Tapestry is a fantastic episode. Even setting aside the recent spate of underwhelming episodes, Tapestry is worthy of consideration as one of the best in the entire series. And it does so with a wonderfully insightful look at Picard — who he is, who he once was, and who he might have been. In that sense, Tapestry has a kind of “Christmas Carol” feel to it. But it’s much, much more.

The episode begins with a jarring scene in which we learn that Picard has been critically wounded during a failed negotiation (as an aside, it’s worth noting that there is at least one instance in which Picard cannot reconcile all parties involved). While Picard is on the table in Sick Bay, Dr. Crusher details his wounds: simply, his mechanical heart has been fused, and Picard is on the verge of death. Fade to white.

Is Picard dead? Is this the afterlife? How can they kill Picard, at the beginning of the episode. It must be a trick of some kind. And sure enough, there is an almost angelic being there with Picard. Who might it be? None other than Q himself, informing Picard that this is indeed the afterlife, and that Picard is, in fact, dead.

Some start. We’re still not sure whether or not Q is just tricking Picard, but the sequence effectively pulls us into the episode.

Picard’s reactions to being informed that he is to spend eternity with Q — typically, and enjoyably irreverent as always — are suitably indignant. But the end result of their exchange is that it seems Q’s claim that Picard is dead actually seems to be the truth and Q is there as a kind of guide for the captain. What follows, leads to the heart (pun intended) of the episode.

Q explains that Picard’s death was the result of the malfunction of his mechanical heart. Picard expresses regret about his arrogant youth, as well as the incident that led to the mechanical heart in the first place — a rather unfortunate incident, first detailed in Samaritan Snare, involving being stabbed through the back by a dagger in a barroom brawl.

Q then offers Picard a gift, an opportunity to return to his youth and change his past. After being reassured that his actions will not unduly affect the future (Q is good like that), Picard accepts.

The episode then takes on a bit of a surreal atmosphere as Picard, looking very much like the captain with which we are familiar, is taken back to when he was first an ensign, just days before he was stabbed. Picard begins acting as Captain Picard, much to the dismay of his friends Marta and Cortin.

Instead of being the womanizing, hellraiser that they knew in Ensign Picard (Marta even calls him “Johnny”), they get the full tenor of a grown, seasoned, and wise man. Cortin is the victim of a cheating Nausicaan and is intent on paying the alien back. Ensign Picard had helped his friend, and was stabbed in the subsequent brawl. Captain Picard tries to deter his friend, and in the process alienates their friendship.

As for Marta, the unexpected maturity of Captain Picard’s actions allows her to show her affections for him, and the two end up spending the night together (Picard had admitted to Q that he had always wished their relationship had been more than friendship). But the morning after proves more difficult for Marta than Picard. She regrets their evening together. And so Picard has alienated her, as well.

Q often appears throughout these sequences to comment, or make cheeky comments toward Picard. But there is always a hint of genuine concern and interest coming from Q. He has promised that if Picard can avoid being stabbed, he would allow Picard to live again in the future.

And so when the Nausicaans taunt his friends, Picard chooses not to defend their honor, but rather intervene against action. Picard succeeds and so Q returns him to the “present” on the bridge of the Enterprise.

But something is terribly wrong. Picard is wearing a blue uniform, clearly not in command, and, actually a mere Lieutenant, junior grade, of the astrophysics department. Things look even more grim when, after confronting Riker and Troi, Picard learns that he has little promise to advance beyond a menial life — the consequence of a person who, despite lofty dreams, always “played it safe.”

And so we get to the real beating heart of the episode. The life lessons Picard learns. In the end, Q restores Picard back to his original self, back to life, with the words of Riker and Q still hanging in his consciousness: make your mark, stand out in a crowd, don’t play it safe.

In these words there is a danger for the audience. But I think the episode is intelligent and well crafted enough to avoid the pitfall. Clearly, the lesson is not that a person should never have regrets. Picard clearly regrets the incident with the Nausicaans. But that isn’t the real problem. Rather, the problem is coming to terms with one’s own past, with the successes and regrets of the choices and consequences of that past. Because Picard had not come to terms with his past, he chose to make a change, to alter his personal history. And he learned that without the very hard lesson of being stabbed, he would not have lived his true potential.

And so the true lesson isn’t simply to never “play it safe” or to never regret the past. Instead, the lesson is to be able to reflect on one’s own personal choices, to learn from them, to accept that they are part of the present. Without the ability of self-reflection and self-evaluation, without coming to terms with one’s own past, a person is doomed to either repeat the folly’s of the past, or worse yet, to never reach their full potential.

The true value and craft of Tapestry is its ability to use Picard’s lessons as a mirror for the viewer. Picard’s performance is brilliant, as always. And the new revelations and growth of his character are incredibly well-crafted. But I think the best performance and character development comes from Q. Clearly Q has been a royal pain, but this episode demonstrates that it is possible that Q really does care, sincerely, about Picard and the Enterprise.

But Tapestry does a very intelligent thing. I say that it is “possible” that Q cares because the question of whether or not Picard’s experience can really be attributed to Q is left open to interpretation. Yes, it could have been a very generous gift from Q — for which Picard says, “I owe him a debt of gratitude.” In and of itself, this is an important lesson for Picard to learn about Q.

But the whole experience also could have simply been a near death experience. And what would that say about Picard that, in his near death experience, his subconscious would use Q as the guardian angel that leads him to his own inner reconciliation with his childhood?

Tapestry is a multi-layered, skillfully woven story. It presents a wide array of interpretations, lessons, and character development. But most of all, it is an exploration of humanity, of the inner self. And if a person can watch this episode, and spend even just a moment in self reflection, then its success is assured.

Topics: Q
Filed under: TNG Reviews