The Ensigns Of Command. Player Feedback. Use the form below to send us your comments. If you are experiencing problems, please describe them. Player Help All Access Help. Data races against time to save a human colony that's been marked for death by aliens. Originally telecast October 7, 1989, 'The Ensigns of Command' was written by Melinda M. Genre: Science Fiction & Fantasy. Network: SYN.

'The Ensigns of Command'
Star Trek: The Next Generation episode
Episode no.	Season 3 Episode 2
Directed by	Cliff Bole
Written by	Melinda M. Snodgrass
Featured music	Dennis McCarthy
Cinematography by	Marvin Rush
Production code	149
Original air date	October 2, 1989
Guest appearance(s)
Eileen Seeley as Ard'rian McKenzie Mark L. Taylor as Haritath Richard Allen as Kentor Colm Meaney as Miles O'Brien Mart McChesney as Sheliak Christopher Collins as Sheliak (voice) Grainger Hines as Gosheven (uncredited, voice redubbed)
Episode chronology
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Star Trek: The Next Generation (season 3)
List of Star Trek: The Next Generation episodes

'The Ensigns of Command' is the second episode of the third season of the syndicated American science fiction television series Star Trek: The Next Generation, the 50th episode overall, first broadcast on October 2, 1989.

Set in the 24th century, the series follows the adventures of the Starfleet crew of the Federation starship Enterprise-D. In this episode, Commander Data (Brent Spiner) must convince a reluctant colony of more than 15,000 to prepare for immediate evacuation while Captain Picard (Patrick Stewart) attempts to negotiate a three-week reprieve from aliens intent on colonizing the planet themselves in four days and wiping out any humans found there.

Plot[edit]

The FederationstarshipEnterprise, under the command of Captain Jean-Luc Picard (Patrick Stewart), receives an automated message from the enigmatic Sheliak: Remove the humans on planet Tau Cygni V in four days. The Sheliak are a non-humanoid species with little regard for human life and would exterminate any humans found in their path. Their message is only due to their obligation under a treaty with the Federation to notify their intention to colonize before taking further action.

There is no record of a Federation colony ship being sent there as it contains levels of hyperonic radiation lethal to humans, which doesn't explain why the Sheliak indicate otherwise. The Enterprise arrives in the system to find what looks to be a small colony on the surface. The android Second Officer, Lt. Cmdr. Data (Brent Spiner), takes a shuttlecraft to the planet to coordinate the evacuation as he is the only crewmember unaffected by the radiation. Once he arrives, he finds that the sensor readings were incorrect. He is informed by local greeters Haritath (Mark L. Taylor) and Kentor (Richard Allen) that it is a colony of 15,253 people, the descendants of the wayward colony ship Artemis launched 92 years prior. The colonists' ancestors found a means to survive within the radiation but initially suffered heavy loss of life before an effective defense was found.

Although it would normally be a simple matter of beaming the colonists off the planet, hyperonic radiation renders the transporters useless. Because of this, a complete evacuation of the planet would take an estimated three weeks, and the Sheliak are not willing to give the Federation any extra time beyond the three days required by the treaty.

After explaining the situation and being rebuffed by the colony's leader, Gosheven (Grainger Hines), Data is befriended by a sympathetic colonist named Ard'rian (Eileen Seeley). She expresses interest in Data as an android and invites Data to her home, where they discuss ways to persuade the colonists to evacuate. To his puzzlement Ard'rian kisses Data. When Data explains to the colonists that they should evacuate their world before its imminent destruction and then pointing out by reverse psychology that the only result of their heroic hopeless last stand will be their total annihiliation, Gosheven, speaking for the colonists, refuses to leave, insisting they will protect themselves by fighting.

With time running out, Picard and the Enterprise crew begin poring through the 500,000-word treaty in the hopes of finding something they can use to their advantage.

