Blaze Of Glory

Star Trek · The Next Generation · s05e19 · The First Duty
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Intro Audio: Star Trek TNG: s03e06 'Booby Trap' & s03e12 'The High Ground'
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Star Trek · The Next Generation · s05e19 · The First Duty Thanks for clicking, thanks for watching, hope you got what you came for. BuyMeSomeBeans: ko-fi.com/tjwparso / paypal.me/tjwParsoTV Intro Audio: Star Trek TNG: s03e06 'Booby Trap' & s03e12 'The High Ground' Outro Music: kzbin.info/www/bejne/gneYi2t8d5mjf7s & kzbin.info/www/bejne/bYu6goCsfbOCpKs Discord: discord.gg/2PAjZf8TeV Twitter: twitter.com/tjwparso Reddit: www.reddit.com/r/tjwParsoTV

[@halwakka504]

Angry parents: bad Not angry, disappointed parents: worse Angry, disappointed Picard: nightmare fuel

[@Diablo_Himself]

You broke your little ships...

[@demarcusfaulkner7411]

He's basically his dad

[@jessedellross3245]

It’s one thing for someone to be angry with you. But when they are disappointed in you…………..

[@johndoe-bq1xt]

I sound like a broken record, but, I'll say it again ! This show has moments in it that just last forever as real theater, real acting !Just so emotionally gripping ! DAMNIT !

[@Dowlphin]

I might sound like a broken record, but... Cap-tain - Jean-Luc Pi-card of the U-S-S- En-ter-prise Cap-tain - Jean-Luc Pi-card of the U-S-S- En-ter-prise Quite hypnoddic noddic noddic noddic 😆

[@MrTea-ly3rc]

​@@Dowlphinit gives me chills every time. You just don't find this kind of writing anymore. Everything is about being clever or political. This just hits on a whole other level.

[@gordoncamacho8649]

You're the Captain now, dog

[@a1pha_star]

@@Dowlphin Thanks for getting that stuck in my head! 😂

[@corssecurity]

The music the lighting. The use of shadow, distances, camera pans.

[@Dowlphin]

The plan: End his academy career in a blaze of glory. The result: Pretty much that, minus academy and glory.

[@tek512]

Pity it didn't end his presence on the show.

[@TeeDubzz]

loved that they brought back lurcano in Lower Decks! a great callback for an otherwise kinda forgettable ep

[@EvilMariobot]

I believe at one point; Tom Paris on Voyager was going to be Lurcano (that's why they hired the same actor.)

[@UpStartTugBoat]

@@EvilMariobotthey do have the same face… they look identical (with a few major differences)

[@legionofmetal9968]

"i choose not to answer sir" [Slight head raise] "...You choose not to answer?" Uh oh... Prepare yourself lad. There are consequences for your actions.

[@brelshar4968]

Picard: "You choose not to answer?" Wesley: "Well captain, you always did tell me too.. (puts on shades) shut up"

[@Brian6587]

Such a great monologue here. This is one of those monologues you carry with you the rest of your life! ”But a lie of omission is still a lie!” I’ve carried that quote with me constantly.

[@polbecca]

Picard laying down the law is a masterclass in writing and conducting oneself in real life.

[@yusefendure]

My mother gave me that same line when I was a kid! Still true!

[@CyndisKrist]

That quote also sticks with me.

[@BAAWAKnight]

For me, it is "The first duty of every Starfleet officer is the the truth", which really is "Your first duty is to the truth".

[@Brian6587]

@@BAAWAKnight Amen! 100 percent. That and "A lie of omission is still a lie". Such great quotes!

[@Wordgoblin]

The stare that Picard gave Will while he was sitting down asking about the maneuver would haunt me to my grave. He barely blinked, and never broke that eye contact, even when repositioning the screen. That is the look of a man who is working very hard to keep a calm demeanor.

[@RoosterBTU]

One of the few times you could tell Sir Patrick was acting truly pissed off. What he thought of to seize that moment must have been horrific.

[@mjmorriplymouth]

Probably also studying Wes’s body language. At key moments you can see Wes gulp. A sure sign he knows that Picard has it all figured out.

[@philippdf]

Wes: I choose not to answer. Picard: So you have chosen... death

[@0biwan7]

wesley chose to shut up. didnt work out so well.

