The Ensigns of Command

[TrekToday]

Plot Summary: Picard is called away from Data's violin performance because the Sheliak, who never make contact with humans, have sent a message. It turns out to be a warning that if the previously undiscovered human settlement on the fifth planet of Tau Sigma V are not removed immediately, they will be eradicated by the xenophobic Sheliak, who wish to colonize the planet. Picard immediately takes the Enterprise to the Class H world, which Crusher is surprised could support human life. Data goes down because he is impervious to the radiation on the planet and discovers a group of humans who have built a thriving civilization after their ancestors' colony ship was stranded en route to another world. Data warns them that they must prepare to evacuate, but the settlers - particularly their leader, Gosheven - have no interest in giving up the city they worked so hard to terraform. Meanwhile Picard goes to ask the Sheliak for more time to evacuate the large number of humans, since Starfleet cannot send a sufficiently large transport for several weeks, but the Sheliak insist that they will attack and eradicate the colony if it is not dismantled at once. While Picard negotiates and ultimately uses the Sheliak's insistence on following their treaty with the Federation to the letter against them, Data realizes that talk will not be enough to convince Gosheven and his followers to leave. Instead he modifies his phaser to stun several guards and blasts the aqueduct to give the inhabitants a small taste of the destruction that will follow if they do not evacuate. Things can be replaced elsewhere, he tells them, but people cannot. The settlers agree to prepare to leave when the transport arrives, and the Sheliak agree to wait for it to remove the humans before colonizing their planet.

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To read the full reviews, please click here.

[Jack Bauer]

Anyone know why another actor had his voiced dubbed over the guy who played Gosheven?

[Geck]

As far as I've heard, the actor himself was just unhappy with his performance.

I've always thought this one underrated...the planet-side stuff is so-so, though watching Data respond to the situation is well done. The stuff on the ship, both the attempts to fix the transporter and Picard's frustrated dealings with the Sheliak always have me in stitches though, particularly Picard's quick "You're damn right I did!" after Riker observes that Picard enjoyed his little victory in the end.

[tomalak301]

I love this episode. The stuff on the planet was alright, but the love interest, albeit a little hollow, was kind of hot. The stuff on the ship between Picard and the Shiliak was great.

[DorkBoy [TM]]

Yep - great underrated ep. The review was spot-on.

I never knew that about Gosheven's voice being overdubbed by a different actor like that.

I normally am bothered when things like that are done poorly and obvious. (It happens frequently in Star Trek.)

I always thought he gave a decent performance for a guest actor, so that means they did a great job of dubbing. I never would have known!

I never thought about the resemblance between the Shelliak and the TOS aliens from "The Savage Curtain." Maybe there's a little superficial resemblance, but they don't seem at all like the same race to me.

[Jack Bauer]

Yeah, I never knew another actor had been dubbed over the guy in the episode until I read it in the Star Trek: The Next Generation Companion.

[AntonyF]

Jack Bauer wrote:

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Yeah, I never knew another actor had been dubbed over the guy in the episode until I read it in the Star Trek: The Next Generation Companion.

Yeah, I heard he didn't want to be credited in the episode so was dubbed over. The two don't necessarily connect, but it's what I heard.

Also worthy of note is the Sheliak is Armus. Ina role not utterly different.