# So was Picard supposed to be French or English? **URL:** \ **Category:** Cafe Society\ **Created:** [June 23, 2009, 7:20pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/so-was-picard-supposed-to-be-french-or-english/500750 "2009-06-23T19:20:03Z")\ **Posts on this page:** 20\ **Page:** 2
**Author:** ![John\_DiFool](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/john_difool/32/19543_2.png) [@John\_DiFool](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/John_DiFool)\ **Post date:** [June 23, 2009, 9:16pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/so-was-picard-supposed-to-be-french-or-english/500750/21 "2009-06-23T21:16:21Z")
> [@Phatlewt](#): > > Perhaps in his voice and some customs. There was an episode where Picard visited his family’s vinyard in France though. Picard also talked about being French a few times. One I remember is his fond description of the colors of the french flag, appropriately ordered blue, white, then red. That ep was on [del]The SF Channel[/del] SyFy last night, after the two parter “Best of Both Worlds.” ---
**Author:** ![KneadToKnow](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/kneadtoknow/32/3999_2.png) [@KneadToKnow](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/KneadToKnow)\ **Post date:** [June 23, 2009, 9:18pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/so-was-picard-supposed-to-be-french-or-english/500750/22 "2009-06-23T21:18:12Z")
> [@Skald\_the\_Rhymer](#): > > Would it bother you if Stewart sounded like he went Harvard, Yale, or UCLA? UCLA? Yeah, that would freak me out more than a little. ---
**Author:** ![TWDuke](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/t/e495f1/32.png) [@TWDuke](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/TWDuke)\ **Post date:** [June 23, 2009, 9:22pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/so-was-picard-supposed-to-be-french-or-english/500750/23 "2009-06-23T21:22:09Z")
Make it so, dude. ---
**Author:** ![Skald\_the\_Rhymer](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/s/ecccb3/32.png) [@Skald\_the\_Rhymer](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Skald_the_Rhymer)\ **Post date:** [June 23, 2009, 9:22pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/so-was-picard-supposed-to-be-french-or-english/500750/24 "2009-06-23T21:22:43Z")
> [@KneadToKnow](#): > > UCLA? Yeah, that would freak me out more than a little. My point is that he has to sound like SOMETHING. I’ve been having a version of this …discussion…with my oldest brother, whom I actively hate on account of his being a moronic, homophobic, fundamentalist Xtian bully. Anyway, he was at my house this weekend for our family’s Father’s Day celebration. I was in the kitchen cooking and he came in to get in my way. I was listening to the cast album of the London-cast version of the Sunday in the Park with George. The first act takes place in 18?? Paris, but the whole thing’s in English, and he complained about the fact that they cast sounds like it’s full of Brits–which, of course, it is. ---
**Author:** ![KneadToKnow](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/kneadtoknow/32/3999_2.png) [@KneadToKnow](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/KneadToKnow)\ **Post date:** [June 23, 2009, 9:26pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/so-was-picard-supposed-to-be-french-or-english/500750/25 "2009-06-23T21:26:21Z")
> [@TWDuke](#): > > Make it so, dude. **Riker** Red Alert, Captain? **Picard** Totally. ---
**Author:** ![mlees](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/m/ba8739/32.png) [@mlees](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/mlees)\ **Post date:** [June 23, 2009, 9:29pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/so-was-picard-supposed-to-be-french-or-english/500750/26 "2009-06-23T21:29:29Z")
Dude, where’s my shuttle? ---
**Author:** ![Skald\_the\_Rhymer](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/s/ecccb3/32.png) [@Skald\_the\_Rhymer](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Skald_the_Rhymer)\ **Post date:** [June 23, 2009, 9:33pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/so-was-picard-supposed-to-be-french-or-english/500750/27 "2009-06-23T21:33:55Z")
> [@mlees](#): > > Dude, where’s my shuttle? The fact that this line of comment is entirely my fault will not keep my from seeking vengeance. ---
**Author:** ![Biffy\_the\_Elephant\_Shrew](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/b/e47c2d/32.png) [@Biffy\_the\_Elephant\_Shrew](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Biffy_the_Elephant_Shrew)\ **Post date:** [June 23, 2009, 9:36pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/so-was-picard-supposed-to-be-french-or-english/500750/28 "2009-06-23T21:36:34Z")
> [@Aesiron](#): > > The Eugenics Wars took place in the 1990s And thank god _that’s_ over with. ---
**Author:** ![mlees](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/m/ba8739/32.png) [@mlees](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/mlees)\ **Post date:** [June 23, 2009, 9:37pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/so-was-picard-supposed-to-be-french-or-english/500750/29 "2009-06-23T21:37:58Z")
> [@Skald\_the\_Rhymer](#): > > The fact that this line of comment is entirely my fault will not keep my from seeking vengeance. heh. Don’t make it too clever, otherwise it’ll probably woosh me. ---
**Author:** ![Elendil\_s\_Heir](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/e/7cd45c/32.png) [@Elendil\_s\_Heir](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Elendil_s_Heir)\ **Post date:** [June 23, 2009, 9:38pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/so-was-picard-supposed-to-be-french-or-english/500750/30 "2009-06-23T21:38:47Z")
Worf: “We’re being hailed. Shall I respond?” Picard: “Whatever.” Roddenberry created the character Picard as a Frenchman before Stewart was even cast. Then he didn’t change it to reflect Stewart’s British heritage, more’s the pity. It was always a bit silly to have such a proud Frenchman have so strongly upper-class British an accent. ---
