TNG Rewatch: 6x10 - "Chain of Command, Part I"

[Trekker4747]

The Enterprise rendezvous with the starship Cairo where Admiral Nechayev comes aboard and without any pretense relives Picard of command of his ship.

The Admiral explains to Riker and Troi that Picard is being reassigned, along with Crusher and Worf, to take care of a potential problem building with the Cardassians. The Enterprise is being put under the command of Captain Jelico who has some experience with the Cardassians and tense negotiations.

Riker, Troi and Geordi struggle to acclimate to Jelico's rougher command style as he demands large changes to the shifts on the ship and in work-intensive changes to ship systems the moment he comes aboard. Meanwhile, Picard, Crusher and Worf train for their mission in the holodeck, Picard unable to tell them at this time exactly what they are training for.

It appears at first the problem is something of a border dispute between the Federation and the Cardassians but once on a shuttle, Picard reveals to Crusher and Worf that there's concerns that the Cardassians are developing a highly lethal biological weapon they can use to capture the disputed colonies. Picard and Crusher are being sent in due to their experience with this type of weapon, Worf for his muscle.

Picard's group is able to secure transport to the planet where the biological weapon is believed to be held while Jelico tries to reach a diplomatic solution with the Cardassians in space. Though he seems confident in how he is handling the negotiations his unusual style troubles Riker and Troi suggests Jelico isn't as confident as he pretends to be,

Jelico also causes more of a stir with the bridge staff -except for Data- as Riker works to try and maintain a level of communication between Jelico and the crew struggling to adapt to the changes Jelico grows more displeased with Riker as a first officer. Troi tries her own approach but Jelico is uninterested in coddling the crew into working with him and instead tells Troi to help the crew adapt to the fast changes -further ordering her to wear a standard uniform.

On the planet, Picard and company find the chamber where the biological weapon is believed to be held only to find a decoy device giving off false readings. Crusher and Worf manage to escape an ambush from the Cardassians but Picard is captured and taken to a Cardassian commander. The commander demands Picard answer the questions he's asked truthfully or lose his life. The entire biological weapon situation being a ruse to lure-in and capture Picard.

This is an interesting set-up for the two-parter, but the pay offs don't come until the second part.

The biggest thing usually discussed with this episode is the behavior of the Enterprise crew under Jelico's command style and it sort-of blurs that line even more on whether or not Starfleet is truly a military organization with all the expectations of one or if a bit more laid-back that what we think of when it comes to present-day militaries.

If it's a true military organization as we think of them then the crew's behavior is certainly odd and out-of line, and down-right insubordinate, when Jelico takes command but at the same time there's plenty of examples in the series -as well as just their behavior here- that suggests a less "strict" military organization unless there's situations that absolutely call for it, like times of war.

Given how little information the crew is given on what's going on their more laid-back style seems to make sense. Riker isn't given much of a reason to dick with the shifts and scheduling of the crew beyond Jelico wanting it. And since Riker doesn't know they're in a desperate situation it makes sense he'd want to do what is best for the crew and ease them more into the shift-change and discuss it with Jelico rather than making the change instantly.

Geordi doesn't know of the dire situation and since he's on a exploration vessel naturally he's concerned about messing with systems that'd impact scientific areas of the ship, more over the changes being demand are fairly large ones demanding lots of man-hours and he's got to worry about the well-being and morality of his staff as well.

Considering Starfleet more than anything else is scientific/exploration organization one really does wonder how Jelico is in these type of situations.

Granted, Jelico is dealing with a tense situation but only he knows that and the crew is given little to go on on why such huge changes are being demanded to be made overnight.

Riker gets a bit more out-of-line in Part 2 and the crew is maybe a *bit* whiny but at the same time Jelico seems a touch out-of-line and too demanding, wanting too many and too large of changes overnight rather than easing people into these changes. I mean, shift changes and working around the clock is going to impact the sleeping cycles of people, is a fatigued crew really good for going into a tense situation?

And for all of the show he puts on, Troi does makes the suggestion Jelico isn't as sure of himself as he acts.

A good captain doesn't just have to get things done, he also has to have the respect of his crew and have them willing to work hard for him and not just because they "have to." His "get it done" command is indicative of him not giving a damn about other people which, really, makes for a pretty poor leader.

Picard offers a more passive and encouraging, "Make it so," and inspires people to do their best for him even in situations where they have to pull-off the impossible and do things overnight.

Jelico also has an aire of smugness about him that's hard to swallow. He's seems almost disdainful and judging of Picard when handing over a book Picard left behind in the Ready Room. Jelico's, "I believe this is yours," almost sings "Silly little man and your books."

Of big note, in this episode Troi is ordered by Jelico to wear a standard uniform as opposed to her "bunny suit." A change lauded by Sirtis and fans at the time and as much as she looks good in the bunny suit she wears the uniform well. We still see her in the bunny suits from time-to-time but the uniform is a welcome change in situations where the bunny suit isn't called for. (Situations like giving counseling sessions where I'd argue she needs to look more like a friend or equal and not a superior officer.)

Data being a quick lap-dog for Jelico is also pretty humorous to me because Jelico's command style really does sing him needing a "Yes Man" to follow him everywhere and confirm, justify and rationalize Jelico's rather harsh changes.

More next week with Part 2, one of the stronger episodes of the series.

 

[Marsden]

One thing about Cpt. Jelico, he makes me realize how much I don't like Picard. It brings it into focus that Jelico is a captain that really seems to be a strong leader that wants things done well and demands it. Data recognizes this and is rapidly rewarded, Riker doesn't and is sent to his room to pout like a little girl.


And Troi wearing her uniform on the bridge while on duty seems so obviously correct I wonder what the hell were they thinking for 5 plus years. I'd be fine with it if she was a civilian contractor there for the psycological well being of the crew and passengers but she's an officer in Starfleet, she should be in her uniform on duty, or Worf should be able to wear his Hawaiian shirts all the time.

 

[jimbotron]

What I don't get is that they wrote in removing the fish from Picard's ready room, supposedly to appease Patrick Stewart. But then why does the fish return in later episodes?

 

[Ghrakh]

One thing about Cpt. Jelico, he makes me realize how much I don't like Picard. It brings it into focus that Jelico is a captain that really seems to be a strong leader that wants things done well and demands it.

I'm curious as to all the instances of Picard not having been a "strong leader" and not having things "done well".

 

[lewisniven]

I think they are both strong leaders, just with different ways of doing things. We've all had the 'new manager at work' thing where they come in and what everything doing their way, and getting everyone's backs up. It doesn't make them a bad leader, its just different and people generally don't respond well to change.

 

[Trekker4747]

For me, being a "child of that generation" it's hard to not see Ronnie Cox as not a bad guy. So you put him a role and automatically jump to, "I'm not supposed to like this person,"

And why Jelico and Picard had very different command styles, something about Picard just inspired his people to work for him and do their best for him. Picard didn't go around barking and demanding orders from everyone from the word "Go."

Now, granted, in this case the ship is a very tense situation and they could be going into war but the crew doesn't largely know about that, or how serious this is with the biological weapons, so for all they know Jelico is just an asshole and not someone trying to get the ship ready to be on the frontlines of a very, very dangerous and active situation.

The crew, largely, deals with this well and just vents their problems and it is Riker's job to bring those problems to his captain but he's not getting anything from his Captain. Same with Troi, it's her job to ensure the mental health of the crew and she's pretty much told to tell everyone to suck-it up and deal with it.

