Star Trek: Picard is not just a nostalgic repeat of The Next Generation. What we’ve seen of the show so far has moved the character of Jean-Luc Picard into a darker world than the one he inhabited back in the good old days aboard the Enterprise-D. Some of the innovations of the series are so startling that fans are struggling to get used to them and one major example of this is witnessing Picard being sworn at.
In the second episode of the show, Starfleet’s commander-in-chief criticizes the former captain and admiral for his “sheer f–king hubris.” This isn’t a one-off occasion in the franchise, either, as fellow CBS All Access show Star Trek: Discovery has also featured the F-word, but it’s not something that fans are used to yet.
Picard showrunner Michael Chabon has now offered a spirited defense of swearing in Star Trek though on his Instagram account. The acclaimed author and screenwriter answered fan questions on social media and one of them concerned the strong language in Picard. Here’s how his argument for it began:
“Listen. No human society will be perfect, because no human will ever be perfect. The most we can do — and as Star Trek ever reminds us, must do — is aspire to perfection, and work to make it so. Norkon forden perfectunun, as a wise Yang once said. Until that impossible day, s–t is going to continue to happen. And when it does, humans are going to want to swear.
Chabon continued by pointing out that it was only network censors that stopped language like that being said before, as well as making clear his distaste for that sort of censorship in general.
“The absence of swear words in Star Trek was never a matter of Federation principle, it was a matter of FCC rules. Writers of previous eras had no choice. They were censored. Searing is one of humanity’s most ancient, sensible, and reliable consolations. Personally I would consider any society that discouraged, banned or abandoned the use of curse words to be a f—ing dystopia.”
On a similar note, a different fan question in Chabon’s Q&A asks about another violation of previous Starfleet conduct. Raffi, Picard’s Number One on the show, nicknames him “J.L.,” in sharp contrast to the official terms Riker used for his captain on TNG. Chabon explained that the pair have gone through some tough times with the refugee crisis and that broke through the formality somewhat.
Star Trek: Picard continues tomorrow (Thursday, Feb. 13th) with episode 4, “Absolute Candor,” on CBS All Access.