A Look at The Ensigns of Command (TNG)

[@DarthArachnious]

I loved in Firefly that Jane collected things. Seeing him pick up guns seemed normal for a mercenary. But in one scene you can see him polishing a coin collection. That was an out of character moment that stuck with me.

[@Lemon_Inspector]

I like the part of the LCARS text that deals with forms of communications such as messages in bottles or other watertight containers. Data's love uninterest later got whisked away by a suspicious man in a blue box.

[@SageofStars]

Considering the Space Rulers Lawyers these guys are, it might have simply been that putting that clause, not to ever kill humans, was a step too far, thus, they had to specify what and where they weren't allowed, likely as not, anywhere within Federation Territory. But, since the colony is OUTSIDE that territory, that clause does not apply.

[@Dave_L913]

6:20 -- honestly, I thought Chuck had Photoshopped a robot from the Phantom Menace into the frame as some sort of joke. I didn't know it was in the show.

[@kangkudos1225]

I just came here to point to the stupid Clone Wars droids on the left 6:16

[@bthsr7113]

@@kangkudos1225 It really does look like a scrap replica of a B1 Battle Droid. Like those little figurines made from spare nuts, bolts, screws, etc.

[@thunderphoenix440]

Between this, Redemption Part 2, and Gambit, I'm still a bit mystified with how Data was never offered a promotion by as a commanding officer or executive officer- of course, this was because of television conventions, but it should have been a plot point like for Riker turning down promotions.

[@schwarzerritter5724]

Data is as far as he can go wearing a yellow uniform. He won't get offered any promotion, unless he switches to command.

[@Excalibur01]

@@schwarzerritter5724 Which is weird when he took command several times and even expressed interests by taking command

[@Jalu3]

@@Excalibur01 he was promoted to the position of Executive Officer under Captain Jellico, even wore a red uniform. But he was not promoted to the rank of Commander. As we can see Starfleet is not an up or out organization. At the same time, a ship can have multiple of the same rank aboard at the same time. Enterprise-A had three Captains. Kirk, Spock, and Scotty.

[@schwarzerritter5724]

@@Excalibur01 He did not express interest in making a career in it.

[@trazyntheinfinite9895]

@@Jalu3 no. taking command in absence of your captain does not make you a captain.

[@ParameterGrenze]

The tea scene with troi and picard is one of the few times we see the counselor actually useful and competent given her background. We should have more scenes like this.

[@BrettCaton]

I do like the way the engineers were not allowed to say it was impossible. In TOS, Scotty would have done it anyway - i think that applies to most of them. But in TNG, it was impossible. The fact that it is inconvenient for it not to be possible didn't change the fact it was impossible.

[@wdcain1]

To contrast Gorschavin and Michael Eddington, the former was motivated by pride while the latter had a hero complex but at least Gorschavin came around to realize he had to focus more on the colonists. I never felt Eddington really felt cared for his charges since he loved the thrill of being a rebel so much. The colonists were always doomed under his leadership.

[@InfernosReaper]

Eddington did ultimately relent when he saw how futile his actions would be.

[@Robizoid]

So the nick-knack Shaliak won't leave their home, no wonder the Enterprise won't give them a bone!

[@Fortaker]

Honestly, disagree with a Chuck quite a bit here. This was one of my favorite episodes, and I thought deserved at least a 7. I wonder why Chuck pronounced Gosheven as "Gorsheven" (maybe confusing him with Gorbachev?) As for Chuck's complaint about how the treaty has no provision against genocide, I have to wonder if he really thought that part through. A treaty simply agrees that you stay on your side of the line, I stay on mine. Tau Cygna V is on the Sheliak side of the line. We learn from RIker that the treaty was the only thing preventing the Sheliak from destroying the colony the moment they discovered it (which is probably due to a provision to return individuals who might have got stranded in the other side's territory). But given that humans aren't supposed to survive on such a world in the first place, I can't imagine that the treaty would have had further protections for them. "Sorry Sheliak, but if you find humans living on one of your planets where no humans can survive, you're not allowed to kill them." Why on earth would such a clause be in the treaty in the first place?

