Post by magicmuggle01 on Jun 3, 2019 10:35:49 GMT
After being attacked on an away mission, Picard dies and meets Q in the afterlife who offers him the chance to change a crucial moment in his history and prevent the mistakes he made in his youth.
Summary
In sickbay, Dr. Crusher orders the stasis units to be brought on-line and tells one of the medical staff that Dr. Selar can use Ward 3 for the ambulatory patients while she attends to the away team in the main area of sickbay. The away team, consisting of Commander Riker, Worf, Ensign Kellogg, and two security officers are transported in. After Worf lays Picard on the biobed, she asks how he was injured. Riker tells her that they were attacked by the Lenarians just outside a conference room. Dr. Crusher quickly deduces that Captain Picard has essentially had a heart attack, due to his artificial heart. She and Martinez, along with other medical staff, try to save the captain, though it seems that they are unable to. Picard suddenly finds himself in a white void of dazzling brilliance seemingly uninjured, except for the large burn on his uniform from the weapon that he was attacked with. After looking around with confusion for a few seconds, Picard sees a shining figure dressed in white holding out its hand. Picard walks towards the figure, who then holds out his hand. After Picard shakes hands with the figure, he is pulled into focus and turns out to be Q, who greets him
"Welcome to the afterlife, Jean-Luc. You're dead."
Act One
Q appears to Picard as "God" in
the afterlife
Picard pulls his hand sharply out of Q's and asks what happened, to which Q replies "I told you. You're dead, this is the afterlife, and I'm God." Picard laughs in disbelief, but Q goes on to say that he had died approximately five minutes earlier. Picard still refuses to believe Q, on the basis of saying "I refuse to believe that the afterlife is run by you. The universe is not so badly designed." Suddenly, Picard's father appears and starts lecturing him, telling Picard that joining Starfleet was destined to bring him to a bad end and then he hears all the people that had died because of things he did or failed to do. Picard refuses to respond to any of the people he hears, not wanting to play into Q's hand, though Q says he is doing this for Picard.
Ensign Picard stabbed
Q then asks Picard if he has any regrets from his life, but Picard tells him that his only regret is "dying and finding you here." In response, Q makes Picard's artificial heart appear in his hand. He asks why Picard needed it, and the story begins to play out, showing Picard as an ensign, fighting a Nausicaan, then getting stabbed through the heart and laughing. Picard admits that he did regret some things from earlier in his life. Suddenly, he is slapped by a woman and he finds himself in his living quarters as an ensign on Starbase Earhart.
Act Two
Ensign Picard getting slapped by
a date
The woman who slapped him is Corlina, one of two dates that Picard set up and she found out a while back. She leaves and he turns around to find his two closest friends, Cortan "Corey" Zweller and Marta Batanides. Q appears in the room after Corey and Marta have left and convinces him he is back in 2327. Q explains it is two days before the fight with the Nausicaan, which Picard must choose whether to stop or not. Picard is adamant not to stop the fight in case he changes the timeline. Irritated, Q promises that nothing Picard does here will cause any major changes or affect anyone but himself. Frankly, he states, Picard is not that important. Satisfied, Picard accepts Q's terms and goes along in stopping the fight. By this time Picard realized that he is late for another date at the bar with an older woman named Penny.
Later in the bar, Picard and Penny are seen talking to each other. Picard in his usual stiffness states that he just wants out. Penny, on the other hand wants Picard to make his advances. We learn from this exchange that Penny is from Rigel, her last name is Muroc, and she likes men in uniform. After the conversation Penny goes in for a kiss, but Picard meekly retreats from her advances. After the kiss, Picard goes on telling Penny that she is a "handsome woman" and he gets a drink splashed in his face for his comments. Q looks on as the bartender observing the conversation and Corey playing dom-jot.
Corey playing dom-jot
Picard goes over to Marta, who is watching Corey play his game. Marta asked what happened to his date and Picard tells her that she had to leave. At the same time, Corey is seen winning the game with one of the station's aliens. After some time, Corey wins the match and picks up his gambling tokens from the table. Marta states that Corey should give up Starfleet and play dom-jot professionally. Corey goes on saying that it was mostly math skills that helped him win that game. One of the Nausicaans interrupts the conversation and challenges Corey to a game.
