The King Who Led Them To It

Star Trek The Next Generation s03e10 The Defector
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[@UNLebanon]

The subtle call for Worf to come to the ready room. Picard was already planning to involve the cloaked Klingon ships. Excellent writing that can so easily be overlooked.

[@solarsailer4166]

This was back when good writers were in charge of Star Trek.

[@misterlau5246]

This is also possible because the pacing was more paused but often steady. Now everything seems to be too hasty. But that's not the real problem. Like Picard series. The last 2 episodes of the 1st season were the only ones that I really watched. Terrible pacing. Boring. Frustrating. And I watched it fast forwarding through the episodes till I got to the last one.

[@selderane]

I wish Star Trek dealt with delays in communication more often. It only adds drama and realism.

[@bobojo37]

Yeah, there are times that they are more affected by light-lag than others. In a Star Trek forum, someone hypothesized that it depended on how close they were to a subspace comms array.

[@steeltimberwolf]

@Koowluh And they were. As the Federation was expanding they were building and adding to the subspace relay system. These relays weren't small and were 5 times the size of a Danube class runabout and the smallest and larger than a Galaxy class starship at the largest.

[@Dorian-_-Gray]

@@steeltimberwolf That's fun side material, but the truth is that the shows dealt with sci-fi communication technology as the writers and directors found it dramatically useful, with varying degrees of success.

[@HawkGTboy]

In sci fi other than Trek, I’ve always liked the idea of FTL travel being a thing, but *not* FTL communication or sensors. It makes things very interesting logistically. You’d need probes and courier ships zipping back and forth between star systems to deliver messages and data.

[@danieldickson8591]

@@HawkGTboy It also enhances one of Gene Roddenberry's key concepts for the original series, that it be like the Horatio Hornblower novels, with ships being out of communication with their superiors for long periods of time. That forced their captains to make critical decisions based on their own best judgement, which really ramped up the drama.

[@jasonrodgers880]

It’s a thing of beauty to hear a real Shakespearean actor quote Shakespearean lines.

[@thestormofwar]

Can we take time to appreciate that this Admiral was one of the few reasonable ones in Starfleet?

[@danieldickson8591]

He was put in this story to advance the plot, not to be an obstacle for Picard like most of the others.

[@Galliao]

"Data, please start keeping a record of events" "Yes Sir" "Good, now let me quote some history to look good for the record!"

[@xaero1971]

"But first, walk out of the room before I do so you won't be able to hear me."

[@caesarjergens]

He made is own history quote and just threw King Henry in there to show he knows his classics.

[@josephmassaro]

Admiral Haden is one of my favorite cameo admirals. The actor, John Hancock, has a very commanding voice.

[@IrishCarney]

"Computer" _computer ready sound_ "Access Starfleet promotion and medical records. After accounting for all other factors, what, if any, is the effect on promotion chances of a deeper voice?" _beeping sound as chart appears on screen_ Majel Barret voice: "The chances rise with each standard deviation lower than the mean."

[@Matt-416]

Absolutely agree.

[@thegreenmanofnorwich]

He wasn't evil or crazy, so he was automatically above many of the other admirals on TNG

[@andyb1653]

@@thegreenmanofnorwich Biggest missed opportunity in TNG was never having him say "I'm too old for this shit", Danny Glover style.

[@TheZetaKai]

@@thegreenmanofnorwich I came here to say the same thing. Admiral Nachayev was the only other sane admiral in the fleet, until Admiral Ross came around in DS9.

[@chrisb9960]

Not going to lie. Back on the day I had a crush on Beverly. Devastatingly attractive.

[@ChiiTheBlackWind]

You're definitely not the only one

[@PtolemyJones]

I always felt Picard shared your thoughts in that regard. Always expected them to reveal he was Wesley's father or some such.

[@kutter_ttl6786]

Guilty of that too. She's probably the reason I prefer redheads now.

[@birkinsmith88]

@@PtolemyJones There was alot about Wesleys father and Picard that got hinted about but was never shown, such as them being best mates but Picard letting him die - what were the circumstances behind that?? They could've done a flashback episode or a TV movie thing..

[@pbdye1607]

She still is. She actually looks better now than when they "aged" her for the future segments of "All Good Things."