We've little exposure to him, but it doesn't seem as if Jelico is an ideal captain for what Starfleet's primary mission is. Is this really the kind of man that should be making first contact with new species?

 

[Timo]

It should be pointed out that Jellico is not interacting with the crew here. That's not his job at all. Jellico is interacting with the officers, who are the ones who should care about making people comfortable with their jobs. There's no requirement for the CO to be nice to his officers, who only exist in order to delegate the CO's decisions to the crew in practical form.

I'm sure the crew just loves this amicably avuncular fellah who gives hell to those annoying officers...

the crew doesn't largely know about that

But in Part II, the officers do - in particular Riker, who's the one being the least professional about it all.

Timo Saloniemi

 

[Ghrakh]

From the script:

Jellico: I'll send a message to Admiral Necheyev... recommend that she reject Lemec's proposal... and deploy more starships along the border.

Riker: And what about Captain Picard? I'm not suggesting that we trade entire star systems for one man's life... but we can at least acknowledge the fact that he was acting under Federation orders...that he is a prisoner of war.

Jellico: No.

Riker: It would give him the protections of the Seldonis Convention --

Jellico: It would play right into Gul Lemec's hand. He's just waiting for some sign of weakness in our position before he starts making more demands.

Riker: I can't believe you're going to sacrifice the Captain's life for a negotiating tactic.

Troi: Wil, Captain... I think we're all concerned about --

Jellico: Are you questioning my judgment, Commander?

Riker: As First Officer it's my responsibility to point out what may be mistakes in the actions of the commanding officer. Sir.

Jellico: Then maybe it's time you found other responsibilities. You're relieved.

Jellico the "badass"...

 

[Mojochi]

Given how little information the crew is given on what's going on their more laid-back style seems to make sense. Riker isn't given much of a reason to dick with the shifts and scheduling of the crew beyond Jelico wanting it. And since Riker doesn't know they're in a desperate situation it makes sense he'd want to do what is best for the crew and ease them more into the shift-change and discuss it with Jelico rather than making the change instantly.

This is what Riker knows. They have removed key officers from the crew, to go on a covert mission into Cardassian territory. Cardassian ships are deployed in an attack posture, which suggests the intent of an "Incursion". Jellico, the original armistice negotiator, has orders to come aboard to "Negotiate" this ordeal, and he shows up prepared to the teeth, with specific preparations for making the ship war ready, including technical & tactical adjustments & battle readiness drills. What does this all say? It says that their "Negotiation" mission is not being undertaken with a whole heck of a lot of confidence that it will succeed. Jellico actually says as much to Picard, & if they were wise, they'd already have foreseen it, the both of them (Picard & Riker)

Riker gets a bit more out-of-line in Part 2 and the crew is maybe a *bit* whiny but at the same time Jelico seems a touch out-of-line and too demanding, wanting too many and too large of changes overnight rather than easing people into these changes. I mean, shift changes and working around the clock is going to impact the sleeping cycles of people, is a fatigued crew really good for going into a tense situation?

A fatigued crew is exactly what he knew he would have, and it's still better than an unprepared crew. The situation is one that calls for the crew to work themselves into fatigue, (Not him personally) which is not a new development for any of them. They have all worked tireless hours under Picard's commands before, but because he had been given the time to earn their trust, it is never seen as out-of-line. Geordi himself is in fact heard saying that the short definition of "Captain" is "He wants the impossible", in reference to Picard, during the Sheliak incident. It is not a new thing for the captain to make outlandish demands, and that they are by title, the best crew in Starfleet, they should be held to a higher standard, such that a new captain should be able to get dropped in there, and expect their best during a crisis. That would be a characteristic which would make them worthy of being considered better than an ordinary crew, that can't get bumped out of their comfort zone a bit.

And for all of the show he puts on, Troi does makes the suggestion Jelico isn't as sure of himself as he acts.

That was a specific reference to how he chose his negotiation tactic with the Cardassian negotiator... the wolf metaphor. That's what he's not totally convinced will work, which is why he's preparing for a failed negotiation, and he would have been right, had it not been for the crew delivering that fleet for him to cover in mines. The negotiation would have failed & all his big dog parlor tricks would have been worthless without the leverage those mines gave him, (thanks to the crew, which I'll get back into later)

A good captain doesn't just have to t things done, he also has to have the respect of his crew and have them willing to work hard for him and not just because they "have to." His "get it done" command is indicative of him not giving a damn about other people which, really, makes for a pretty poor leader.

Or it's indicative of him having no wiggle room, and therefore can afford none of them any wiggle room either

Jelico also has an aire of smugness about him that's hard to swallow. He's seems almost disdainful and judging of Picard when handing over a book Picard left behind in the Ready Room. Jelico's, "I believe this is yours," almost sings "Silly little man and your books."

That was directly after Picard tried to tell him how to do his job & run his ship. Maybe Picard was just offering some polite advice, but maybe some people, particularly boss level people, who've worked each rung of the social landscape to get in their position, might not have seen it that way.

Data being a quick lap-dog for Jelico is also pretty humorous to me because Jelico's command style really does sing him needing a "Yes Man" to follow him everywhere and confirm, justify and rationalize Jelico's rather harsh changes.

Calling Data a lap dog is pretty unfair too. The captain doesn't need to justify and rationalize. He gives orders, and if those orders are met with dissatisfaction, it's not really up to him to have to handle that. Otherwise, there's no point in a "Chain of Command" at all.

Having said all that. I never really take issue with any of the crew, except Riker. Each of them are just doing what they are required, in their specific station, including Geordi, who may seem a little whiny, but he's never out of line, and delivers all that he's tasked with. Plus he becomes an invaluable component in the final outcome.

All the breakdown in the chain of command happens because of Riker. He is the 2nd most important officer on that ship. His first act was to openly disregard an order, because he felt that doing so should be within his latitude... that he should have equal say in how the ship should be run, such that an order need not be followed right away, if he sees it as posing difficulties. He is simply wrong, hence why Picard said nothing about that, in its presence. Then, Riker publicly undermines the chain of command by speaking down about the captain to a subordinate (Geordi). He then engages in a consistent campaign of disgruntled posturing in almost ever situation where the captain orders a change.

Jellico only relieves the guy once he downright challenges his authority... (Over an issue wherein he is wrong yet again) And then what happens? Let me see... Oh yeah, everything works out. No more mention of a crippled crew under the thumb of a tyrant. Geordi & Data (as XO) come up with excellent intel, and Jellico uses it to perfection, and then after everything sour between them, Jellico takes Geordi's recommendation to use Riker as the pilot, which involved swallowing pride, dropping ranks, and eating crow, which Riker is absolutely gleeful in serving up for him, like a juvenile.

If Billy Boy is such a maverick in wanting to mount some half-assed rescue mission, then why, after he got relieved, didn't he mount one anyway, off the record, with a heisted shuttle & a few compatriots, ala Jim Kirk, if he thought he was so right, instead of sitting on tail & sulking?

Because it's stupid, and he knows it. This was Riker's worst hour. Period, only redeemed by being a skillful pilot, and yes, I include his Pegasus naivety, where he at least spent years later trying to distinguish himself as a good & valiant officer to compensate. There's no excuse for how he acts under Jellico. Jellico only needs one excuse. He's the captain

 

[Ghrakh]

Here's the ready room scene, in case anyone's interested in what actually was said:

Picard: Captain... I just want you to know that Commander Riker is--

Jellico: I've read your reports, Jean-Luc. I know you think highly of him.

