S1E09 The Battle

Season 1 Episode 9: The Battle

Watchability: Recommended
Short Answer: The plot is a little cheesy, but provides a reason to tell some good backstory on Captain Picard.
Notables: Origin of the "Picard Maneuver".

The plot of the episode leads a lot to be desired. Once again, the "scary" Ferengi are up to no good. They've found the Stargazer, a ship that Picard commanded during one of the first encounters with the Ferengi. During that encounter, the ship was severely damaged and Picard, through an act of desperation, invented the "Picard Maneuver" and destroyed the Ferengi ship (Side Note: the motion where Patrick Stewart adjusts the top part of his uniform is often referred to by fans as the "Picard Maneuver"). The ship was lost at some point, and the Ferengi have graciously offered to return it. Meanwhile the Ferengi are using some device to force Picard to relive those events and subtly alter his memory of them.

While I am not too keen on the plot, I do recommend this one because of Picard's backstory. The Stargazer is important to his character in a number of ways. At the time of TNG, Picard is presented as a seasoned veteran of Starfleet. The Stargazer on the other hand was his first command. I'm not sure if it comes up in this episode or another one, but he earned that command prematurely. Through the plot of the episode, Picard begins to doubt that he acted correctly in the battle that he relives over and over. While that comes from the use of a "technology" plot device, I think it emphasizes a very human trait.

Picard questions those events because, like most people, he doubts his memory of the past. Even though he has established himself as a captain (enough that he is in command of the most powerful ship in the Federation), his memories of that time we as a young and inexperienced captain. Even though Starfleet and his experience may tell him that what he did was rational and necessary, he still questions his actions.

This self analysis is a character trait that is very distinctive to me about Picard. In TOS, Kirk was a much more action-oriented character. Picard on the other hand is very reflective. In many episodes, he makes a point of asking others opinions. He even goes so far as to take people aside and encourage them to speak their mind. He doesn't settle on a course of action until he has heard many different opinions on it. Like the events of this episode, Picard never trusts one single viewpoint, even if it is his own. It's something I've always admired about his character and one of the reasons I recommend this episode.