Captain Jean-Luc Picard (Patrick Stewart) delivered several now-iconic quotes on Star Trek: The Next Generation, including “There are four lights!”, but what does this particular quote mean? While this quote makes little sense when taken out of context, it remains one of Jean-Luc Picard’s most powerful moments, even 32 years after the TNG episode aired. As Captain of the USS Enterprise-D, Jean-Luc Picard was unflappable, remaining calm and level-headed while coming face to face with the unknown. Aside from the Borg, few enemies could rattle Picard, and he almost never let his fear show, especially in front of his crew.

In Star Trek: The Next Generation season 6, episodes 10 and 11, “Chain of Command,” Cardassians kidnap Captain Picard when he is on a covert mission. What follows is one of Star Trek’s most brutal and difficult-to-watch sequences, as Cardassian Gul Madred (David Warner) tortures Picard for information about the United Federation of Planets. With incredible performances from Patrick Stewart and David Warner, Madred employs a range of tactics, including torture and gaslighting, to break down Picard, but the Enterprise Captain refuses to yield. To asset his power, Madred blinds Picard with four bright lights, ordering him to say that there are five lights, and then causing Picard pain when he insists: “There are four lights!”

What Star Trek: TNG’s “There Are Four Lights” Means & Why It’s So Important For Picard

“Tell me how many lights you see. How many? How many lights? This is your last chance.”

While on a covert mission to uncover and destroy a Cardassian biological weapon, Captain Picard, Lt. Worf (Michael Dorn), and Dr. Beverly Crusher (Gates McFadden) inadvertently walk into a trap. After Picard’s capture, Gul Madred works hard to break the Enterprise Captain’s will, using various means of torture and brutal interrogation. Even while suffering intense pain, Picard refuses to say there are five lights when there are only four. As a final effort, Gul Madred tells Picard that the USS Enterprise-D has been destroyed in a battle with the Cardassians. Picard can either remain in captivity for the rest of his life or say there are five lights and live a comfortable life.

Picard hesitates before guards enter and reveal that a ship is ready to take him back to the Enterprise. Before he leaves the room, Picard defiantly shouts “There are four lights!” Safely back on the USS Enterprise-D, in the final scene of the episode, Picard sits in his ready room with Counselor Deanna Troi (Marina Sirtis). In a heartbreaking moment, Picard admits that, if his rescuers had not arrived when they did: “I would have told him anything. Anything at all. But more than that, I believed that I could see five lights.” Picard has never been so broken, but he kept his composure just long enough that Madred and the Cardassians never saw him break.

Star Trek: TNG’s “Chain Of Command” Also Introduced Captain Jellico

“Forgive me for being blunt, but the Enterprise is mine now.”

When Picard, Worf, and Dr. Crusher left on their undercover mission, Captain Edward Jellico (Ronny Cox) took over command of the USS Enterprise-D. Jellico then began negotiations with the Cardassians regarding the strategically important Federation planet Minos Korva. Jellico had experience dealing with the Cardassians, as he had previously helped establish an armistice between the Federation and the Cardassian Union. With his by-the-book command style and tendency to micro-manage, Jellico clashed with Commander William Riker (Jonathan Frakes).

When the Cardassians inform the Enterprise that they have Picard, Jellico refuses to admit the Captain was on a Starfleet mission, which would have given him the rights of a prisoner of war. Riker protests strongly, questioning Jellico’s orders, and the Captain relieves Number One of duty, assigning Lt. Commander Data (Brent Spiner) as First Officer. Jellico later needs Riker’s help to plant mines in the nebula where Cardassian ships are hiding. With the threat of the minefield, the Cardassians withdraw their fleet and release Picard. With its tense scenes and memorable characters, the “Chain of Command” two-parter remains one of Star Trek: The Next Generation and one of Captain Picard’s best storylines.

Star Trek: The Next Generation is available to stream on Paramount+.