[@stingerjohnny9951]

@@0biwan7the ONE time

[@randomrazr]

the animation of the star burst prob cost this episodes 50% budget with 90s computers LOL

[@redpillfreedom6692]

I'm surprised at how good it looks considering this was the early '90s on a TV show budget.

[@BNuts]

No background music, no moving camera tricks, just fantastic character acting in a single, well-lit room. It's a fairly simple scene, but it also is one of the best and most impactful scenes of the whole series. Without phaser battles, or anything of that sort.

[@cologne2792]

Many of the best moments in TNG & DS9 are when no one is speaking. The thoughtfulness between the words is sometimes astonishingly deep. Something that seems to have been lost now.

[@tuseroni6085]

because they know if they allow a pause of only a few seconds the audience will pull out their phones.

[@paul1979uk2000]

@@tuseroni6085 Probably true lol. But yeah, I miss Star Trek when it was a show that made us think about things that happen in life. Now it's just all guns blazing, light blurs, dark and none stop action with little in the way of good story telling. It's also telling, as a kid and like a lot of kids, I liked the action episodes of Star Trek, but as I got older, I prefer the episodes that make us think about things, especially the ones that can relate to things that are happening in society. It feels like we don't get any of that with Star Trek today.

[@CybershamanX]

When TNG was firing on all cylinders... 😎

[@Galliao]

Wesley getting a verbal beatdown will always be the highlight of any episode.

[@corssecurity]

Lt crusher report to the airlock. Scrub the plasma residue. Oops wrong button....

[@hoffenwurdig1356]

As a child, when this television episode was new, I struggled to accept that a lie of omission is still a lie. I sought an excuse for the lies of omission I had committed and planned to continue committing -- for I had been telling myself those were not “real” lies. I recall arguing with my mother, insisting that Captain Picard was wrong. This issue was particularly challenging for me because I have nonverbal learning disorder. I used to think neurotypical people were like aliens from another planet, and I once found it almost hopeless to interact with them. Their rules angered me, among other things. Neurotypicals seemed too strange, too loud, and used too much slang and imprecise language; they also made numerous scholastic errors that made me extremely angry, etc. It has not been easy, but I have mostly learned better now. While it was not a panacea, I did learn something about honor from the Star Trek franchise.

[@Macbrother]

Thank you for sharing. Sincerely.

[@kbanghart]

Most people grew up to understand this truth, at least the ones who aren't narcissistic.

[@artman2oo3]

One of Picard’s great speeches!

[@perfectionbox]

Wheaton quietly gulps a few times, good acting

[@stevenreichertart]

I agree. And the desperate almost-whispered “captain” plea at the end was brilliant.

[@stevenreichertart]

The biggest accomplishment of TNG was making us believe in this future world. Great scripts, great acting, no need for loud music and pyrotechnics. Just human beings with the same moral dilemmas you and I have.

[@jliller]

The first duty of every HUMAN BEING is to the truth. If you don't value the truth then your life has no value.

[@KingoftheJuice18]

One of the greatest scenes in TV history, both writing and acting.

[@send2georgie_S2G]

'I choose not to answer'... my jaw dropped 😱😱

[@youtubehandlescostmemyusername]

There's no way, even if they pulled it off, that it would be seen positively. "Well, it was so cool I guess we were just wrong!"

[@TempestCrown]

We've seen Starfleet admirals ignore their own policies time and again. Red Squad somehow survived an attempted couple. Had this worked, their 'discipline' would have been coveted postings.

[@youtubehandlescostmemyusername]

@@TempestCrown I don't think so in this case. It was a flagrant disregard of authority that put all pilots in extreme, unnecessary danger for a stunt...in school. They weren't a stunt team, they were students learning (pragmatic) precision flying. The admirals were casting umbrage out of principle as well as the result.

[@freeagentforlife4717]

They would have all got banned from the academy and denied further service in Starfleet even if they did succeed.

[@gordoncamacho8649]

It was banned for a reason, it's too dangerous. If it's still just as dangerous, then a few idiots beating the odds isn't a reason to lift it, since that would encourage more people to try and inevitably fail. It would also send the message it's OK to flout authority and risk lives if it looks cool. They can't let it slide. He basically just would have fcked up his graduation at the last minute

[@benrussell-gough1201]

This is Nick Lorcano we're talking about here. His narcissism and self-confidence was without limit. What mattered to him was that he achieved his goal; he would then trust his personal legend to protect him from being cashiered, much as it did Jim Kirk when he deliberately messed with the Kobyashi Maru simulation. What he didn't realise is that Kirk's actions were a brief blip in an otherwise-perfect Academy record and, most importantly *no-one was ever put in danger*.

