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πŸ––Star Trek TNG S06E11 Full Length Reaction

S06E11 Chain of Command Part 2

This week we find out what happened to Picard and... it's not goodπŸ₯Ί I wonder if he will ever be the same!? No spoilers of course! Engage! πŸ––

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πŸ––Star Trek TNG S06E11 Full Length Reaction

Comments

Browsing through the comments here cause I figured atleast ten other people would say it but obviously not... The four lights and the torturing (even the scene with the girl's animal in a cage is a reference but never played out in the scene), is reference to George Orwell's 1984. The idea is to break the will of the victim and make them conform to the will of the state out of fear of pain. In 1984 the protagonist is tortuned into submission and finally admints that 2+2=5

Zork

Not sure how I missed this 4 weeks ago, so I am really late to the party. Yeah, this one is hard. Brilliant performances. In my opinion worse than the Borg - the Borg didnt break him - they just assimilated him. And we know it was traumatic, so I dont want to down play that. What the Cardassian did was brutal because it was all about Picard giving in to him, by choice. Just ick.

Damon Corrigan

I know this was hard for you to see, it was for all of us, but you've learned something very important. You now know who the Cardassians, especially their military officers, really are

Sarah

Captain Jellico is really cool. I liked his no nonsense pragmatic approach to a situation where he needed to take control and had no time to make friends. I especially liked how gracefully he bowed out at the end. He made no speech, just told everyone it was an honor working with them and walked off the bridge.

Zorak

I could tell this was a tough episode for you. One of your "commercial break" was the saddest sounding. Chain of Command II is one of my favorite episodes of S6. David Warner is a fantastic actor. The David Warner/Patrick Stewart scenes are awesome acting. I tend to agree with Riker that Jellico was not a stellar captain.

Clay F

Borg is worse because he killed so many people. Even though he was under their control, he will never forgive himself. This was a solid episode and great acting but..... It was really weird they sent Beverly. Sure, he stayed when he heard Bev was captured but in reality, he had to know they would be torturing her too. And it doesn't matter that she was key to a later plot point. She would NEVER have been sent on a covert mission. Same could be said for Piccard. The setup was weak but the acting in Part 2 was great.

TigerMyth

Its funny, I almost NEVER think of Ronny Cox as Bogomil. I always think of him first as Dick Jones and next, Cohagen πŸ˜‚ And then a three way tie between his character from Deliverance, Jellico, and Bogomil.

Julian San

This was always a tough watch, but to me the Borg episodes were harder on Picard. Ronny Cox was excellent to make me despise him so much after enjoying him as the captain in the Beverly Hills Cop franchise, lol

Lee R.

Excellent reaction / review. These are two great TNG eps. Solid performances by Warner and Stewart. β™₯ In honor of David Warner and to see him in a different chain of command, I recommend Sam Peckinpah's anti-war/drama movie 'Cross of Iron' (1977). From Wiki; Set on the Eastern Front in World War II during the Soviets' Caucasus operations against the German Kuban bridgehead on the Taman Peninsula in late 1943, the film focuses on the class conflict between a newly arrived, aristocratic Prussian officer who covets winning the Iron Cross and a cynical, battle-hardened infantry NCO. Stars James Coburn, James Mason and D.W.

Jason Scade

Picard's suffering at the hands of the Cardassians vs his suffering at the hands of the Borg. Interesting. I think the Cardassian one is worse because the Borg have one collective hive mind with no emotion or individual thought. The Cardassians are smug and self-righteous (which they'd probably say about humans).

Zapp Rowsdower

What a pro! β™₯

Jason Scade

I am deeply sorry for you and your family's loss.

Jason Scade

Between this and the Borg getting him he should be in a space mental facility by now. I think you'll enjoy the next two episodes a lot. Especially the first one.

Geoff S.

Man With Two Brains

Geoff S.

Oddly, Ronny Cox mainly played good guys until he played Dick Jones in Robocop. It was a shock seeing him as a bad guy because he was type cast the other way. Watch an interview with him - he's nothing like the bad guys he's played. Nice guy, awesome actor. He also plays guitar and put out a bunch of albums.

Bret K

Jelico isn't a bad guy in this, he took a military mission seriously. He was different than Picard and didn't take any of Riker's insubordination, what exactly did Jelico do that was so bad? I think most of the negative impression comes from knowing the crew for years and this guy comes in and has a different style. He effectively dealt with the Cardassians and also saved Picard.

