Chain of Command, Part I

This is the first of a two-part episode about the Cardassians. It appears to have been timed to coincide with the beginning of the spin- off series, "Star Trek: Deep Space 9"--as the Cardassians were HUGE adversaries throughout that series.

The show begins with an admiral visiting Captain Picard. It seems he's begin reassigned, at least temporarily, on a special mission with the Doctor and Worf. And, instead of making Riker the new captain of the ship, a new captain (Ronnie Cox) is brought in--ostensibly because of his toughness and prior experiences with the Cardassians.

The special assignment turns out to consist of the three infiltrating a Cardassian base which might have banned weapons. However, it really made NO SENSE why these three (especially the Doctor and Picard) would be in on such a mission. Why not some sort of 24th century Seal team or the like?! How tough is Dr. Crusher?! And, Picard appears to be about 50! Overall, it is an interesting episode will stupid casting for the team. Part two is a bit better.

This first of a two part story finds Patrick Stewart, Michael Dorn, and Gates McFadden on detached assignment from the Enterprise. For this occasion Starfleet has sent another captain played by Ronny Cox to relieve Captain Picard of command of the Enterprise.

Good thing Picard took Worf as part of his mission team because Cox really would have had trouble then. As it is the crew is really under a strain with a captain who wants things done yesterday. The one Cox really gets at odds with is Jonathan Frakes.

As for Picard, Worf and Dr. Crusher the mission is a bust and Picard is captured by a nasty Cardassian played by David Warner who must have read up on Dr. Mengele and refined some of his torture experiments.

Cox plays someone who overcomes doubts with bravado and Warner is playing one of his usual patented heavies.

Things are looking tense at the end of Part I.

There is no denying that Star Trek: The Next Generation is a groundbreaking show. After a shaky start, slumbering in the shadows of it's predecessor, Riker "grew the beard" and around the same time, early in season two, the real potential began to show. It became obvious that Gene Roddenberry had picked a cast more than able to perform the skilled illusion - making a set of sound-stages, scripts and special effects a plausible glimpse into a potential future, one where some of humanities problems have been solved but some linger and are perhaps worse for it.

But I digress. This is not a review of the show at large. It is intended merely to point out that it could have been a catastrophe, when in fact this show singlehandedly resurrected the entire franchise by taking the fandom of the original series and challenging them. And this is demonstrated to incredible effect with the epic two-part adventure.

It may at first seem implausible that an ageing captain, a doctor with no combat experience and a chief security officer would be sent on a dangerous espionage mission, but thanks to the script good, justifiable reasons are provided and they set the stage. The Federation is finally revealed to be strained; stretching to meet bigger and more avaricious foes. The Enterprise crew is forced to work harder, faster and better to meet the challenge when Picard is replaced. Riker becomes an intermediary, an emissary for the misgivings of the crew. His stunning ambition and Kirk-esquire attitude send sparks flying when Jellico (played stunningly by Ronny Cox) steamrollers over the comfortable routine.

After an immaculate setup, the second part delivers on the promise. Sweeping narrative is something Star Trek excels at, and it is no wonder that that last three seasons of TNG contain more two-part episodes than the four that precede it. The two main plots have been intertwined well - both the away mission to discover a Cardassian base and the shake-up of the Enterprise mirror each other in intention, but work so well because of such contrasting execution - notice the extensive use of dark and light between the plots. Both share a common factor - they are guessing games.

In the second part, they become cat-and-mouse games. Jellico must negotiate a workable agreement with the Cardassians, Picard must endure torture of the most degrading sort - not just physical pain, but mental manipulation too. In both cases, the tormentor and the tormented change during the course of the episode, masterfully. When one appears to be holding all the cards, external factors are altered and force a radical rethinking of survival tactics. Both Captains are forced to look inward, to reconsider what they think is right and to admit at least a little defeat to achieve an advantageous goal (Jellico must barter with Riker, Picard must hold on to his hope while wearing down Gul Madred).