[@yusefendure]

And that is what is called a dress down! DISMISSED!

[@johntrevy1]

This is becoming a speech.

[@italianviking80]

Credibly unbroken sentence, moving from topic to topic Moving from topic to topic Quite hypnotic

[@johntrevy1]

@@italianviking80 DarkMateria is a genius.

[@Dowlphin]

@@italianviking80 *) hypnoddic 😜

[@BladeZero238]

You're the captain, sir. You're entitled.

[@johntrevy1]

@@BladeZero238 Hmmmm, not entitled to ramble on about something everyone knows.

[@fredocarroll]

One thing confused me about this episode, and maybe someone here knows the answer. The commencement exercises hadn't happened yet; that's why the _Enterprise_ was on its way to Earth in the first place. Nova Squadron was running a practice flight, if I recall the story correctly. So, why would they be trying to ignite the plasma on the practice flight, which Picard says they were trying to do? If they'd performed a Kolvoord Starburst and set off the display before the ceremonies, Starfleet certainly would have prevented them from doing it at the real ceremonies. Am I missing something, or is this a misstep by the writers?

[@miles4711]

Well, if it were me I'd want to do at least one practice run for real. Trying to hide it as much as possible, taking the risk of being spotted by the officials.

[@CyndisKrist]

I had wondered that myself. They were practicing on the flight range when the mishap occurred. Surely someone might have seen what they did if they had pulled it off. And even if the practice had gone well, they'd be performing a banned maneuver at the graduation exercise and would have faced disciplinary action or ruined their careers entirely. I think the writers missed all of this.

[@Elly3981]

@@CyndisKrist Maybe they decided it was better not to run the risk of getting caught doing a test run and just take their chances hoping the procedure would be performed correctly the first time.

[@patrickwilkinson7351]

@@CyndisKrist They were on the range, but at a part of the range where the sensor coverage was limited. As we saw in the inquiry, all of the information they initially had were the flight recorders from the crashed ships. The satellite that took the images of the flight in the wrong formation wasn't monitoring the range, it was monitoring the moon Titan, and just happened to be close enough that its camera's picked the flight up. When performing a maneuver like this, one which requires maximum precision, you need to practice it. I'm sure they did runs in holodeck simulators, but you still need to perform it at least least once for real.

[@CyndisKrist]

Good call. This could explain why they deviated from the flight plan, probably calculating where they'd need to be to avoid the range monitors, not knowing about the NASCOM satellite. They still should've thought ahead to the consequences of performing it during the actual commencement ceremony, though. They'd have gotten the boot for performing a banned maneuver.

[@Nicolas_Cage_Bees]

As much as I love this scene and the performance and dialog, I can't hear it without hearing the Picard Song anymore. My brain automatically inserts the music when he's giving the speech and moves on to the next part of the song when the speech is over.

[@JM.TheComposer]

For all of us who grew up idolizing Picard as a role model, this scene embodies a key part of our moral Constitution.

[@martincollins6632]

One of the all time greatest dressings down.

[@MGower4465]

2:49 Others have pointed out, Picard *invited* Wesley to sit in his chair. Even began to explain the controls, but Weskey had already memorized every detail...and he touched none of them. Ceryainly, there was no "playing". Picard either lies deliberately here to bait Wesley into getting angry or he has an oddly-selective memory for a seasoned starship Captain.

[@MultiMackD]

I would say the invite was a begrudging invite. As I recall, he got rather snippy immediately after seeing him on the turbolift. Until Beverly garnered an exception. But then again, the overall impact of pilot episodes on the rest of a series is certainly up for debate

[@airliner7478]

After thinking for a while, I couldn't help but notice that if Wesley and his group were successful, their geese would still be cooked. If they performed the forbidden maneuver successfully, Starfleet would still reprimand them for doing it and forbid them (or their replacements) from doing it at an official event. It was a bad idea from the beginning, and the death and coverup that followed when their attempt failed only made things worse...

[@ynvch]

- The fault was not mine, Cadet Albert must answer. - CADET ALBERT ANSWER WITH HIS LIFE!