At a meeting at Ard'rian home, Data talks to several of the colonists who are thinking of leaving the doomed colony; Gosheven comes in and 'shocks' Data. Data recovers andreasons that if persuasion cannot work, then intimidation through a show of force should be his next option. Modifying his phaser to work in the hyperonic atmosphere, he raids the colonists' aqueduct to prove they are helpless to defend their livelihood. When Data easily overpowers/stuns the colonists guarding the aqueduct, he points out that if they can't defend against a single person with a phaser, then they aren't capable of fighting the hundreds of Sheliak, who would likely destroy them via orbital bombardment. Data then sends a phaser charge up the aqueduct system to plug up the water that is vital to the colony's survival, convincing the colonists to evacuate the world. Gosheven reluctantly relents.

Back on the Enterprise, Picard exploits a loophole in the treaty. He invokes a section calling for third-party arbitration to resolve the dispute and names as arbitrators the Grizzelas, a species that is in its hibernation cycle for another six months. Picard offers the Sheliak a choice: wait six months for the Grizzelas to come out of hibernation, or give the Federation three weeks to evacuate the colony. Stunned at being outmaneuvered into this choice, the Sheliak give the Federation the three weeks.

Just as Data is about to leave the colony in his shuttle, Ard'rian comes to say goodbye. She asks Data if he has any feeling over what has just happened, and Data explains that he cannot experience feelings. To her surprise, He then kisses Ard'rian. She remarks that he 'realized' she needed a kiss; Data leaves Ard'rian and returns to the Enterprise.

Aboard the Enterprise, Picard comments on Data's performance at a classical concert before his mission with the human colonists. Picard tells Data he performed with feeling, and Data reminds Picard that he has no feeling. Picard says that this is hard to believe, noting his fusion of two very different music styles in his performance suggests real creativity. At that, and in obvious reflection of his recent solution of the colony problem, Data concedes that he has become more creative when necessary.

Releases[edit]

The episode was released with Star Trek: The Next Generation season three DVD box set, released in the United States on September 3, 2002.^[1] It was released in high-definition Blu-ray in the United States on April 30, 2013.^[2]

Players can resume playing from the highest wave they were able to defeat on that difficulty level. Page Tools.Players can also play Survival mode, where their Fortress is in the middle of the map (instead of the corner) and they face wave after wave of incoming enemies. Players can play Survival Mode either solo, or with up to 3 friends in Co-op.There are 20 waves, and 3 difficulty levels.

References[edit]

1. ^Beierle, Aaron (July 2, 2002). 'Star Trek the Next Generation – Season 3'. DVD Talk. Archived from the original on August 19, 2016. Retrieved May 7, 2016.
2. ^Miller III, Randy (April 30, 2013). 'Star Trek: The Next Generation – Season Three (Blu-ray)'. DVD Talk. Archived from the original on March 4, 2016. Retrieved May 7, 2016.

• Star Trek The Next Generation DVD set, volume 3, disc 1, selection 2

External links[edit]

Wikiquote has quotations related to: 'The Ensigns of Command'

• 'The Ensigns of Command' on IMDb
• 'The Ensigns of Command' at TV.com
• 'The Ensigns of Command' at Memory Alpha (a Star Trekwiki)
• 'The Ensigns of Command' at StarTrek.com
• 'The Ensigns of Command' rewatch by Keith R.A. DeCandido
• 'The Ensigns of Command' rewatch by Zack Handlen of The A.V. Club

http://tvtropes.org/pmwiki/pmwiki.php/Recap/StarTrekTheNextGenerationS3E2TheEnsignsOfCommand

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The Enterprise receives a message from the Sheliak, insisting they remove all humans from a planet that the Sheliak have the legal right to colonize. The Federation has no record of a colony there—there's radiation that would normally be lethal to humans—but it turns out that, about a century ago, a colony ship went off course and ended up there. The colonists, after losing a third of their number, adapted to the radiation, settled in, and by now have grown to a population of 15,000 or so.