Act Three
Corey accepts the challenge and the game starts. Throughout the game the Nausicaan dominates Corey and wins. After the game the three friends go back to their quarters to discuss why Corey lost so badly. Corey realized that the only way the Nausicaan won was by using a device that controls the balls on the table. He also wants to get even by rigging the table so the device will backfire. Picard by this point tries to dissuade him from going through with the plan. Corey agrees with Picard's reason and walks out. Marta notes that usually Picard plans the revenge. Picard counters by saying that they are officers now and not cadets any longer – they need to set a different example. Picard and Marta are almost about to kiss when Q interrupts them as he delivers flowers to Picard, badly mangling his name as "John-Luck Pickerd". Marta comments that the flowers are from another of Picard's conquests and she leaves. Q and Picard talk about Marta being friends with him. Q notices that Picard regrets not having a romantic relationship with Marta, and he points that out to Picard. Q also points out that Corey is still going through with his plan anyway. Picard leaves to confront Corey about what he is doing.
Picard goes to see Corey at the Bonestell Facility. Corey is under the table rigging it so he can win against the Nausicaan. Corey bumps his head when he thinks Picard is the gaming foreman checking up on the tables. Corey is happy to see Picard and asks him to help rig the table. Picard on the other hand is trying to stop him from making a big mistake. Corey states that Picard is acting like his mother and he should go away if he is not going to help. Picard threatens Corey to stop or he will tell the gaming foreman about what he has done and the two walk off.
Picard and Marta reveal their
feelings for each other
Picard goes and talks to Marta in her room. They both talk about Corey's rashness. Picard goes on saying that Corey and he will stay friends for years after this incident and hopes that stopping him won't jeopardize that friendship. The conversation gravitates towards how much Picard's personality has changed after graduation. Marta confesses that she finds his new personality "attractive." This causes both to reveal their feelings for each other and they passionately kiss.
Act Four
The next morning Picard wakes up to a soft caress on his earlobe and turns in bed to Marta. He is shocked to see it isn't Marta at all, but Q, who begins taunting him about his relationship with Marta. Picard meets her again, who expresses regret over what they did, fearing that it could have irreparably damaged their friendship. Later, the three friends go to the bar for one last big night out before they get shipped off to their first assignments. Picard tries to engage his two friends in conversation, but both are already feeling distanced from him so it is an awkward and strained affair. Suddenly the three Nausicaans taunt Corey about the game of dom-jot they'd played. Corey gets angry and tries to fight the Nausicaan, but Picard stops him by shoving Corey on to the floor. The Nausicaans walk away laughing, and Picard tries to explain himself to Corey and Marta but the two just walk away from him in disgust. At that point, Q appears and congratulates him; the fight has been avoided, and he is now alive with a real heart.
Picard is then returned to the present, where, much to his surprise, his life is incredibly different: he is an assistant astrophysics officer on board the USS Enterprise-D, wearing a blue non-command uniform, a mere junior lieutenant with Worf as his immediate superior. Worf then asks him what is he doing on the bridge. Picard, disoriented, asks what is going on. Worf then looks at the PADD that he is holding and tells Picard that the PADD is for chief engineer Lieutenant Commander La Forge. Picard then asks who the captain of the ship is and Worf replies that it is Thomas Halloway. Picard goes to sickbay to talk with Dr. Crusher about his situation. When he enters sickbay, however, he finds Q in a 20th century doctor's uniform and speaking in a German accent. Q states that this is what happened to Picard's timeline per their agreement, after he stopped the fight with the Nausicaans. He now can live his life "in safety" running analyses, but not in command.
Act Five
Picard laughs after being stabbed
Picard, in disbelief, goes to Ten Forward to get a second opinion from Commander Riker and Counselor Troi sitting together at a table. Picard soon discovers that he won't be promoted any time soon because he "just doesn't take risks" and "doesn't stand out." Picard then asks them if he is a good officer for command. They both agree that he is too timid and has never completed any big goals that he has attempted for himself. La Forge then summons Picard to deliver a report for which he has been waiting. Dejected by all this, Picard goes off to deliver the report and calls to Q from a turbolift about the situation, asking if it amusing that he is now a dull man with a dull job. The doors open back to the white space.