I could single out and extrapolate on so many great nuances of performance in many of the cast, but I would no doubt run out of words to do so. As someone who has a huge amount of respect for Patrick Stewart - not just an actor, but the highest class of the art, a true thespian - I will concentrate on that.

Patrick Stewart has often been responsible for the best moments of any work he happens to be in. Even the more mediocre works can be raised by one of his grandstanding, completely compelling speeches. He had always been a strong lead character and Star Trek gave him the exposure he needed to really capitalise on his skills. Here he is given a sparring partner so evenly matched the tension of his scenes - with David Warner as Gul Madred - are a sight to behold. The facial expressions, the subtle vocal inflections and the haunted look one man demonstrates when the other manages a riposte he could not have anticipated - this raises the medium of the television show to the heights of classical theatre.

Both run the gamete of emotions - anger, passion, love, hatred, despair and many more - and it makes for compelling viewing. The tension between the scenes with Jonathan Frakes and Ronny Cox comes very close to matching these heights too: with both plots seamlessly edited together and topped off with an exceptional musical score, the end result is mesmerising.

I remember seeing these episodes as a child and being completely captivated by the moral questions raised, wondering what I might make of the work the next time I saw it. This has been one of the rare cases where age and experience have barely dented my reactions and enjoyment, still forcing me to turn inwards after viewing and consider what my own passions and commitments might be worth in the grand scheme of things. If that isn't what great works of art are supposed to do, then I suppose I'll never know. Bravo. Hats off to everyone involved.

Picard, Dr. Crusher and Worf as a strike team? Even though the mission is eventually justified, I've always thought these were unlikely candidates for a stealth job. What it really does is sideline the captain of the Enterprise for an abrasive replacement (Ronny Cox), someone who runs counter to everything that makes the ship run smoothly (almost an affirmation of the writers' need to shake things up on an long-running show), and that just makes for good drama; we want this guy to take a hike and get the ship back on a smooth course.

But this episode exists almost purely as setup for Part II, and to that end, the best scene is saved for last. David Warner is that classic psychotic interrogator, one who deals in mental warfare more than anything.

He is ideal for the dark hour that's to come.

7/10

Note: This review covers both parts of "Chain of Command".

Picard is replaced as captain of the Enterprise. He, Lt. Worf and Dr. Crusher go on a secret mission into Cardassian space. His replacement, Capt. Jellico, meets his new command with some resistance from the crew. The Cardassians use theta band emissions as a ruse to lure Capt. Picard into their hands and begin brutal rounds of torture to gain the information they seek.

Why is this one of the best episodes of the entire series? Because it has plenty of action while not holding back on quality writing. We get more insight into Riker's personality and how emotional he can get when confronted with an authority he doesn't respect. And we further learn to what lengths Picard will go to defend the Federation and Dr. Crusher. How one interprets Riker is open to debate -- is he a loose cannon, a maverick? Is he unreliable? Or is he simply confident? Picard insists time and again that "there are four lights" (which is true) despite intense pain all over his body. He has a great dedication to his crew, his mission and the truth. We really see that he can be both tough and compassionate at the same time.

As with many "Next Generation" episodes, a series of moral and philosophical questions are raised. Who is the good guy and who is the bad guy here? From our perspective, the Federation is in the right and the Cardassians reveal their ruthlessness through torture and lies. But can the Federation be absolved of all wrongdoing? They crossed into Cardassian space and took covert action, clearly a violation of armistice rules.

Is the Federation plagued with hypocrisy -- claiming to be a peaceful alliance but secretly breaking laws when it's convenient? (In the grand scheme, we notice that the Federation loves to add new members to their side, as long as they stop their traditional ways of life. The striving for hegemony and assimilation is as far-reaching as the Borg, but more discreet.) Keep that in mind when watching this one... our heroes are strong and have an admirable character. But is it possible that unintentionally they are advancing a sinister or divisive objective?