"He intrigues me, this Picard. [..] Remarkably analytical and dispassionate, for a Human. I understand why my father chose to mind meld with him. There's almost a Vulcan quality to the man."
– Spock, 2368 ("Unification II")
Jean-Luc Picard was a celebrated Starfleet officer, archaeologist, writer, historian, diplomat, and philanthropist, who served throughout much of the 24th century. The highlights of his career were centered around assignments as commanding officer of the Federation starships USS Stargazer, USS Enterprise-D, and the USS Enterprise-E. In these roles, Picard not only witnessed major turning points of recent galactic history, but played a key role in them also, from making first contact as captain of the Federation's flagship with no fewer than 27 alien species, including the Ferengi and the Borg. His successful contact with the Children of Tama resulted in his name being incorporated into the Tamarian language through the metaphor "Picard and Dathon at El-Adrel".
He also became the chief contact point with the Q Continuum, and served as Arbiter of Succession of the Klingon Empire, where he presided over the investiture of Klingon Chancellor Gowron. Picard would expose the Romulan Star Empire as backers of Gowron's chief rivals, later aiding a Romulan underground movement of dissidents to gain a toehold on the Romulan homeworld. He continued to serve as captain of the Enterprise-E, the sixth Federation starship to bear the name, until at least the early 2380s. (TNG: "The Battle", "The Last Outpost", "Q Who", "Darmok", "Encounter at Farpoint", "All Good Things...", "Redemption", "Redemption II", "Unification II"; Star Trek: First Contact; Star Trek Nemesis; PIC: "Remembrance")
Following his command of the Enterprise-E, he rose to the rank of admiral, he resigned from Starfleet for a time, after he felt that the organization had strayed from its ideals, before eventually rejoining as the Chancellor of Starfleet Academy. (PIC: "Remembrance", "The End is the Beginning", "The Star Gazer")
Picard would later retire a second time, but a distress call from Dr. Beverly Crusher called Picard back to action one last time in order to save the son Picard never knew he had from the Changelings and the Borg. Reuniting his old command crew along with the rebuilt Enterprise-D, Picard would bring a final end to the Borg threat before returning to his peaceful retirement. (PIC: "The Next Generation", "Disengage", "Võx", "The Last Generation")