The evacuation will take weeks by shuttlecraft (the radiation also messes up the transporters), but the Sheliak are arriving in four days; Picard negotiates with the Sheliak, who keep insisting on not giving them any extra time. Meanwhile, the colonists don't want to evacuate at all (screw the treaties, many of their ancestors died building that colony!), and Data must convince them otherwise.

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Tropes in this episode include:

• An Aesop: Data spells it out for Gosheven:
  Data:[indicating the aquaduct] That is a thing. Things can be replaced. Lives cannot.
• Appeal to Force: Played with (it manages to avoid becoming a Logical Fallacy because of the way it's used). Data initially tries persuasion to get the colonists to agree to leave, but his efforts are stymied until Gosheven finally loses patience and shocks him unconscious. Upon waking up, Data realizes that he needs to show the colonists what their stubbornness will earn them, so he fixes his phaser and uses it to destroy the pumping station. He then explains that if one android with a phaser can cause so much trouble, thousands of Sheliak and their starships will do far worse.

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• Beware the Nice Ones: Data tries to be diplomatic with Gosheven and others, but he repeatedly gets nowhere. Ultimately, he decides to use actions instead of words to get his point across.
• Blue and Orange Morality: Discussed by Picard and Troi. The Sheliak have radically different thought processes from humans, and Troi points out that the fact they can communicate with them at all is fairly remarkable.
• Bothering by the Book: The Sheliak constantly stand on the exact wording of their very long peace treaty with the Federation, only bending when Picard finds a loophole to abuse.
• Cassandra Truth: Data faces an uphill battle trying to get the colonists to understand that the Sheliak are a dire threat.
• Curb-Stomp Battle: Data finally overcomes the colonists' pride by demonstrating that one android with a hand phaser can seriously wreck their equipment, then stating that the Sheliak are packing much bigger weapons and will blow them away from orbit without a second thought.
  Data:[shoots four guards] That was the stun setting. This is not. [vaporizes the water in miles of pipeline with one shot]

