I’m really torn on whether or not I think The Inner Light should’ve had more of an effect on him.
The crux of the issue is that in his actual life he was a career guy who never made time for a family.
So, on the one hand, living that life could’ve fulfilled his dream and made it so he could dedicate himself to being Starfleet with no regrets. In a real way, he got to have both.
But on the other hand, if he dismisses that entire life as a hallucination and doesn’t embrace how it felt, it could make his longing-for-a-life-he-never-had that much worse.
Seeing as we never saw him have a complete breakdown over it, and only mentioned it later on in First Contact that he had any regrets about being the last Picard, I can only assume the former was true. (Leaving aside Generations. Why are the odd-numbered Trek films always so goddamn weird?)
If you don’t appreciate The Motion Picture as a movie screen sized hours long version of a TV episode and opportunity for the first real beauty shots of the Enterprise, then you are no real Trekkie. :P
Maybe it’s because I went to see it when it came out as a kid and it following the success of Star Wars simply blew me away. Best opening and intro of a retcon ever (the Klingons of course). Of course I like Wrath of Khan more, but I will defend the first movie every time as a masterpiece too.
I’m really torn on whether or not I think The Inner Light should’ve had more of an effect on him.
The crux of the issue is that in his actual life he was a career guy who never made time for a family.
So, on the one hand, living that life could’ve fulfilled his dream and made it so he could dedicate himself to being Starfleet with no regrets. In a real way, he got to have both.
But on the other hand, if he dismisses that entire life as a hallucination and doesn’t embrace how it felt, it could make his longing-for-a-life-he-never-had that much worse.
Seeing as we never saw him have a complete breakdown over it, and only mentioned it later on in First Contact that he had any regrets about being the last Picard, I can only assume the former was true. (Leaving aside Generations. Why are the odd-numbered Trek films always so goddamn weird?)
https://screenrant.com/star-trek-movies-odd-number-curse-explained/
If you don’t appreciate The Motion Picture as a movie screen sized hours long version of a TV episode and opportunity for the first real beauty shots of the Enterprise, then you are no real Trekkie. :P
Maybe it’s because I went to see it when it came out as a kid and it following the success of Star Wars simply blew me away. Best opening and intro of a retcon ever (the Klingons of course). Of course I like Wrath of Khan more, but I will defend the first movie every time as a masterpiece too.