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UNCUT REACTION - Star Trek TNG S3E2 - The Ensigns of Command

Been making some changes that should improve the video quality and alleviate syncing issues in next week's reactions. Thank you for dealing with it this week.

DOWNLOADABLE version now in the Shop tab here on Patreon. FREE for Target Demographic tier Patrons, $5 for everyone else. If you buy it on iPhone it is $7.50 because of Apple fees just FYI. There is no visual sync with the downloadable version, only timecode.

UNCUT REACTION - Star Trek TNG S3E2 - The Ensigns of Command

Comments

Sorry but the colonists (Colonists) are not native to this world. Nor do we have any direct evidence that they are the only sentient life to ever exist there. They believe they are, but belief doesn't equal fact. And since they didn't expand over the planet, it's highly unlikely they did extensive studies for fossilized records to make such a factual point. The colonists were Federation citizens and under the authority of Federation Treaties all of which predate their arrival on the planet. Period. Even if they were indigenous to that planet, it doesn't alter the fact that Data's argument was absolutely right. And that is they would be utterly annihilated from orbit, without ever having a chance to defend themselves. Data didn't forcibly relocate them. He just provided clarity to the reality of their situation. Something that the colonies leader wasn't providing. They could have chosen to stay and die for their beliefs. And yes Data would absolutely have told native American's to uproot their lives if the threat was capable of destroying them from orbit (or even further distances) without them having a chance to raise a hand to defend their claim. The difference in native American's ability to fight back versus European colonization isn't even remotely similar. Able to destroy them from literally outside of the orbit of the planet, So likely distances of hundreds of thousands of miles, versus the ability of European's of hundreds of meters.

Mark Wood

Data and Picard getting to be friends is so cool.

SageGreenGoat

The colonists arrived on the planet years after the treaty was signed. I'm also not sure what definition of "native" is being presumed, but "native inhabitants" in my book would have had to have evolved on the planet. So you can throw that essay in the garbage. It was the Enterprise's duty to uphold the treaty. If that meant letting the colonists die by their own choice, so be it, but it's completely wrong for the crew to start fighting the Sheliak (who have done nothing wrong). Goshaven's spirit was in the right place, but his pride clouded his judgement. It is pretty miraculous that the colony survived where it did, but they shouldn't have been there to begin with. Lives really are more important than "things" and Goshaven just comes across as an asshole. I am a bit skeptical that he really could have been that sound of a leader if his thinking in this most-important matter is that woolly.

Jovet

She had been a diplomatic resource in the past, already. Just FYI.

Jovet

And they haven't even seen him at his best yet! 😏

Jovet

The context is the very first thing Riker or Picard said when Geordi and O'Brien walked into the room: We have a job for you, and we don't want to hear that 'it's impossible." So, the line they didn't laugh at is Geordi's final update to avoid saying to the captain that it's outright impossible, and instead explain how it's not going to happen anytime soon.

Jovet

Are you Memory Gamma or an other kind of Star Trek encyclopedia?

Sam Langanke

I read somewhere that the water feature played havoc with the dialogue so everything had to be ADRd later on. I’ve often thought there was more to it as why wouldn’t you just let him have another go with a different accent?

