In the fifteenth episode of the sixth season of The Next Generation, this is basically a more messed up version of A Christmas Carol. Intrigued? Then it’s time for Mark to watch Star Trek.
And you know what? I’m perfectly fine with this retelling. This is a beautifully odd episode of The Next Generation, and I really enjoyed it. Look, there’s no way anyone is going to watch the cold open, where Picard dies and awakens in the afterlife with Q, and think that the writers are going to stick with this development. It has to be “undone” by the end of the episode because that’s just the nature of a show like this. So how does “Tapestry” keep my interest?
By going straight for the absurd. After coming off of “Q-Less,” it’s nice to have an episode where Q’s presence is completely unquestioned. His role as the Trickster god for this universe is perfectly suited for a story where he takes Picard back to a pivotal moment in his life and gives him the opportunity to change it. Now, I never saw this episode as the kind of tale that proves that one singular event made him who he was. I think that with episodes like “Family” or any number of stories that have explored Picard’s nature and characterization, we’ve gotten a chance to understand what a nuanced and layered person he is. So, I interpreted “Tapestry” as a more subtle thing, despite that this episode has some over-the-top moments. As Picard says at the end, life is a tapestry, full of countless threads that make up a complicated fabric of experience. What Q does here? He helps Picard to unravel one of those threads.
We’d heard of the event that led to Picard’s use of an artificial heart a couple times prior to this, but “Tapestry” shows us that event in full. In the present time, his artificial heart results in his “death.” So, Q gives Picard a choice: change the moment that required him to have an artificial heart, which results in him surviving, or keep things as they were, and he dies. At the very least, Picard entertains this ridiculous scenario because it’s Q we’re talking about. Picard only considers it another game of his, and it’s not like he can will himself out of it.
What ends up being fascinating about this journey, though, is that Picard does take it seriously. Not only that, but he ends up confiding in Q frequently, far more than I expected. Part of that is from the nostalgia. Q takes Picard back to his time post-Academy, and it’s a glimpse of a time that Picard thought he hated, but doesn’t seem so deplorable while he’s within it. And I think that issue of perspective is very important! Picard spoke of his past to Q as if it was a time full of poor decisions and arrogance. While that may be true (and I suspect it was), the passage of time has caused Picard to view his life in a different context.
Look, it’s clear that Picard used to be an egotistical womanizer who never bowed out from a fight. Of course, this is about as far as possible from the Picard we see in the present time, but I think that’s why this ends up being a satisfying story. In short? I believe that Picard had to be a reckless asshole in order to become to man he is today. Again, I don’t think his life hinged on that single moment; the artificial heart is more of a means to an end within this story. I imagine that each incident we saw in Picard’s past led to that violent confrontation with the Nausicaans. So what happens when Picard does his best to unravel this specific thread? I kept thinking that Ronald D. Moore’s script was leading to a single moment: Picard would be unable to stop Corey from fighting the cheating Nausicaans. To be fair, I didn’t pick up on the references to A Christmas Carol until we see the “new” path of Picard’s life, so that’s why I was certain of where this episode was heading.
Unfortunately, Picard doesn’t get the life he thought he’d have upon righting this particular wrong. He engages with his past as an adult, and what does that get him? He pisses off Corey and embarrasses him; he pursues a sexual relationship with his best friend on the penultimate day before they all separate for their assignments, alienating her and making her regret her choice. And without being stabbed through the heart? Picard never learns his lesson. He never has a glimpse of his own mortality, and he never learns about the price of risky decision-making. Interestingly, this doesn’t make him more reckless, but less so. I read this as an acknowledgement that Picard learned what the worst possible result of that kind of behavior might be. Wouldn’t that quell any fear or anxiety he might have over making difficult choices? Wouldn’t it give him a more rich experience to draw from?
Now, I wouldn’t necessarily apply this kind of logic to every situation in my past, for example. There are things that happened to me in my time on Earth that I would certainly wish I could do without. I say that knowing that they’ve shaped me. At the same time, I realize that certain aspects of my personality, ones that I appreciate and cherish, come from that experience. I don’t know that I’d be as kind as I am, or as charitable, or as empathetic. And I like the idea that these bad decisions or tragic circumstances give me power now. It allows me to own what happened to me, to empower myself as I want, and I like that.
Again, I don’t think that applies to everything, but it works here. Incredibly well! Picard’s tumultuous character in the days of the Academy and the time after that shape who he became. It was one thread of an untold amount that made up the tapestry of his life. So did Q really show him all this? Or was it all a dream? The answer is irrelevant for me, though I suspect it might be real. I can totally see Q wanting Picard to accept his own Trickster side a bit more, RIGHT??? Regardless, neither outcome would change the value of this story for me. It was a treat, y’all.
The video for “Tapestry” can be downloaded here for $0.99.
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