Q and Picard talk
Q returns and reminds Picard that he has exactly what he wanted; a second chance. Picard tells Q he cannot live as a man devoid of anything that makes life worthwhile, but Q points out that is the man Picard wanted to be; the man who never defended his friends from the Nausicaans went on to live quite a different life from the one Picard remembers. Although being stabbed in the heart nearly killed Picard, it also helped him realize how fragile life is, and thus made him more willing to take risks and make his mark on the universe rather than play it safe. Instead he never achieved anything worthwhile, never got noticed and is certainly not the kind of man who would ever be asked to command a starship. Picard asks him to let him reverse the changes he made, deciding that it would be better to die in the present with a satisfying life behind him rather than to continue living life as an average, dreary man bereft of passion and imagination. Q returns Picard back to the Bonestell Facility, moments before the fight with the Nausicaans. This time Picard doesn't walk away from the fight with the Nausicaans but leaps into it and is eventually stabbed in the heart like before. As Picard looks at the injury he begins to laugh, knowing history has been set right, and is shown again in the present, lying on the biobed he was placed on after his injury, laughing as he comes to, his bionic heart reactivated.
Picard and Riker speculate afterward in the observation lounge regarding Picard's experience, unsure if it was just a dream or another test by Q. Picard states that part of him can't believe that Q was willing to show compassion by giving him a second chance, but if it was Q then he is thankful for being allowed to see how important his decisions in life were – he's not proud of many things he did in his youth, but when he pulled on this "loose thread," the tapestry of his whole life came apart. Riker wishes he could have known this young, cocky officer who went toe-to-toe with a massive Nausicaan, and Picard assures him that the stabbing was not his first unpleasant encounter with them, beginning the story from his sophomore year at the Academy on Morikin VII as the Enterprise continues on its way.
Memorable quotes
"Welcome to the afterlife, Jean-Luc. You're dead."
- Q, to Picard
"Q, what is going on?"
"I told you. You're dead, this is the afterlife, and I'm God."
"You are not God!"
"Blasphemy! You're lucky I don't cast you out or smite you or something."
- Picard and Q
"I refuse to believe that the afterlife is run by you; the universe is not so badly designed."
- Picard, to Q
"After all these years, even now, you manage to disappoint me, Jean-Luc."
- Maurice Picard, in Q's "afterlife"
"I find it hard to believe that you are doing this for the benefit of my soul!"
- Picard, to Q
"My only regret is dying and finding you here."
- Picard, to Q
"Change them? You mean change the past? Q, even if you have been able to bring me back in time somehow, surely you must realize that any alteration in this timeline will have a profound impact on the future."
"Please! Spare me your egotistical musings on your pivotal role in history. Nothing you do here will cause the Federation to collapse or galaxies to explode. To be blunt, you're not that important."
- Picard and Q
"You will go on with your life with a real heart."
"Then I won't die."
"Of course you'll die! It'll just be at a later time."
"What if I don't avoid the fight? What if I won't make the changes?"
"Then you die on the table, and we spend eternity together."
"Wonderful..."
"I'm glad you think so."
- Q and Picard
"I had no idea you were such a cad. I'm impressed."
- Q, to Picard
"Penny for your thoughts."
- Q, to Picard, after Picard gets the drink thrown in his face by Penny
"... It's a beautiful story. It gets you right here, doesn't it?"
- Q, pointing generally at his heart and mocking sympathy.
(A pun on the fact that the story Picard tells ends with Jean-Luc being stabbed in the heart.)
"Flowers! Is there a John Luck Pickerd here?"
- Q
"Well, let's see... You've managed to get slapped by one woman, get a drink thrown in your face by another and alienate your two best friends. Doing pretty well so far. The only thing left to avoid is being stabbed through the heart."
- Q, on the changes Picard has made
"Vell, vell, vell. Vhat seems to be de trouble, Leutnant Picard?"
- Q, speaking as a German doctor
"... You should be happy! You have a real heart beating in your chest, and you get to live out the rest of your life in safety – running tests, making analyses, and carrying reports to your superiors."
