Star Trek: The Next Generation episode "Family," which took place immediately after Picard was traumatized by the Borg. The episode saw Jean-Luc return to Earth where he clashed with his traditionalist brother Robert and formed a quick bond with his young nephew Renee. "Family" was a highly regarded episode of TNG, humanizing Picard in ways the series had largely avoided previously. "Family" was also an important turning point for Picard, establishing that he would never fully recover from his Borg ordeal.
Early in Star Trek Generations, the first TNG film, Picard receives word from Earth that Robert and Renee tragically died in a fire. A devastated Picard is forced to carry on when Tolian Soran attempts to destroy a star in an effort to re-enter Star Trek's Nexus, an extradimensional ribbon that grants its inhabitants their deepest wishes. After failing to stop Soran, Picard is pulled into the Nexus himself. After breaking free of his personal paradise, Picard realizes the Nexus can deliver him anywhere, anytime. Bafflingly, Picard chooses to return to a few minutes before Soran destroys the Veridian star with a time-displaced Captain James T. Kirk.
The Nexus Creates A Huge Plot Hole
Picard's decision to return to Veridian III is ridiculous for an endless number of reasons. If his only thought was to save the Veridian star, why did he give himself such a short window of time to do it, hinging entirely on a fist fight between three old men? Even if he emerged from the Nexus a few hours earlier he could have prevented Soran's capture of Lieutenant Commander Geordi La Forge, which led to the stalemate between the Enterprise-D and Soran's Klingon allies the Duras sisters that eventually led to the destruction of the Enterprise-D.
Even more bizarrely, Picard ed up an obvious chance to not only prevent Soran's entire scheme before it started, but also to save his family in the process. Picard could have had the Nexus deposit him on Earth a week before the events of Generations, prevent the tragic deaths of Robert and Renee, and inform Starfleet of Soran's intentions. So much death and destruction could have been prevented with just a bit of thought on Picard's part, a logical blunder so out of character that it's difficult to take the movie's climax seriously.
Why Picard's Family Had To Stay Dead
Despite the fact it's a massive plot hole, there are valid thematic reasons for Picard's family to stay dead. The scene where Picard reveals their demise to Star Trek's Counselor Deanna Troi is some of Patrick Stewart's most affecting work in the role; the sight of the emotionally reserved Picard breaking down in tears over his lost family is genuinely moving. Their deaths also feed into Generations' meditations on the nature of mortality and how the looming promise of death shapes the way people live.
The demise of his family would have far-reaching effects on Picard's life. As he notes in Generations, the deaths of Robert and Renee mean Jean-Luc is the last of the Picard family line. Jean-Luc's status as the last of the Picards hangs over him in his old age at the beginning of Star Trek: Picard, as he lives on his family's vineyard in effective isolation. Star Trek Generations may have ultimately enriched Jean-Luc Picard's story with the loss of his family, but the Nexus plot hole still makes the whole ordeal seem easily avoidable.
