“Attached” (7×08)
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While Kirk was out there banging every species of female he came into contact with, Picard has generally lived a more monastic existence: For him, duty has always come first, and that never left much time for more intimate relationships.
Of the handful of romantic pairings he’s had over his various appearances on TV and the silver screen, his largely unspoken feelings for Dr. Crusher top the list.
With Riker and Troi, the will they/won’t they dynamic imposed upon their relationship always felt a bit artificial to me, because the two of them just work together.
But with Picard and Crusher, there have always been legitimate reasons for not pursuing something deeper. For one Picard is Crusher’s commanding officer, which creates a problematic power disparity. But even setting that aside, Crusher’s late husband was Picard’s best friend, served under Picard, and died at least in part as result of decisions Picard made. All of that makes a relationship between them a complicated proposition.
Still, you can feel the familiarity and history between them in the early scene where they have breakfast together before being abducted. Crusher isn’t afraid to call Picard out when he’s lost in his own thoughts instead of listening to her, and Picard isn’t defensive when she calls him out. They are able to successfully navigate having their minds linked later in the episode because they already have such a good rapport beforehand.
The whole plot that arranges for them to experience one another on a deeper level speaks to the fact that Federation admission rules exist for a reason. A world that is not at peace with itself can’t trust others at the level required to join a larger community full of peoples unlike themselves. I don’t think you can entirely transcend xenophobia without transcending strife between nation states. If your experience of the world is Us versus Them, it’s going to be hard to see the other Federation species as anything other than a Them.
The funny thing is that Riker, in the process of trying to rescue his captain and chief medical officer, has forced the Kes and the Prytt to engage with one another in a more direct and meaningful way than they have in centuries. The rescue mission might finally shake up the status quo and lay the groundwork for them to address their differences.
What I like about the Picard/Crusher relationship is that it isn’t fiery and passionate. These are two mature adults who aren’t prone to acting rashly or without weighing the consequences. They are careful with their own feelings, and the other’s feelings too. There is a lot to unpack with their friendship, their feelings for one another, and the Jack Crusher of it all. The mind link provides a mechanism for that, to clear the air in a way that I don’t think they otherwise would have.
Impacts on Star Trek Continuity:
The relationship between Picard and Crusher has always been floating in the background, but this episode was one of the few times where it took center stage. Unlike the anti-time future seen in “All Good Things”, Picard in the Prime continuity doesn’t seem to have ever married her — perhaps because he knew from that glimpse in “All Good Things” that such a marriage would end in divorce. But that doesn’t mean that they don’t still have feelings for one another, and a very long shared history.
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