Product Details

• Actors: LeVar Burton, Gates McFadden
• Directors: LeVar Burton, Gates McFadden, Gabrielle Beaumont, Robert Becker, Cliff Bole
• Format: Closed-captioned, Color, HiFi Sound, NTSC
• Language: English, French
• Rated: NR (Not Rated)
• Number of tapes: 1
• Studio: Paramount
• VHS Release Date: May 31, 1995
• Run Time: 46 minutes
• Average Customer Review: 4.5 out of 5 stars  See all reviews (4 customer reviews)
• ASIN: 6303359132
• Amazon Best Sellers Rank: #417,851 in Movies & TV (See Top 100 in Movies & TV)

Editorial Reviews

Amazon.com

Data gets to carry an episode in this third-season offering that focuses on the rationality of the android pitted against the irrationality of humanity. The Enterprise receives an unexpected message from a race known as the Sheliak, who've been out of touch for more than a century. The Sheliak, aliens who consider themselves far superior to humans, claim a small planet under guidelines set down by their treaty with the Federation and announce that they intend to colonize this planet four days hence. The problem is that humans have already colonized the planet. Tough luck, says the Sheliak--evacuate or die. But when Data is sent to the planet to organize the evacuation, he runs into two problems: first, there are 15,000 colonists, more than can be shipped out in the four days given by the Sheliak; and second, the colonists have no desire to leave. Worse yet, their leader refuses to deal with an android.

Even as Data tries to reason with the colonists, Picard goes head-to-head with the top Sheliak, debating the finer legal points of the treaty in an effort to buy time. Brent Spiner makes the most of the kiss Data receives from a human woman who falls for him--though the android still doesn't understand what sex is all about. There's some nice chess-move-style plotting, with strong performances by the Enterprise crew and some stilted performances by the planet colonists. --Marshall Fine

From the Back Cover

Picard (Patrick Stewart) is surprised when he receives a message from the Sheliak, aliens who haven't communicated with the Federation for over a century. Under a Federation treaty, the planet Tau Cygna Five-presently inhabited by human colonists-is Sheliak property. Now the Sheliak are demanding that Picard remove the colonists in four days, after which time any humans on the planet will be killed.

Data (Brent Spiner) takes a shuttle to the planet to lead evacuation procedures and discovers that the human population totals 15,000! Realizing that evacuation will take weeks, Picard asks the Sheliak for more time, and is refused. Now Data is the only thing standing between the colonists and their certain extinction.

Customer Reviews

Most Helpful Customer Reviews

8 of 8 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars A great Data episode, August 22, 2000

By 

Elizabeth (Washington, DC United States) - See all my reviews

This review is from: Star Trek - The Next Generation, Episode 49: The Ensigns Of Command [VHS] (VHS Tape)

To be fair, I should point out my bias which lends itself to this review...I am a huge Data fan. Therefore, any episode starring the android crew member is going to be one of my favorites.

Regardless of my Data obsession, objectively this is a very good episode. It is Data's job to convince a human colony to leave their planet before the Sheliak destroy them. Data has to struggle against the wishes of the colonists who do not want to leave their endangered homes. While Data is confined to lessons of logic and practicality, the colonists share an overwhelming sense of pride and love for their homeland. As Data has no emotion it proves very difficult for him to understand the colony's irrational decision to stay.

A nice script examines the limitations of Data's capabilities and his struggle to overcome them. There is a little romance between Data and one of the colonists as well, proving once again that Data is the sex symbol of STTNG. A fun subplot finds Picard up to his ears in bureaucratic red tape with the single-minded Sheliak, a frustration we 21st century folk can sympathize with.