[@oldworldobserver]

love this scene...i made a few edits of it actually ;)

[@MMuraseofSandvich]

The most Starfleet way possible the cadets could have pulled it off was to perform the maneuver without the risk of a plasma fire or absurdly unsafe maneuvers, then when confronted by their commanders, show them evidence of why they were in no danger at all. Locarno forgot why Kirk got a commendation for cheating the _Kobayashi-Maru_ test, he changed the rules rather than throw fellow cadets at them.

[@DrownedInExile]

Wesley would rather trade places with the dead cadet, than face The Picard's angry disappointment!

[@PaddyRoon7]

Wes: I choose not to answer, sir Picard: You have chosen death

[@AndrewChapman]

After being shouted "Shut up, Wesley!" by Picard, no wonder he's choosing not to answer😄

[@ojgoudeau]

I first started watching this show before I joined the ARMY. Now after 25 years of service I tell you Picard is an officer's officer.

[@thefutureisnow7300]

Can’t even imagine how Wesley felt realizing he not only disappointed Picard, but pissed him off too and lost all the respect Picard had for him

[@HOTGA2011]

I'll have a hamburger, no a cheeseburger,... You'll order nothing and like it... 😂 Anyone commenting on this clip should get this reference ...

[@Dowlphin]

Might it be the same reference as in kzbin.info/www/bejne/fHSvlmyJftqma7s ? 🤔 (And yes, I want you to watch through it to find the presumed reference. 😄)

[@JM.TheComposer]

Picard was still playing 3D chess. He didn't disclose the detail about the open maintenance hatch. So if Wesley persisted in the lie, he could be caught in a second lie about the reason for opening the hatch.

[@SheldonAdama17]

I’m so used to the Picard Song version of this clip that the “real” version feels wrong

[@allenjones3130]

Jean-Luc's speech about the "First Duty" is suitably dignified and hard-hitting. Patrick Stewart pulled it off.

[@glostergloster6945]

Every time I think about telling a lie, I hear Picard in my head saying this.

[@TheMathKing]

So... You upload tng clips on Christmas?

[@ozpin8329]

The thing that always strikes me here: Assuming they pulled off the maneuver the way they were trying to, why would Locarno be graduating *at all*, much less as a legend? There's no way that Starfleet wouldn't find out through at the very least word of mouth about what happened. That would probably be grounds for immediate expulsion.

[@gohibniugoh1668]

I wonder if Wil Wheaton felt the dressing down of his character during this scene? Picard has a convincing wrath!

[@jacksonconley5117]

When you disappoint Picard, you know you screwed up.

[@PaddyRoon7]

Wesley's adams apple doing somersaults as he realizes Picard knows 😂

[@longWriter]

...And then later Picard gives an awesome speech about "The 7th Guarantee", i.e. the Federation's rigth to remain silent.

[@bigtony4930]

How does that correlate to the cadets committing Perjury?

[@AndrewChapman]

2:43 You encouraged Wesley to sit in the chair, Picard. "Try it out."

[@lazm3518]

Saved his career.

[@heinz-haraldfrentzen1261]

The minute that video of the flight maneuver was shown, Wesley should have known...we're done for...

[@chrispeplinski7306]

Either you tell admiral Brandt the truth or I will. Picard sure knew how to get to Wesley humanity

[@Tamari001]

This verbal beatdown made it easier for Crusher to resign when Picard became a little flexible with the truth himself.

[@dryais]

Great acting Wil and Patrick.

[@agentcuddles4606]

Wes walked right into Picard's test the moment he turned the monitor around and asked him what the maneuver was. Him knowing about a dangerous stunt that's been banned at the academy for a century. Refusing to admit to anything after only salts the earth, kid. Kudos to Sir Patrick Stewart for pulling off one of the most scathing looks of fatherly disappointment, though. Given the immense build up leading to this, it definitely felt right for such a cold serving of truth and justice.

[@ynvch]

On first sighting Titan I naturally performed a loop, that's my style Sir.

