Picard's graduation year and his hair?

[Dave]

In 'Star Trek: Nemesis' Picard looks at a picture of himself from his days as a Starfleet Academy cadet while Beverly looks on too. The picture they use is actually one of Tom Hardy (Shinzon, Picard's clone) and in the picture he appears with a completely bald/shaved head.

In the TNG episode 'Tapestry', the flashbacks are set in 2327 (the year Picard graduated from the Academy if "class of '27" is to be believed.) These show Picard (in a fight with the Nausicaans at Starbase Earhart) with a full head of hair. He was at Starbase Earhart to await his first deep space assignment. Picard claims that the fight took place thirty years ago.

In the TNG episode 'Violations', a flashback set in 2354 shows Picard with a partial head of hair when he takes Beverly to see her dead husband Jack's body.

The Star Trek Chronology and established chronology places 'Tapestry' in 2369. Thirty years prior would be 2339. So why did Picard wait around Starbase Earhart from 2327 to 2339 for his first deep space assignment.

And it is possible that Picard could have chosen to shave his head during his final Academy days, and then to grow it back, and then shave it again, but why would he do that?

 

[ray gower]

And it is possible that Picard could have chosen to shave his head during his final Academy days, and then to grow it back, and then shave it again, but why would he do that?

Suggestions
1/ It was periodically fashionable to be hairy or slap head.
2/ Local cultures dictated visitors should be hairy (or not).
3/ He got entangled with a race descended from Service barbers?

 

[Tapestry_03]

"Tapestry" being my all time favorite episode, I tend to have the same question from time to time.
For one, it could be possible since in "Tapestry" Q was messing with Picard's past, he could have given the younger Picard hair just for his enjoymen. Completly lame theory, yes. But it's one of many answers.
And yes, maybe at one time Picard did shave his head in the Academy, then grow it back, then, eventually, go bald.
Really, it's just a question with no answer. There are some things in the Trek Universe that are just completly mistakes that can't be easily explained away. They exist to do nothing but annoy you.

 

[Tapestry_03]

I'd like to pose a similar question to you, Dave:

If in the future we will have found a cure to the common cold, AIDS, Cancer, and various other illnesses, then how have they not found a way to prevent baldness. To be sure, there may be some men who would rather nature take it's course, but there are others who would welcome a "cure".

 

[Dave]

Quite possible, but it still doesn't explain why Picard got the cure and then later changed his mind about it and went bald again.

Bear in mind that Shinzon (his clone) is also bald at any early age.

 

[ray gower]

Perhaps he had no choice?

There are more than a few illnesses that even when 'cured' still genetically exist in the system and continue to produce symptoms

 

[VionesspXmoone]

I think he just knew bald is sexy.

 

[Dave]

If you say so!

They say baldness jumps generations. My father is bald. So far I've not had a problem. My grandfathers both had full heads of hair.

Tapestry wasn't the real past; it was a Q version of the past. Maybe it was just wishful thinking on Picard's part that he still had hair then?

 

[VionesspXmoone]

If you say so!

They say baldness jumps generations. My father is bald. So far I've not had a problem. My grandfathers both had full heads of hair.

Tapestry wasn't the real past; it was a Q version of the past. Maybe it was just wishful thinking on Picard's part that he still had hair then?

I heard that it goes by your grandfather on your mother's side, if they are bald you will be also.

 

[Delvo]

Why is it so unbelievable that a young man who naturally grows hair would get rid of it, then let it come back, then get rid of it, then let it come back, and so on? I've gone back and forth a few times myself.

 

[Dave]

Why is it so unbelievable that a young man who naturally grows hair would get rid of it, then let it come back, then get rid of it, then let it come back, and so on? I've gone back and forth a few times myself.

Okay, then I stand corrected.

What about the second point; why did he spend 12 years at Starbase Earhart, playing pool with Nausicaans, before he was given his first Deep Space assignment?

 

[sarakoth]

How about this: he got the cure but started balding again and didn't like the look of a half-bald head of hair so h shaved it completely off

I think it's probably just a discontinuity error.

Also, Picard doesn't like to advance his career very much, he's a very chilled back perosn. That might be an explanation for why he stuck around Starbase Earhart for so long.