- Q, to Lieutenant Picard, explaining how dreary Picard's life has become without his near-death experience
"Your performance records have always been good. You're thorough... dedicated..."
"Steady, reliable... punctual."
- Troi and Riker, evaluating Lieutenant Picard and coming up short
"If you want to get ahead, you have to take chances... stand out the crowd, get noticed!"
- Riker, to Lieutenant Picard
"You having a good laugh now, Q? Does it amuse you to think of me living out the rest of my life as a dreary man in a tedious job?"
- Picard, speaking alone, addressing Q
"I gave you something most mortals never experience – a second chance at life – and now all you can do is COMPLAIN!?"
"I can't live out my days as that person! That man is bereft of passion... and IMAGINATION! That is not who I am!"
- Q and Picard
"The Jean-Luc Picard you wanted to be, the one who did NOT fight the Nausicaan, had quite a different career from the one you remember. That Picard never had a brush with death, never came face to face with his own mortality, never realized how fragile life is, or how important each moment must be. So his life never came into focus. He drifted through much of his career, with no plan or agenda... going from one assignment to the next, never seizing the opportunities that presented themselves. He never led the away-team on Milika III to save the ambassador, or take charge of the Stargazer's bridge when its captain was killed. And no one ever offered him a command. He learned to play it safe... and he never, ever got noticed by anyone."
"You're right, Q. You gave me the chance to change, and I took the opportunity. But I admit now – it was a mistake!"
"Are you asking me for something, Jean-Luc?"
"Give me a chance, to put things back the way they were before."
"Before, you died in sickbay. Is that what you want?"
"I would rather die as the man I was... than live the life I just saw."
(Q nods approvingly.)
- Q and Picard
"Coward! Like all Starfleet! You talk and you talk, but you have no guramba."
"What did you say?"
"I said, you... are a COWARD!"
"That's what I thought you said."
- Picard's and the Nausicaan's last words before the big fight
"There are many parts of my youth that I'm not proud of... there were loose threads... untidy parts of me that I would like to remove. But when I pulled on one of those threads... it unraveled the tapestry of my life."
- Picard, to Riker
"I was just trying to imagine a hell-bent for leather, young officer insulting a Nausicaan twice his size. I wish I would have had a chance to know that Jean-Luc Picard."
- Riker, to Picard
Summary
In sickbay, Dr. Crusher orders the stasis units to be brought on-line and tells one of the medical staff that Dr. Selar can use Ward 3 for the ambulatory patients while she attends to the away team in the main area of sickbay. The away team, consisting of Commander Riker, Worf, Ensign Kellogg, and two security officers are transported in. After Worf lays Picard on the biobed, she asks how he was injured. Riker tells her that they were attacked by the Lenarians just outside a conference room. Dr. Crusher quickly deduces that Captain Picard has essentially had a heart attack, due to his artificial heart. She and Martinez, along with other medical staff, try to save the captain, though it seems that they are unable to. Picard suddenly finds himself in a white void of dazzling brilliance seemingly uninjured, except for the large burn on his uniform from the weapon that he was attacked with. After looking around with confusion for a few seconds, Picard sees a shining figure dressed in white holding out its hand. Picard walks towards the figure, who then holds out his hand. After Picard shakes hands with the figure, he is pulled into focus and turns out to be Q, who greets him
"Welcome to the afterlife, Jean-Luc. You're dead."
Act One
Q appears to Picard as "God" in
the afterlife
Picard pulls his hand sharply out of Q's and asks what happened, to which Q replies "I told you. You're dead, this is the afterlife, and I'm God." Picard laughs in disbelief, but Q goes on to say that he had died approximately five minutes earlier. Picard still refuses to believe Q, on the basis of saying "I refuse to believe that the afterlife is run by you. The universe is not so badly designed." Suddenly, Picard's father appears and starts lecturing him, telling Picard that joining Starfleet was destined to bring him to a bad end and then he hears all the people that had died because of things he did or failed to do. Picard refuses to respond to any of the people he hears, not wanting to play into Q's hand, though Q says he is doing this for Picard.
