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Star Trek - The Next Generation, Episode 95: The Drumhead [VHS]

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"The Drumhead" is one of the finest Star Trek Next Generation episodes ever made, reprising the disgraceful period of slander,innuendo, and insinuation conducted under Senator Joseph McCarthy during the 1950's that led to the blacklisting of many talented Hollywood writers and actors.

Legendary actress Jean Simmons is outstanding as Admiral Nora Satie who gradually and insidiously feeds her paranoia and megalomania with the careers and reputations of her opponents during public trials masked as "hearings", ultimately ending with a trial of Captain Picard himself.

The casting of Simmons in this role has an interesting twist -- she played the part of Varinia in the screen adaptation of Howard Fast's novel "Spartacus", directed by Stanley Kubrick, and written by blacklisted writer Dalton Trumbo. This landmark film helped break the blacklist.

This episode serves to remind us all about the value of individual rights and freedom.

After a visiting Klingon, J'Ddan (Henry Woronicz) is accused of spying aboard the Enterprise, retired Admiral Norah Satie (Jean Simmons) is dispatched by Starfleet to investigate. With a Betazoid aide to assist her, she remarkably and quickly extracts the truth from the Klingon spy and he confesses.

Satie becomes obsessed. She is certain that this is only one loose thread in a tapestry of deceptions and a large spy network that has obviously penetrated the Enterprise and the very Federation itself. She enlists Worf, who is eager to assist her, to aid her in investigating every member of the Enterprise crew.

During an interview of medical technician Simon Tarses (Spencer Garrett), the Betazoid aide detects that he is nervous and hiding something, so they drill into his background and discover that he lied on his Starfleet application. When filling out family information, he claimed his paternal grandfather was Vulcan, when in fact, he was Romulan. Such a connection would have made Tarses ineligible to apply to Starfleet, yet getting caught in a lie like this could mean a Court Marshall.

Satie is unsympathetic to Tarses, believing he is part of a Romulan plot to undermine the Federation and to destroy it from within.

Picard is furious. Satie has turned a simple investigation into a witches' tribunal. Satie has powerful friends in the Federation and has been in constant communications with Starfleet, behind Picard's back. When Picard gives her an ultimatum, she begins to investigate him, and subpoenas him to appear before their court, where she brings up the 9 times he has violated the Prime Directive.

Suddenly, Worf gets his wake-up call, but it seems like it's too late. The senior staff has their jaws hanging open as it appears their world is falling apart. Satie is grilling Picard in a twisted ends-justifies-the-means vendetta.

Will Picard emerge unscathed? Will the rest of the crew be next? A great, albeit disturbing, episode.

If one wants to view an episode that explains the staying power of the Star Trek, one needs look no farther than this episode. A timeless tale about the effects of prejudice and ignorance is told here with intelligent wit, stellar performances from all involved, and superb direction. Besides the usual effortless excellence of Patrick Stewart, motion picture legend Jean Simmons does a smashing job as a Star Fleet admiral investigating what appears to be a "blemish" in the perceived unbreakable armor of the Federation. The final few minutes of the episode features acting that is far above the average television program. This is one to own and share with others as a representation of what television can, and should, be: that is,thought-provoking and challenging!

Not just an excellent TNG episode but also one of the most superior shows ever done in any of the Star Trek series'. With echoes of Sinclair Lewis' "It Can't Happen Here" and the HUAC hearings, writer Jeri Taylor deftly creates an effective and suspenseful fable about the foibles of suspicion, using the elements of the Trek universe - the Federation's judicial system and a natural skepticism concerning the Klingons. What could have been a long, boring and talky treatise on the fallibility of 'guilty till proven innocent' is instead turned into a chilling and unforgettable examination of power run amuck, paralleling the communist witch hunts of the 1950's very closely.

When a Klingon officer is suspected of spying he is brought before Riker and Troi for questioning. Despite compelling evidence the Klingon proclaims his innocence over and over again; he is then sequestered in his quarters until they reach a starbase where an expanded and more formal hearing can take place. Since the officer had been part of an exchange program Picard remains diplomatic and open-minded on the affair unless someone can present solid evidence suggesting - or proving - guilt. When retired Admiral Norah Satie, a former Judge Advocate General officer, is recalled by the Federation to assist in the investigation Picard is pleased to have her aboard convinced she will resolve the matter most effectively. But the investigations soon become more personal than professional and when Picard attempts to stop the admiral from pursuing the matter further he becomes her next target.

Terse, frightening and utterly believable 'The Drumhead' is one Star Trek's finest hours. The casting of the accomplished film and television star Jean Simmons as Admiral Satie is a real coup and lends even further credibility to the episode. She is absolutely convincing as the insatiable power mad former hatchet of the Federation's JAG office. The teaser (that snippet of the show just before the opening credits run) sets up the episode nicely. As Worf is escorting the Klingon suspect back to his quarters the scoundrel tells Worf "I know people of power who can restore your name. Turn your back for just a second and allow me to leave in an escape pod." Worf's offense gives way to violent anger and afterwards he threatens and taunts the spy. It's a terrific lead into the story and we are immediately on the side of the prosecutors until we have our own eyes opened.