Picard: It's not simply my opinion. He's been decorated five times by Starfleet Command and offered his own ship on more than one occasion. I think if you give him a chance, you'll find he's an outstanding officer.

Jellico: Jean-Luc... let's be candid for a moment. The Cardassians aren't going to listen to reason, and the Federation won't give in to their demands. And the odds are, you won't be coming back from this mission of yours. I want this ship ready for action. I don't have time to give Wil Riker or anyone else a "chance." And... forgive me for being blunt, but the Enterprise is mine now.

And the odds are, you won't be coming back from this mission of yours.
Dickheaded thing to say.

I don't have time to give Wil Riker or anyone else a "chance."
Translation: Everyone aboard is just a tool.

BTW, it's funny how people criticize Riker for being Picard's "yes-man", but then when he questions or confronts "badass" Jellico, he's crapped on for that.

 

[Trekker4747]

Here's the ready room scene, in case anyone's interested in what actually was said:

Picard: Captain... I just want you to know that Commander Riker is--

Jellico: I've read your reports, Jean-Luc. I know you think highly of him.

Picard: It's not simply my opinion. He's been decorated five times by Starfleet Command and offered his own ship on more than one occasion. I think if you give him a chance, you'll find he's an outstanding officer.

Jellico: Jean-Luc... let's be candid for a moment. The Cardassians aren't going to listen to reason, and the Federation won't give in to their demands. And the odds are, you won't be coming back from this mission of yours. I want this ship ready for action. I don't have time to give Wil Riker or anyone else a "chance." And... forgive me for being blunt, but the Enterprise is mine now.

And the odds are, you won't be coming back from this mission of yours.
Dickheaded thing to say.

I don't have time to give Wil Riker or anyone else a "chance."
Translation: Everyone aboard is just a tool.

BTW, it's funny how people criticize Riker for being Picard's "yes-man", but then when he questions or confronts "badass" Jellico, he's crapped on for that.

Well put. Jelico stepped off the transporter pad with his mind made-up and a chip on his shoulder. One of the first things he says is something along the lines of everything being okay in sort of a reserved, cautious, manner. As if he's really saying, "Everything will be okay once this ship is running *right.*"

Now, granted, at that point as far as he knew it was is ship to do with what he pleased (though, given how quickly command is given back to Picard I also wonder if Starfleet didn't also tell Jelico and Picard that "if everything works out okay, the Enterprise goes back to Picard." So the transfer ceremony may have been done for appearances but Jelico and Picard likely knew that if Picard came back from the mission the Enterprise would be his again.)

Riker is hardly 100% perfect but it is his job to make sure the ship runs properly and if department heads are telling him that a sudden shake-up in the schedule will disrupt ship operations it's his duty to make sure the ship runs as efficiently as possible for the captain. So if he feels a sudden shake-up of the schedule will make the ship run poorer than it would if they didn't mess with the schedule then he should delay it and inform the captain. Now, we could argue that maybe Riker waited too long to inform Jelico of the reservations of the department heads but considering his was being told by department heads "we can't do this and still do our jobs" he made the right call to not instantly change everyone's schedule five minutes after Jelico beamed aboard.

Some of the stuff with Jelico makes me think of the movie "Crimson Tide."

In the movie Denzel Washington is a new first officer on a nuclear submarine to captain Gene Hackman. The movie spends a good amount of time showing us the "role" of the XO on the sub and it's that Denzel affirms the Captain's orders. The captain makes an order, the XO repeats that oder to the crew. Denzel sums this up later in the movie by pretty much saying, "nothing happens on this ship unless you and I agree."

Sort of similar to what happens between Jelico and Riker Denzel and Gene clash a lot over life on the submarine, the movie spans several months, IIRC. At one point Denzel expresses concern over crew morale after witnessing a petty fight between to enlisted men. He seems to feel that maybe the Captain should lighted spirits or something, instead Gene gets on the intercom and essentially tells everyone to suck it up or go for a swim. Denzel also questions Gene at one point in the movie when Gene chooses to run a battle-drill just after a fire is contained in the ship's galley that saw the death of a man. Again, Denzel questions running the drill in such a time, especially since there was little assurance that the fire was contained and out for good. Gene counters that a real battle wouldn't happen when things are convenient.

Things reach a head when the sub is informed that they need to ready their nuclear missiles as breakaway Russian republic is readying their own missiles for a possible attack on the U.S. While preparing to ready the missiles another message comes in but a battle causes the message bouy to be lost, leaving only a partial message that cannot be confirmed or ruled a forgery. Denzel thinks they should back away from their attack posture until the message can be confirmed/denied and that if there is an imminent attack the redundant subs in the area will handle things. Gene takes the position that the message is a forgery until proven otherwise and that it's his base assumption the redundant subs may have been taken out by the Russian subs in the area. He intends to launch the missiles. But the crew can't unless the Captain and First Officer agree. Denzel refuses to agree.

Denzel manages to get Gene relieved of command with the back-up of the COB and others on his side and intends to get the rest of the message once the radios are repaired. What follows is a mutiny on the behalf of Gene and those who are loyal to him. Including at one point Gene appointing a new XO so the system will work. This leads to another mutiny from Denzel as he's able to seize the keys to launching devices and convinces Gene to wait until the message is received.

Once the radios are repaired and the most recent message is received and verified, we learn that the message was for ships in the area to stand-down as the rebels had been captured and the nuclear missiles contained. Had Gene gotten "his way" he possibly could have started a nuclear war.

There's some parallels to this movie and what happens in CoC as it seems that Jelico tries to circumvent Riker's refusal to work with Jelico by simply relieving Riker and finding a first-officer who WILL agree with him -Data. Which sort of breaks down the entire concept of the system.

Granted, Trek never showed us a submarine/Marine-like system where it was a CO/XO must agree on everything for things to run smoothly in the strictest sense, but there are hints of this. Plenty of times Riker repeats or affirms Picard's orders. Often we see Picard tell *Riker* to set a course for their next mission and then Riker tells the helmsman what to do. An inefficient way of doing things has the hallmarks of "nothing happens on the ship unless Riker agrees with Picard's command."

Picard makes the order, Riker carries them out. Here we have Riker disagreeing with orders and we can assume he's disagreeing with them in a justifiable way. He didn't want to mess with crew morale by messing with the schedule so quickly. He thought Jelico was risking lives by gambling with the Cardassians too much, etc.

Jelico, apparently, wasn't looking for an XO who'd do his job and keep Jelico in check as far as running the ship, Jelico was looking for a yes-man. Someone to simply repeat his orders without thinking and whether they made any sense or not and, like Gene Hackman in Crimson Tide, he didn't take kindly when his orders were questioned or when his XO wasn't quick to follow them but, rather, thought through them and considered them maybe extreme.

Calling Data a "yes man" is maybe harsh, but it's what Data was simply because Data wasn't human and didn't have emotions. Data, naturally, didn't see the problem with the human(oid) engineering staff working around the clock for a few days to make the changes Jelico wanted. Data has no concept of rest or the need for down-time and how lack of those things can impact the quality of work or morale. Data simply saw it as the solution to the problem at hand. The work *could* be done given the man power and time-frame they had. And that's what Jelico wanted. Not someone to say, "Well it could be done, but the R&R of the engineering staff would take a big hit. This could impact the quality of the work and overall morale of the crew. We may have to sacrifice some time in order to ensure this gets done right the first time."