Bret K

It also goes a long way to establish the Cardassians as formidable enemies.

Joshua M Freeman

Come to think of it, the only role I remember Ronny Cox not being a loathsome guy in was Deliverance, which itself isn't exactly a feel-good movie. He was the one jamming with the kid on the banjo.

Zapp Rowsdower

I think it's because she's going away for a week to see family for Christmas. She would've had to wait for two weeks to see this.

Zapp Rowsdower

Jen couldn't wait till the weekend πŸ˜†

Ronald Dumesnil

Great episode with lots of iconic moments. The part I always remember the most is when Picard said he literally saw five lights at the end. It really makes me question how humans interpret reality - how so much of what we see and believe is out of convenience rather than truth.

Noremac

This is a great episode on many levels, but by no means an easy or comfortable watch. It gives some context why Chief O'Brien and Captain Maxwell felt the way they did in the Wounded and shows how top ranking Cardassians behave when they aren't visiting Federation ships and playing the diplomat. It brings their brutality into sharp focus rather than anecdotal reports from those who have fought them in the past. Jellico was set up to be a bit of a Captain Bligh character, but I think he was absolutely the right choice to confront the Cardassians. Riker certainly wasn't, and I found his behaviour and lack of respect appalling in this episode. Loyalty to a previous captain may be admirable, but doesn't justify being arrogant, insubordinate and adversarial to your current commanding officer. As for which experience is worse, he may have been broken in the end by Madred, but he was at least able to fight to retain his sense of self. The Borg immediately removed his autonomy and set him to work destroying 39 ships and killing 11k people while remaining awake and aware. There's feelings of guilt and responsibility tied in as well as mutilation and manipulation. I don't think that can be discounted in the reckoning. Hope you're doing okay, thinking of you and yours. ❀️

The Untempered Cynic

David Warner makes me think of Grand Moff Tarkin from Star Wars. HATED Jelico! I have no idea who Ronny Cox is in real life, but I gotta believe if he's SO GOOD at playing such hateful, unlikable characters in movies and TV shows, he's probably not someone I ever want to meet in real life! Is that unfair? Hell ya it is! But, really, it's not going to happen so allow me my fantasies.

Mastervodo

I'm not sure any piece of television entertainment has had a bigger impact on my life than Chain of Command Part 2. This episode, and seeing Patrick Stewart talk about it, made me a life long supporter of Amnesty International.

Opti_Frog

so many things

Luetin

Um pretty annoying shitty Senator Kinsey

Brett Whittaker

oooo best LT imo

MattN

Cool Lieutenant of Beverly Hills PD tho

SnabbKassa

Absolute master class in acting. Patrick Stewart v David Warner.

Jon Hoover

Of course, but he's also in Star Trek V.

Jon Hoover

Pepperoni heaven! *Zap*

Jon Hoover

Ok, my thoughts in what you asked, Jen. As far as what Picard went through at the hands of the Borg versus the torture from Gul Madred.... I think both are equally brutal. Both stripped Picard of his rights, autonomy and tried to break his will. In the case of the Borg, they had more direct means to do so; going straight into his mind and taking it over nearly completely. He described it as being fully aware of what they were making him do, but he couldn't do anything about it. This is pure hell for someone that values their autonomy and strength of mind. With Madred, it was a much cruder way to get inside Picard's mind, but still very effective. You got the purpose of the lights at the end: Madred wanted Picard to admit to the absurdity of having five lights before him when there's only four. This is the psychological torture similar to gaslighting, getting someone to believe what is being said to them despite evidence to the contrary. If someone can be made to believe a falsehood despite what common sense tells them, then their mind is conquered.

Over50Gamer

"Dick, you're FIRED!!!"

Over50Gamer

Worst vice-president of Omni Consumer Products.

Joe Blankenship

I always remember him from TMNT 2.

Joe Blankenship

RIP David Warner, amazing actor, he joined this story at the last minute and read most of his lines from cue cards with little rehersal.