[@doteaters]

Around 4:41 you can see Stewart soften his eyes as Picard grows introspective, about the recite alone, the warning words of the Shakespearean play he is remembering. Impressive for a Shakespearean actor who is probably used to shouting such lines to the cheap seats in the back of the theatre. Stewart knows he is playing to an audience of one, a big glassy camera right in his face, and modulates his performance for it.

[@TheZetaKai]

I really like that the entire crew remains skeptical throughout the episode about the Romulans in general and Jarod in particular. A lesser show (including other seasons of the same show) would likely have had somebody hold the Idiot Ball and take them at face value. But here, everyone is reasonably sure that some sort of deception is going on, and most of the runtime is an intelligent investigation to determine what form the deception is taking. Clever stuff, which elevates the episode above what it otherwise could have been.

[@Dowlphin]

The show was not always like this, though. Far from it. But this one was refreshing. Ironic when non-surprise writing constitutes a surprise.

[@notallthatbad]

Love how the writers craft some lines around the actor's previous expertise - Stewart and Shakespeare. I think this is one of the reasons the show works - very thoughtful to the actors.

[@aggressiveattitudeera887]

1:30. Picard was already hedging his bets. It was here where he thought to call the Klingons for possible back-up.

[@dhinton1]

He definitely wasn't fully convinced at any point of this trek.

[@calhoun24]

Agreed. The Admiral’s Intelligence was far too enticing not to follow up on, and yet all the evidence points to the Romulans letting him escape and defect. It smelled like a trap before hand, and it was good that Picard had the foresight to call on allies to back him up if things went pear-shaped, as it nearly did. It’s Picard’s interpretation of the old Russian based Cold War mentality: Trust, but verify.

[@StrangeDuck]

would have loved to seen about a dozen kilngon birds of prey decloak in that scene, but the three that did provided the needed effect.

[@hub5343]

This is one of my most favourite episodes of Star Trek, and since I view Star Trek TNG as the greatest series ever produced, this means in my view it is once of the greatest episodes in all time. You really get the sense of the stakes here - the entire civilisation, and the lives of billions, rests on Picard's shoulders alone and the command decision he alone must make, and on what series of choices he makes 'over the next 24 hours'. In his favour he has a dedicated crew, all with their own strengths (Data's non-emotional abilities, Dr. Crushers professional assessment, Geordi's investigative skill), and his own strengths - that of knowing the stakes, knowing the gravity of the choices he needs to make, knowing the historical precedence and the pitfalls of his own weaknesses. The Shakespearean quote I have never forgotten - it comes with the weight of command. With so many reliant on the way you carry out your duty, he knows he cannot make the wrong set of choices. He goes about hedging his bets, gathering intelligence, listening acutely to his superiors and his subordinates, and eventually enlisting assistance to give him whatever edge he can get, but all the way knowing it may be for naught if war really does happen. This is writing, acting and production at its finest, and I find myself coming back regularly to this episode to teach me how to conduct myself in stressful, unknowable and high-stakes situations, which we would all need to confront at some point in our lives.

[@NitpickingNerd]

This is a fine example of why Picard was the best captain

[@dennish300]

Agreed, my favorite episode is "Yesterday's Enterprise". Even in full scale war, Picard can make calm, rational, well thought out command decisions. Even a decision that could erase his known existence. If only men like him truly existed in our world today.

[@paul16451]

Ah the heyday when even Patrick's soft-spoken voice was clear and commanding. What a great iconic role he had.

[@xhagast]

So much could have been done with the new Picard series. Such a waste.

[@ZeroRyoko]

@@xhagast indeed, Picard is just very dumb stories tying to hide behind Profanity and Obsenity, Hate and pejudice. Gene would weep if he could see what they did to star trek.

[@xhagast]

@@ZeroRyoko They could have gone darker but still be Star Trek. They just didn't care. And Steward, Frakes, Spinner, are just actors making a living.

[@uzul42]

@@xhagast Not quite true. Stewart explicitly wanted the new show Picard to feel different than previous installments of Star Trek. Alex Kurtzman said in an interview that Patrick Stewart agreed to return only if he could defy what people are used to seeing with Trek. “He threw down an amazing gauntlet and said, ‘If we do this, I want it to be so different, I want it to be both what people remember but also not what they’re expecting at all, otherwise why do it?’" That is what you get when you let actors dictate the direction of shows or movies.

[@xhagast]

@@uzul42 Too true. He got what he wanted and it SUCKS.