Ensign Picard stabbed
Q then asks Picard if he has any regrets from his life, but Picard tells him that his only regret is "dying and finding you here." In response, Q makes Picard's artificial heart appear in his hand. He asks why Picard needed it, and the story begins to play out, showing Picard as an ensign, fighting a Nausicaan, then getting stabbed through the heart and laughing. Picard admits that he did regret some things from earlier in his life. Suddenly, he is slapped by a woman and he finds himself in his living quarters as an ensign on Starbase Earhart.
Act Two
Ensign Picard getting slapped by
a date
The woman who slapped him is Corlina, one of two dates that Picard set up and she found out a while back. She leaves and he turns around to find his two closest friends, Cortan "Corey" Zweller and Marta Batanides. Q appears in the room after Corey and Marta have left and convinces him he is back in 2327. Q explains it is two days before the fight with the Nausicaan, which Picard must choose whether to stop or not. Picard is adamant not to stop the fight in case he changes the timeline. Irritated, Q promises that nothing Picard does here will cause any major changes or affect anyone but himself. Frankly, he states, Picard is not that important. Satisfied, Picard accepts Q's terms and goes along in stopping the fight. By this time Picard realized that he is late for another date at the bar with an older woman named Penny.
Later in the bar, Picard and Penny are seen talking to each other. Picard in his usual stiffness states that he just wants out. Penny, on the other hand wants Picard to make his advances. We learn from this exchange that Penny is from Rigel, her last name is Muroc, and she likes men in uniform. After the conversation Penny goes in for a kiss, but Picard meekly retreats from her advances. After the kiss, Picard goes on telling Penny that she is a "handsome woman" and he gets a drink splashed in his face for his comments. Q looks on as the bartender observing the conversation and Corey playing dom-jot.
Corey playing dom-jot
Picard goes over to Marta, who is watching Corey play his game. Marta asked what happened to his date and Picard tells her that she had to leave. At the same time, Corey is seen winning the game with one of the station's aliens. After some time, Corey wins the match and picks up his gambling tokens from the table. Marta states that Corey should give up Starfleet and play dom-jot professionally. Corey goes on saying that it was mostly math skills that helped him win that game. One of the Nausicaans interrupts the conversation and challenges Corey to a game.
Act Three
Corey accepts the challenge and the game starts. Throughout the game the Nausicaan dominates Corey and wins. After the game the three friends go back to their quarters to discuss why Corey lost so badly. Corey realized that the only way the Nausicaan won was by using a device that controls the balls on the table. He also wants to get even by rigging the table so the device will backfire. Picard by this point tries to dissuade him from going through with the plan. Corey agrees with Picard's reason and walks out. Marta notes that usually Picard plans the revenge. Picard counters by saying that they are officers now and not cadets any longer – they need to set a different example. Picard and Marta are almost about to kiss when Q interrupts them as he delivers flowers to Picard, badly mangling his name as "John-Luck Pickerd". Marta comments that the flowers are from another of Picard's conquests and she leaves. Q and Picard talk about Marta being friends with him. Q notices that Picard regrets not having a romantic relationship with Marta, and he points that out to Picard. Q also points out that Corey is still going through with his plan anyway. Picard leaves to confront Corey about what he is doing.
Picard goes to see Corey at the Bonestell Facility. Corey is under the table rigging it so he can win against the Nausicaan. Corey bumps his head when he thinks Picard is the gaming foreman checking up on the tables. Corey is happy to see Picard and asks him to help rig the table. Picard on the other hand is trying to stop him from making a big mistake. Corey states that Picard is acting like his mother and he should go away if he is not going to help. Picard threatens Corey to stop or he will tell the gaming foreman about what he has done and the two walk off.
Picard and Marta reveal their
feelings for each other
Picard goes and talks to Marta in her room. They both talk about Corey's rashness. Picard goes on saying that Corey and he will stay friends for years after this incident and hopes that stopping him won't jeopardize that friendship. The conversation gravitates towards how much Picard's personality has changed after graduation. Marta confesses that she finds his new personality "attractive." This causes both to reveal their feelings for each other and they passionately kiss.
