How Awesome is Picard?

Captain Jean-Luc Picard of "Star Trek: the Next Generation" is pretty amazing. I've collected a few facts illustrating why I think he may be among the greatest men who will ever live.

• Captain Picard has his own holiday.
• Captain Picard met the devil and wasn't impressed. He sued her. And won.
• Captain Picard was mistaken for God. Twice.
• Captain Picard lived a lifetime in 25 minutes.
• Captain Picard can make stating the time sound impressive.
• Captain Picard regularly lectures a god on morality.
• Captain Picard threw a saddle at a pirate.
• Captain Picard went back in time in order to get stabbed through the heart. Again. And it still tickled.
• Captain Picard hired Whoopi Goldberg to tend his bar.
• Captain Picard mind-melded with a vulcan to help him with self-control.
• And he did it while overcoming a prim French name.

1984 in the 23rd Century

As a fan of "Star Trek: The Next Generation," I have watched most episodes several times. "Chain of Command" (both parts) was one of my favorites since both Picard and Riker get to show their metal.
However, I was disappointed to realize that half of "Chain of Command"seems to be borrowed from George Orwell's "Nineteen Eighty-Four."
In the episode, Picard is captured by Cardassians and imprisoned for espionage. He was working with Worf and Crusher, who escaped without Picard's knowledge. Picard is then treated with, shall we say, less dignity than befits his rank (claiming POW rights would have required admitting he was acting under Starfleet's orders).
The specifics of Picard's predicament, in many important ways, resemble Winston Smith's re-indoctrination. Observe:

• They are punished for insisting that the four objects before them don't make five
• They are tortured first by humiliation and starvation, then by mysterious devices that inject pain directly
• They are fed lies about the wars outside
• They are concerned for the safety of the women they were working with
• They are given the opportunity to save themselves by betraying their respective women
• Their captors express a mental kinship to them, wishing to be able to explore their minds further

While Riker's exploits in "Chain of Command" would make the episode worth watching anyway, the apparent copying is disappointing.