[@arianaalioth]

You should have entitled this The First Duty❤

[@Mogget01]

I’m going to tell you an uncomfortable truth, a truth that’s revealed over multiple seasons. This is a father reprimanding his son

[@fredocarroll]

An interesting interpretation, to be sure, and it could almost fit, but I don't buy it, unless you're being metaphorical. From "Attached": Dr. Crusher: "Why didn't you ever tell me you were in love with me?" Capt. Picard, with an almost incredulous look: "You were married to my best friend. At first, I thought it was harmless infatuation, something hormonal than emotional. But then..." Dr. Crusher: "But then, as the months went by, and the three of us started spending more time together..." Capt. Picard "I began to realize that it was something else, and it wasn't right. But although I knew I wouldn't act on it, I couldn't help the way I felt." Dr. Crusher: "And when Jack died, you felt guilty." Capt. Picard: "I felt guilty before he died, having feelings like that for my best friend's wife. And then later, after the accident, I promised myself that I would never tell you how I felt. It would be like betraying my friend." That doesn't sound like someone who would induce someone else to commit adultery. Moreover, if they'd been sleeping together at the time, Beverly would have said something at that point in the conversation. The only possible way it could work is if they were sleeping together before Beverly and Jack Crusher were married, and even then the timing would be too tight, because she spent a long time processing her feels for Jack.

[@Elly3981]

@@fredocarrollPicard was friends with Wesley's father? I never knew that.

[@fredocarroll]

@@Elly3981 Yes, indeed. In fact, Season 1, "Conspiracy," might suggest that Picard knew Jack longer than he knew Beverly. Testing him, Walter Keel asks: "Do you recall the night you introduced Jack Crusher to Beverly? Picard answers, "You know full well that I hadn't met Beverly then. You introduced them." Picard's connection to Jack Crusher is also alluded to in his second conversation with Wesley in "Encounter at Farpoint" (where he finds out who Wes is). He invites Wes onto the bridge, and then smiles wistfully and says, "I, uh, I knew...I knew your father, Wesley." So, all of that suggests that when Picard brought Jack's body back home, it was as much out of duty to his friend as it was a need to look after Beverly.

[@Elly3981]

@@fredocarroll What happened to Jack Crusher?

[@fredocarroll]

@@Elly3981 Jack Crusher "died on a Starfleet mission," according to Capt. Picard in "The Bonding." It was long enough ago that Wes said he sometimes couldn't remember his dad's face any more (he was 5 at the time), but he did remember Picard's face when he told the Crushers what happened. Wes was angry because Picard led the mission and lived, but his dad died. Apparently, Picard had to make a decision that spared some but sacrificed others, and that sort of life-&-death decision-making scared Wesley for some years after that. _ST:P_ established that Jack Crusher died on the _Stargazer_.

[@TheFounderUtopia]

He just kept talking in one looong in--cre--di--bly--un--bro--ken--sent--ence....

[@johnwestcott5612]

“We choose not to answer…” To the woodshed we shall go.

[@geraldpatterson3903]

Q was probably there going "ooh look Q continuum...he's doing his Wesley beat down again!..pass the popcorn!")

[@yusefendure]

LOL!!!

[@kellyweingart3692]

lol

[@2Scribble]

Wes: I choose not to answer Picard: Incorrect...

[@idiotbox3221]

TheThe speech about truth still rings un my heart to this day.

[@chuntzinger677]

It sounded like Patrick Stewart and Levar Burton had a cold during the filming of this episode, but Stewart sure sounded like Sean Connery when he said, "you even sat in my chair!"

[@1984Phalanx]

"Captain" "Shut up Wesley!"

[@kevinsager5054]

If the first incident happened 100 years before TNG, then it is conceivable that it could be depicted or referenced on SNW.

[@dennisl6198]

nightmare scenario for Wesley. I feel for him.

[@MrSteveblue824]

Therein ended the lesson….“Class dismissed!”

[@Advisorbuggy]

damn! you do not mess with picard

[@darthparallax5207]

I feel bad for Wesley. Albert only had to explode. Wesley got yelled at Jean Luc Picard and I can tell Picard is more angry at Wesley than he was at the Borg.

[@christophersermeno8631]

Wesley made too many retreats, too many comprises, his team did an illegal maneuver and he fell back, his team got one member killed and he fell back....Picard will draw the line, here, now...this far..no farther...he will make him pay for what he's done ...😅😅

[@Honeybearsphone]

This was the penultimate shut up Wesley moment

[@Turtle1631991]

One thing I always thought is weird: Why did they not train in holosuite? Surely that would be safer until they had it down.

[@paulschlobohm7226]

Lessons learned

[@larrycopeland2413]

"If you don't tell Admiral Brand what really happened, I know some Borg who would love to get their hands on you... sorry, I mean, I will tell her."