Jelico wanted someone to simply agree with him and repeat his own ideas in a different voice and Data, by nature, would do that because he has no "humanity filter." Data would have made the shift changes, not caring about other department heads saying that it'd have an impact on morale or the rest of the crew by doing the changes immediately. Not because Data doesn't care but because he doesn't have a concept of the need of rest and relaxation. The changes can be made, simple."

Riker's guilty of thinking of his crew first because, again, he doesn't precisely have all of the necessary information. As far as he knows this is a territory dispute with some giant posturing on both sides. Yeah, it's tense and neither side is looking to back down but he also knows the Federation isn't likely to start a war. He has no idea about the biological weapons the Cardassians are supposedly working on. Does Riker become a bit of an ass, particularly when Jelico needs Riker's help, yeah, he does. But I don't think he's 100% wrong during the confrontations with Jelico. Jelico isn't 100% wrong either given what he knows, but he's hardly even trying to make things work for him and the changes he wants to make -again, instantly, before he's even "given the keys" -so to speak- are drastic and arguably could endanger the mission just as much as Riker's not doing them could endanger it.

Having a stressed out, fatigued, crew pissed-off at you and unwilling to work for you because you're being an asshole is hardly a good way to enter a tense situation.

 

[Mojochi]

And the odds are, you won't be coming back from this mission of yours.
Dickheaded thing to say.

Not if it's true, and it very likely would've been had they not been able to mine those ships. If a guy doesn't know he's going on a suicide mission, you should tell that guy what's what. Best favor you could ever do him

I don't have time to give Wil Riker or anyone else a "chance."
Translation: Everyone aboard is just a tool.

I don't see what he said that way at all. (However, everyone aboard does have a function, just like a tool) What he means is that under normal circumstances, (Peace time, proper shakedown or "Honeymoon") I wouldn't be acting anything like this at all. We don't know anything about how he works aboard the Cairo, but when every third word out of his mouth is war related we can assume that he's operating under unusual conditions here

Well put. Jelico stepped off the transporter pad with his mind made-up and a chip on his shoulder.

I disagree. He stepped off with a mission plan laid out... one he likely already put forth to his superiors & had zero room for variation. He isn't necessarily doing this mission this way because it's what he likes. He's doing it because that's what they need to get what he's been asked to get. Does Picard look like he's enjoying the prep for his mission? It's what he's been told to do. Beverly complains, and because it's Picard's best friend, she gets a soft touch, instead of some guy who was made to take over a group of strangers. That guy doesn't get the same luxury. He is, by default, a dickhead by coming in there at all, sidestepping their internal social structure and taking over for their beloved leader.

considering his was being told by department heads "we can't do this and still do our jobs" he made the right call to not instantly change everyone's schedule five minutes after Jelico beamed aboard.

Nope. That's not what Riker said. Riker said it would cause difficulties. Well, guess what? Every single thing about this mission will be difficult, and likely to fail. I see your difficulties & raise you Picard coming home in a box. The bottom line is that if there are objections and difficulties, they are addressed after you implement the captain's order. You can always change it back, if the captain decides you're right, but the order gets followed. That's chain of command

Denzel sums this up later in the movie by pretty much saying, "nothing happens on this ship unless you and I agree."

It's been a while, but I'm not sure that's the exact quote from that movie. He's talking specifically about nuclear deployment requiring both top officers to agree, not every function of the ship & crew, just nuclear deployment.

Starfleet has a similar protocol, the one time the XO can directly overrule the captain's authority. It's when the captain is placing themselves in harm's way, by going on an away mission, for example. Then the XO has a right to tell the captain he can't continue. It's a very ambiguous ruling that they thankfully never delved into much, but it's apparently why Picard hired Riker to begin with, because he'd taken a stand on it in the past

Denzel also questions Gene at one point in the movie when Gene chooses to run a battle-drill just after a fire is contained in the ship's galley that saw the death of a man. Again, Denzel questions running the drill in such a time, especially since there was little assurance that the fire was contained and out for good. Gene counters that a real battle wouldn't happen when things are convenient.

Denzel doesn't openly question anything. Hackman opens the option by asking "You disagree?" At that point, the man's opinion has been asked of him. Until then, Denzel just has to STFU

There's some parallels to this movie and what happens in CoC as it seems that Jelico tries to circumvent Riker's refusal to work with Jelico by simply relieving Riker and finding a first-officer who WILL agree with him -Data. Which sort of breaks down the entire concept of the system.

You're looking at it backwards. Riker's refusal to work with the captain IS a breach of the system. Riker is not the guy who calls the shots (Which I believe is the real problem between them. He wanted to be that guy in Picard's absence, and got denied)

Calling Data a "yes man" is maybe harsh, but it's what Data was simply because Data wasn't human and didn't have emotions.

You have just argued against your own point. By default, if you remove emotions from this there is suddenly no problems

Data has no concept of rest or the need for down-time and how lack of those things can impact the quality of work or morale. Data simply saw it as the solution to the problem at hand. The work *could* be done given the man power and time-frame they had. And that's what Jelico wanted.

Untrue, and prejudiced against Data. That Data does not require rest, does not constitute that he has no concept of it or people's need for it. He's 3rd in command. He couldn't hold that spot without knowing how the crew works & the people's needs. It's not only because Jellico wanted it. It's because the mission plan depended on it

Riker's guilty of thinking of his crew first.

He's guilty of thinking the crew is his crew to command, that he has a sizable say in how it's to be worked. He is wrong

 

[The Old Mixer]

I know that Jellico has his fans, but I think that the episode portrays his demands as being arbitrary. If the ship didn't need four shifts to deal with the Borg, it doesn't need four shifts to prepare for a shoot-out with the Cardassians. Jellico isn't ordering these things because it's necessary, but because it's the way he wants things.

Contributing to that, the episode also doesn't convince anyone that Jellico's command of the Enterprise is a long-term situation. Only Jellico acts as if it is. This also makes his decisions seem arbitrary. It's a little soon for him to be redecorating the ready room.

 

[Trekker4747]

Him redecorating the Ready Room and acting as if he's in charge could have been part of the "window dressing", along with the change-of-command ceremony. So any spies potentially in the Federation, or on the ship, would tell their superiors that for all appearances the command change is real.

 

[The Old Mixer]

If they've got Cardassian spies in the captain's ready room, Jellico has much bigger problems than switching out the fish for his grandkids' drawings....

 

[Ghrakh]

Well put. Jelico stepped off the transporter pad with his mind made-up and a chip on his shoulder. One of the first things he says is something along the lines of everything being okay in sort of a reserved, cautious, manner. As if he's really saying, "Everything will be okay once this ship is running *right.*"

Thanks and ++ Anyone who endorses his pov is asserting that the ship was being wrongly or badly run under Picard's command.

And the odds are, you won't be coming back from this mission of yours.
Dickheaded thing to say.

Not if it's true, and it very likely would've been had they not been able to mine those ships. If a guy doesn't know he's going on a suicide mission, you should tell that guy what's what. Best favor you could ever do him

Yeah, dickheaded. How did he know Picard wouldn't be coming back? Was his view such that he had no confidence in his abilities? Did you notice that Beverly and Worf returned?

I don't have time to give Wil Riker or anyone else a "chance."
Translation: Everyone aboard is just a tool.

