TNG S6E10 and S6E11 "Chain of Command" Review by AnswerMan

Horrible:Meh:Adequate:Good:Fantastic

Word comes in that Picard will be removed as captain of the Enterprise for an important mission. Picard, Worf, and Crusher will lead a secret mission, the details of which cannot be shared with anyone. Even Crusher and Worf don't know exactly what they are getting into. Captain Jellico is given indefinite command of the Enterprise, and immediately goes about rubbing everybody the wrong way. He unnecessarily changes duty shifts, demands unrealistic efficiencies and time schedules, and takes exactly zero time to even bother to get to know his crew. Troi talks to him about how he is coming across, and he brushes her off and tells her to go put some decent clothes on.



The episode is written in such a way that we are supposed to not like Jellico. We see our captain, Picard, stripped of his command, sent on a dangerous mission and then left for dead. Meanwhile this asshole is the new boss? Indeed, we are supposed to hate Jellico. But, Jellico is there for a very specific reason and with only that goal in mind, he does what needs to be done and simply doesn't have time to worry about whose feelings he's stepping on. The Cardassians are clearly mounting a war-like posture, and worse yet, they appear to be working on creating a horrible biological weapon. Picard is uniquely qualified to deal with such a weapon, and Jellico is uniquely qualified to negotiate with Cardassians. Jellico is there to prepare for war. Picard's Enterprise is one of science, exploration, diplomacy, and daycare centers. But Jellico's Enterprise is the lead ship in battle in a potential all-out war with a foreboding enemy. He treats it as such, and he's not wrong for doing so. And dammit, Troi should be in uniform anyway.

Picard's mission is a trap, and he is captured. They only made it look like they were making biological weapons in order to lure Picard there. They are mounting an invasion of a disputed planet, and knowing that the enterprise will be lead in a battle, they thought that having the captain of that ship at their disposal would be helpful. While Picard is being needlessly tortured, Jellico brushes off his fate as something out of their hands, and tells Riker to forget it and move on. However, the first opportunity where he has the upper hand in negotiations, he demands Picard's release. So perhaps he's not so heartless after all, but just wanted to keep everyone focused and knew that he'd eventually get around to freeing Picard when the time was right. Jellico is a skilled negotiator with the Cardassians, eventually getting the best of them altogether.

Likewise Picard is a badass when it comes to being tortured. When he is stripped of everything that makes him a man, and tortured mercilessly to submit to his captor's will, he refuses. There are four lights, and he won't say there are five. He'll eat live worm eggs if he has to. He'll endure unthinkable pain. And after all that he'll still mock you for being a weak little boy and forgetting not to call him by name. But in the end, just like anyone else would, he breaks. He was willing to say there were five lights, and in fact, he actually saw five lights. But he didn't have to, because he was rescued just in time. There! Are! Four! Lights!  Indeed.

While this episode does take a rather well-argued stance against torture, I do fear that it also engages in some not very Federation type behavior. If the Cardassians were building biological weapons, would Star Fleet really deal with it by sending a Seal Team 6 type force to sneak in and sabotage it? I heard recently while researching "The Pegasus" that Gene Rodenberry didn't want Star Fleet to use cloaking devices strictly because he didn't want them to operate by sneaking around. Star Fleet is supposed to be transparent and virtuous. I think if they suspected the Cardassians of doing something like manufacturing biological weapons, that they would openly call them out for it, not sneak around. Furthermore, Jellico is either ordered to or decides to deny that they sent the team in to interfere, even though an admission would in fact afford Picard some rights as a prisoner of war, rather than as a terrorist. I don't like a Star Fleet that is deceitful, even when the stakes are high. In fact it's easy to uphold your virtues when they are not being challenged, but we truly find out if you mean it or not when you are tested by dire circumstances. Star Fleet failed that challenge here.

"Chain of Command" is of course a Fantastic two-parter. We've got a new captain ruffling feathers, Picard being tortured, and an almost war with the Cardassians. There really isn't a moment wasted in either of these episodes, and all parts are well-played by the actors. I do think Jellico deserved better than awkward silence as he left the bridge. I don't see where it would have hurt to have a scene where he is humanized a bit and the crew begins to understand why he was so strict. Also, the only thing Crusher contributed to the special team was giving a Ferengi a hand-job. Really? Not Star Trek's most empowering episode for women.

Published December 9, 2018