Prime Timeline[]
Before 2355[]
At some point prior to 2355, Jean-Luc Picard became the commanding officer of the Constellation-class starship USS Stargazer, with a rank of lieutennant commander.
2355[]
The USS Stargazer, under Picard's command, ends up in a firefight with an unknown assailant in what becomes known as the Battle of Maxia. The other ship, which is later learned to be a Ferengi vessel, is destroyed. The Stargazer is badly damaged and abandoned, and assumed to be destroyed.
2364[]
Picard, now with the rank of captain, becomes the commanding officer of the USS Enterprise-D.