Chain of Command, Part II

This is the second part of a two-part adventure involving the Cardassians--the new villains for the spin-off series, "Star Trek: Deep Space 9". It begins with Captain Picard in custody after a screwed up mission falls apart. Now the Cardassians are going to torture him to try to get him to betray secrets. At the same time, the Enterprise's new captain, Jellico (Ronnie Cox), is trying to somehow take a total screw-up and turn it into a Federation victory...something which seems impossible.

This is a gritty episode and much of it consists of Picard stripped naked and being tortured. There is some nudity but it isn't gratuitous and the show is very compelling--and occasionally tough to watch.

Now this is exactly the reason people remember "Chain of Command"; the superior second part. And right from minute one, it's hard to watch because of the subject matter: Captain Picard being tortured by a Cardassian officer (David Warner) while Jellico (Ronny Cox) is gumming up the works on the Enterprise. But it's not the physical abuse that's so effective here, rather the psychological results. It's miserable to see Picard's systematic dehumanization and just as hard to see him in such a weakened state. It's the acting here that really sells this' Warner offers up one of the great TNG villains in a performance that varies from affectionate to sheer menace. And Stewart is his equal, no question. Even Ronny Cox turns the one-note Jellico into someone interesting.

I've seen this before (several times) and it never once fails to suck me right in. It's cold, vicious and undeniably powerful.

10/10

Captain Picard is in the hands of the Cardassians, whilst Captain Jellico continues to run the Enterprise in a dictatorial style.

This is one of the classic episodes of Star Trek with a great double plot of Picard's torture by Gul Madred and Jellico's time aboard Enterprise.

Jellico's command continues to be a fascinating story of the ship run in a strict military style by a direct and controlling leader. His style is domination and there are numerous great scenes of his combative exchanges with characters. The best moment for me is his cap-in-hand return to Riker where the two exchange honest opinions of each other. Ronny Cox is excellent once more and Jonathan Frakes is also great.

The stars of the show are Patrick Stewart and David Warner in their intense scenes of torture. There is nothing gratuitous about what happens but a lot of the psychological and physical torment is conveyed through Stewart's great performance. Warner is suitably cold and malevolent in his portrayal.

It is quite reminiscent of 'Nineteen Eighty-Four' with Madred's questioning style. He tries to break Picard to the point he might do and say anything to avoid suffering. This, in an extreme way, parallels the will Jellico has for domination over subordinates and enemies, and both stories parallel each other superbly. As nasty as it is, it ends in a far more upbeat way than Winston Smith's experience at the Ministry of Love.

It is not perfect. I think the notion of Riker suddenly being the best pilot around is a lazy plot contrivance, but as it leads to one of the best scenes in the episode it is forgivable.

This is one of the best acted episodes of the franchise. Stewart, Warner, and Cox are all fantastic as you would expect with this kind of material. Also regular cast members like Jonathan Frakes are at the top of their game.

Visually everything works perfectly for the intended purpose. The torture scenes are not particularly violent, but the use of lighting, stripping Stewart naked and the set design of Madred's office have the psychological affect of making it feel quite brutal.

'Chain of Command part 2' is not a pleasant experience, but sadly neither is life for people who endure suffering at the hands of others. One job it does well is set the scene for 'Deep Space Nine' where these themes and narratives involving the Cardassians are expanded.

It's a 9.5/10 for me but I round upwards.

In the conclusion of this episode, we are toggled between the Enterprise and the imprisoned Picard, kept by Cardassian torturers on the surface. Picard is first drugged and then stripped and subjected to horrors. I came to realize that this was not unlike Winston Smith in Orwell's 1984. The Cardassian commander is seeking information from Picard and he uses every bit of subterfuge he can, including a torture device implanted in the Captain which sends him into agony. He continually asks Picard how many lights are above him. There are four and Picard continues to affirm this. But the commander wants him to change his mind (true brainwashing). Patrick Stewart gives the performance of a lifetime (and he has been good in lots of performances). Meanwhile, the crew is trying to figure out how to outfox the evil Cardassians. Picard begins to sense little bits of weakness in the commander and his race and plays on that. While it just results in more pain, he is making inroads into his psyche. The conclusion is excellent and sets up future encounters. There is also a great scene between Commander Riker and Captain Jellico.

"There are 4 lights."

A 4 second performance. The last time Captain Picard / Patrick Stewart pronounces the words has to be one of the greatest acting performances ever. He must have spoken to a P.O.W. before he did this bit to know what it's like. https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=1npL-TNFOAQ