[@IrishCarney]

Strange that Picard would ask Data about the crew's morale. With her empath ability Troi would be the best one to ask about that even if, as Ship's Counselor, that weren't her job to know about anyway. And Data's frequent misunderstandings of human social behavior and motivations make him a particularly poor source of information about that.

[@dhinton1]

it actually makes sense, based off the inquiry Picard made immediately before that.

[@variableknife4702]

The HAL 9000 series is designed... wait. What? Oh - right. Data would present the information with no slant, no softening of the truth. Neither the captain's nor the crew's emotions swayed him in any way. Sometimes reflecting on one's people can reinforce in a commander the value of peace.

[@Ozzy_2014]

@@variableknife4702 true, no fear to tell the captain what he needs to know, not just what he wants to hear. Douglas Adams made a wonderful point. Trusting a device/being who exists to believe things for you, to properly report dangers to the ship is and can be disatorous. Believing that your superior WANTS to hear that there insanely dangerous risk will succeed and it believes it too and reports that, instead of telling you the ship is going to explode. Blind faith is NOT what is needed. If his crew think this is suicidal well a wise leader needs to consider if they have too much faith.

[@jasonedgar7954]

Troi was too much of an apologist. Not as detached as Data.

[@artman2oo3]

Gee it sure would be useful to have a member of the crew who could tell if somebody was lying or not....

[@toomanyaccounts]

he was the one that was lied to about what was going on at Nelvana III

[@LordyT34]

Except he didn't lie, he thought what he was saying was true

[@hankkingsley2976]

@randomguy8196 and that was the Romulans way of life

[@ProperDaveXD001]

Romulans are telepathic too, and has Troi met many of them at this time?

[@artman2oo3]

I was just commenting on this clip alone. It’s been years since I’ve watched this episode and I forgot that Troi actually does later detect if he’s lying or not.

[@SVSky]

“Only place to do Shakespeare on TV is Star Trek"

[@anonincognito617]

Preferably in the original Klingon.

[@Dowlphin]

@@anonincognito617 Few people know that Shakespeare was actually Russian.

[@stormthrush37]

Plot twist: Picard impersonates Guinan when he's off-duty. Flamboyant hats and everything.

[@patricksanders858]

Cosplays Guinian

[@origionalwinja]

"heavy is the head that wears the crown"

[@TSnowy23]

winja, you said that in TF2's Spy voice didn't you? 😋

[@jeremyphillips7827]

I've always loved the Shakespearean aspect of Star Trek.

[@URSoDead2Me]

One of the best episodes ever and the ending where the Klingons showed up was priceless.

[@HawkGTboy]

I liked the bit of throwaway dialogue here about how Starfleet Command had “branch offices” on planets other than Earth.

[@vonStahlmach]

Yes i was there a thousand years ago when Star Trek was also about quite, slow paced moments with characters who acted like adults and professionals. And by that were far more suspense than a CGI slaughterfest inside inside infinite Starships...

[@Naisium]

Excellent thumbnail, Gates McFadden is gorgeous. Also, excellent episode, the first one written by Ron Moore I think.

[@thegreenmanofnorwich]

I always loved the suspenseful episodes.

[@pokes404]

One of my favorite episodes of Star Trek. So many great elements going on throughout. An interesting mystery/dilemma, a great performance by a guest star, twists and double-crosses, a couple epic Picard moments, and a bittersweet; yet hopeful ending. I first saw this episode when I was very young, and not to put too much importance on a TV show, but this episode first made me consider that maybe the world was more complex than just Goods Guys vs Bad Guys. So in addition to entertaining me, I took a life lesson from it, as well.

[@Dowlphin]

I also got a good bit of world affairs primer from reading Battletech.

[@lumalilies]

0:37 COOLEST DECODE ANIMATION EVER how is this episode packed to the brim with so much cool shit oo!

[@byearwood85]

That pause before he takes his sip of earl grey tea....hot.....will always be epic.

[@develynseether4426]

Asking Data the pulse of the crew didn't happen enough. He is 2XO, Operations Manager and Chief Science Officer, he essentially ran the largest department on the ship.

[@jmiester25]

The true application of Shakespeare to the situation in this episode’s story is poetic, literally.

[@johnnybikesalot]

"How is the crew's Spirit?" "Ummm, I am Data, Captain. I think that line must have been intended for Counselor Troi perhaps?"

[@stevenreichertart]

I just love to watch the way the officers communicate with each other through their communicators, the video messages, and face-to-face.