Luetin

Let's not forget that during the very first few episodes of TNG, Stewart's acting respectively the character's behaviour and commanding style was different and far more reserved than it evolved over the years. And looking back, this was not like Jellico's, but certainly not the same like in later seasons.. I fully agree that leadership on a longterm / everyday basis requires so much more than just giving orders, naturally, since I served in the military as well and worked in different fields in which I could experience that first hand. But I still think that Jellico got quite some things done at the end of the day with the means and time at his disposal (and the pressure he was under as well). And who knows.. If he would have to serve for longer on the Enterprise, he could adapt as well in time. But as others pointed out - he's a wartime leader and at times, these uncomfortable, rough, tough and demanding guys are needed. As admiral Hanson in the 'Best of both worlds' - 2-parter pointed out to Picard, Riker needs a kick in the rear (for moving on and take his own command), instead of getting too comfortable and he had a point. Although this would have cost him his life, since the offered USS Melbourne got destroyed at Wolf 359.. I remember watching COC for the first time during the 90ies as a teen. And I didn't like Jellico as well and didn't mind Riker's man-baby, self-rightous behaviour, peaking in his quarters with his stupid grin (well, as it was written for him..). Riker's loyalty to Picard is admirable, but today, I can't help but asking (the other way around).. Who the hell does Riker actually think he is..?? After all, the fact that these episodes cause so many discussions after all these years, speaks for itself. Very well done on many levels. And again, very nuanced and great reaction from JenπŸ™πŸ» Take all the time in the world you need.

Marco Borromeo

Capt. Jellico Best Captain of the Enterprise

D Jammers

Oh absolutely you take all the time you need so sorry to hear that

Brett Whittaker

Please allow me time to grieve before I make decisions about what happens after Christmas. I will post what I am able to, when I am able to. I appreciate everyone's patience so much β™‘β™‘

Jen M

I watched this when it first aired and I really thought they were switching captains, Ronny Cox (Jelico) was an a-list, well known actor big in sci-fi, and I never really kept up with rumors etc so in part 1 it just seemed like maybe they were making a switch. In part 2 breaking all the rules of what we expect from a TV show like this, I figured they were giving Patrick Stewart a chance to go out on a strong acting note. I feared for how it would end, since anything was possible and I didn't know if her was returning.

Paul Hess

You asked us to compare this and the Borg abduction. There is no comparison. This was real and brutal. The Borg was fantastical and abstract. This had two consummate actors in a bare stripped down room acting the hell out of the emotional drama their characters we locked into, with personal stakes and a lifetime of experiences dragged into the moment; the borg had machines with twirly things for hands.

Paul Hess

πŸ©·πŸ’”β€οΈπŸ˜’

Paul Hess

wow nice early Xmas gift !! frikin cardassians !!!

john reed

Why Captain Jellico is pretty awesome: https://youtu.be/09TySF0FN6Y?si=kEs24s5Im29tBAMU

John

Aaaaggghhh

Brett Whittaker

Don't be a stubborn fool. There are five lights. (Zap)

Dustin Denner

RIP David Warner (1941 - 2022). A fine actor! He was in a good adaptation of the mystery / thriller novel 'The Thirty Nine Steps', the 1978 version starring Robert Powell.

Jason Scade

Gul Madrid was played by David Warner, who also played the Federation ambassador in Star Trek V: The Final Frontier and Chancellor Gorkon in Star Trek VI: The Undiscovered Country. A lot of people are not a fan of Captain Jellico, including myself. He is a war time captain, not a peace time captain, as was Captain Benjamin Maxwell in the episode "The Wounded" (S4E12).

Dustin Denner

As this is just the one episode I presume we are able to do part 1 and 2 of Emmisary together after Christmas?

Brett Whittaker

Love the concerned look thumbnail and your Christmas nails very swish πŸ‘Œ really looking forward to seeing how this concluded make it so πŸ––πŸ”₯

Ian

Looking forward to this one. Doing a rewatch of a series myself, Voyager. Given your musical fortitude, I'd be interested in knowing your thoughts on the opening theme. (If you're willing to watch it from the first season which would give you no really spoilers on the shower other than character names.)

Brian Straight

Yaaay! Christmas came early! This will be a perfect beginning to my special Trek night. First, this conclusion, then I'm watching the series finale of Lower Decks! πŸ˜ŠπŸ––

Over50Gamer

Too perfect! I just fin watching part 1 three mins ago. :D Thank you! β™₯ Hope you're doing okay.

Jason Scade

THERE ARE FOUR LIGHTS!!

Brett Whittaker


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