**Author:** ![Intergalactic\_Gladiator](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/intergalactic_gladiator/32/112_2.png) [@Intergalactic\_Gladiator](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Intergalactic_Gladiator)\ **Post date:** [June 23, 2009, 9:44pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/so-was-picard-supposed-to-be-french-or-english/500750/31 "2009-06-23T21:44:53Z")
> [@](#): > > Quote: > Originally Posted by Aesiron > The Eugenics Wars took place in the 1990s > > And thank god that’s over with. Yeah if I see one more Eugene, it’ll be way too soon. ---
**Author:** ![KneadToKnow](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/kneadtoknow/32/3999_2.png) [@KneadToKnow](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/KneadToKnow)\ **Post date:** [June 23, 2009, 9:48pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/so-was-picard-supposed-to-be-french-or-english/500750/32 "2009-06-23T21:48:57Z")
> [@Intergalactic\_Gladiator](#): > > Yeah if I see one more Eugene, it’ll be way too soon. [On the off chance you don’t know already](http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Gene_Roddenberry). ---
**Author:** ![jackdavinci](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/jackdavinci/32/3259_2.png) [@jackdavinci](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/jackdavinci)\ **Post date:** [June 23, 2009, 9:58pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/so-was-picard-supposed-to-be-french-or-english/500750/33 "2009-06-23T21:58:03Z")
Yeah he’s French, from France, heir to a winery dynasty - we even saw him visit his family. He’s got an English accent because of the origin of the actor himself. As far as I know they have never fanwanked this in the show - maybe in the books. It did seem a little odd to me though that in the first movie in the Nexus fantasy he was having a Victorian style Christmas - do the French have an appreciation for Dicken’s style Christmas? ---
**Author:** ![Biffy\_the\_Elephant\_Shrew](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/b/e47c2d/32.png) [@Biffy\_the\_Elephant\_Shrew](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Biffy_the_Elephant_Shrew)\ **Post date:** [June 23, 2009, 10:01pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/so-was-picard-supposed-to-be-french-or-english/500750/34 "2009-06-23T22:01:46Z")
> [@KneadToKnow](#): > > [On the off chance you don’t know already](http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Gene_Roddenberry). I didn’t know his middle name was Wesley. Feh. ---
**Author:** ![Alessan](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/alessan/32/465_2.png) [@Alessan](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Alessan)\ **Post date:** [June 23, 2009, 10:05pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/so-was-picard-supposed-to-be-french-or-english/500750/35 "2009-06-23T22:05:28Z")
Of course he speaks perfect English. Everyone speaks perfect English on ST: Vulcans, Romulans, Cardassians, Frenchmen… ---
**Author:** ![Skald\_the\_Rhymer](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/s/ecccb3/32.png) [@Skald\_the\_Rhymer](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Skald_the_Rhymer)\ **Post date:** [June 23, 2009, 10:06pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/so-was-picard-supposed-to-be-french-or-english/500750/36 "2009-06-23T22:06:02Z")
> [@Alessan](#): > > Of course he speaks perfect English. Everyone speaks perfect English on ST: Vulcans, Romulans, Cardassians, Frenchmen… :: coughing Pavel Chekov coughing :: ---
**Author:** ![JThunder](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/j/e95f7d/32.png) [@JThunder](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/JThunder)\ **Post date:** [June 23, 2009, 10:07pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/so-was-picard-supposed-to-be-french-or-english/500750/37 "2009-06-23T22:07:56Z")
Picard surrendered in the very first episode of ST:TNG. Of course, he’s French. ---
**Author:** ![Alessan](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/alessan/32/465_2.png) [@Alessan](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Alessan)\ **Post date:** [June 23, 2009, 10:18pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/so-was-picard-supposed-to-be-french-or-english/500750/38 "2009-06-23T22:18:04Z")
> [@Skald\_the\_Rhymer](#): > > :: coughing Pavel Chekov coughing :: That wasn’t an accent , that was a speech impediment. “Nuclear wessels” my ass. ---
**Author:** ![KneadToKnow](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/kneadtoknow/32/3999_2.png) [@KneadToKnow](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/KneadToKnow)\ **Post date:** [June 23, 2009, 10:19pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/so-was-picard-supposed-to-be-french-or-english/500750/39 "2009-06-23T22:19:30Z")
> [@JThunder](#): > > Picard surrendered in the very first episode of ST:TNG. > > Of course, he’s French. _Zing!_ ---
**Author:** ![Simplicio](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/s/c37758/32.png) [@Simplicio](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Simplicio)\ **Post date:** [June 24, 2009, 12:58am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/so-was-picard-supposed-to-be-french-or-english/500750/40 "2009-06-24T00:58:48Z")
> [@Elendil\_s\_Heir](#): > > Roddenberry created the character Picard as a Frenchman before Stewart was even cast. Then he didn’t change it to reflect Stewart’s British heritage, more’s the pity. It was always a bit silly to have such a proud Frenchman have so strongly upper-class British an accent. Sort of makes sense. The ship is supposed to be from an Earth without national gov’ts, so its a little odd that every human aboard appears to be an English speaking country. The original crew had a Russian and a Japanese crew member, so I can see where Roddenbury wanted a French crew captain, and why they not only made him French, but played up his French heritage. [Previous page](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/so-was-picard-supposed-to-be-french-or-english/500750.md?page=1) [Next page](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/so-was-picard-supposed-to-be-french-or-english/500750.md?page=3)