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• Didn't See That Coming: The crew knew there were humans on the planet, but not that there are 15,253 of them.
• Eureka Moment:
  • Picard has one when re-reading the treaty. It allows him to ask for a third party arbiter, and he immediately thinks of choosing a species currently in a months-long hibernation cycle.
  • Ard'rian is annoyed by how the others claimed they'd side with Data, but then immediately shifted to Gosheven when Data was deactivated. When she surmises that words don't matter, Data realizes that all he's been doing is using words and the colonists might take better notice of actions.
• Freeze-Frame Bonus: The section of the treaty which triggers Picard's Eureka Moment reads as follows:
  WE CAN DO SEARCH-AND-REPLACE. COME TO THINK ABOUT IT, THAT'S WHAT THE SHELLIAC WANT TO DO WITH THE COLONY ON THE PLANET. THIS SECTION DEALS WITH THE RIGHT OF EACH PARTY TO CONFER WITH THE OTHER IN THE EVENT SOMETHING SCREWY HAPPENS WITH THE TREATY. THIS MAY TAKE THE FORM OF NORMAL EM SPECTRUM COMMUNICATION, SUBSPACE EM COMMUNICATION, FACE-TO-FACE MEETINGS, TELEPHONE TAG, MESSAGES IN BOTTLES OR OTHER WATER-TIGHT FORM OF ENCLOSURE, GOSSIP, HALF-TRUTHS, OUTRIGHT LIES, OR FACE-TO-FACE MEETINGS. INTERRUPTION OF TREATY COMPLIANCE SHALL NOT EXCEED ONE (1.00 X 10E0) STANDARD UFP SOLAR YEAR (EXCEPT DURING THE MONTH OF JULY). SEE TECHNICAL TA-48985.1742A-C(58945) FOR CODE INPUTS. LCARS UPDATES ON TREATY COMPLIANCE INTERRUPTIONS SHALL TAKE PLACE AT EACH STARBASE LAYOVER, OR WHEN COMMANDED BY RANKING UFP (OR OTHER DESIGNATED BODY) OFFICIALS AT STARFLEET HEADQUARTERS, 24-539 FEDERATION DRIVE, SAN FRANSISCO, CALIFORNIA, EARTH, SOL SECTOR. REQUEST FOR ASSISTANCE MAY BE PLACED BY TRANSMISSION TO STANDARD STARFLEET BOOSTER STATION FOR CHANNELLING TO UFP TREATY OFFICE (SOL SECTOR).
• Hidden Depths: O'Brien can play the cello.
• Honor Before Reason: The colonists' desire to stay and fight the Sheliak, even though their chances are nonexistent.
• Loophole Abuse: When Picard reads through the treaty himself, he finds and exploits a loophole that would delay their plans by six months. He then hangs up on themand strolls about the bridge for a minute when they call back.
  Riker: You enjoyed that.
  Picard: You're damned right.
• Not So Above It All: Picard when he gets to stick it to the Sheliak.
• Running Gag: Geordi, O'Brien and Wesley get stuck with the impossible task of getting transporters to work through the planet's radiation, and Picard and Riker, taking for granted that they can fix anything, only put up the pretense of checking on them, then blithely leave.
• Robosexual: Ard'rian McKenzie, the local Wrench Wench, develops a fondness for, and even shares a couple of kisses with, Data. To her disappointment, the emotionless Data is more nonplussed about this than anything.
• Patrick Stewart Speech: Attempted by Picard with the Sheliak, but the Sheliak shuts off the transmission and viewer screen before he can get out more than a few words. He attempts it again during a meeting on their ship, but is transported back to the Enterprise. He gets them back for the interruptions in kind later on.
• Planet of Hats: The Sheliak are of the Obstructive Bureaucrat variety. They don't put any value on words that haven't already been signed and sealed in a treaty.
• Planetville: One of the series' bigger aversions—in earlier episodes, such as 'Up the Long Ladder,' entire planetary populations fit in a single cargo hold, but this relatively tiny colony is a logistical nightmare to evacuate.
• Reverse Psychology: One of Data's attempts to sway the colony into evacuating. Community leader Gosheven, dripping with contempt, responds with Sarcastic Clapping.
• Same Language Dub: Gosheven is portrayed by Grainger Hines, but his voice is provided by an unknown actor. Hines was dissatisfied with his performance and requested to be dubbed over.
• Scotty Time: Averted. Picard demands that Geordi, Wesley, and O'Brien figure out a way to get the transporters to work through the radiation in the four days they have. At the end of the episode, after numerous attempts to compensate end in failure, Geordi admits it would require fifteen years and a complete redesign of the transporter system.
• Shout-Out: The title of the episode is taken from the poem 'The Wants of Man' by John Quincy Adams ('Ensigns' refers to insignias, flags or symbols, not the Starfleet rank):
  I want the seals of power and place,
  The ensigns of command,
  Charged by the people's unbought grace,
  To rule my native land.
• Starfish Aliens: The Sheliak are big spangly blobs; no rubber foreheads here.
• Starfish Language: The Federation never managed to translate the Sheliak language, although the Sheliak did manage to learn many Federation languages.
• Translation: 'Yes': Apparently the massive treaty is this to the Sheliak, used to compensate for Federation languages being ludicrously imprecise from their perspective.
• Tuckerization: Data's shuttlecraft is called the Onizuka, named for Ellison Onizuka, who died in the Space Shuttle Challenger explosion in 1986.
• The Voiceless: O'Brien appears, but has no lines.
• What Measure Is a Non-Human?: Part of Data's troubles on the planet come from the leader, Gosheven, having no respect for him because he's an android. Gosheven even hits Data with some kind of stun-rod, having no idea nor any apparent interest in whether he survives.
  Colonist: You killed him!
  Gosheven: I killed nothing! I merely turned off a machine.
• White Glove Test: After hanging up on the Sheliak, Picard strolls around the bridge and checks the ship's dedication plaque for dust.
• Wrench Wench: Ard'rian, who's fascinated with anything robotic, and becomes a valuable ally to Data.