Jean Luc Picard

So why does he have an English accent if he's supposed to have been from France?

Patrick Stewart has an English accent because he is from England.

He plays the role of a starship captain with a French name and presumably French ancestry, but no French accent.

Probably because at that imagined time in our future, most current languages and accents had disappeared.

Hope that clears things up.<<<

yet, I believe his (fictional) brother / brother's family also speak with an English accent.

And what about Jane Seymour in "Dr. Quinn, Medicine Woman"?   I was surprised to hear her speak with a native English accept after seeing the series where she's pretty much got the American accent down cold.

And another thing:  why play up the whole Earl Grey tea thing?

But it is interesting to ponder whether accents will become stronger or weaker in the future?

I really disliked "Next Generation." If 50% of your problems are caused by the holodeck, get rid of the damn thing!

Plus, Picard was way too quick to give up or avoid necessary fights, and that Troi woman was annoying as shit. The most compelling character was a robot. I did like the episode where someone dosed the water with X, and that angry head of security as if Data "worked," and he said that he had "flowing blood."<<<

Likewise, the other 50% of problems = Data's programming getting hacked (who's an android)

I really disliked "Next Generation." If 50% of your problems are caused by the holodeck, get rid of the damn thing!

Plus, Picard was way too quick to give up or avoid necessary fights, and that Troi woman was annoying as shit. The most compelling character was a robot. I did like the episode where someone dosed the water with X, and that angry head of security as if Data "worked," and he said that he had "flowing blood."<<<

Likewise, the other 50% of problems = Data's programming getting hacked (who's an android)