[@InfernosReaper]

There clearly was no provision to return individuals or there would've been no conflict in the first place.

[@gargamellenoir8460]

Yeah, this episode had a lot more good than bad. Who cares about a weak performance from what is a idiot character anyway compared to the glory of seeing Picard having a blast making some assholes bureaucrats sweat?

[@artboymoy]

I agree that the dude is being unduly harsh on the episode. I found it a great character piece for Data and Picard. Loved the problem and the solution. It's one I return to often. Episodes like this are like stage plays and usually those are some of the episodes I like best in TNG.

[@onanthebarbarian4842]

He does seem to go fairly hard on it. Maybe the performances weren't the best, but that's hardly unusual for early TNG. I think it's fair to point out that the Federation can be somewhat blasé with the property rights on its citizens, though it's not as bad as Up the Long Ladder. And that's also something that would ultimately blossom into the Maquis episodes of DS9. Like so much in DS9, those seem like a direct response to the Enterprise rolling up, doing its thing, and then leaving again. But ultimately, that's why I enjoy this episode. Neither the crew, nor the colonists, nor even the Sheliak (despite their xenophobia and genocidal tendencies) are in the wrong. The fact that the radiation provides both the reason for the oversight and a clear mark of why the colony is hard won, and therefor not easily abandoned, and the reason to send Data into a social situation is tight writing. I just watched another review where Chuck states that TNG often misunderstands diplomacy as "sucking up", which it does. But not in this episode. The B plot about having to get into their mindset is a little bit meager, but also exactly the correct interpretation of diplomacy. Picard running into aliens who are so dismissive even a Picard speech can't entertain them is novel, and entertaining. They're also one of the rare non-humanoids, and named after an actual star. The pay-off of Picard one-upping them with their own harsh interpretation of the rules is, in my opinion, one of TNG's funniest moments, and all the more rare for Picard loosening up a bit. All in all, the worst I can say about it is that it's a bit light. But it effectively paints a picture of a small colony, with its traditionalists and dreamers, who have to give it all up in the face of a greater force. Data's assessment that for all their bravado there will be no resistance, and the open admission that even he alone could be much more cruel if he wanted to, is more powerful than it gets credit for, here. I'd give it a solid 7.

[@lovipoekimo176]

I only enjoyed this episode for Picard's later "owning" of the Sheliak.

[@bildo1977]

The Sheliak ship is the same exact ship that the Klingons destroyed after receiving the Genesis Project information.

[@AntonyCannon]

3:20 There's enough space on the Enterprise D and then some. Pardon me if it's been mentioned before but you might enjoy the video "The Enterprise is Insanely Huge".

[@MatthewCaunsfield]

"with one arm tied behind his back" - interesting point, never thought of the scene that way before

[@GrandArchPriestOfTheAlgorithm]

The Federation really needed some professional space lawyers.

[@KairuHakubi]

the only question is do you use betazoids, vulcans, or really urge some ferengi to join starfleet's new lawyer corps

[@GrandArchPriestOfTheAlgorithm]

@@KairuHakubi Who ever like to read the most I guess.

[@bthsr7113]

Ideally a team of all 3 that can work together. You have people who can appeal to logic, emotion, and wants, with that last one being possibly the most cunning and ruthless.

[@zugabdu1]

This would have been a great Romulan episode - this business of the Sheliak and the bureaucratic treaty doesn't really add much. It's not clear to me why the Federation is so scared of offending this one-off, alien-of-the-week we haven't seen before or since. You don't really need to change much at all to make it work, and you have a known threat the audience has already been trained to take seriously bearing down on the colony. As for the radiation bit, well if humans could evolve to survive it, why not Romulans? Or maybe the Romulans don't plan on colonizing it with people, just an intelligence facility.

[@KairuHakubi]

the impression I got is that these guys were actually capable of just wiping starfleet out, so it's no surprise they don't show up very often.. they basically met them, shit their pants, then sucked some of that shit back up upon realizing that these uberpowerful aliens are thankfully really into *rules* so they let you set something up that says they *can't* wipe you all out now.

[@STNeish]

Only 4? I thought this was a better episode than that. I think I would have given it a 6 or 7.

