Star Trek: The Next Generation (TV Series)

Man of the People (1992)

Patrick Stewart: Captain Jean-Luc Picard

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Quotes 

• Ambassador Ves Alkar : I discovered long ago I had the ability to channel my darker thoughts - my unwanted emotions to others, leaving me unencumbered.

  Captain Jean-Luc Picard : Is this what you've been doing to Counsellor Troi?

  Ambassador Ves Alkar : I hadn't planned it. I'd expected Maylor to live through the negotiation. Her death could not have been more untimely.

  Captain Jean-Luc Picard : So, then you deliberately used Deanna?

  Ambassador Ves Alkar : She's an empath. I was reasonably certain I could establish a link with her. Frankly, I was amazed when I saw how quickly she had aged. Usually my receptacles survive for years.

  Captain Jean-Luc Picard : [appalled]  Receptacles?

  Ambassador Ves Alkar : Come now, Captain. Surely you can see there's a broader canvas here. If I came to these peace talks hindered by unwanted emotions, than the Rekags and Seronians would be condemned to go on fighting.

  Captain Jean-Luc Picard : You cannot explain away a wantonly immoral act because you think that it's connected to some higher purpose.

  Ambassador Ves Alkar : Captain, do you know how many people have died on this planet in the last 48 hours? Thousands. Deanna Troi is just one individual.

  Captain Jean-Luc Picard : That does not justify brutalising her nor any of the others you have used.

  Ambassador Ves Alkar : Ask the Rekag-Seronian children who go to bed each night in fear of their lives. Captain, I get no payment. I have no power base, no agenda. I am willing to risk my life simply to help others.

  Captain Jean-Luc Picard : Do you think that makes you appear courageous? Because you're mistaken. You're a coward, Alkar. You exploit the innocent because you're unwilling to shoulder the burdens of unpleasant emotions. Well, this time you will be held accountable. I'm taking you back to the Enterprise to release Counsellor Troi.

  Ambassador Ves Alkar : [serene as always]  I have no intention of releasing her now or ever.

• [first lines] 

  Captain Jean-Luc Picard : [voiceover]  Captain's log, stardate 46071.6. We have been called to the aid of a transport ship, which has been attacked near Rekag-Seronia. Hostilities between the two factions on that planet have intensified recently, threatening an important Federation shipping route.