Boldly Going Beyond: Unveiling the Unforgettable Alien Encounters that Tested Captain Picard's Mind in Star Trek: TNG

Summary

Captain Picard's brilliant mind is often tampered with by alien forces throughout Star Trek: The Next Generation, but his fellow senior officers always come to his aid.

Picard encounters a range of situations where aliens take over his mind, from energy beings to addictive games. However, he consistently finds a way to regain control. Among these encounters, the most significant and impactful one is when he is assimilated by the Borg. This haunting experience continues to affect him, even three decades later.

Captain Jean-Luc Picard, portrayed by Patrick Stewart, undergoes numerous instances of tampering with his brilliant mind throughout the seven seasons of Star Trek: The Next Generation. As the commanding officer of the USS Enterprise-D, Captain Picard encounters an abundance of peculiar extraterrestrial beings and unexplored phenomena, some of which possess the capability to manipulate individuals' thoughts. While many Starfleet captains venture into the unknown, Picard's mind appears to be altered by alien influences more frequently than others.

Fortunately, whenever an alien force influences Captain Picard's mind, his fellow senior officers on the Enterprise are always on hand to assist him. Nevertheless, the task of commanding a starship is challenging enough without the added concern of potentially becoming a conduit or puppet for a powerful extraterrestrial species. However, Picard handles most of these encounters with composure, consistently returning to his true self by the start of the subsequent episode (with the exception of one notable incident involving the Borg). Whether caused by formidable energetic aliens, ancient alien probes, or perilously addictive games, the following are ten instances in which Captain Picard's mind is overtaken by aliens.

10 Energy Beings Take Over Picard's Mind In TNG's “Lonely Among Us”

9 Everyone Gets Addicted To A Game In TNG's “The Game”

Captain Picard's initial encounter with mind-altering effects occurs in the seventh episode of the first season of TNG, titled "Lonely Among Us." Here, the Enterprise stumbles upon a peculiar energy cloud, leading to a series of unpredictable events. Following an energy discharge that strikes Lieutenant Worf, the enigmatic energy lifeform begins hopping between crew members as a means of survival. Eventually, it infiltrates the ship's computer system before ultimately finding its way into Captain Picard himself. As a result, Picard's behavior becomes erratic, culminating in his spontaneous transportation into the energy cloud before any intervention can occur. Thankfully, Lieutenant Commander Data comes to the rescue by utilizing the transporter buffer to reconstruct Picard's physical form.

Commander William Riker (Jonathan Frakes) returns from his vacation on Risa with a captivating game that quickly ensnares the entire crew of the Enterprise. The game gradually takes hold of their minds, rendering them vulnerable to manipulation and transforming them into puppets for the Ktarians. With ambitions to seize control of the Enterprise and potentially the entire Federation, the Ktarians' sinister plot may have succeeded if not for the timely arrival of young Wesley Crusher (Wil Wheaton) from Starfleet Academy. Wesley manages to reactivate Data, who had previously been sabotaged, just in the nick of time to release everyone from the game's enchantment.

8 A Vengeful Ferengi Gives Picard A Headache In TNG's “The Battle”

In TNG season 1, episode 9, "The Battle," Captain Picard is confronted by Ferengi captain DaiMon Bok (Frank Corsentino), who brings up the tragic event of his son's death. Years ago, while leading the USS Stargazer, Picard was forced to destroy an unidentified vessel that had inflicted significant damage to his ship. Bok discloses that his son was the commander of the ship that Picard had to eliminate, and now Bok is seeking revenge. Through the use of a device called the "thought maker," Bok manipulates Picard's mind, transporting him back to the intense battle with the Ferengi ship on the Stargazer.

7 A Powerful Alien Puts The Enterprise Crew To The Test In TNG's “Where Silence Has Lease”

In TNG season 2, episode 2, "Where Silence Has Lease," the Enterprise is trapped in a black void in space, leading Picard and his crew to question their perception of reality. Though not technically a possession, the alien entity Nagilum manipulates Picard's mind, creating various illusions, including duplicates of Enterprise crew members who challenge Picard's authority. As the Enterprise faces imminent self-destruction, Nagilum ceases its interference, offering a scathing critique of humanity's flaws. This encounter with Nagilum reflects a recurring theme in TNG, where advanced extraterrestrial beings test and evaluate humanity in different ways.

6 Aliens Kidnap And Replace Picard In TNG's “Allegiance”

5 The Entire Crew Loses Time In TNG's “Clues”

Picard finds himself awakening in a prison cell, where he collaborates with three fellow inmates to devise an escape plan. Meanwhile, the genuine Picard endeavors to unravel the mystery behind his abduction and the motives behind it. Simultaneously, a duplicated Picard assumes the role of captain aboard the Enterprise. Commander Riker, along with the other senior staff members, begins to notice peculiar behavior exhibited by the duplicate Picard. Eventually, one of the captive aliens, who had been concealing her true identity, reveals herself as a member of the alien race responsible for orchestrating the entire predicament. These extraterrestrials abducted Picard and substitute him with one of their own in order to study the behaviors of different species.