Jon1701

This episode’s title comes from, of all places, a poem titled “The Wants of Man” by John Quincy Adams, the sixth President of the United States. As far as I can determine, this is the first of only two Star Trek episodes to date with titles derived from quotes by U.S. Presidents, although there are also Star Trek novels called "Last Full Measure" (Lincoln), "Fear Itself" (FDR) and "The Shocks of Adversity" (Washington). “The Ensigns of Command,” the second episode of TNG Season 3, preceded “Evolution” in production order. This is why “Evolution” has a Ron Jones score while “Ensigns” has music by Dennis McCarthy: Jones was still the usual composer for even-numbered episodes, as in the previous two seasons. TV stations carrying TNG in syndication sometimes air “Ensigns” in production order, before “Evolution,” even though this makes no sense because “Evolution” addresses Dr. Crusher’s return. (Then again, the two of you might have been happier seeing “Ensigns” first because you would have seen Gates McFadden was back in the second shot of the episode rather than in the opening titles.) “Ensigns” had a troubled production in various respects. In her afterword to a book edition of Harlan Ellison’s original script for “The City on the Edge of Forever,” Melinda Snodgrass compares the radical rewrites of her script to those of “City,” although she acknowledges that even her preferred version of “Ensigns” was far inferior to Ellison’s episode. Snodgrass’ version (available on her website) implied that Gosheven and Ard’rian were in a relationship, but that did not prevent Ard’rian and Data from *consummating* their quasi-romance, which would have been Data’s first time making love since his encounter with Tasha two seasons earlier. I suspect that viewers might not have responded well to this development (although Snodgrass manages it well), and that the writing staff was right to remove it. The 3rd Revised Final Draft script carries the pseudonym “H. B. Savage” as the name of the writer, but Snodgrass’ name appears on the finished episode. Someone else’s name does not appear in the episode’s credits: Grainger Hines, the actor who played Gosheven. TNG’s producers felt that Hines’ delivery of Gosheven’s dialogue sounded too much like John Wayne, and another actor rerecorded Gosheven’s lines in ADR. (The voice actor’s name is unknown.) As a result, Grainger Hines requested the removal of his name from the credits. The episode also sustained a last-minute, $200,000 budget cut. One person, however, may have been even more unhappy about his experience with this episode than Snodgrass or Hines: Wil Wheaton. Wheaton had accepted a role in the feature film "Valmont," a prestigious production that would have provided a major boost to his career. "Valmont" was filming in Paris, and its production would conclude in the first week of TNG Season 3. Wheaton did not anticipate that this would be a problem because he knew that the first two Season 3 episodes were filming in reverse order, meaning that he would be back from Paris in time to shoot Episode 1, for which Wesley was obviously necessary because the episode would address his mother’s return to the Enterprise. An unnamed TNG producer told Wheaton that he needed to return in time for the filming of “Ensigns” because it was a “Wesley episode” in which he would have a crucial scene with Gates McFadden. Having pulled out of "Valmont" as a result, Wheaton discovered that his role in the “Ensigns” script was minimal. The same producer then wrote Wesley out of the script almost entirely before filming began. Wheaton said years later, “The message was very clear – we own you – and it was a move to sabotage my career.” This episode’s resolution has always made me angry, but for years I thought this was my problem rather than the episode’s. Ever since I first saw the episode as a kid, I thought it was grotesquely unfair that the colonists had to leave Tau Cygna Five, and I fully sympathized with Gosheven’s arguments about why they should have been able to stay. However, I also thought that I was wrong to feel this way. Enforcement of the treaty is necessary for the sake of interstellar harmony, and the Sheliak, however unlikeable, do have the legal right to the planet. However, L. I. Underhill’s essay about the episode on the Eruditorum Press website made me realize that I was right about the situation all along. Gosheven’s people are the only intelligent lifeforms ever to have existed on Tau Cygna Five. That makes them the planet’s native inhabitants, and it is every bit as wrong to remove them as it was for European settlers to displace the Indigenous peoples of the Americas. In Data’s “reverse psychology” speech, he patronizingly says that the settlers will be dying “for land and for honor.” Millions of people throughout human history have died for those very things. Would Data say that the Indigenous peoples of America should have willingly ceded their land and gone passively to whatever territory or reservation the land’s new masters would allow them? The Tau Cygna Five settlers would have been fully justified in allowing the Sheliak to kill them all – men, women, and children – rather than give up their planet, and the right thing for the Enterprise crew to do would have been to defy the Federation and Starfleet and fight to defend Tau Cygna Five from the Sheliak, even if it meant their own destruction. (Couldn’t Snodgrass at least have let Gosheven stay on the planet to die?) Whereas the rewriting of “The City on the Edge of Forever” left only two lines of dialogue from Ellison’s script intact (“Since before your sun burned hot in space, before your race was born” and “Time has resumed its shape”), the 3rd Revised Final Draft script of “Ensigns” (available on the Star Trek Minutiae website) includes entire scenes that are word-for-word identical to their equivalents in Snodgrass’ version. (Wesley still has a slightly larger role, helping with the attempt to modify the transporter, even in this version of the script; his removal from most of it must have happened extremely late.) Since other sections of the script are different, the final script must have seemed like an ugly, ungainly patchwork to Snodgrass, although of course the viewer of the finished episode is unaware of this. Mart McChesney (the Sheliak) previously played Armus in “Skin of Evil,” in a similar costume. Christopher Collins, who had played Captain Kargan in “A Matter of Honor” and Captain Grebnedlog in “Samaritan Snare” the previous season, provided the Sheliak’s voice. This reaction features one of Josh’s most impressive recognitions of an actor to date: Mark L. Taylor (Haritath) did indeed appear in "High School Musical 2," eighteen years after this episode. Unfortunately, the malicious minimization of Wesley’s role in the episode also eliminated a memorable moment for O’Brien, which was identical in Snodgrass’ script and the 3rd Revised Final Draft. The transporter console blew a fuse after Wesley tinkered with it, causing O’Brien to say, “If you *ever* touch my transporter again
 I’ll kill you.” O’Brien has no dialogue in the completed episode.