[@kereminde]

The scores of 4 through 6 are the ones which can be the most divisive, because they're "slightly below average", "average", and "slightly above average". This tends to be fairly subjective about how close to the line, and which side of it, an episode is on. For me? The pacing of this episode is part of the issue, and I recalled it being tighter than this. There's some opportunities for improvement, though it's not nearly as glaring as other episodes scored lower than a 4. But there's also strong stuff, such as Data's final 'argument' about the matter. ("That was the stun setting. This is not.")

[@Knightfall182]

Why the heck was this episode called "The *ENSIGNS* of Command" ?? Another way to troll Wil Wheaton? 😆

[@Fortaker]

I want the seals of power and place, The ensigns of command, Charged by the people's unbought grace, To rule my native land. Nor crown nor sceptre would I ask, But from my country's will, By day, by night, to ply the task Her cup of bliss to fill. - "The Wants of Man" by John Quincy Adams In this case, "ensign" refers to flags rather than the rank.

[@Knightfall182]

@@Fortaker But probably ironically chosen for this script as a way to blindside Wheaton.. given the behind the scenes problems. He probably thought he would get a command episode here. 😄

[@rainydayman2k]

I can understand the comparisons to Journey's End and Insurrection, but... the Dorvan colonists did seek out that planet, which was in Federation space at the time of the colonization, so the Federation basically fucked them over, whereas these people's ancestors just got lost and ended up outside Federation territory, so the fact that they ended up there is totally on whoever was in command of the Artemis for not keeping up with maintenance on their guidance systems and/or being oblivious to being so wildly off course. As for Insurrection... well, that basically boils down to the whole thing being a revenge plot on Ru'afo's part, and he tricked Dougherty into going along with it because the So'na were making White for the Dominion, and he dangled that tidbit in front of Starfleet to get them to go along (and I just hate trying to justify anything in that movie because I'd rather not think about it).

[@InfernosReaper]

The healing properties of the planet were a huge selling point as well

[@suralos]

That 6:25 Art piece looks like a prototype Episode I Battle Droid. I am not sure if this was first "Settlement on the wrong planet needs to be relocated" trope plotline in Trek but it would not be the last. It would be interesting to compare this to all of the other episodes and movies.

[@gallendugall8913]

Anti-aqueduct technology? More likely steam hammer effect from vaporizing a big chunk of water in the pipe... and the effects team couldn't do steam.

[@lynngreen7978]

The Sheliak - reused Excalbian costume, on a reused merchant freighter.

[@KairuHakubi]

costume?? looked like a quilted blanket to me.

[@lynngreen7978]

@@KairuHakubi Literally the same outfit from Savage Curtain. (Or an incredible recreation thereof.)

[@KairuHakubi]

@@lynngreen7978 well it looks like they're being menaced by a savage curtain, so maybe that's good.

[@christopherwall2121]

I thought it was a redecorated Armus costume myself.

[@djgamer5546]

So I guess it's now cannon that "in the event something screwy happening" is part of Starfleet's official treaty jargon.

[@aclark903]

#canon*

[@captianmorgan7627]

I've always wondered about the aqueduct destruction since I first saw it.

[@ShadowWingTronix]

I'd blow up the empty colony on the way out. "You want this planet so badly that you kicked off people who worked multiple generations to make it habitable, YOU don't get to sponge off of their hard work."

[@Selene-ex1jz]

Minor thing, but I'm always amused by how powerful a handheld phaser is in this episode... compared to how so often in trek where Phasers feel like that maybe knock the wind out of you a little bit if hit centre mass. Oh sure they have settings, but like, are all the people trying to kill Starfleet officers just forgetting to take those things off of 'Love tap' setting or something!

[@onanthebarbarian4842]

That's probably explained by things like energy availability and wear and tear. I would assume the more excessive settings take a whole chunk out of the battery, which isn't what you'd want in a firefight, even if it regenerates. Not to mention collateral damage. Most of the time it would be like throwing a grenade when you could just shoot the guy with a rifle. So I guess you just take the chance of the target having plot armor instead of putting yourself in a situation where you're staring down the emitter of an enemy phaser without any charge left on yours.