In the TNG episode "Clues" (season 4, episode 14), the Enterprise encounters a wormhole, causing every crew member except Data to lose consciousness. Upon awakening, Data informs the crew that they were unconscious for a mere 30 seconds. However, unsettling evidence begins to emerge, suggesting that they might have been unconscious for an entire day. Further investigation reveals that the Paxans, a xenophobic species, had incapacitated the crew and attempted to relocate the Enterprise without their knowledge. Due to Data's android nature, he remained conscious and managed to awaken the crew before the Paxans could achieve their objective. In order to preserve diplomatic harmony, Captain Picard agreed to the Paxans' request to erase the crew's memories of the incident, and Data was ordered to keep the Paxans' involvement a secret.

4 The Entire Crew Loses Their Memories in TNG's “Conundrum”

In another storyline involving memory loss, the crew members of the Enterprise experience a significant setback in TNG season 5, episode 14, "Conundrum." Following an encounter with an extraterrestrial vessel, Picard and his comrades find themselves completely devoid of any recollection of their identities or responsibilities aboard the Enterprise. Through the aid of the ship's computer, the crew manages to discern their respective roles and understand that their mission entails obliterating the command center of a species known as the Lysians. Nevertheless, Picard's skepticism gradually intensifies, leading to the eventual discovery that an alien race had been manipulating the Enterprise, utilizing it as a means to gain an upper hand in their ongoing conflict.

3 Vulcan Ambassador Sarek Mindmelds With Picard In TNG's “Sarek”

In one of TNG's most acclaimed episodes, "Sarek" (TNG season 3, episode 23), the Enterprise welcomes Ambassador Sarek (Mark Lenard), a revered Vulcan and father of Spock (Leonard Nimoy). As the crew members of the Enterprise start experiencing inexplicable emotional outbursts, Dr. Beverly Crusher (Gates McFadden) deduces that Sarek is afflicted with a degenerative neurological condition that affects older Vulcans. Given Sarek's pivotal role in a mission to establish trade relations, his emotional instability poses a significant threat. Captain Picard agrees to merge minds with Sarek temporarily, assuming his intense emotions. Though willingly subjecting himself to this profound mental influence, Picard endures years' worth of repressed feelings from Sarek in just a matter of hours.

2 A Probe Highjacks Picard's Mind In TNG's “The Inner Light”

In a less traumatic yet equally heartbreaking twist of events, Picard succumbs to the control of an extraterrestrial probe dispatched by a dying civilization a millennium ago. While mere minutes elapse for the rest of the crew of the Enterprise, Picard endures four decades as a man known as Kamin on the planet Kataan. The memories of his life as Kamin linger within Picard, and the final moments of TNG season 5, episode 25, titled "The Inner Light," showcase Picard skillfully playing a haunting melody he acquired as Kamin on a Ressikan flute. Even in Star Trek: Picard season 3, thirty years later, Jean-Luc cherishes the flute as one of his most esteemed possessions.

1 The Borg Assimilate Picard In TNG's “The Best of Both Worlds”

One of the most memorable and influential storylines in TNG sees Captain Picard being assimilated by the Borg and transformed into Locutus. As Locutus, Picard loses control of his actions and is compelled to lead the Borg in the Battle of Wolf 359 against the Federation. While the episodic nature of TNG means that Picard typically recovers from any mental manipulation by the start of the next episode, his encounter with the Borg leaves a lasting impact. In the immediate aftermath of the "The Best of Both Worlds" storyline, Picard returns to his homeland in France and confides in his brother about the profound effects of the experience. In the second episode of TNG season 4, titled "Family," Picard expresses how the Borg "stripped away everything I was" and how he struggled but ultimately felt insufficiently strong.

Picard's assimilation by the Borg leaves a lasting impact on his mind, surpassing any other experience. Even after 30 years, in season 3 of Star Trek: Picard, he continues to confront the memories of being Locutus. Additionally, Picard discovers that the Borg unknowingly left dormant DNA in his brain, which he passed on to his son, Jack Crusher. Ultimately, in the finale of Picard season 3, Picard and most of the Enterprise-D crew come together to defeat the Borg, potentially for the last time. As Captain of the Enterprise-D in Star Trek: The Next Generation, Jean-Luc Picard endures numerous instances of his mind being taken over by aliens, possibly setting a record among Starfleet captains.