I don't see what he said that way at all. (However, everyone aboard does have a function, just like a tool) What he means is that under normal circumstances, (Peace time, proper shakedown or "Honeymoon") I wouldn't be acting anything like this at all. We don't know anything about how he works aboard the Cairo, but when every third word out of his mouth is war related we can assume that he's operating under unusual conditions here

No, the ship and crew that Picard cultivated, the ship that was the place to be; "Screw that, it's mine now because of an order from Starfleet, and I'm Captain Badass." Right?

 

[suarezguy]

The episodes were entertaining and generally well-done even if they made Riker and, in part I, La Forge seem pretty unreasonable, as if they had never heard of Cardassians having previously fought a war with the Federation.

 

[Marsden]

Given how little information the crew is given on what's going on their more laid-back style seems to make sense. Riker isn't given much of a reason to dick with the shifts and scheduling of the crew beyond Jelico wanting it. And since Riker doesn't know they're in a desperate situation it makes sense he'd want to do what is best for the crew and ease them more into the shift-change and discuss it with Jelico rather than making the change instantly.

This is what Riker knows. They have removed key officers from the crew, to go on a covert mission into Cardassian territory. Cardassian ships are deployed in an attack posture, which suggests the intent of an "Incursion". Jellico, the original armistice negotiator, has orders to come aboard to "Negotiate" this ordeal, and he shows up prepared to the teeth, with specific preparations for making the ship war ready, including technical & tactical adjustments & battle readiness drills. What does this all say? It says that their "Negotiation" mission is not being undertaken with a whole heck of a lot of confidence that it will succeed. Jellico actually says as much to Picard, & if they were wise, they'd already have foreseen it, the both of them (Picard & Riker)

Riker gets a bit more out-of-line in Part 2 and the crew is maybe a *bit* whiny but at the same time Jelico seems a touch out-of-line and too demanding, wanting too many and too large of changes overnight rather than easing people into these changes. I mean, shift changes and working around the clock is going to impact the sleeping cycles of people, is a fatigued crew really good for going into a tense situation?

A fatigued crew is exactly what he knew he would have, and it's still better than an unprepared crew. The situation is one that calls for the crew to work themselves into fatigue, (Not him personally) which is not a new development for any of them. They have all worked tireless hours under Picard's commands before, but because he had been given the time to earn their trust, it is never seen as out-of-line. Geordi himself is in fact heard saying that the short definition of "Captain" is "He wants the impossible", in reference to Picard, during the Sheliak incident. It is not a new thing for the captain to make outlandish demands, and that they are by title, the best crew in Starfleet, they should be held to a higher standard, such that a new captain should be able to get dropped in there, and expect their best during a crisis. That would be a characteristic which would make them worthy of being considered better than an ordinary crew, that can't get bumped out of their comfort zone a bit.That was a specific reference to how he chose his negotiation tactic with the Cardassian negotiator... the wolf metaphor. That's what he's not totally convinced will work, which is why he's preparing for a failed negotiation, and he would have been right, had it not been for the crew delivering that fleet for him to cover in mines. The negotiation would have failed & all his big dog parlor tricks would have been worthless without the leverage those mines gave him, (thanks to the crew, which I'll get back into later)
Or it's indicative of him having no wiggle room, and therefore can afford none of them any wiggle room either

Jelico also has an aire of smugness about him that's hard to swallow. He's seems almost disdainful and judging of Picard when handing over a book Picard left behind in the Ready Room. Jelico's, "I believe this is yours," almost sings "Silly little man and your books."

That was directly after Picard tried to tell him how to do his job & run his ship. Maybe Picard was just offering some polite advice, but maybe some people, particularly boss level people, who've worked each rung of the social landscape to get in their position, might not have seen it that way.

Data being a quick lap-dog for Jelico is also pretty humorous to me because Jelico's command style really does sing him needing a "Yes Man" to follow him everywhere and confirm, justify and rationalize Jelico's rather harsh changes.

Calling Data a lap dog is pretty unfair too. The captain doesn't need to justify and rationalize. He gives orders, and if those orders are met with dissatisfaction, it's not really up to him to have to handle that. Otherwise, there's no point in a "Chain of Command" at all.

Having said all that. I never really take issue with any of the crew, except Riker. Each of them are just doing what they are required, in their specific station, including Geordi, who may seem a little whiny, but he's never out of line, and delivers all that he's tasked with. Plus he becomes an invaluable component in the final outcome.

All the breakdown in the chain of command happens because of Riker. He is the 2nd most important officer on that ship. His first act was to openly disregard an order, because he felt that doing so should be within his latitude... that he should have equal say in how the ship should be run, such that an order need not be followed right away, if he sees it as posing difficulties. He is simply wrong, hence why Picard said nothing about that, in its presence. Then, Riker publicly undermines the chain of command by speaking down about the captain to a subordinate (Geordi). He then engages in a consistent campaign of disgruntled posturing in almost ever situation where the captain orders a change.

Jellico only relieves the guy once he downright challenges his authority... (Over an issue wherein he is wrong yet again) And then what happens? Let me see... Oh yeah, everything works out. No more mention of a crippled crew under the thumb of a tyrant. Geordi & Data (as XO) come up with excellent intel, and Jellico uses it to perfection, and then after everything sour between them, Jellico takes Geordi's recommendation to use Riker as the pilot, which involved swallowing pride, dropping ranks, and eating crow, which Riker is absolutely gleeful in serving up for him, like a juvenile.

If Billy Boy is such a maverick in wanting to mount some half-assed rescue mission, then why, after he got relieved, didn't he mount one anyway, off the record, with a heisted shuttle & a few compatriots, ala Jim Kirk, if he thought he was so right, instead of sitting on tail & sulking?

Because it's stupid, and he knows it. This was Riker's worst hour. Period, only redeemed by being a skillful pilot, and yes, I include his Pegasus naivety, where he at least spent years later trying to distinguish himself as a good & valiant officer to compensate. There's no excuse for how he acts under Jellico. Jellico only needs one excuse. He's the captain

Very good post. I agree at least 95% and you stated it much better that I did. Thank you.

Here's the ready room scene, in case anyone's interested in what actually was said:

Picard: Captain... I just want you to know that Commander Riker is--

Jellico: I've read your reports, Jean-Luc. I know you think highly of him.

Picard: It's not simply my opinion. He's been decorated five times by Starfleet Command and offered his own ship on more than one occasion. I think if you give him a chance, you'll find he's an outstanding officer.

Jellico: Jean-Luc... let's be candid for a moment. The Cardassians aren't going to listen to reason, and the Federation won't give in to their demands. And the odds are, you won't be coming back from this mission of yours. I want this ship ready for action. I don't have time to give Wil Riker or anyone else a "chance." And... forgive me for being blunt, but the Enterprise is mine now.

And the odds are, you won't be coming back from this mission of yours.
Dickheaded thing to say.

I don't have time to give Wil Riker or anyone else a "chance."
Translation: Everyone aboard is just a tool.

BTW, it's funny how people criticize Riker for being Picard's "yes-man", but then when he questions or confronts "badass" Jellico, he's crapped on for that.

