko. Not sure Capt. Kirk really had a recurring opponent as villains didn't tend to crop up more than once (Harry Mudd? Not really a villain in TOS, unlike in Discovery) and the best I could come up with for Archer was "Shower Curtain Guy", the unnamed contact who was pulling the strings in the poorly thought out Temporal Cold War.

[@imcarlabee]

Such a good Maury bit. Top notch

[@raterus]

Shinzon in "Nemesis" is my pick. Not for the storyline, ugh what a horrible movie, but his evil actions alone resulted in the death of Data. If Picard thought back over his life at his losses and how they affected him, I think losing Data would be pretty high on the list.

[@bjustbee]

depends on whether you're asking Picard or the audience. Agreed on the Borg from the audience perspective, Lwaxana Troi if you ask him, imho.

[@oliverkloshophdndrecords50]

I think we all knew it had to be the borg. But I was still happy to go on the journey

[@damenwhelan3236]

Tasha from a reality goes back. That reality wasn't a loop, it's a tangent on another timeline that stems off then reconnects. The prime time line was rectified by intersecting the previous. Makes sense to me.

[@HappyBeezerStudios]

I just watched the Sisko video, and that was much easier to make a decision. Now for Picard the first that come to mind are the Borg, Q, and Commander Tomalak. They all appear multiple times through TNG, but none of them are really a personal nemesis to Picard. The Borg are just super different from every other civilization, and despite their collective consciousness don't really fit the role of a person. And they would be more Janeway's nemesis. Q jumps in again and again, and while threatening, is more playful about the whole thing Tomalak does oppose the Enterprise on multiple times, but is typical romulan and more a careful rival. Then there is Shinzon, which is quite literally designed to be the nemesis to Picard, even being the main antagonist in the movie of the same name, but he only showed up once.

[@Wordfishtrombone]

I’d fight back at anyone who says Q is Picard’s nemesis. For the sake of the algorithm, I’d say that that kid with the weird dirt is his nemesis. Toxic fandom would say that Janeway, Sisko, or Burnham are his nemeses. This comment is his nemesis too, since it’s all over the place.

[@lifotheparty6195]

I’ve always been of the opinion that Picard’s greatest nemesis was his own sense of faith and ideology that is so closely tied to Star Fleet with The Borg as a dark reflection of that ideology in praxis. Like the Borg, starfleet endeavors to better themselves, not for pride or conquest but for the advancement of technology and civilization. The differences between the federation and the Borg concern consent, and the degree of required consensus. At least I’ve always thought that because Q kicks off the series by challenging that humans and the federation are still a dangerous savage child race. I don’t think it’s an accident that he’s also the one responsible for the first on-screen encounter with The Borg.

[@Cryptex675]

Opening the DNA results - dramatic pause - I cackled 😂😂😂

[@michaeldeboer]

I don't feel as though the Borg or the Borg Queen were Picard's nemesis. They hurt him the most, yes (because the screenwriters let it happen and didn't write another episode like 'Family' after 'Chain of Command'). But it's Q who is the first and last antagonist, Picard's rival, who tests him and the premise of the show the most. 'The trial never ends'. It's about self-improvement and that it's a process that never ends. Q pushes Picard beyond himself through all of TNG and Picard fights him every step even when he doesn't need to.

[@js3599]

As for the Borg Queen.. Don't forget that in "Q Who", I don't recall the wording of the exact quote, but Troi said that the Borg function as one mind, and that there is no one mind in control... So close, Deanna... Or not...

[@justsignmeup911]

In seasons 1 and 2, Picard's arch nemesis was Wesley Crusher.