Some days it feels like we're further from Gene Roddenberry's utopian vision from Star Trek than ever before. When the stress of rising costs, worldwide issues, and parenthood gets me down, I've actually found comfort in a Picard quote I recently heard while watching with my Paramount+ subscription.
Picard is one of Trek's best characters for a reason, and it's because the writers often queued up the best lines for him. This includes this banger, which I've been leaning on in these hard times:
It is possible to commit no mistakes and still lose. That is not a weakness. That is life.
The line comes from Star Trek: The Next Generation, in an episode centered on yet another iconic character. Ironically enough, it was the most "perfect" person on the ship who needed to hear this, and learn an important lesson about being human.
When Did Jean-Luc Picard Say This Quote?
In a bit of irony, this heavy line delivered by Picard comes from a rather inconsequential moment in the Season 2 episode of Star Trek: The Next Generation, "Peak Performance." Picard said this to Data after he was unable to beat Sirna Kolrami, a grandmaster-ranked Strategema player, in a game. Data assumed the loss was due to a malfunction and, as a result, excused himself from duty.
The pep talk ultimately gives Data the confidence to ask for a rematch with Kolrami, with a different strategy in mind. Rather than advance, he forces a stalemate between them, which ultimately causes Kolrami to quit out of frustration. While he didn't win, Data took solace in the victory anyway, as he didn't lose.
How This Quote Is Helping Me In My Everyday Life
Just like some of the WTF moments the Enterprise crew have dealt with, there are so many things that happen in this world that are beyond my control. This applies to all facets of my life, and yes, sometimes life can present you with that no-win scenario, otherwise known as a Kobayashi Maru.
Captain Kirk may be able to cheat his way out of the Kobayashi Maru, but not everyone has been so lucky. More often than not, we're forced to accept situations that are out of our hands and hope for the best moving forward.
As Picard said, the outcome in those situations is not a sign of our weakness. It's life. These things happening all around us are not always our own failings or a reflection of what we did. Sometimes, life can just stink, and that has nothing to do with you or me. Larger global and economic forces are in play.
If it were true even in an era of post-scarcity, I would wager it's even more true for humanity now. Data was lucky to have Picard on his ship, as another Captain might've written off the android's ramblings and not given him the time of day. "Peak Performance" may not be on the list of best TNG episodes ever, but it's a good Star Trek episode, and it's one I'll definitely be thinking about for a while.
Star Trek: The Next Generation is available to stream on Paramount+. I don't think we'll get more new Picard quotes in the future on top of what we already have, but with Patrick Stewart refusing to admit he's retired from acting, there's always a chance! Hit us with some bangers, sir.