Well put. Jelico stepped off the transporter pad with his mind made-up and a chip on his shoulder. One of the first things he says is something along the lines of everything being okay in sort of a reserved, cautious, manner. As if he's really saying, "Everything will be okay once this ship is running *right.*"

Now, granted, at that point as far as he knew it was is ship to do with what he pleased (though, given how quickly command is given back to Picard I also wonder if Starfleet didn't also tell Jelico and Picard that "if everything works out okay, the Enterprise goes back to Picard." So the transfer ceremony may have been done for appearances but Jelico and Picard likely knew that if Picard came back from the mission the Enterprise would be his again.)

Riker is hardly 100% perfect but it is his job to make sure the ship runs properly and if department heads are telling him that a sudden shake-up in the schedule will disrupt ship operations it's his duty to make sure the ship runs as efficiently as possible for the captain. So if he feels a sudden shake-up of the schedule will make the ship run poorer than it would if they didn't mess with the schedule then he should delay it and inform the captain. Now, we could argue that maybe Riker waited too long to inform Jelico of the reservations of the department heads but considering his was being told by department heads "we can't do this and still do our jobs" he made the right call to not instantly change everyone's schedule five minutes after Jelico beamed aboard.

Some of the stuff with Jelico makes me think of the movie "Crimson Tide."

In the movie Denzel Washington is a new first officer on a nuclear submarine to captain Gene Hackman. The movie spends a good amount of time showing us the "role" of the XO on the sub and it's that Denzel affirms the Captain's orders. The captain makes an order, the XO repeats that oder to the crew. Denzel sums this up later in the movie by pretty much saying, "nothing happens on this ship unless you and I agree."

Sort of similar to what happens between Jelico and Riker Denzel and Gene clash a lot over life on the submarine, the movie spans several months, IIRC. At one point Denzel expresses concern over crew morale after witnessing a petty fight between to enlisted men. He seems to feel that maybe the Captain should lighted spirits or something, instead Gene gets on the intercom and essentially tells everyone to suck it up or go for a swim. Denzel also questions Gene at one point in the movie when Gene chooses to run a battle-drill just after a fire is contained in the ship's galley that saw the death of a man. Again, Denzel questions running the drill in such a time, especially since there was little assurance that the fire was contained and out for good. Gene counters that a real battle wouldn't happen when things are convenient.

Things reach a head when the sub is informed that they need to ready their nuclear missiles as breakaway Russian republic is readying their own missiles for a possible attack on the U.S. While preparing to ready the missiles another message comes in but a battle causes the message bouy to be lost, leaving only a partial message that cannot be confirmed or ruled a forgery. Denzel thinks they should back away from their attack posture until the message can be confirmed/denied and that if there is an imminent attack the redundant subs in the area will handle things. Gene takes the position that the message is a forgery until proven otherwise and that it's his base assumption the redundant subs may have been taken out by the Russian subs in the area. He intends to launch the missiles. But the crew can't unless the Captain and First Officer agree. Denzel refuses to agree.

Denzel manages to get Gene relieved of command with the back-up of the COB and others on his side and intends to get the rest of the message once the radios are repaired. What follows is a mutiny on the behalf of Gene and those who are loyal to him. Including at one point Gene appointing a new XO so the system will work. This leads to another mutiny from Denzel as he's able to seize the keys to launching devices and convinces Gene to wait until the message is received.

Once the radios are repaired and the most recent message is received and verified, we learn that the message was for ships in the area to stand-down as the rebels had been captured and the nuclear missiles contained. Had Gene gotten "his way" he possibly could have started a nuclear war.

There's some parallels to this movie and what happens in CoC as it seems that Jelico tries to circumvent Riker's refusal to work with Jelico by simply relieving Riker and finding a first-officer who WILL agree with him -Data. Which sort of breaks down the entire concept of the system.

Granted, Trek never showed us a submarine/Marine-like system where it was a CO/XO must agree on everything for things to run smoothly in the strictest sense, but there are hints of this. Plenty of times Riker repeats or affirms Picard's orders. Often we see Picard tell *Riker* to set a course for their next mission and then Riker tells the helmsman what to do. An inefficient way of doing things has the hallmarks of "nothing happens on the ship unless Riker agrees with Picard's command."

Picard makes the order, Riker carries them out. Here we have Riker disagreeing with orders and we can assume he's disagreeing with them in a justifiable way. He didn't want to mess with crew morale by messing with the schedule so quickly. He thought Jelico was risking lives by gambling with the Cardassians too much, etc.

Jelico, apparently, wasn't looking for an XO who'd do his job and keep Jelico in check as far as running the ship, Jelico was looking for a yes-man. Someone to simply repeat his orders without thinking and whether they made any sense or not and, like Gene Hackman in Crimson Tide, he didn't take kindly when his orders were questioned or when his XO wasn't quick to follow them but, rather, thought through them and considered them maybe extreme.

Calling Data a "yes man" is maybe harsh, but it's what Data was simply because Data wasn't human and didn't have emotions. Data, naturally, didn't see the problem with the human(oid) engineering staff working around the clock for a few days to make the changes Jelico wanted. Data has no concept of rest or the need for down-time and how lack of those things can impact the quality of work or morale. Data simply saw it as the solution to the problem at hand. The work *could* be done given the man power and time-frame they had. And that's what Jelico wanted. Not someone to say, "Well it could be done, but the R&R of the engineering staff would take a big hit. This could impact the quality of the work and overall morale of the crew. We may have to sacrifice some time in order to ensure this gets done right the first time."

Jelico wanted someone to simply agree with him and repeat his own ideas in a different voice and Data, by nature, would do that because he has no "humanity filter." Data would have made the shift changes, not caring about other department heads saying that it'd have an impact on morale or the rest of the crew by doing the changes immediately. Not because Data doesn't care but because he doesn't have a concept of the need of rest and relaxation. The changes can be made, simple."

Riker's guilty of thinking of his crew first because, again, he doesn't precisely have all of the necessary information. As far as he knows this is a territory dispute with some giant posturing on both sides. Yeah, it's tense and neither side is looking to back down but he also knows the Federation isn't likely to start a war. He has no idea about the biological weapons the Cardassians are supposedly working on. Does Riker become a bit of an ass, particularly when Jelico needs Riker's help, yeah, he does. But I don't think he's 100% wrong during the confrontations with Jelico. Jelico isn't 100% wrong either given what he knows, but he's hardly even trying to make things work for him and the changes he wants to make -again, instantly, before he's even "given the keys" -so to speak- are drastic and arguably could endanger the mission just as much as Riker's not doing them could endanger it.

Having a stressed out, fatigued, crew pissed-off at you and unwilling to work for you because you're being an asshole is hardly a good way to enter a tense situation.

I never realized how much you hate Data.

He has no concept of the need for rest? Is that why Spot always seems to be a different cat, he demands the animal play with him without regard and it dies from lack of rest?

Really, it's a good thing that you weren't there for Cmdr Maddox trying to have Data disassembled. From your screed, Data is little better than a puppet with no mind at all.

 

[Ghrakh]

Given how little information the crew is given on what's going on their more laid-back style seems to make sense. Riker isn't given much of a reason to dick with the shifts and scheduling of the crew beyond Jelico wanting it. And since Riker doesn't know they're in a desperate situation it makes sense he'd want to do what is best for the crew and ease them more into the shift-change and discuss it with Jelico rather than making the change instantly.