[@TechnoMageB5]

1:31 The moment when Picard has the idea to bring some cloaked Klingons along for insurance...

[@TheFiddleFaddle]

I always appreciated the little detail that the Neutral Zone is too far from Starfleet Command for realtime transmissions.

[@jeremy1860]

I do not envy anyone who has to make command decisions like this 😅

[@JaredLS10]

Picard's hail was on line three...didn't realize the Enterprise worked like a office building.

[@PeterFraser-hp3rs]

4:44 Ah, yes -- Daniel Defoe. A literary giant if ever there was one.

[@annoyed707]

This episode is even better in the original Cardassian.

[@Masterche18]

Now if these men do not BEAN well it will be a BEAN matter for the BEAN that led them to it

[@johndaarteest]

A little touch of Picard in the night.

[@timothythomad5529]

To bean, or not to bean...that is the question.

[@koen8185]

2:55 I miss the English tea-pinkie....

[@catman351]

"Babes" McFadden. Sigh!

[@pepe6666]

i bet picard wishes he hadn't BEAN put in that situation.

[@ravensthatflywiththenightm7319]

Data: We have no Kings, here. Picard: I AM YOUR KING!

[@starlight122012]

love the camera direction on this episode, but all in all the episode is pretty awesome and one of my many favourites from STNG. So would a secure message (email comparison) from Star Fleet Command take longer than direct communication?

[@blackbelt2000]

I wonder why there was a time-delay between the admiral and Picard? In other episodes we see the captain converse with others in real time over (assuming) similar distances if not more. I am curious if it was a production reason or an in-universe explanation. Does anyone know?

[@stratfordbaby]

Literally zero assistance from Starfleet Command.

[@gandalf8216]

2:19 Gives me social phobia

[@Eddie42023]

1:30 innocuous, but critical.

[@IrishCarney]

Nothing's ever Priority B or Priority Two.

[@danielyeshe]

Just a thought but maybe it is priority one and everything else.

[@IrishCarney]

@@danielyeshe Then you'd think it would just be "Priority" without a numerical designation.

[@THEGRUMPTRUCK]

@@IrishCarney it's mostly that Priority two doesn't need to be stated. It's usually a "no-rush but soon" sort of deal. Priority one is voiced when it needs to be made absolutely clear that this is immediate and essential.

[@patricksanders858]

Thats because the Enterprise is the Flagship of Starfleet. Let the Cerritos take Yellow priority!

[@brianellinger6622]

I can't prove Kelly was there but Buffalo knows she was and knows what happened that's why I got a lot of Dunkin Donuts points

[@michaelshigetani433]

showing just how good of a captain Picard was / is.

[@Dorian-_-Gray]

_PICARD:_ Well, it sounds like it's all on me, now. _PICARD:_ Except this is episodic TV where I can't face consequences. _PICARD:_ Let's goooooooooooooooooo

[@Dowlphin]

Starfleet ships have phasers, Klingon ships have disruptors. Starfleet ships have deflector shields, Klingon ships have defector shields. Klingons don't eat tomatoes.

[@anonymousperson3153]

What I find interesting, is that the Police can determine if a wound is self-inflicted today.

[@victorsalisbury3554]

King 🤴🏽 👑 🦁 🤴🏽 👑 🦁 🤴🏽

[@MrBobloblaw60]

0:39 Well a very very heavy burtation tonight

[@ericfleet9602]

So it takes years for a subspace transmission to go across the galaxy in Voyager, but real-time communication occurs over light years when they chat in every other series...

[@potsdam28]

No relays in that part of the galaxy.

[@Sage2000]

The second part about the crew should have been asked to Troy or Riker. They could have been there together.

[@leoismaking]

I think that was on purpose. He had just asked Data to be at his most cold and impartial - then he asked for a very human assessment from him. It was as much for Data's benefit as it was for his own.

[@jaykay3468]

May I ask u why no finger prints on glass very smart

[@jaykay3468]

I wonder why haha what do u think

[@sometimes9417]

2:21 Kaptan Beverly'yi fortluyor.

[@misterlau5246]

Oh yeah, this one does not have a Like. Aaaaaah.. More star trek tng direct to the brain. More! I want more! Lol

[@brianellinger6622]

While I am held hostage not allowed to work or even get therapy

[@woon1che222]

Why not and just throwing some ideas out there. Set up a big mirror near a sun. Angle it to nearby planets DIY death star

[@cthulhluftagn3812]

Too much effort, easier to just hurl asteroids at the planet.

