Why does René refer to Picard as his nephew?
In the Star Trek: The Next Generation episode Family, Captain Picard meets his nephew René when he visits his home on Earth. René says,
You're my nephew Jean-Luc.
It is seemingly a joke, though when Picard responds in kind with,
then you must be my uncle René.
René corrects him, saying that it is the other way around.
This dialog always confused me. It seems likely that it is just intending to show René joking around in a way that a young kid would be likely to do. But if this is the case, why did he immediately correct Captain Picard when Picard attempted to continue this joke?
The dialog is referenced again near the end of the episode, when Captain Picard calls René "uncle" again.
I am probably just trying to read more into it than is there; but is there any reasonable explanation for why René first calls Picard his "nephew" and then also corrects him when Picard responds in kind?
Best Answer
I never fully understood that episode but from reading in Memory Alpha, Picard is recovering from his assimilation with the Borg. The vacation on Earth is about Picard reconnecting with his family, his past and his traditions.
I believe René initially made a mistake and Picard jokingly accepted him as his Uncle. René must have realized his mistake when he said it's the other way around.
At the end of the episode, when Picard refers to him as an "Uncle" it is a call-back joke.
Pictures about "Why does René refer to Picard as his nephew?"
Why does Picard call Rene uncle?
Ren\xe9 and Jean-Luc were very close and the boy admired his uncle, sharing his interest in exploring the stars. As a running joke between the two, Ren\xe9 would call his uncle "nephew" and Jean-Luc would call Ren\xe9 "uncle".What happened picards nephew?
You may recall that in "Star Trek: Generations" (1994) we learned that Picard's young nephew Ren\xe9 and his father, Robert, the captain's brother, tragically died in a fire at the family home in 2371. Only Marie Picard, Robert's wife, survived.What syndrome does Picard have?
The retired Captain suffers from an Alzheimers-like ailment known as Irumodic Syndrome, which causes him to have hallucinations and a spotty memory, which adds a whole other layer of complication to the whole boondoggle.The Knights of Ren are Finally EXPLAINED! - Who Are The Knights of Ren?
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