This is what Riker knows. They have removed key officers from the crew, to go on a covert mission into Cardassian territory. Cardassian ships are deployed in an attack posture, which suggests the intent of an "Incursion". Jellico, the original armistice negotiator, has orders to come aboard to "Negotiate" this ordeal, and he shows up prepared to the teeth, with specific preparations for making the ship war ready, including technical & tactical adjustments & battle readiness drills. What does this all say? It says that their "Negotiation" mission is not being undertaken with a whole heck of a lot of confidence that it will succeed. Jellico actually says as much to Picard, & if they were wise, they'd already have foreseen it, the both of them (Picard & Riker)A fatigued crew is exactly what he knew he would have, and it's still better than an unprepared crew. The situation is one that calls for the crew to work themselves into fatigue, (Not him personally) which is not a new development for any of them. They have all worked tireless hours under Picard's commands before, but because he had been given the time to earn their trust, it is never seen as out-of-line. Geordi himself is in fact heard saying that the short definition of "Captain" is "He wants the impossible", in reference to Picard, during the Sheliak incident. It is not a new thing for the captain to make outlandish demands, and that they are by title, the best crew in Starfleet, they should be held to a higher standard, such that a new captain should be able to get dropped in there, and expect their best during a crisis. That would be a characteristic which would make them worthy of being considered better than an ordinary crew, that can't get bumped out of their comfort zone a bit.That was a specific reference to how he chose his negotiation tactic with the Cardassian negotiator... the wolf metaphor. That's what he's not totally convinced will work, which is why he's preparing for a failed negotiation, and he would have been right, had it not been for the crew delivering that fleet for him to cover in mines. The negotiation would have failed & all his big dog parlor tricks would have been worthless without the leverage those mines gave him, (thanks to the crew, which I'll get back into later)
Or it's indicative of him having no wiggle room, and therefore can afford none of them any wiggle room either
That was directly after Picard tried to tell him how to do his job & run his ship. Maybe Picard was just offering some polite advice, but maybe some people, particularly boss level people, who've worked each rung of the social landscape to get in their position, might not have seen it that way.

Calling Data a lap dog is pretty unfair too. The captain doesn't need to justify and rationalize. He gives orders, and if those orders are met with dissatisfaction, it's not really up to him to have to handle that. Otherwise, there's no point in a "Chain of Command" at all.

Having said all that. I never really take issue with any of the crew, except Riker. Each of them are just doing what they are required, in their specific station, including Geordi, who may seem a little whiny, but he's never out of line, and delivers all that he's tasked with. Plus he becomes an invaluable component in the final outcome.

All the breakdown in the chain of command happens because of Riker. He is the 2nd most important officer on that ship. His first act was to openly disregard an order, because he felt that doing so should be within his latitude... that he should have equal say in how the ship should be run, such that an order need not be followed right away, if he sees it as posing difficulties. He is simply wrong, hence why Picard said nothing about that, in its presence. Then, Riker publicly undermines the chain of command by speaking down about the captain to a subordinate (Geordi). He then engages in a consistent campaign of disgruntled posturing in almost ever situation where the captain orders a change.

Jellico only relieves the guy once he downright challenges his authority... (Over an issue wherein he is wrong yet again) And then what happens? Let me see... Oh yeah, everything works out. No more mention of a crippled crew under the thumb of a tyrant. Geordi & Data (as XO) come up with excellent intel, and Jellico uses it to perfection, and then after everything sour between them, Jellico takes Geordi's recommendation to use Riker as the pilot, which involved swallowing pride, dropping ranks, and eating crow, which Riker is absolutely gleeful in serving up for him, like a juvenile.

If Billy Boy is such a maverick in wanting to mount some half-assed rescue mission, then why, after he got relieved, didn't he mount one anyway, off the record, with a heisted shuttle & a few compatriots, ala Jim Kirk, if he thought he was so right, instead of sitting on tail & sulking?

Because it's stupid, and he knows it. This was Riker's worst hour. Period, only redeemed by being a skillful pilot, and yes, I include his Pegasus naivety, where he at least spent years later trying to distinguish himself as a good & valiant officer to compensate. There's no excuse for how he acts under Jellico. Jellico only needs one excuse. He's the captain

Very good post. I agree at least 95% and you stated it much better that I did. Thank you.

Here's the ready room scene, in case anyone's interested in what actually was said:



And the odds are, you won't be coming back from this mission of yours.
Dickheaded thing to say.

I don't have time to give Wil Riker or anyone else a "chance."
Translation: Everyone aboard is just a tool.

BTW, it's funny how people criticize Riker for being Picard's "yes-man", but then when he questions or confronts "badass" Jellico, he's crapped on for that.

Well put. Jelico stepped off the transporter pad with his mind made-up and a chip on his shoulder. One of the first things he says is something along the lines of everything being okay in sort of a reserved, cautious, manner. As if he's really saying, "Everything will be okay once this ship is running *right.*"

Now, granted, at that point as far as he knew it was is ship to do with what he pleased (though, given how quickly command is given back to Picard I also wonder if Starfleet didn't also tell Jelico and Picard that "if everything works out okay, the Enterprise goes back to Picard." So the transfer ceremony may have been done for appearances but Jelico and Picard likely knew that if Picard came back from the mission the Enterprise would be his again.)

Riker is hardly 100% perfect but it is his job to make sure the ship runs properly and if department heads are telling him that a sudden shake-up in the schedule will disrupt ship operations it's his duty to make sure the ship runs as efficiently as possible for the captain. So if he feels a sudden shake-up of the schedule will make the ship run poorer than it would if they didn't mess with the schedule then he should delay it and inform the captain. Now, we could argue that maybe Riker waited too long to inform Jelico of the reservations of the department heads but considering his was being told by department heads "we can't do this and still do our jobs" he made the right call to not instantly change everyone's schedule five minutes after Jelico beamed aboard.

Some of the stuff with Jelico makes me think of the movie "Crimson Tide."

In the movie Denzel Washington is a new first officer on a nuclear submarine to captain Gene Hackman. The movie spends a good amount of time showing us the "role" of the XO on the sub and it's that Denzel affirms the Captain's orders. The captain makes an order, the XO repeats that oder to the crew. Denzel sums this up later in the movie by pretty much saying, "nothing happens on this ship unless you and I agree."

Sort of similar to what happens between Jelico and Riker Denzel and Gene clash a lot over life on the submarine, the movie spans several months, IIRC. At one point Denzel expresses concern over crew morale after witnessing a petty fight between to enlisted men. He seems to feel that maybe the Captain should lighted spirits or something, instead Gene gets on the intercom and essentially tells everyone to suck it up or go for a swim. Denzel also questions Gene at one point in the movie when Gene chooses to run a battle-drill just after a fire is contained in the ship's galley that saw the death of a man. Again, Denzel questions running the drill in such a time, especially since there was little assurance that the fire was contained and out for good. Gene counters that a real battle wouldn't happen when things are convenient.

Things reach a head when the sub is informed that they need to ready their nuclear missiles as breakaway Russian republic is readying their own missiles for a possible attack on the U.S. While preparing to ready the missiles another message comes in but a battle causes the message bouy to be lost, leaving only a partial message that cannot be confirmed or ruled a forgery. Denzel thinks they should back away from their attack posture until the message can be confirmed/denied and that if there is an imminent attack the redundant subs in the area will handle things. Gene takes the position that the message is a forgery until proven otherwise and that it's his base assumption the redundant subs may have been taken out by the Russian subs in the area. He intends to launch the missiles. But the crew can't unless the Captain and First Officer agree. Denzel refuses to agree.

