Star Trek: The Next Generation (TV Series)

The Chase (1993)

Patrick Stewart: Captain Jean-Luc Picard

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Quotes 

• [last lines] 

  Romulan Captain : It would seem that we are not completely dissimilar after all - in our hopes, or in our fears.

  Captain Jean-Luc Picard : Yes.

  Romulan Captain : Well, then. Perhaps... one day.

  Captain Jean-Luc Picard : One day.

• Professor Galen : Dream not of today, Mr. Picard.

  Captain Jean-Luc Picard : "Dream not of today"...

  [he ponders] 

  Captain Jean-Luc Picard : The night blessing of the Yash-El.

  Professor Galen : As I recall, you missed that question on your final exam.

  Captain Jean-Luc Picard : Well, I've had a few years to look it up.

• Captain Jean-Luc Picard : Counselor, this is not simply a case of me taking the Enterprise and its crew on some wild goose chase to purge myself of guilt and remorse. I will not let Galen's death be in vain. Now, if that means inconveniencing a few squabbling delegates for a few days then so be it. I will take the full responsibility.

• Captain Jean-Luc Picard : It's four billion years old - a computer program from a highly advanced civilization; and it's hidden in the very fabric of life itself. Whatever information this program contains could be the most profound discovery of our time - or the most dangerous. And the Professor knew that.

• Doctor Beverly Crusher : [referring to Professor Galen]  If it hadn't been for you, his dream to solve that puzzle would never have been realized. You left him a wonderful legacy.

  Captain Jean-Luc Picard : Yes, but it would have been a more fitting legacy if the message had not fallen on such deaf ears.

  Doctor Beverly Crusher : Hm... You never know.

• Captain Jean-Luc Picard : The Professor did not choose this gift at random - the many voices inside the one. You see, he knows that... the past is a very insistent voice inside me. This gift is meant to remind me of that.

  Doctor Beverly Crusher : And the exploration of space? Surely that must count for something?

  Captain Jean-Luc Picard : I wouldn't trade it for anything; and I would still make the same choice that I made all those years ago. I just wish that I didn't have to say "no" to him a second time.

• Gul Ocett : The Yridian who sold us the information claimed that the program would yield the key to an unlimited power source.

  Captain Jean-Luc Picard : But until we assemble it, we will never know its purpose.

  Gul Ocett : He's right. As far as we know, it might just be a recipe for biscuits.

  Captain Nu'Daq : Biscuits? If that is what you believe, then go back to Cardassia. I will send you my mother's recipe.

• Captain Jean-Luc Picard : I've never heard of anyone who didn't love a good mystery.

• Professor Galen : What are you doing at this very moment? A study mission! You're like some Roman centurion out patrolling the provinces, maintaining a dull and bloated Empire.

  Captain Jean-Luc Picard : We both know that's not true.

  Professor Galen : I know this: I know that as a scholar, you're nothing but a dilettante.

• Gul Ocett : My name is Gul Ocett. Identify yourself and state your business in this star system.

  Captain Jean-Luc Picard : I am Captain Jean-Luc Picard of the Federation starship Enterprise, and I see no reason why I should answer to you. Cardassians have no claims in this sector.

  Gul Ocett : I suppose not. But my admittedly hasty estimate shows one Federation starship and two Cardassian war vessels. Perhaps I have miscounted.

• Captain Jean-Luc Picard : The Kurlan civilization believed that an individual was a community of individuals. Inside us are... many voices, each with its... its own desires, its own style, its-its... its own view of the world.

• Captain Jean-Luc Picard : I had a father. But he was like a father who understood me. And he had his own children, but they didn't follow in his footsteps, so... I was like the son who understood *him*.

• Captain Jean-Luc Picard : [discovering an artifact in the observation lounge]  Oh, my God.

  Professor Galen : Then you *can* identify that object, Mr. Picard?

  Captain Jean-Luc Picard : Professor Galen?

  Commander William T. Riker : Computer, lights up!

  Professor Galen : I suppose I should say *Captain* Picard.

  Commander William T. Riker : The Professor contacted me from his shuttle about an hour ago. He suggested that we surprise you.

  Professor Galen : To clarify, I insisted and your First Officer was good enough to accommodate me. I trust I'm not being overly presumptuous, now that my star pupil is master of the stars?

• [first lines] 

  Captain Jean-Luc Picard : [voiceover]  Captain's log, stardate 46731.5. We are in the midst of the Volterra nebula, a stellar nursery. Our three week mission is a routine analysis of several dozen protostars in various stages of development.