Star Trek: The Next Generation (TV Series)

Descent (1993)

Patrick Stewart: Captain Jean-Luc Picard

Photos 

Quotes 

• Captain Jean-Luc Picard : Data!

  Counselor Deanna Troi : That's not Data.

  Captain Jean-Luc Picard : What?

  Lore : You should listen to her, Captain. She's way ahead of you.

  Captain Jean-Luc Picard : Lore!

  Lore : Right! But I am not alone.

  [Data stands next to Lore] 

  Lt. Cmdr. Data : The sons of Soong have joined together; and together... we will *destroy* the Federation!

• Captain Jean-Luc Picard : He was here in this room, Will. I could have rid the Federation of a mortal threat, and I let him go.

  Commander William T. Riker : Sending Hugh back to the Borg was a very risky... a very dangerous choice. But it was the moral thing to do.

  Captain Jean-Luc Picard : Well, it may turn out that the moral thing to do was not the right thing to do.

• [the New Berlin Colony has sent out a false alarm, mistaking a Ferengi trading ship for a potential aggressor] 

  Captain Jean-Luc Picard : Mr. Worf, acknowledge the signal from New Berlin, and transmit another copy of Starfleet's ship recognition protocols, and tell them to read it this time!

• Captain Jean-Luc Picard : The Borg have been busy.

• [Picard is on his way on an away mission, leaving a skeleton crew aboard the Enterprise] 

  Doctor Beverly Crusher : Good luck, Jean-Luc.

  Captain Jean-Luc Picard : Good luck - "Captain"!

• Captain Jean-Luc Picard : What is your designation?

  Crosis : I do not have a designation. My name is Crosis.

  Captain Jean-Luc Picard : Crosis? How did you get that name?

  Crosis : It was given to me by the One.

  Captain Jean-Luc Picard : Who is that?

  Crosis : The One who will destroy you.

• Admiral Alynna Nechayev : Captain, I've read the report you submitted to Admiral Brooks last year... regarding the Borg you named Hugh. And I've been trying to figure out why you let him go.

  Captain Jean-Luc Picard : I thought I made my reasons clear.

  Admiral Alynna Nechayev : As I understand it, you found an injured Borg at a crash site, brought it aboard the Enterprise. Studied it. Analysed it. And then eventually, found a way to send it back to the Borg with a program that would have destroyed the entire Collective once and for all. But instead, you nursed the Borg back to health, treated it like a guest, gave it a name and then sent it home. Why?

  Captain Jean-Luc Picard : Once Hugh was separated from the Borg Collective he began to grow and evolve into something other than an automaton. He became a person. When that happened, I felt I had no choice but to respect his rights as an individual.

  Admiral Alynna Nechayev : Of course you had a choice. You could have taken the opportunity to rid the Federation of a mortal enemy. One that has killed tens of thousands of innocent people and may kill even more.

  Captain Jean-Luc Picard : No-one is more aware of the danger than I am. But I am also bound by my oath and my conscience to uphold certain principles. And I will not sacrifice them in order to...

  Admiral Alynna Nechayev : [interrupting]  Your priority is to safeguard the lives of Federation citizens. Not to wrestle with your conscience. Now I want to make it clear, that if you have a similar opportunity in the future... an opportunity to destroy the Borg... you are under orders to take advantage of it. Is that understood?

  Captain Jean-Luc Picard : [rising from his desk]  Yes sir.

  [Nechayev leaves without saying another word]