[@Selene-ex1jz]

@@onanthebarbarian4842 Oh yes I quite agree that that sort of ridiculous firepower isn't something you want most of the time! It was more the enormous gap between 'Annihilate everything for a mile' and 'Gently bruise them a bit' that I was poking fun of there!

[@onanthebarbarian4842]

@@Selene-ex1jz The massive range of settings is more of a Federation thing, at least. My personal head canon for the sometimes very survivable hits Starfleet officers take is that the Starfleet uniform has energy distributing properties to it. It should be easily possible with what we see of their technology, and it'd make a lot of sense given their day job of hanging out next to systems that use superheated plasma for energy transfer.

[@ParameterGrenze]

Star Trek is this weird mix of Western gun slinger flick and scifi. It is ridiculous for the technological capabilities to still use guns in the same way as traditional fire arms. We know the highest settings of just a handphaser can disintegrate half a building. But we need phew phew scenes as well.

[@TheWoblinGoblin]

I know evacuation numbers are hotly debated and pretty given for the Ent D. However, knowing that the D had humongous shuttle and cargo bays, easily 20 shuttles being able to carry at least 10 people 15.000 does not seem insurmountable, it's just a lot of trips.

[@KairuHakubi]

it actually would be interesting on a show with a little higher budget / made in an era where CG is easier to work with, to actually have an episode centered around a huge shuttle evac.

[@FuuPhoenix]

'you enjoyed that.' 'Damn right I did.'

[@arlibrarian]

Can’t really disagree about the guest performances, and the transporter team subplot just sort of hangs out there (what a rotten thing to do to Wil Wheaton) but I guess the two things that make it memorable for me are seeing Data be awesome and this sadly never revisited Sheliak. The end bit where Data “calculates” that she needs a kiss is interesting for me because it shows how he knows enough to imitate things even if he can’t feel emotion. We’d see him try to have a romantic relationship in later episodes, but this one actually gave me the feeling it might actually work with a woman who understood Data’s unique position.

[@dacis2]

It's not a contradiction to both respect Westphalian sovereignty while being willing to commit genocide within one's own territory. The former is a deconfliction of areas of influence and authority in order to avoid war, the latter is the exercise of that authority within one's own territory, however abhorrent it may be.

[@KairuHakubi]

It is funny how the 'peace at any cost' mindset leads to stepping first and hardest on the people who probably won't fight back.

[@o0alessandro0o]

@@KairuHakubi That is true, but as far as this specific episode was concerned the problem was that the Sheliak were perfectly willing to declare war on the entire federation. You don't go "we find you in violation of a treaty that prevents a war" unless you are prepared to go to war. Remember, Picard was aking for *time*, nothing else. He wasn't saying "well, maybe these guys should stay there after all", and the Sheliak were like "Nope, you have a deadline, you'll stick to it, or else we'll declare the treaty null and void and break out the warships". Sure, they may have been posturing, but nobody seemed to think so. This wasn't about stepping on the people who wouldn't fight back, it was about trying to minimize loss of life.

[@KairuHakubi]

@@o0alessandro0o Wait are you sure it was 'the sheliak are about to break the treaty because they feel the federation broke it' and not 'the treaty allows us to kill anyone we want within our territory and you cant do anything about it without declaring war' ?

[@o0alessandro0o]

@@KairuHakubi The key line, I believe, was "you are in violation". Now, the implication of that was that they would be willing to *overlook* the violation if the federation managed to fix the problem in time. Otherwise they would exterminate exterminate exterminate the federation's lost colonists, and *magnanimously* stop there. Again, this was all in service to *restoring* the treaty that the *federation* had violated. So if the federation stopped them from restoring the treaty (aka killing 15000 people) it meant that the *federation* wanted war. Edit: Again, *unless* the federation fixed the violation by removing the colonists before the colony ship got there. Remember, we are basically told in so many words that to the Sheliak mankind is an infestation. You don't go out of your way to exterminate every last roach in the universe, but if you find one in your house you sure as hell break out the bug spray.

[@KairuHakubi]

@@o0alessandro0o ohh okay. yeah that does kind of change it.

