Interviewer: While Captain of Starfleet's flagship Enterprise, he was hailed as one of our galaxy's most intrepid explorers, a skilled diplomat, military strategist, humanitarian and author of many widely praised works of historical analysis. He joins us on the anniversary of the Romulan supernova to discuss his role in those tragic events. I have the rare honor of introducing Admiral Jean-Luc Picard.
Jean-Luc Picard: Retired.
Interviewer: You've never agreed to an interview before, so thank you for inviting the galaxy into your study.
Jean-Luc Picard: Oh, less crowded than I thought.
Interviewer: Well, Today is a solemn day.
Jean-Luc Picard: It is a day of memories. Raising awareness of the supernova's lingering impact is work that I am extremely passionate about.
Interviewer: Let's explore that. When you first learned that the Romulan sun was going to explode and the terrible consequences that would bring, what feelings came up for you?
Jean-Luc Picard: Oh, well, there are no words to describe the... calamitous scale of that change. Which is one of the reasons...
Interviewer: You can't tell us how you felt, but your initial actions were to call for a massive relocation of Romulans?
Jean-Luc Picard: Well, the Romulans asked for our help, and I believed we had a profound obligation to give it.
Interviewer: Many felt there were better uses for our resources than aiding the Federation's oldest enemy.
Jean-Luc Picard: Well, fortunately, the Federation chose to support the rescue effort.
Interviewer: Yes. Initially.
Jean-Luc Picard: [chuckles] I have been known to be persuasive. But the Federation understood there were millions of lives at stake.
Interviewer: Romulan lives.
Jean-Luc Picard: No. Lives.
Interviewer: You left the Enterprise to command the rescue armada. Ten thousand warp-capable ferries. A mission to relocate 900 million Romulan citizens to worlds outside the blast of the supernova. A logistical feat more ambitious than the Pyramids.
Jean-Luc Picard: The Pyramids were a symbol of colossal vanity. If you want to look for a historical analogy: Dunkirk.
Interviewer: Dunkirk.
Jean-Luc Picard: Yes.
Interviewer: And then the unimaginable happened. Can you tell us about that?
[Picard sighs]
Interviewer: Admiral.
Jean-Luc Picard: I thought we were here to talk about the supernova.
Interviewer: A group of rogue synthetics dropped the planetary defense shields and hacked Mars' own defense net.
Jean-Luc Picard: Yes.
Interviewer: Wiping out the rescue armada and completely destroying the Utopia Planitia Shipyard. The explosions ignited the flammable vapors in the stratosphere. Mars remains on fire to this day. 92,143 lives were lost, which led to a ban on synthetics.
Jean-Luc Picard: Yes. We still don't know why the synthetics went rogue and did what they did that day, but I believe the subsequent decision to ban synthetic lifeforms was a mistake.
Interviewer: Lieutenant Commander Data, operations officer on the Enterprise, was synthetic. Did you ever lose faith in him?
Jean-Luc Picard: Never.
Interviewer: What was it that you lost faith in, Admiral? You've never spoken about your departure from Starfleet. Didn't you, in fact, resign your commission in protest? Tell us, Admiral. Why did you really quit Starfleet?
Jean-Luc Picard: Because it was no longer Starfleet.
Interviewer: I'm sorry?
Jean-Luc Picard: Because it was no longer Starfleet! We withdrew. The galaxy was mourning, burying its dead, and Starfleet had slunk from its duties. The decision to call off the rescue and to abandon those people we had sworn to save was not just dishonorable. It was downright criminal! And I was not prepared to stand by and be a spectator. And you, my dear, you have no idea what Dunkirk is, right? You're a stranger to history. You're a stranger to war. You just wave your hand and
[scoffs]
Jean-Luc Picard: it all goes away. Well, it's not so easy for those who died. And it was not so easy for those who were left behind. We're done here.
[Picard stands up and walks away]
