When Jean-Luc Picard was appointed captain of the USS Enterprise-D in 1987, there was a lot of head-scratching among followers of Starfleet. Who was this bald French guy with a distractingly English accent? Why did he talk like a Shakespearean actor, leave most of the planetary excursions and womanizing to his first officer, and have a penchant for classical music, archaeology and tea (preferably of the Earl Grey, hot variety)?
Those questions were asked because Picard seemed galaxies away from his predecessor in "Star Trek"'s big chair, James Tiberius Kirk. But even though Kirk's reputation as a gung-ho, macho ladies' man is somewhat exaggerated — he's also intelligent, calm under pressure and one hell of a leader — the contrast is intentional and important.
