The Drumhead

Phenomenal episode: one lacking in lasers and starship confrontations, but full of intrigue and drama. The arc of this episode is just brilliant, the creeping fear and doubt of the motives of various crew members. I will not spoil it, but suffice to say, some incredible acting here.

This episode should be required viewing for everyone studying history. In this episode we see exactly what can happen when fear is allowed to cloud judgement. This has been a recurring theme throughout history, the Salem Witch hunts, the McCarthy hearings, and too many more times to count.

I think people can learn from fiction, oftentimes more effectively than through documentaries.

The acting in this episode was great. My wife and I recently rewatched this episode. We had both forgotten how much we each grew to hate the character played by Jean Simmons. It takes a great talent pull that kind of emotion from an audience.

The Drumhead might be my favorite TNG episode. It certainly is my favorite episode that isn't regularly mentioned as a top 5 episode, such as The Inner light, or the good Borg, Q or Time Travel episodes.

The drumhead has the type of villain which really gets under my skin more than others due to the type's continued effectiveness and presence throughout history.

This episode's villain is so camouflaged that she uses one of the typically good characters, in Worf, as an ally in her corruption. And Worf follows along willingly, only seeing his errors at the end of the episode.

It's a phenomenon we can find often in people who get so swept up in an opportunity to create order and justice of some sort, that they end up resembling the very type of evil they're trying to fight due to their own tribal arrogance and exaggerated fear of the other. Often such villains gain power and test the norms slowly one step at a time until before many realize it, there's a completely new evil norm out of a promise for a miracle cure to a problem where a solution hasn't been demonstrated as much as asserted as a problem.

And just like Worf, the individuals who seem to get swept up in such mistaken causes are typically the people who seem unable to spot irony, hypocrisy or enjoy a joke or construct a joke because they're so serious and desperate for vengeance. Their good qualities get obscured by their lesser illogical desires to get their way in solving some issue regardless of the costs.

"We think we've come so far. Torture of heretics, burning of witches, it's all ancient history. Then, before you can blink an eye, suddenly it threatens to start all over again." - Jean-Luc Picard

That's the essence of 'The Drumhead' and really what makes it so good; it's got McCarthyism written all over it, even in the reaches of deep space. Patrick Stewart again owns the stage (in full somber proselytizing mode) after the witch-hunts zero in on the good Captain. But you've also gotta give Jean Simmons credit as the famed Judge for playing a morally righteous character who's willing to go to vile lengths to expose subversion.

It's a courtroom drama, but the acting (and Frakes behind the camera) keep it fresh.

Powerful stuff.

9/10

Enterprise discovers technological secrets have been passed to the Romulans and potential sabotage may have occurred.

This is a very strong episode with important themes and brilliant performances.

The plot is very character driven with Enterprise hosting a McCarthyist investigation where Captain Picard fights against the victimisation of a member of his crew by a retired Starfleet admiral. The themes are laid on quite thick, but for me it works well, as historical and contemporary witch-hunts tend to be quite vulgar and sensationalist affairs when they happen in reality.

Picard is once again portrayed as standing up for what is right and showing true class in the face of oppression by Admiral Satie and her entourage. I particularly like how previous plot lines are used by the writers to fuel Satie's suspicion of Picard (and other characters).

Others such as Lieutenant Worf, Dr Crusher and Commander Riker make some good contributions to the story, along with Crewman Simon Tarses who has an important role.

Satie is the crusading antagonist who gives the episode its main focus. When I first watched 'The Drumhead' I found it slightly implausible that the highly developed society depicted in TNG could produce this type of character and story, but thirty years more life taught me that humanity is full of individuals who seek to exploit the hysteria of gullible masses who believe anything they hear on TV, read in a newspaper or social media link. (Update - as it is apparent we live in an age where misinformation rules and the post-WWII interdependent world is reverting to isolationism and fascism, I cannot believe I ever found it so implausible)

All performances are strong with Patrick Stewart on top form as you would expect in a trial setting. This is also a strong episode for Michael Dorn and Spencer Garrett.

Jean Simmonds is the star of the show going through a range of emotions as Satie. She has a powerful, charismatic presence and watching her go from charming to cold and then eventually explode into raving anger is fantastic.