Jean-Luc Picard is one of the most important characters in Star Trek history, and his lengthy timeline touches several generations of the franchise. First seen as the captain of the USS Enterprise-D, Jean-Luc Picard immediately stood out from the captains that came before him because of his strict moral code. Though he was somewhat stern and inflexible, Picard's character was always the shining example of the Federation's lofty ideals, and he embodied the utopian future that Star Trek took place in. Whether on the small screen or the large, Jean-Luc Picard has never failed to live up to his high standards of excellence.
While he appears in every episode of Star Trek: The Next Generation, and the TNG films, Jean-Luc Picard's adventures started long before he boarded the Enterprise, and they carried on after the ship was decommissioned. Though Picard changed after his days on TNG, the foundation of his character remained fixed, and he was even seen to be an example to future Starfleet officers centuries in the future. Even so, Picard wasn't immune to making mistakes of his own, and his flaws were an important part of the leader that he would become.
Early Life (2305 - 2323)
Jean-Luc Picard was born in the Earth year 2305 in the La Berre region of France to Yvette and Maurice Picard. He had an older brother named Robert, and the pair worked in the family's vineyards as children and were slated to take over the family business when their father retired. As seen in Star Trek: The Next Generation season 4, episode 2, "Family," Jean-Luc's relationship with his brother was strained due to the former's overachievement. Every Picard family member brought something different to young Jean-Luc's life, and his relationship with his father fell apart when he decided to join Starfleet instead of continuing in the family business.
At Starfleet Academy (2323 - 2327)
After first failing to gain admittance to Starfleet Academy, Picard was eventually accepted in 2323 where he began excelling academically. In Star Trek: The Next Generation season 5, episode 19, "The First Duty," it was revealed that Picard befriended a groundskeeper named Boothby, who helped him become more mature during his days at school. While at the Academy, Picard took an interest in archeology but opted not to pursue it as a career in favor of the Starfleet Officer track. Jean-Luc Picard graduated at the top of his Starfleet Academy class in the year 2327 but still retained many of his academic pursuits for the rest of his life.
Picard As A Junior Officer (2327 - 2333)
Shortly after graduating from the Academy in 2327, Picard received a metal heart after being stabbed by a Nausicaan during a bar fight, and he was later forced to relive the memory during Star Trek: The Next Generation season 6, episode 15, "Tapestry." This brush with death forever shaped Picard, and he often referenced it as the moment he finally became mature. Picard earned his first ship posting aboard the USS Reliant where he met and befriended Jack Crusher and eventually met Crusher's fiancée, Beverly Howard. Picard made a name for himself by leading an away team on the planet Milika III where he helped save an ambassador's life.
The Stargazer (2333 - 2355)
Years before becoming one of the captains of the Enterprise, Picard bounced from posting to posting before landing as the helmsman of the USS Stargazer in 2333. Later that year, he took command of the Stargazer after the captain was killed. Picard's promotion to captain of the ship made him one of the youngest officers to ever achieve the rank. Picard retained command of the Stargazer for years, and over that span, he had several failed romantic relationships. In 2353, Jack Crusher was killed on an away mission under the command of Picard, and he was tasked with informing Beverly of her husband's death.
In the year 2355, the Stargazer was attacked by a Ferengi vessel and Picard devised an ingenious maneuver to thwart his enemies, though the ship was destroyed in the process. The "Picard Manuever" was first used to vex the Ferengi, but the destruction of the ship led to Picard being court-martialed for his military tactics. Eventually, Picard was acquitted of his criminal charges and was granted another command, though details of that period of his life have not been covered in any canon sources. Between 2355 and 2363, Picard captained an unknown vessel with almost nothing being revealed about that time.
Captain Of The Enterprise-D (2363 - 2371)
The year 2363 saw Jean-Luc Picard's decades in Starfleet rewarded when he was given command of the flagship vessel, the USS Enterprise-D. Picard assembled a crew of officers from his past, including Dr. Beverly Crusher and Lt. Tasha Yar, and made new connections with officers like Commander William Riker, and Lt. Commander Data. The being known as Q visited Picard for the first time on the ship's maiden voyage in Star Trek: The Next Generation season 1, episode 1, "Encounter at Farpoint," and returned on numerous occasions to test the humanity of Picard and his crew.
