‘Star Trek: The Next Generation’ Retro Recap – ‘Chain of Command, Part II’

Written by John Edward Betancourt

We often think of war in a straightforward manner and understandably so. After all, what we see in regard to it, is grandiose combat. Wherein aircraft carriers and fighter jets and legions of troops, fight the good fight for the right cause and our view of war in this manner is so widely accepted that it is all the news networks will show us when war does break out and it is completely and utterly reflected in popular media as well. Since movies and shows about war and combat, feature epic battle scenes to engender awe in our hearts and remind us that while war is brutal, it can be a noble endeavor when the cause is just and true. But the fact of the matter is, that’s really not what war looks like in the slightest and thanks to fiction and the realities of the War of Terror… we are starting to come to understand its true nature.

In that, cruelty is a big part of war, as is a genuine desire to inflict psychological harm upon our enemies and one way that is easily accomplished… is through torture and well before we knew what waterboarding was and the existence of Guantanamo Bay, one series out there worked to teach us about this darker side of war. For the next episode of Star Trek: The Next Generation, explored the horrors of torture and that led to one powerful tale. One where the ugliness of this act was put on full display and ‘Chain of Command, Part II’ accomplished this feat by putting Captain Jean-Luc Picard in quite the difficult situation. For when we catch up with him here, he’s at the mercy of a Cardassian named Gul Madred who is eager to learn about Starfleet’s defense plans for Minos Korva, and he believes torturing the captain will help him achieve that goal.

Which means, we are privy to some ugly, ugly scenes. The kind that one could debate have no place in the Star Trek Universe. Since Picard is indeed tortured before our eyes and suffers greatly. But this is a Universe as brave as they come and not showing the horrors of war and how small men are the ones that drive its darkest parts, would be a great disservice to the audience and it wouldn’t give this story the gravity it exudes. Since it really does make it clear that this part of war is the part that should concern us and that when the wrong people are in charge of it, bad things can and will happen. As evidenced by America’s actions in the War on Terror and well, the show deserves a round of applause for being this brave and for offering us an unfettered look at the true horrors of war and a warning that sadly went unheeded.

But while that alone could have carried this tale, we would be remiss to not point out that this episode also takes the time to resolve the whole situation with Captain Edward Jellico. For his inability to gain the crew’s trust and his inhumanity in matters revolving around the Cardiassians, and Picard, puts him and the crew at odds and offers the viewer a way forward when it comes to bosses that bully and think they’re above it all. In that, the best way to handle idiots in that manner, is to hold true to what’s right and challenge them when it is appropriate and above all else… let them fail and fail hard and stay silent when they do. For that loneliness and apathy will in fact be a fine reminder that they brought their failure upon themselves and hopefully they can learn something from that. As to whether or not Jellico did, we will never know. Because after handing the Enterprise back over to Jean-Luc, he was never heard from in this franchise again.

In the end however, this was simply a brilliant and powerful tale through and through. One that really hammered home the true horrors of war and what drives them, and it also features, some stunning performances. For Patrick Stewart is once again at his best here as he tries to navigate the house of horrors that Gul Madred has built for him and speaking of the Gul, David Warner steals every scene he’s in as that titular villain. Since he plays this dark man with a twisted zest and zeal that feels far too honest and far too real and of course, his skills an actor allow for him to play off of Patrick perfectly and well, it’s no wonder the fans hold this episode in such high regard. Because it really does have something for everyone and it really does stay with you long after it has come to an end, courtesy of its thoughtful themes and powerful moments. Until next time.

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