Picard, Riker and crashing the Enterpise D

[billybob476]

Silly question time!

Well, on Christmas day, the Space channel here in Canada ran a Trek movie marathon, playing from The Motion Picture to Nemesis. I was watching Generations and I got to thinking.

Picard is on the planet with Kirk fighting Soran.

Meanwhile, with Riker in command (and Troi at the helm :)), the Enterprise D is destroyed.

Picard never seems to be very upset with the fact that his beloved ship has been destroyed. Also he never really seems to hold Riker responsible despite the fact he was in command when it happened.

If I lent my trusted coworker my car and he totalled it, I'd be pretty annoyed. I just though Picard would have reacted a little bit more then he did.

What do you guys think?

[Geekyfanboy]

Well I think Picard is happier that Riker saved the majority of the crew. The Enterprise is just a ship.. It's not like he drove it into the planet on purpose. :)

[KingIsaacLinksr]

Well I think Picard is happier that Riker saved the majority of the crew. The Enterprise is just a ship.. It's not like he drove it into the planet on purpose. :)

Word.  Its just a ship to him. 

King

[billybob476]

Kirk would have kicked Riker's butt.

[Geekyfanboy]

That's why I like Picard better then Kirk :)

[Feathers]

I'm sure it's a professional thing. It's not like Picard had built the ship or had any personal right of ownership over it. I'm sure it would be the same in the Navy.

Had Riked saved the ship through a deliberate act but lost half the crew as a result then I think Picard would never have forgiven him but as it is I suspect there was a bit of ribbing and not a lot else between the two.

Of course there would have been all the formal hoops and investigations to jump through.

[alanp]

He had been through it before with the loss of the Stargazer.  But they should have learned never to let Troi drive again.

[Bryancd]

Kirk would have kicked Riker's butt.

...and then grab the closest Yeoman and start making out, Kirk rocks. :)

[X]

I think part of him realized that if you could go back in time to stop the bad guy, it might have been better to do it before he blew up his first sun or even putting Kirk back on the B to stop him before he ever started. Once he realized he could have stopped all of those deaths if he had thought it out, he really didn't have room to be mad at Riker.

[wraith1701]

Picard never seems to be very upset with the fact that his beloved ship has been destroyed. Also he never really seems to hold Riker responsible despite the fact he was in command when it happened.

Like Picard said re. the D:  "There are still plenty of letters in the alphabet."

Besides, I think he was more concerned with Soran zapping the sun and wiping out a planet to divert the Nexus.  Compared to the loss of a planet, I guess the ship wasn't too great a loss.

But it was a beautiful ship, though. :)

[Meds]

Plus he'd seen the enterprise destroyed before (did he remember) you know where we see it repeating all the time and data remembers Rykers insignia (cant remember episode name sorry)

[wraith1701]

Plus he'd seen the enterprise destroyed before (did he remember) you know where we see it repeating all the time and data remembers Rykers insignia (cant remember episode name sorry)

Cause And Effect.  Very cool episode.

He saw it destroyed several times over (past, present, and future) in All Good Things, as well. :)

[Meds]

Ah there you see, he's got used to it ha ha

[wraith1701]

LOL.  It's like loosing an umbrella; you can always pick up a new one. :)

[Jen]

I've read this debate on other forums and they always chalk this incodent up to "women drivers". I'm pretty sure you all know what I think of that POV... And that's why I frequent this board. No one heeeere would imply that.  ;)


Keep in mind when I make these comments that I know this
"space ship accident" didn't really happen, and it's all make-believe movie stuff. That being said, I'll make this point: as you all know Troi wasn't a helmsman, she was a counselor and she had been trained as a bridge commander but that doesn't make one a great pilot. Riker knew she wasn't an "ace" when he asked her to take the helm, but it's not like he had a lot of options at the time. Point to ponder: it wasn't like the ship was in perfect working order at that time she took the helm. It probably would have gone down even if there was an able bodied pilot to take over.


As for the Captain,  I think Picard looked sufficiently sad when he was going through his Ready Room after the crash, looking for his photo album. Dave has a habit of breaking my limited addition Fiesta dishes (they don't make the color that I have anymore)...I don't get mad at him for that because it only happens while he's trying to save my ceramic tile from being chipped by the falling plate (which is also ceramic). I am always disappointed, but never mad. That analogy bites doesn't it? :D

Anyway, I agree with Kenny. Riker saved the crew, which is the responsibility of the commading officer. The ship is second to the people who crew her.