[@Belzediel]

S'also one of the many episodes where we meet an alien civilisation that are sufficiently powerful we have to kowtow to them, but never, ever hear from again, even in passing. And don't tell me that isn't the case, we're not kowtowing here because it's polite, the Shellac People are quite blatant in saying they're going to kill every human down there. That's a declaration of hostile intent that really ought to be met head on. The only reason not to is we're either sufficiently matched the resultant war would be too high a cost, or they're so powerful we'd be a cake walk. Which means that someone somewhere ought to be remembering these guys, and ALL the others when you know, the Borg come to visit, or the Dominion, where are these guys?! And yeah, sure, you look at one of the comically 2D maps of the Star Trek galaxy and you find these little dots of the Shelliac Puddle, the Jaradan Nuisance, the Husnok Cul-de-Sac and what not, and you see they have to be very small so they can all fit round the edges of the federation, which only demonstrates that this episode should not exist because there is zero way the damn Puddles of Goop would dare threaten the Feds. It would be like Monaco pulling a knife on the USSR - your only hope would be they find the gesture so amusing they'd not follow through on it. And it gets al the more annoying when you realise you didn't have to have them, the episode is these people are so stubborn they think they can survive an oncoming menace, when we know they can't, and it's sad because of something or other. What it is they think they can survive could be anything. Most of which have already been done, but at least they wouldn't be futzing with galactic cohesion if it's an asteroid impact, plague or the Jehovah's Star Witnesses. It's so pointlessly stupid. Why do I end up watching this total crap when I could be watching, oh, I dunno, finding out why the organians didn't stop the Borg. Or Khitomer. or anything. Or the stupid flutey people who did the same with the Gorn.

[@rayvenkman2087]

I wouldn’t be surprised if they were meant to be Tholians but someone vetoed that idea.

[@scockery]

I found it strange that future Shelley Hack hated humanity. Maybe too many Charlie's Angels fans bugging her.

[@KingOfDoma]

Did anyone else forget this episode existed and think it'd be a look at Chekov, Wesley, Ro, Ezri, Harry, etc.?

[@KairuHakubi]

The title always did bug me because no ensigns are important in the episode :p

[@ralphyetmore]

So the Sheliak are TNG Vogons.

[@JallenMeodia]

I have zero recollection of this episode. I have mixed feelings over that lol.

[@DeconvertedMan]

Yay for a new review!

[@somestuff364]

Totally don't remember that episode. Not much lost anyway.

[@christopherwall2121]

Why do I get the impression that "unnamed producer"'s name probably rhymed with "Shmick Shmerman"?

[@o0alessandro0o]

Was Shmerman known for being a schmick?

[@christopherwall2121]

@@o0alessandro0o mmm-hmmmm

[@pocketheart1450]

One of my favorite episodes ❤️

[@TheKrensada]

Welcome back.

[@draximo9036]

reminds me of the ugly bags of mostly water line when they talk about language.

[@DasKame]

Great Review as Always

[@bradwolf07]

I think the fact that "No Genocide" wasn't in the treaty because of an oversight; the way I see it, the Officer in charge of the negotiations was hungry, maybe thinking of the pretty little Ensign or Nurse he was trying to seduce, and so rushed the ending. He didn't do the proof reading required with a treaty hindered by a word count.

[@Zeithri]

Zap zap!

[@kangkudos1225]

Zap Zap Zappin on Heaven's Door... Lyrics from _Ode to My Bug-Zapper_ by Bob Dylan

[@Nickelodeon81]

Brannigan

[@TheZetaKai]

The one downvote is from the Sheliac Corporate representative, still butthurt about being schooled by a lowly human. EDIT: The second downvote is from Goshevin.

[@sirequinox4874]

I think you're a little harsh on this episode. I found it entertaining and interesting. Not great, but okay.

[@imbatman8472]

great now i have to go through all the straitjacket porn in the world.

[@ShadowMind312]

This plot was kinda lazy and dumb. Enterprise has all sorts of radiation shielding clothing in its cargo bays.

[@aclark903]

Given what you now know about #Ukraine, is there anything you'd like to say different? (I thought 4 was overly harsh)