Captain Jean-Luc Picard was born in La Barre, France, Earth on July 13, 2305. A Starfleet officer, diplomat and dabbler in archaeology, he served the United Federation of Planets during the 24th century. His outstanding service record included commanding Federation starships USS Stargazer, USS Enterprise-D, and the USS Enterprise-E (his last posting).
Maybe it seems odd to wish a happy birthday to a fictional character, but I can't help it. I've seen every episode of
Star Trek: The Next Generation at least once. Probably twice. Maybe more. My all-time favorite episodes featured Q, an omniscient being with a nasty and somewhat childish disposition and the Borg, a race of cyborgs that went around the galaxy assimilating entire civilizations in their quest for perfection. (Incidentally, it was Q's fault that humans encountered the Borg many years before they would have wandered into Borg space on their own.)
Picard's accomplishments were many, including:
- Becoming the liaison between the Q Continuum and the Federation.
- Making first contact with 27 or more alien species, including the Ferengi (and the Borg).
- Aiding the Romulan Underground movement, helping dissidents in the effort to take back their home world.
- Being appointed the Klingon Arbiter of Succession, where he helped install Gowron as the Chancellor.
- Becoming the first Terran to survive assimilation by the Borg and be returned to his natural human state.
I'd say that's quite a service record! And even though it's slightly belated, there's still time to celebrate the birthday of one of Starfleet's most honored and recognized Captains by watching reruns of the series, picking up some cool memorabilia or seeing one of the Next Generation movies. Go on, get out there and "make it so".