In 2365, Q transported the Enterprise 7,000 light-years across the galaxy and forced Picard to make first contact with a cybernetic species known as the Borg in Star Trek: The Next Generation season 2, episode 16, "Q Who." A year later, in season 3, episode 26, "The Best of Both Worlds," the Borg made their first attack in the Alpha Quadrant and assimilated Picard in the process. The ensuing Battle of Wolf 359 destroyed 39 Federation vessels, and though Picard was rescued, his time in the collective haunted him. During his time as captain of the Enterprise, Picard earned his reputation as a stark defender of the Prime Directive.
Captain Of The Enterprise-E (2371 - 2381)
Making an indelible mark on James T. Kirk's Star Trek timeline, Jean-Luc Picard teamed up with the Starfleet legend to stop Dr. Tolian Soran in 2371 during the events of the movie Star Trek: Generations. Unfortunately, the USS Enterprise-D was destroyed when the ship crash-landed on the planet Veridian III. The Enterprise-E was quickly commissioned, and in the year 2373, Picard led his crew back to the year 2063 to stop the Borg from assimilating Earth in the past, to prevent the future, in the movie Star Trek: First Contact.
A few years later, in 2375, during the events of the movie Star Trek: Insurrection, the Enterprise crew uncovered a conspiracy within the Federation to forcefully relocate the residents of the planet Ba'ku so that their planet's rich resources could be exploited. Then, in 2379, a clone of Picard named Shinzon went rogue and destroyed much of the Romulan Senate in an attempt to stage a coup of the planet's government. Though Star Trek: Nemesis' failure killed the TNG movies, it moved Picard's story forward when Lt. Commander Data sacrificed himself to save the crew and win the day.
Later Starfleet Career (2381 - 2387)
As established in Star Trek: Picard season 1, episode 1, "Remembrance," Picard was promoted to admiral in the year 2381. In 2385, he was given the important task of creating a fleet of ships to rescue the population of the planet Romulus, who would soon become victims of a massive supernova. However, rogue synths attacked the shipyards on Utopia Planitia and rendered the planet inhospitable to life. The attack led to the Federation's synth ban and arrested any future plans of developing a rescue fleet by the Federation Council. Picard threatened to retire in order to spur the Council into action, but they made no such move, and Picard retired.
Brought Out Of Retirement (2399)
After Star Trek revealed why Picard retired, he spent 12 years on Earth working the fields that his family had cultivated for generations. In Star Trek: Picard season 1, episode 1, "Remembrance," he was approached by a synth woman who explained she was Data's daughter. The woman, Dahj Asha, was murdered by a faction of Romulans, and Picard set out to locate Asha's sister, Soji. Picard called on figures from his past, including Riker and Deanna Troi, and he safely returned Soji to her home on Coppelius Station. After helping to repel a Romulan attack on the station, Picard fell ill from his recently diagnosed brain condition and quickly died.
Resurrection & Return To Starfleet (2399 - 2401)
Following his "death," Picard survived with a new body when his consciousness was transferred into a synthetic golem by Dr. Alton Inigo Soong in Star Trek: Picard season 1, episode 10, "Et in Arcadia Ego, Part 2." With a new lease on life, Picard was reinstated into Starfleet as an admiral in 2401 and was named Chancellor of Starfleet Academy in the same year. In season 2, episode 1, "The Star Gazer," Picard was called on to investigate an anomaly that eventually saw him encounter a Borg ship. Picard was then sent back to an alternate version of the year 2024, where he saw the dark fate of that timeline.
The experience was revealed to be a test by Q, and upon returning to the 25th century, Picard discovered that the Borg Queen he encountered before was actually his crew member Agnes, who opted to stay behind in 2024. Agnes, acting as Star Trek's Borg queen, then asked the Federation for provisional member status so that she could continue to protect the galaxy from the anomaly. Having gone on one last mission, Picard once again retired, and it seemed Star Trek's most celebrated officer was done, however, in Picard season 3, episode 1, "The Next Generation," he received a note from Dr. Beverly Crusher, asking for his assistance.