[@woon1che222]

@@cthulhluftagn3812 imagine if this show had a ship with a shield opening for transportation. All the ship stalemates would be done

[@cthulhluftagn3812]

@@woon1che222 possible, but it would be detectable. A skillful and stealthy opponent could blast straight through the hole.

[@billwithers7457]

@@cthulhluftagn3812 Go full on We Are Legion, We Are Bob.

[@woon1che222]

@@cthulhluftagn3812 nah like a garage door opener design just hit a button for a second XD

[@hankkingsley2976]

You wanted to see me Larry?

[@fixedguitar47]

Why does every planet with a few exceptions always have a number after it’s name?

[@sannawiklund7298]

To indicate what position it holds from its sun in a multi-planet system, I'd wager. An alien race might refer to Earth as Sol 3 (or whatever name they would have for our sun).

[@fixedguitar47]

Can’t it just be it’s name? Every time it’s blah blah 7 or blah 5….

[@selinesbeau]

@@fixedguitar47 maybe those planets didn't have warp capable native populations to name them/tell eveyone else their names and are just generically named by those that discover them for the charts.

[@TR47]

@@fixedguitar47 The planets aren't usually named, it's the system that is named, and each planet in that system is simply referred to by whatever position it's in relative to its star. There are some exceptions, like Risa, Q'onos, Feregenar, etc.

[@ThomasLahn]

@@sannawiklund7298 Actually, it is the name or designation of the _planetary_ system (usually falsely called “star system” in science-fiction). And it is customary in astronomy to use Roman numerals for the designation of natural satellites, so it would be Sol Ⅲ (the Unicode character set contains a character for each of the Roman numerals). A more recently introduced labeling system is to use Latin lowercase letters for exoplanets; e.g., the second innermost orbiting exoplanet of the Kepler-22 system (Kepler-22 is the designation of the star in the order investigated by the Kepler Space Telescope) *known so far* is designated Kepler-22b (which as of now happens to be the most likely candidate for a terrestrial exoplanet). Moons of planets, as they are satellites, are also numbered using Roman numerals; e.g., the moon Io is designated Jupiter Ⅰ. By contrast, a *star system* is a system of *stars*, where two or more stars are orbiting their common barycenter (binary, trinary, etc. system). Each of the stars is called a ”component” of the system, and they are labeled with uppercase Latin letters, e.g. Sirius A and Sirius B (Sirius is actually a _binary_ star _system_). (Disclaimer: I am a Trekker and an Astrophysics student. 🤓)

[@victorsalisbury3554]

🎲🎲🎲🎲🎲🎲

[@beerandbbqhobbyist6464]

Why is a doctor present in all this.

[@selinesbeau]

To answer whether she thinks the patient inflicted his own wounds or is lying and all this is therefore a setup.

[@beerandbbqhobbyist6464]

Yeah, but I still don’t see why she has to be at tactical to answer a question they could have asked her in sick bay.

[@Slammy555]

Uncle Phil

[@aggressiveattitudeera887]

That's not James Avery. Though he looks and sounds like him.

[@tdirtyatl]

Ummmm, NO. We don't all look alike.

[@jimpatrick5918]

…when Star Trek had excellent stories unlike the woke garbage we have now

[@patricksanders858]

Any moron that uses the word "woke" incorrectly must be a Repugnant. Btw the VAST majority of Americans respect the ability to see the oppresion and sensless killings by trusted officals that led to the term be used....except by you. Buh bye assholemoron!

[@sharp14x]

@@patricksanders858 Holy shit, shut the fuck up.

[@stonem0013]

Many of the plotlines and themes were unashamedly progressive in TNG, especially for the 80s. No doubt you would have bitterly opposed them as 'woke' at the time. They simply have become normalised over time so no longer offend you.

[@corberus3119]

@@stonem0013 STD and picard however you view the progressiveness of the shows are nowhere near as well written. they have no subtlety preferring explosions instead of plot

[@stonem0013]

@@corberus3119 oh I agree 100%. My point is just that the show being progressive isn't at all the issue. Trek is progressive to its bones. There is obviously a huge difference between a well written and poorly written progressive-themed show.

[@haroos]

why is the dr. part of this talk even ? what value can a doctor give to a military issue ? she should go make food for the men.

[@potsdam28]

Crusher is actually a bridge officer. She can and has taken command.