Denzel manages to get Gene relieved of command with the back-up of the COB and others on his side and intends to get the rest of the message once the radios are repaired. What follows is a mutiny on the behalf of Gene and those who are loyal to him. Including at one point Gene appointing a new XO so the system will work. This leads to another mutiny from Denzel as he's able to seize the keys to launching devices and convinces Gene to wait until the message is received.

Once the radios are repaired and the most recent message is received and verified, we learn that the message was for ships in the area to stand-down as the rebels had been captured and the nuclear missiles contained. Had Gene gotten "his way" he possibly could have started a nuclear war.

There's some parallels to this movie and what happens in CoC as it seems that Jelico tries to circumvent Riker's refusal to work with Jelico by simply relieving Riker and finding a first-officer who WILL agree with him -Data. Which sort of breaks down the entire concept of the system.

Granted, Trek never showed us a submarine/Marine-like system where it was a CO/XO must agree on everything for things to run smoothly in the strictest sense, but there are hints of this. Plenty of times Riker repeats or affirms Picard's orders. Often we see Picard tell *Riker* to set a course for their next mission and then Riker tells the helmsman what to do. An inefficient way of doing things has the hallmarks of "nothing happens on the ship unless Riker agrees with Picard's command."

Picard makes the order, Riker carries them out. Here we have Riker disagreeing with orders and we can assume he's disagreeing with them in a justifiable way. He didn't want to mess with crew morale by messing with the schedule so quickly. He thought Jelico was risking lives by gambling with the Cardassians too much, etc.

Jelico, apparently, wasn't looking for an XO who'd do his job and keep Jelico in check as far as running the ship, Jelico was looking for a yes-man. Someone to simply repeat his orders without thinking and whether they made any sense or not and, like Gene Hackman in Crimson Tide, he didn't take kindly when his orders were questioned or when his XO wasn't quick to follow them but, rather, thought through them and considered them maybe extreme.

Calling Data a "yes man" is maybe harsh, but it's what Data was simply because Data wasn't human and didn't have emotions. Data, naturally, didn't see the problem with the human(oid) engineering staff working around the clock for a few days to make the changes Jelico wanted. Data has no concept of rest or the need for down-time and how lack of those things can impact the quality of work or morale. Data simply saw it as the solution to the problem at hand. The work *could* be done given the man power and time-frame they had. And that's what Jelico wanted. Not someone to say, "Well it could be done, but the R&R of the engineering staff would take a big hit. This could impact the quality of the work and overall morale of the crew. We may have to sacrifice some time in order to ensure this gets done right the first time."

Jelico wanted someone to simply agree with him and repeat his own ideas in a different voice and Data, by nature, would do that because he has no "humanity filter." Data would have made the shift changes, not caring about other department heads saying that it'd have an impact on morale or the rest of the crew by doing the changes immediately. Not because Data doesn't care but because he doesn't have a concept of the need of rest and relaxation. The changes can be made, simple."

Riker's guilty of thinking of his crew first because, again, he doesn't precisely have all of the necessary information. As far as he knows this is a territory dispute with some giant posturing on both sides. Yeah, it's tense and neither side is looking to back down but he also knows the Federation isn't likely to start a war. He has no idea about the biological weapons the Cardassians are supposedly working on. Does Riker become a bit of an ass, particularly when Jelico needs Riker's help, yeah, he does. But I don't think he's 100% wrong during the confrontations with Jelico. Jelico isn't 100% wrong either given what he knows, but he's hardly even trying to make things work for him and the changes he wants to make -again, instantly, before he's even "given the keys" -so to speak- are drastic and arguably could endanger the mission just as much as Riker's not doing them could endanger it.

Having a stressed out, fatigued, crew pissed-off at you and unwilling to work for you because you're being an asshole is hardly a good way to enter a tense situation.

I never realized how much you hate Data.

He has no concept of the need for rest? Is that why Spot always seems to be a different cat, he demands the animal play with him without regard and it dies from lack of rest?

Really, it's a good thing that you weren't there for Cmdr Maddox trying to have Data disassembled. From your screed, Data is little better than a puppet with no mind at all.

Jellico wanted puppets.

 

[Mojochi]

I know that Jellico has his fans, but I think that the episode portrays his demands as being arbitrary. If the ship didn't need four shifts to deal with the Borg, it doesn't need four shifts to prepare for a shoot-out with the Cardassians.

It isn't a shootout, it's a preamble to a full blown war, for the 2nd time, & the Borg situation is not comparable to that. It was a surprise attack that the entire fleet was unprepared for. (and it nearly went bad) The Cardies are a known enemy. Stands to reason that there'd be known protocol specific to preparing for a long term war with them, & the guy who negotiated the cease fire the last time probably knows it better than anyone. It's not out of the realm of possibility that the Enterprise such as it is, is not geared up for long term, front line duty in a new Cardassian war. Take a look at what the Enterprise looks like in the AU Klingon war in "Yesterday's Enterprise" All kinds of different. Well, 5 years into a new Cardy war, Jellico's Enterprise might need to be quite similar, & perhaps he's getting a head start on that

What the episode is actually doing is presenting a scenario where the audience would have 2 possible ways of looking at it. Of course they expect you to side with the ENT-D crew. You have a bias towards them, but then they specifically go out of their way to indicate how this guy is not a villain. He is a good Starfleet captain. The episode is purposely trying to challenge your prejudice, and so many people fail the challenge by never seeing it objectively

Contributing to that, the episode also doesn't convince anyone that Jellico's command of the Enterprise is a long-term situation. Only Jellico acts as if it is. This also makes his decisions seem arbitrary. It's a little soon for him to be redecorating the ready room.

It might not have convinced you, because you know that Stewart isn't leaving the show mid-season. The characters suspect it's long term. They even say so. That's all it needs to be for it to make sense

Anyone who endorses his pov is asserting that the ship was being wrongly or badly run under Picard's command.

Not at all, just being run differently because the circumstances are different than we've ever seen on Picard's watch. Picard, by his own admission in "Peak Performance" confesses that the ship is hardy a battle focused vessel

Him redecorating the Ready Room and acting as if he's in charge could have been part of the "window dressing

Or it could just be that it's his office now. The man's got big problems to be concerned with over the next few days or weeks or years, & perhaps a fish tank bubbling up in the background is a distraction he'd rather not have. These are the things that support the argument that he's a bad captain? Really? Shift changes & redecorating? I work off shifts at a hospital all the time. Days, evenings, nights. Sometimes you get 7 hours to get home & sack out before you go back to work. It's not that huge of a deal. They're looking down the barrel of a possible war. They are under the gun & stress is part of the deal.

How did he know Picard wouldn't be coming back? Was his view such that he had no confidence in his abilities?

Because he was briefed on everything. He had no confidence in any of it. He is certain that it will end in war. Nothing that happens on Picard's mission (Which even smells like a trap) will change it, & nothing that happens on his negotiation mission will change it. It is only because they got the intel that clued them into what the Cardies were up to, that anything worked out for the good at all. Had that not happened, Picard would never have come back, & the Federation would be in a new war

Geordi & Data saved the day when they found that hull degradation or whatever it was, & Jellico was smart enough to know exactly how to use it to shift the balance

The man is the most thankless character in Star Trek history, solely because he didn't have the luxury of time to familiarize himself with the crew

Yeah... I got war negotiations going on Troi. Maybe your T&A shouldn't be on the menu. Get your ass in a uniform