STAR TREK: THE NEXT GENERATION
Season 6, Episode 10

Chain of Command, Part I

Series: The Next Generation - (1987-1994)
Season: 6
Episode #: 6.10
Production #: 40276-236
Original Airdate: 12/14/1992

Writer(s): Frank Abatemarco and Ronald D. Moore
Director(s): Robert Scheerer

Guest Stars
Ronny Cox as Captain Edward Jellico
Natalija Nogulich as Fleet Admiral Alynna Nechayev
John Durbin as Gul Lemec
Lou Wagner as DaiMon Solok
David Warner as Gul Madred
Majel Barrett as the Voice of the U.S.S. Enterprise-D Computer

Uncredited Guest Stars
Joe Bauman as Crewman Garvey
Michael Braveheart as Ltjg. Martinez
Cameron as Ensign Kellogg
Cullen Chambers as a Command Division Officer
Hal Donahue as a Command Division Lieutenant
Melanie Hathorn as a Sciences Division Officer
Gary Hunter as a Sciences Division Officer
Arvo Katajisto as Ensign Torigan
Ron Large as a Command Division Officer
Dennis Madalone as a Cardassian
Michael Moorehead as a Sciences Division Ensign
Tom Morga as a Cardassian
Randy Pflug as a Bajoran Bar Patron
Joyce Robinson as Ensign Gates
Mic Rodgers as Glinn Corak
Victor Sein as a Command Division Officer
Victor Sein as Pardshay's Species Bar Patron
Sissy Sessions as an Operations Division Ensign
Shawn as a Cardassian Guard
Noriko Suzuki as an Operations Division Ensign
Talbot as a Ten Forward Waitress
Michael Tierney as Glinn Tajor
Uchizono as a Command Division Officer
Jana Wallace as a Command Division Lieutenant
Harry Young as a Sciences Division Officer

Stardate: 46357.4

Synopsis

As tensions between the Federation and the Cardassians grow, Picard is ordered to leave the U.S.S. Enterprise to lead a top-secret mission. Beverly and Worf are also "reassigned" and begin rigorous training sessions with Picard, although only the captain knows the nature of their upcoming task. Among the crew, speculations about whether Picard will return arise when a now commanding officer, Captain Jellico, is assigned to take over instead of Riker. Jellico adds to everyone's anxiety by quickly implementing several major procedural changes that disrupt their daily lives.

Jellico is especially hard on Riker and Geordi, which naturally creates a great deal of tension. Troi uses her position as counselor to plead for a period of readjustment, but Jellico disregards her input, coldly insisting the situation with the Cardassians demands immediate action. Later, in a conversation with Picard, Jellico says he feels war with the Cardassians is unavoidable, and that he doubts Picard will ever return to the Enterprise. The ship is now his, and he plans to run it his way.

[ Screencap Index ]

When Picard, Beverly and Worf finally embark on their mission, Picard is able to relay the enormous gravity of their situation. The Cardassians are rumored to be developing metagenic weapons - genetically engineered viruses that destroy all living things in their path - on an abandoned planet called Celtris III. Picard and his team have been ordered to locate these weapons and destroy them at any cost.

Back on the Enterprise, Jellico meets with Gul Lemec, a Cardassian leader, ostensibly in hopes of averting war. However, Jellico does everything he can to enrage Lemec, making him wait for over an hour and acting unreasonable once the meeting begins. He engages Riker and Troi in this "good cop, bad cop" game, hoping to intimidate the Cardassians into abandoning their plans. But Jellico's own plan appears to backfire when Gul Lemec reveals that he has information regarding the secret Federation mission.

On Celtris III, Picard, Worf and Beverly survive a difficult trek over the rocky, barren planet and finally arrive at their destination - a sealed cavern. They devise a plan to break the seal and it goes off without a hitch. However, once inside, they find nothing there. Realizing the cavern is a trap, they run to make their escape just as several armed Cardassians attack them. Beverly and Worf escape, but Picard is kidnapped and returned to Cardassian leader Gul Madred, who informs him that he must answer all questions asked of him or he will die.

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