Anthony Bernacchi

Oh, and regarding space battles, I agree with you when they serve as a replacement for good storytelling, but when they serve a legit purpose in the story and there are real consequences involved, I still get excited by classic Trek nautical style battles. Thankfully, classic Trek tends to use space battles very sparingly, making them all the more exciting when they do occur.

Lovok

Even by your standard there are other episodes this season I like more, but that doesn't take away anything from "Ensigns" -- indeed: really good, solid Star Trek.

Lovok

I found it odd in tone out of context. Geordi had no idea they were anywhere near resolving things with the sheliak
he was riding the turbolift. And then leading with his hardy har har line about we can do it! Seems insensitive and out of character
.and then when picard tells him its all good but doesn’t explain why
geordi spins around and is back in the turbo lift and leaving like meh whatever thenđŸ€”

Derek Orr

Wesley is in the episode though. He has a brief line and appears in 2 scenes

Derek Orr

How is replacing someones voice, covering anything up

Derek Orr

I find these kind of episodes to honestly be the very best of star trek. No grandiose pew pew space battles or end of the universe stakes. Just perfect star trek story telling

Derek Orr

No, it’s actually an entirely different actor’s voice. The physical actor asked to have his credit removed. The directors didnt like his voice so they brought in someone with more presence in their voice

Derek Orr

Is Gosheven ADR? I always thought he was just a terrible actor. His delivery, like a NPC voice actor.

Philbot

well, almost completely written out

Timothy Nikiforovs

It is not impossible for a primary character to be completely ADR from start to finish For example. 1980 Flash Gordon. Starring Sam Jones he upset the director and he was vocally erased from the movie and replaced by and adr actor who goes unnamed.

Thicketdweller

They did somewhat "fix" Troi's character by deciding to use her also as sort of a diplomatic resource, maybe a sociologist to interpret aliens, etc. They basically just stretch her job out to give her more to do.

Joe Concepts

Wesley did appear in this episode time index 22;08 in the transporter room when Picard drops in and Wes says”he wants the impossible”. Geordi responds “that’s the short definition of captain.”

Thicketdweller

I’m not disagreeing with your basic statement..dialogue gets switched and scripts “salvaged” all the time, (and Crusher’s involvement early this season isn’t heavy by any means) but in this particular instance it’s Melinda’s original first draft..even the Sheliak are still named Hrathan at this stage.

Glenn Johnson Barnes

Thanks for putting this out on a Sunday. Was able for the first time to watch the show in my theater on a projector in 5.1. Really appreciating the remastering that way. Noticed Crusher's uniform was a more "medical" teal than outright blue. Really great lighting on the planet, especially when Data first arrived and in the shuttle. I think the next two episodes are even better, but maybe the first three consecutive great episodes of TNG to come.

Stephen Wright

The intro. Today the graphics are crude but then it was impressive and the upgrade for S3 was noticeable.

James Baloun

Great reaction!!! This isn't among the best of the season, but it's still a good, solid episode with several memorable scenes.

Lovok

Audio Volume Levels seemed to be better this time, but still a few parts where music would drown you out. Great stuff, keep em coming, you have a new Patreon. ^~^ (probably going for the Target Demographic when the trial ends.)

Triforce of Shadows

Loved the reaction. Especially the Picard heavy scenes. You guys thoroughly appreciate Picard in the same way we do. Love it.

Andrea R

It may be on there but in McFadden’s own words the first several episodes were literally written for Pulaski. Maybe they updated the scripts by changing the names.

Column Meanie

This is it boys, pretty much what everyone was talking about when they said season 3 is when it gets good. Sure, the show will still throw you a stinker here and there but more often than not, this is the standard you get going forward. What would have been a standout episode for season 1 and 2 kind of ends up getting lost in the shuffle for this season. Not taking anything away from it, it's a great episode.

Mordock_Vapelord

:Joe+Piscopo_bah-dom-Bing!:

Jovet

Their CRS Syndrome has gotten pretty comical!

Jovet

It’s possible that’s true for some episodes, but Melinda Snodgrass’s original script is on her website, and Crusher’s name is there from the start.