Act Four
The next morning Picard wakes up to a soft caress on his earlobe and turns in bed to Marta. He is shocked to see it isn't Marta at all, but Q, who begins taunting him about his relationship with Marta. Picard meets her again, who expresses regret over what they did, fearing that it could have irreparably damaged their friendship. Later, the three friends go to the bar for one last big night out before they get shipped off to their first assignments. Picard tries to engage his two friends in conversation, but both are already feeling distanced from him so it is an awkward and strained affair. Suddenly the three Nausicaans taunt Corey about the game of dom-jot they'd played. Corey gets angry and tries to fight the Nausicaan, but Picard stops him by shoving Corey on to the floor. The Nausicaans walk away laughing, and Picard tries to explain himself to Corey and Marta but the two just walk away from him in disgust. At that point, Q appears and congratulates him; the fight has been avoided, and he is now alive with a real heart.
Picard is then returned to the present, where, much to his surprise, his life is incredibly different: he is an assistant astrophysics officer on board the USS Enterprise-D, wearing a blue non-command uniform, a mere junior lieutenant with Worf as his immediate superior. Worf then asks him what is he doing on the bridge. Picard, disoriented, asks what is going on. Worf then looks at the PADD that he is holding and tells Picard that the PADD is for chief engineer Lieutenant Commander La Forge. Picard then asks who the captain of the ship is and Worf replies that it is Thomas Halloway. Picard goes to sickbay to talk with Dr. Crusher about his situation. When he enters sickbay, however, he finds Q in a 20th century doctor's uniform and speaking in a German accent. Q states that this is what happened to Picard's timeline per their agreement, after he stopped the fight with the Nausicaans. He now can live his life "in safety" running analyses, but not in command.
Act Five
Picard laughs after being stabbed
Picard, in disbelief, goes to Ten Forward to get a second opinion from Commander Riker and Counselor Troi sitting together at a table. Picard soon discovers that he won't be promoted any time soon because he "just doesn't take risks" and "doesn't stand out." Picard then asks them if he is a good officer for command. They both agree that he is too timid and has never completed any big goals that he has attempted for himself. La Forge then summons Picard to deliver a report for which he has been waiting. Dejected by all this, Picard goes off to deliver the report and calls to Q from a turbolift about the situation, asking if it amusing that he is now a dull man with a dull job. The doors open back to the white space.
Q and Picard talk
Q returns and reminds Picard that he has exactly what he wanted; a second chance. Picard tells Q he cannot live as a man devoid of anything that makes life worthwhile, but Q points out that is the man Picard wanted to be; the man who never defended his friends from the Nausicaans went on to live quite a different life from the one Picard remembers. Although being stabbed in the heart nearly killed Picard, it also helped him realize how fragile life is, and thus made him more willing to take risks and make his mark on the universe rather than play it safe. Instead he never achieved anything worthwhile, never got noticed and is certainly not the kind of man who would ever be asked to command a starship. Picard asks him to let him reverse the changes he made, deciding that it would be better to die in the present with a satisfying life behind him rather than to continue living life as an average, dreary man bereft of passion and imagination. Q returns Picard back to the Bonestell Facility, moments before the fight with the Nausicaans. This time Picard doesn't walk away from the fight with the Nausicaans but leaps into it and is eventually stabbed in the heart like before. As Picard looks at the injury he begins to laugh, knowing history has been set right, and is shown again in the present, lying on the biobed he was placed on after his injury, laughing as he comes to, his bionic heart reactivated.
Picard and Riker speculate afterward in the observation lounge regarding Picard's experience, unsure if it was just a dream or another test by Q. Picard states that part of him can't believe that Q was willing to show compassion by giving him a second chance, but if it was Q then he is thankful for being allowed to see how important his decisions in life were – he's not proud of many things he did in his youth, but when he pulled on this "loose thread," the tapestry of his whole life came apart. Riker wishes he could have known this young, cocky officer who went toe-to-toe with a massive Nausicaan, and Picard assures him that the stabbing was not his first unpleasant encounter with them, beginning the story from his sophomore year at the Academy on Morikin VII as the Enterprise continues on its way.
Memorable quotes
"Welcome to the afterlife, Jean-Luc. You're dead."
- Q, to Picard
"Q, what is going on?"
"I told you. You're dead, this is the afterlife, and I'm God."
"You are not God!"
"Blasphemy! You're lucky I don't cast you out or smite you or something."
- Picard and Q
"I refuse to believe that the afterlife is run by you; the universe is not so badly designed."
