[TNG] Season 6, Episode 10: Chain of Command, pt. I
Rating: 4
The character stakes in Chain of Command are immediately so much higher than the average episode of Trek. Throwing a new, troubling captain into the mix makes for fantastic tension within the crew. The way the two main narrative threads (Picard’s mission and Enterprise’s mission) intertwine and fork away from each other make use of the two-part format really well. More on the use of the Cardassians in part two…
whaaaat this admiral comes aboard and relieves Picard of duty! And then she says Riker’s not taking over, but some new guy!But really Picard, Crusher, and Worf are training for a secret cave mission.Ah, this new captain seems real nice!oh wait… he’s changing everything and working the crew super hard for no good reason…Weirdly there are lots of Jellico fans out there? I get it, he’s a well written character, but get real folks. Just ’cause he likes his kids drawings and ultimately “wins” doesn’t mean he isn’t dumb and manipulative.One of his changes is making Troi wear a real uniform. so maybe I like him now.Jellico acts real tuff during the negotiations.But the Cardassians make him look like a dope, and reveal that they know about Picard’s secret mission.Picard’s secret mission to find a weapons lab turns out to just be a weird box. Picard is captured!The whole thing was a set up just to get Picard!