1 of 1 people found the following review helpful:

4.0 out of 5 stars Picard confronts a mondo diplomatic headache, November 2, 2000

By 

Lawrance M. Bernabo (The Zenith City, Duluth, Minnesota) - See all my reviews
(VINE VOICE)    (COMMUNITY FORUM 04)    (TOP 500 REVIEWER)    (HALL OF FAME REVIEWER)   

This review is from: Star Trek - The Next Generation, Episode 49: The Ensigns Of Command [VHS] (VHS Tape)

This episode is one of the better examples of diplomatic problem solving in the 24th century. The Sheliak Corporate are a nonhumanoid race that has not contacted the Federation for over a century, but suddenly they are informing Picard that there are humans on one of the planets deeded to them in their treaty with the Federation. Under the stipulation of this treaty, the Federation has to remove the colonists before the Sheliak arrive in three days. However, when the Enterprise arrives at the planet in question the headaches increase exponentially. Not only is the planet is in an area of radiation deadly to humans, the Enterprise's sensors and transporters will not work. Data is sent to the surface in a shuttlecraft where he discovers there are over 15,000 colonists who refuse to evacuate the planet, insisting they will fight instead. Meanwhile, Picard learns the nearest Starfleet ship that can evacuate the colonists is three weeks away and the Sheliak refuse to be dissuaded from their intention to kill all the humans on the planet when they show up in three days.

Off the top of my head I cannot think of another Star Trek episode where the diplomatic situation where everything goes as wrong as it does on this one. Jean-Luc Picard is as reasonable a person as you can find in the Star Trek Universe, but this is a real mess. The nice thing is that it is an accumulation of plausible problems as opposed to one far-fetched impediment. I usually have a preference for diplomatic resolutions rather than battles in space, so I consider "The Ensigns of Command" to be an above-average Next Generation episode. The resolution is in keeping with the haggling between Picard and the Sheliak over the terms of the treaty. Fortunately it is the wordiest document in the history of the Federation, with apparently something for everybody if they look long and hard enough. For a similar situation on STNG see "Journey's End" (Episode #172), where Picard has to resolve a dispute between the Cardassians and a planet of Native American colonists (a.k.a. Wesley's last episode). Finally, I should note that one of the sub-plots has a female colonist taking a liking to a fairly oblivious Data, an echo of "This Side of Paradise" from the original Trek's first season (the "Spock is happy" episode).

4.0 out of 5 stars Diplomacy...the art of not losing your temper with the other side, September 17, 2006

By 

Critical Thinker - See all my reviews

This review is from: Star Trek - The Next Generation, Episode 49: The Ensigns Of Command [VHS] (VHS Tape)

Plot: The Sheliak Corporate, a species whom the Federation barely get along with, has contacted the Enterprise, saying that there are humans on a planet in Sheliak territory. Picard is given a few days to remove the "human infestation" or the Sheliak will annihilate them. The Enterprise enters the area, filled with hyperonic radiation, which is normally fatal to humans, randomizes phaser beams, and renders transporters useless. So, they send Data down in a shuttle to find out what the fuss is about. Well, instead of a crashed scout ship with few people to rescue (as Riker theorized), it happens to be a colony of 15,000. Well, there's no way the Enterprise can get all the colonists aboard before time runs out, and there isn't a colony ship availible for 3 weeks. Picard tries to ask for additional time from the Sheliak, who figure that it would be better to wipe the colony off the planet than give Picard time. On top of that, the colonist leader is ornery and refuses to allow evacuation, saying that he would rather fight than leave. Picard is having a really bad day. Meanwhile, Data is unsuccessfully trying to convince the colonists to prepare for evacuation. The only colonist is this lady who is a little in love with him (which makes a whole ton of nonsense). Data asks Riker at one point, "Sir, just how violent will the Sheliak be if we can't move them?" Riker responds, "The treaty is the only thing that kept the Sheliak from wiping the colony out in the first place." Data says, "Ah." "Ah," confirms Riker....

Overall, a pretty good episode, although the idea of falling in love with an android (and knowing it from the start) gives the story a really, fake feel at times. It does have a solid ending with plenty of humor in regards to La Forge trying to modify the transporter so they can transport through hyperonic radiation.

4 stars overall.