Star Trek: TNG episode
"Chain of Command"
Episode no.	136 (Part 1) #137 (Part 2)
Prod. code	236 (Part 1) #237 (Part 2)
Airdate	December 14, 1992 (Part 1) December 21, 1992 (Part 2)
Writer(s)	Frank Abatemarco Ronald D. Moore (Part 1)
Director	Robert Scheerer (Part 1) Les Landau (Part 2)
Guest star(s)	Ronny Cox John Durbin Lou Wagner Natalija Nogulich (Part 1) Heather Lauren Olson (Part 2) David Warner (Part 2)
Year	2369
Stardate	46357.4 (Part 1) 46360.8 (Part 2)
Episode chronology
Previous	"The Quality of Life"
Next	"Ship in a Bottle"

Chain of Command is an episode of Star Trek: The Next Generation that aired in two parts during the sixth season of the series. It was developed to establish the Cardassians as the main villains of the then forthcoming Star Trek: Deep Space Nine. Image File history File links No higher resolution available. ... December 14 is the 348th day of the year (349th in leap years) in the Gregorian calendar. ... 1992 (MCMXCII) was a leap year starting on Wednesday. ... December 21 is the 355th day of the year (356th in leap years) in the Gregorian calendar. ... 1992 (MCMXCII) was a leap year starting on Wednesday. ... Screenwriters, scenarists or script writers, are authors who write the screenplays from which movies and television programs are made. ... Ron Moore at a Battlestar Galactica Convention Ronald Dowl Moore (born 1964 in Chowchilla, California) is an American screenwriter and television producer who is known for his work on Star Trek. ... A television director is usually responsible for directing the actors and other taped aspects of a television production. ... Robert Scheerer (born December 28, 1929 in Santa Barbara, California, USA) is an American film and television director, actor and producer. ... Les Landau is a television director, film director and film producer best known for his work in Star Trek: The Next Generation, Star Trek: DS9, Star Trek: Voyager and Star Trek: Enterprise. ... Ronny Cox as Former Vice-President Robert Kinsey in Stargate SG-1 Daniel Ronald Cox (born Saturday, July 23, 1938 in Cloudcroft, New Mexico and grew up in Portales, New Mexico. ... John Durbin (born John Jackson in Council Bluffs, Iowa) is an actor. ... Lou Wagner (born August 14, 1948 in San Jose, California) is an American actor. ... Natalia Nogulich (born Natalija Nogulich on October 1, 1950) is an American actress. ... Heather Lauren Olson (born November 12, 1982 in San Jose, California, USA) is an American actress. ... David Warner David Warner (born July 29, 1941 in Manchester, England) is an English actor who often plays sinister or evil characters. ... This article or section is not written in the formal tone expected of an encyclopedia article. ... The Quality of Life is an episode of television series Star Trek: The Next Generation. ... Moriarty and Picard in Ship in a Bottle Ship in a Bottle is the 138th episode of the television series Star Trek: The Next Generation. ... The title as it appeared in most episodes opening credits. ... Damar of the Cardassian Union, prior to launching a revolution against the Dominion. ... Space station Star Trek: Deep Space Nine (ST:DS9 or STDS9 or DS9 for short) is a science fiction television series produced by Paramount and set in the Star Trek universe. ...

A new captain, Edward Jellico, is assigned to the Enterprise, while Picard, Worf and Dr. Crusher are re-assigned to an undercover mission crossing the Cardassian border. Much of the episode revolves around the differences between Jellico's and Picard's command styles. Picard's, while reserved, had also been somewhat relaxed, relying on the professionalism of his subordinates. Jellico's is much more authoritarian, demanding strict obedience and exact execution of his orders. He dislikes and eventually relieves Will Riker as executive officer. However, Jellico is later forced to ask Riker to pilot a shuttle craft to lay mines amongst a fleet of Cardassian ships. David Warner is a Cardassian interrogator. The USS Enterprise (NCC-1701-D) (or Enterprise-D, to distinguish it from prior starships with the same name) is a 24th century starship in the Star Trek fictional universe and the principal setting of the Star Trek: The Next Generation television series. ... Captain Jean-Luc Picard, played by Patrick Stewart, is a character in the TV series Star Trek: The Next Generation. ... Worf (Klingon: worIv) is a Klingon Starfleet officer in the Star Trek fictional universe. ... Dr. Beverly Crusher, played by actress Gates McFadden, was a character on the TV show Star Trek: The Next Generation and the films which followed. ... David Warner David Warner (born July 29, 1941 in Manchester, England) is an English actor who often plays sinister or evil characters. ...

In the part of the story set in Cardassia, Picard is tortured by his interrogator Gul Madred (David Warner), who at first seeks information about the Federation's defense plans for Minos Korva, but instead soon tries to warp Picard's perception of reality by forcing him to see five lights where there are only four lights shining upon him. At the conclusion of his torture, Picard finds that he wants so badly to see five lights that he actually sees five. The sequence recalls the exchange between Winston and O'Brien in Orwell's 1984 in which Winston sees O'Brien display five fingers, when there are in fact only four. The Cardassian interrogator enjoys the company of his daughter in the interrogation room in between torture sessions. David Warner David Warner (born July 29, 1941 in Manchester, England) is an English actor who often plays sinister or evil characters. ... Eric Arthur Blair (25 June 1903[1][2] – 21 January 1950), better known by the pen name George Orwell, was an English author and journalist. ... Nineteen Eighty-Four (commonly written as 1984) is a dystopian novel by the English writer George Orwell, published in 1949. ... The phrase two plus two make five (or 2 + 2 = 5) is sometimes used as a succinct and vivid representation of an illogical statement, especially one made and maintained to suit an ideological agenda. ...

External links

• Chain of Command, Part I article at Memory Alpha, a Star Trek wiki.
• Chain of Command, Part II article at Memory Alpha, a Star Trek wiki.
• Chain of Command (TNG episode) at StarTrek.com (Part 1)
• Chain of Command (TNG episode) at StarTrek.com (Part 2)