The plotting of the show is well done also; though the Klingon is proven to be a spy he is unfortunately comprised by additional circumstantial but damning evidence; crewman Simon Tarses has his Star Fleet career destroyed by the machinations of Admiral Satie and her unwitting accomplices; Worf becomes a victim also as Satie preys upon his weakness concerning his hatred for the Romulans; even after Data and Geordi offer conclusive proof against the suspected sabotage it isn't enough to convince the admiral to halt the investigations. Though there are many lines of dialogue worth remembering Picard has the most memorable: "The road from legitimate suspicion to rampant paranoia is very much shorter than we think." Spoken eloquently, factually and lending historical significance to the Star Trek canon.

Star Trek The Next Generation
Episode 95 - "The Drumhead"

Written by Jeri Taylor
Directed by Jonathan Frakes

Guest Stars:
Spencer Garrett as Simon Tarses
Henry Woronicz as J'Dan
Bruce French as Sabin
Ann Shea as Hellen
Earl Billings as Admiral Henry
Cameron Oppenheimer as Ensign Kellogg

And Special Guest Star:
Jean Simmons as Admiral Norah Satie

"Next Gen" feels like a "coming home" type of show to me. I managed to catch it early on in my childhood and have a lot of warm, fuzzy feelings attached to it. Because of my love for the original Star Trek at a very young age, the new show---that is, new at the time---sounded promising and I was excited to see it. It had an awesome look, memorable characters, and a variety of storylines ranging from sinister ("Skin of Evil") to action-packed high stakes ("Best of Both Worlds," "Conspiracy") to sentimental "growing up and beyond" stories ("Coming of Age," "Family," "Suddenly Human."). There were also ones featuring John De Lancie's Q character that started with the pilot in which he mischievously tries to teach Captain Picard a lesson ("Q Who," "Qpid," "Tapestry"). Then there were the ones that tackled issues like the worth of old age ("Half a Life"), drug abuse ("Symbiosis"), game addiction ("The Game"...kind of retarded, but roll with it), or the rights of a living being ("Measure of a Man," "The Offspring").

This particular review falls into the "issues" category, in which we are given a retelling of the McCarthy era in space. Like Star Trek VI (which came later), we are given a story that hits close to home historically.

"The Drumhead" begins with the interrogation of a Klingon exchange student named J'Dan (Henry Woronicz), who secretly gave confidential information to the Romulans. Simultaneously, the warp core containment module was breached, which leads the crew to suspect sabotage. During this point in the fourth season, Worf has not regained his honor, and the Federation/Klingon alliance is a little shaky. To solve this supposed conspiracy, the Federation sends Admiral Satie (Oscar-nominated Jean Simmons) to the Enterprise to investigate. Picard and she initially get along, but things turn sour after she suspects that young Simon Tarses (Spencer Garrett) is involved with the Klingon traitor and orders a full investigation on him, much to Picard's discomfort.

After an exchange with Worf, Picard becomes determined to stop this "witch hunt" and butts heads with Satie. The warp core incident turns out to just be a mere accident, but it doesn't stop Satie and her cohorts (Bruce French, Ann Shea) from lying to Simon Tarses about it during the trial; Picard believes Tarses to be innocent despite his lying on his application to cover up his part-Romulan heritage. In the end, Picard is interrogated, and they almost implicate Worf. Admiral Thomas Henry (Earl Billings), who was invited by Satie, leaves during the hearing upon Satie's blow-up to Picard.

Satie is ordered to stop the hearing, and Picard and Worf share a very poignant conversation before the episode closes.

This was Jonathan Frakes' third directorial outing (following "The Offspring" and "Reunion") and despite the episode's intentionally low budget, this one is a home run. Jean Simmons plays her role with great intensity, perfectly showing her as a damaged, accusing madwoman that could very well be Senator McCarthy reincarnated. While Patrick Stewart also stands out in this (as he usually does), Michael Dorn shows a different side to Worf, especially near the end when he confesses to Picard that he felt guilty for helping her and should've seen who she actually was. Overall, this is one of the most dramatic episodes of the series and despite the future looking better and better (at least in the Star Trek Universe), we are reminded to watch out for the villains in disguise that claim to honor truth and justice. "Vigilance, Mr. Worf...that is the price that we must continually pay." We as humans must contend with this mentality on a day to day basis so as to not repeat the witch hunts and Communist hearings of yesteryear.

Although I don't recommend buying this on VHS (you might as well get TNG on DVD), I wanted to review this one because it was one of my favorite episodes and certainly one of the most profound. Jeri Taylor wrote a Grade A screenplay and Ron Jones composed a memorable, sometimes creepy music score...unfortunately, due to conflicts with "Ricky" Berman, he would be fired shortly thereafter.

"Next Gen" had many great episodes and this one is most certainly one of them.

THE GREAT AND SPLENDID WRITER MRS JERI TAYLOR BRINGS US FINE ART, FINE SCI FI AND FINE DRAMA TO THIS THE SECOND BEST EPISODE OF THE TNG SERIES. SUCH A MASTERPIECE. JEAN SIMMONS GIVES A PERFORMANCE TO REMEMBER AND ALSO ONE THE BEST ADMIRALS I HAVE EVER SEEN.