[@demarcusfaulkner7411]

Your dad disappointed in you worse than him being pissed off at you

[@janthomasvalk]

I love this scene. But i can't help but notice that Stewart had a cold while filming this. At least is sounds like that

[@jean-louislalonde6070]

Why is Picard so annoyed that Crusher refused to answer? After all, week after week, he was told to :''SHUT UP WESLEY''!

[@johnarmenta2199]

The maneuver was banned 100 years prior?? Damn! I thought technology grew faster than that, especially in Star Trek world.

[@Biorythym]

Never quite understood the concept of a "lie of omission"

[@Turtle1631991]

It's not a hard one: Witholding information that you are aware the other party wants or needs while also being aware that what you tell them, while technically true statement, will lead them to incorrent or incomplete assumptions.

[@Biorythym]

@@Turtle1631991 Oh I understand the concept, I just don't think it falls under the heading of "lying"

[@bretthess6376]

​@@BiorythymIt definitely does.

[@ZukoHalliwell]

Based on the answer that Turtle gave, I'd say that a lie of omission is different from keeping a secret, if that's what you're confused about.

[@argvminusone]

A subtle but crucial detail here is that, as bad as it is that they attempted the maneuver, lying about it was the far greater offense. And I don't disagree in the slightest.

[@calvinreeves]

"shut up, Wesley!"

[@stevecowder4774]

TNG could not have had a better and more convincing actor than Patrick Stewart.

[@Dowlphin]

He would not graduate as a living legend because he would be remembered as endangering his colleagues by performing a banned maneuver. I don't call that leadership quality as Boothby does, but pied piper skills. The worst enemy of the truth, the accurate pretender. Just recently I saw another such 'leader' exposed, someone who did oh-so-much good for humankind, got things done on the back of others, to boost his own troubled ego. And his scheme armor holds. His more pragmatically than portrayed allies go along. 3:14 Commence Captain Jean-Luc Picard of the USS Enterprise. Very overinspiring, hah. It's kinda shocking to think that he has more loyalty to his wing leader than to Picard.

[@Blue84Stang]

except, he absolutely would have graduated as a legend.... If successful, there wouldn't have been any real retribution that SF Academy could have dished out that would have been effective. Even if they had expelled him, he would STILL have earned a reputation for leadership and amazing piloting skills (and they probably would have had ALOT of cadets complaining that they expelled him for a 'minor' violation). I ABSOLUTELY consider it leadership ability, because whether for good or evil, it is STILL leadership. Those who have true leadership ability can get people to accomplish almost anything if they believe enough. Now, whether for good or evil, that's something to be determined afterwards. Calling it Pied Piper skills implies that they were unable to control themselves, and in that sense, you are right that its not leadership. Leadership is getting people to do things BY CHOICE, regardless of their belief in their ability to do said things. You can be a great leader and an utter shyte human.

[@Dowlphin]

@@Blue84Stang Fair point on viewing leadership skills as neutral. Maybe we should call it leadership quality/virtue. The thing is, though, Starfleet is looking for virtued leadership. And thus he would not be remembered as a legend because he acted on selfish motivations, and those are very unpopular (at least when occuring in someone else 😏). He did not violate rules because of a moral conflict, but simply because he wanted to be seen as famous. Maybe people could claim that he wanted to push the team towards excellence, but the known facts show that he didn't care about the lacking qualification of a team member and he was willing to lie about the whole thing. That is ROTTEN. FURTHERMORE, who is to say the maneuver would not have been performed successfully (and surely also unsuccessfully) by many other cadets if it had not been banned all this time? And this adds even more appallingness to his actions, because he exploited the fact that the maneuver was banned in order to portray himself as exceptional by allowing himself the privilege to be above that prohibition.

[@Blue84Stang]

@@Dowlphin i would absolutely agree that it was not virtuous leadership. I absolutely agree that Starfleet is training for MORAL leadership. Put another way, the idea that "Doing what is right, is rarely what is easy." Unfortunately, 'legend' status isn't dependent on morality, as humans generally ignore everything outside of a specific event as irrelevant or unimportant. Locarno has leadership ability, unfortunately its tainted with fairly heavy narcissistic tendencies (shown when he turns on Wes for wanting to be truthful, after he willingly threw their deceased friend under the figurative bus to protect his own, uh, petard). Its absolutely possible that it might have been done hundreds of times successfully if it had not been banned.... Just as its also possible it would have failed as many times and hurt/killed dozens of cadets... He absolutely took advantage of it being banned, but I would argue that leaders often seek out something big on which to rest their 'legacy'. An example, the city where I live, the outgoing mayor (after announcing he wouldn't be running for re-election when his term finished) advocated for the approval of the construction of a $25M bridge, as his 'legacy' to the city. It was eventually completed at more than double the initial cost (though, fines for the delays offset a small part of that). His replacement's legacy was a bunch of random public art installations, ranging in cost from $250K up through $1M...