Glenn Johnson Barnes

Funny you guys mention "that's how you talk to Data, Pulaski" because it actually was Pulaski's dialogue. When the actress left, and Gates came back, they didn't change Pulaski's dialogue for a few of the first episodes of this season. They literally scratched out Pulaski and wrote in Crusher (and they wrote Crusher-specific scenes in "Evolution" addressing her absence and return)

Column Meanie

The actor was fine with his performance. The producers hated his accent and requested he dub his performance with a neutralized American accent. He refused and so they dubbed him with another actor.

Column Meanie

Didn't care much for this episode when it aired. But I was around twenty then and it was too "talkative" for the taste of my younger self. I defenitely appriciate it more today.

Sam Langanke

I must say, some of my favorite parts at this time are you guys misspronouncing alien names :D "What were they called? Shelikans?"

Andreas Schmitt

Michael Piller addressed Beverly's return in 'Evolution', and there was no big deal at all about her being back in this episode. So they flipped them.

David Brown

From IMDB According to Paramount's public records, actor Grainger Hines (Gosheven) was unhappy with his performance, so he requested his name be removed from the credits. All of his lines were subsequently overdubbed by another actor. Conspiracy theorists, however, find several holes in this idea, and many fans believe it to be a cover-story for a secret incident which Paramount did not want publicized. (Also, i think the next week preview clip has his undubbed voice)

Mike Rogers

I believe that this was supposed to be the season opener and for some reason it was switched.

Mike Rogers

I've only watched this episode a couple of times. A great episode, one that is a great preview of good ones to come. Well written and directed. Two things: one, I didn't remember at all the scene where Picard and Troi beam over to the Sheliak ship..was a pleasant surprise for me. Two: I always thought that it was a lost opportunity for Data to..ah..well you know. The girl really had the hots for him.

Monty Crawford

Definitely a better showing than Evolution, and yet still not one of S3's strong points. I'm always down for a Data episode however. He's still very early in his quest to become more human. I don't know if it's a "knowledge lost over the generations" thing, but even when the original colonists left, roughly during the TMP era, ships existed that could easily level such a settlement from orbit. Unless they have planetary shields and photon launchers, I never understood how they thought they could ever hold out. Since you mentioned Wesley not being in the episode, there's a story to that. Wheaton had been cast in a film between S1 and 2, and his commitments to filming that were set to overlap with the first week of S3 filming. However this episode was the first produced, not Evolution where he had a more significant role, so he didn't think it would be a problem. One of the producers convinced him that this was a Wesley centric episode that he couldn't be written out of and that it would advance the mother-son relationship. He cancelled his involvement in the movie, and when he showed up to the first week of production for S3, he found he'd been lied to and almost completely written out of this episode. He took the whole thing, understandable, as the producers essentially saying they owned him and discouraging him from advancing his career outside the show. He considered quitting the show for a while after that. As to Gosheven, apparently Grainger Hines sounded too much like John Wayne for the producers' liking, so his lines were all dubbed over. Hines requested his credit be removed from the episode. Seems like a silly production decision to me, but there it is. Solid episode.

Timothy Nikiforovs

Great reaction! Makes me appreciate it even more!

Andrew Bassey

agreed

Timothy Nikiforovs

You guys should have laughed at the end when Geordi showed up and said "Captain, we can do it. We can modify the transporters! It'll take fifteen years, and a research team of a hundred..." Just about as funny as Picard hanging up on the Sheliak and making them wait.

Jovet

I realized after watching this episode again (and you guys said this was a court episode without the courtroom) that Melinda Snodgrass, a former lawyer, wrote it, so that all makes perfect sense.

Collin Freeman

42:20 Josh getting the misty eyes this time...

Jovet

37:30 I love how terrified Kentor looks during Data's demonstration.

Jovet

Today's video seemed fine! Didn't notice any problems with syncing or quality.

Jeremy S

Great reaction! Thank you, gents.

Jacob

"Shellicans" makes me so happy.

badvertised

Appreciate it, thank you!

harrypothead42024

Fun fact from Memory Alpha (This is not the entire poem): The title of this episode is from the poem "The Wants of Man" by John Quincy Adams. In the context of this poem, the term "ensign" means a flag or symbol, 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. Nor crown nor sceptre would I ask, But from my country's will, By day, by night, to ply the task Her cup of bliss to fill. Yes, our sixth President John Quincy Adams. Even the long dead son of a Founding Father can still contribute to Star Trek.

KatWithAttitude

Happy Sunday!

SinocTheHodgeheg


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