- Picard, to Q
"After all these years, even now, you manage to disappoint me, Jean-Luc."
- Maurice Picard, in Q's "afterlife"
"I find it hard to believe that you are doing this for the benefit of my soul!"
- Picard, to Q
"My only regret is dying and finding you here."
- Picard, to Q
"Change them? You mean change the past? Q, even if you have been able to bring me back in time somehow, surely you must realize that any alteration in this timeline will have a profound impact on the future."
"Please! Spare me your egotistical musings on your pivotal role in history. Nothing you do here will cause the Federation to collapse or galaxies to explode. To be blunt, you're not that important."
- Picard and Q
"You will go on with your life with a real heart."
"Then I won't die."
"Of course you'll die! It'll just be at a later time."
"What if I don't avoid the fight? What if I won't make the changes?"
"Then you die on the table, and we spend eternity together."
"Wonderful..."
"I'm glad you think so."
- Q and Picard
"I had no idea you were such a cad. I'm impressed."
- Q, to Picard
"Penny for your thoughts."
- Q, to Picard, after Picard gets the drink thrown in his face by Penny
"... It's a beautiful story. It gets you right here, doesn't it?"
- Q, pointing generally at his heart and mocking sympathy.
(A pun on the fact that the story Picard tells ends with Jean-Luc being stabbed in the heart.)
"Flowers! Is there a John Luck Pickerd here?"
- Q
"Well, let's see... You've managed to get slapped by one woman, get a drink thrown in your face by another and alienate your two best friends. Doing pretty well so far. The only thing left to avoid is being stabbed through the heart."
- Q, on the changes Picard has made
"Vell, vell, vell. Vhat seems to be de trouble, Leutnant Picard?"
- Q, speaking as a German doctor
"... You should be happy! You have a real heart beating in your chest, and you get to live out the rest of your life in safety – running tests, making analyses, and carrying reports to your superiors."
- Q, to Lieutenant Picard, explaining how dreary Picard's life has become without his near-death experience
"Your performance records have always been good. You're thorough... dedicated..."
"Steady, reliable... punctual."
- Troi and Riker, evaluating Lieutenant Picard and coming up short
"If you want to get ahead, you have to take chances... stand out the crowd, get noticed!"
- Riker, to Lieutenant Picard
"You having a good laugh now, Q? Does it amuse you to think of me living out the rest of my life as a dreary man in a tedious job?"
- Picard, speaking alone, addressing Q
"I gave you something most mortals never experience – a second chance at life – and now all you can do is COMPLAIN!?"
"I can't live out my days as that person! That man is bereft of passion... and IMAGINATION! That is not who I am!"
- Q and Picard
"The Jean-Luc Picard you wanted to be, the one who did NOT fight the Nausicaan, had quite a different career from the one you remember. That Picard never had a brush with death, never came face to face with his own mortality, never realized how fragile life is, or how important each moment must be. So his life never came into focus. He drifted through much of his career, with no plan or agenda... going from one assignment to the next, never seizing the opportunities that presented themselves. He never led the away-team on Milika III to save the ambassador, or take charge of the Stargazer's bridge when its captain was killed. And no one ever offered him a command. He learned to play it safe... and he never, ever got noticed by anyone."
"You're right, Q. You gave me the chance to change, and I took the opportunity. But I admit now – it was a mistake!"
"Are you asking me for something, Jean-Luc?"
"Give me a chance, to put things back the way they were before."
"Before, you died in sickbay. Is that what you want?"
"I would rather die as the man I was... than live the life I just saw."
(Q nods approvingly.)
- Q and Picard
"Coward! Like all Starfleet! You talk and you talk, but you have no guramba."
"What did you say?"
"I said, you... are a COWARD!"
"That's what I thought you said."
- Picard's and the Nausicaan's last words before the big fight
"There are many parts of my youth that I'm not proud of... there were loose threads... untidy parts of me that I would like to remove. But when I pulled on one of those threads... it unraveled the tapestry of my life."
- Picard, to Riker
"I was just trying to imagine a hell-bent for leather, young officer insulting a Nausicaan twice his size. I wish I would have had a chance to know that Jean-Luc Picard."
- Riker, to Picard