[@Dowlphin]

@@Blue84Stang So, in our arguably more rotten world compared to the Federation, is he being remembered with admiration/appreciation because of that bridge? It always depends a lot on the propaganda support structure*, and a high politician isn't exactly the same as an academy cadet. I would say Starfleet has the information dominance around Locarno's story. *) Pulitzer Prize and Nobel Peace Prize are both named after quite the hypocrits. For them it worked, because they were both very influential/powerful in their society.

[@ReaverLordTonus]

I still think they should have revealed that Wesley was secretly Picard's son. That he and Beverly had an affair, would have added so much character growth. Picard not being entirely infallible, Beverly keeping the secret, and Wesley having to come to terms with the truth.

[@josh1216]

Ew. No. Ew. Picard has his flaws, he's certainly not infallible. But cheating on his best friend, that wouldn't be a character flaw, that would be character assassination.

[@darrellmurdock6880]

Great episode 🖖🙂

[@drgonzo305]

If I were Picard I would have had Wesley stripped of all rank and put out the nearest airlock

[@spikedpsycho2383]

How dangerous if you install shield activate before plasma ignite

[@panickedpaladin3966]

Can't vent plasma while the shields are up I think. Well you, could, but then your ship is surrounded by plasma filling the insides of your shields.

[@twiceremoved7339]

I never understood how this could have happened. How were they supposed to be "successful?" Even IF they pulled off the manuever, any brass worth their salt would have HAMMERED THEM for doing such a reckless, forbidden move. Especially in front of an audience.

[@MMuraseofSandvich]

You know you done f*cked up when Jean-Luc Picard dresses you down (see also: Riker in "Pegasus").

[@AssafHershko]

Their plan made no sense though. Let’s say they succeeded - then what? They would have been torpedoing their star fleet careers by performing this forbidden stunt, potentially thrown out of the academy altogether.

[@Dowlphin]

*...whether it is scientific truth, or historical truth, or personal truth.* Meanwhile: Covid-19, Ukronazimania, and, well, don't make me write a list of names. 🤷‍♂ When Trek was great, it was only for nerds. When it was for the masses, it was not so great anymore.

[@insignificantgnat9334]

Remember that one episode where Picard gets upset that a crewman's right to remain silent rather than incriminate himself is being violated, and contrast it with this scene. I know the counter argument is going to be that this is clearly an instance of wrongdoing versus a witch hunt, but even so it goes against the principle.

[@Morendo13]

I’m not mad Will, I’m just disappointed.

[@scotthamp384]

I'm sorry to all the Kirk, Sisko, Janeway and Archer fans, and fans of other commanders, but Picard is the best commanding officer in the franchise

[@quasar8898]

Picard- "Wesley. Bend over my desk." Wesley- "Are you going to spank me?" "No Wesley, I'm not"

[@fixedguitar47]

That’s not Wesley! That’s John Juniper!!! (If you get the joke I’ll be amazed)

[@bretthess6376]

Well, I don't. Who is Roger Rabbit... Errr. John Juniper?

[@fallingraine9615]

This is one of the very few times I disagree with Picard. I don't believe in lies of omission. It seems like someone calling foul when they've failed in inquiry.

[@yusefendure]

Picard is 100% right. To conceal a critical piece of the truth to protect oneself is to lie by omission. Belief has nothing to do with it

[@larrycopeland2413]

During the deposition, each cadet was asked (read: ordered) to describe the events that led up the crash. Wesley omitting relevant facts is effectively disobeying that order, regardless of how it stands legally.

[@SpunkMayo]

Ok keep your fallback but it's still lying

[@AllenJones-w3p]

This scene should have had an underscore of quietly snarling trombones and pounding timpani. The scene shows us that underneath his gentlemanly demeanor, Jean-Luc is a savage!

[@eumaies]

HIs lack of character is really pretty profound.