Star Trek: The Next Generation 4.21

The Drumhead

J'Dan, a Klingon scientist serving aboard the Enterprise, is accused of stealing information and sabotaging the dilithium chamber. Lieutenant Worf conducts a preliminary investigation. Admiral Norah Satie comes aboard the Enterprise to further investigate the incident.

Admiral Satie's investigation determines that J'Dan must have had an accomplice and finds that the likely suspect is medical technician Simon Tarses. 

Chief Engineer La Forge and Lieutenant Commander Data investigate the damage to the dilithium chamber and determines that it was not sabotage. J'Dan is found guilty of stealing information but absolved of the accusation of sabotage. 

Tarses is revealed to have lied about his ancestry when he joined Starfleet. He put on his application that one his grandfather's was Vulcan when he actually was Romulan. 

Captain Picard tries to get Admiral Satie to stop her investigation but she refuses. Satie turns the focus of her investigation on Captain Picard. She questions his actions in instances where he violated the prime directive.

Admiral Satie brings up two specific cases which cast Captain Picard in a bad light. Picard responds by quoting a noted judge, Admiral Satie's father, who warned of a situations like the one that is currently transpiring.

Thoughts

I did not mention it in my summary but one element that comes up in this story and will return in future episodes is the rumors that Worf's father was a traitor.

This episode was directed by Johnathan Frakes. This is the third of eight episodes of this show that he directed.

Picard is very much the central character in this episode but, as noted above, Lieutenant Worf also plays an important part in this episode.

This is the only episode of Star Trek in which Simon Tarses appeared but he made appearances in several Star Trek novels. His status at the end of this episode seems very much up in the air. He lied on his Starfleet application but what punishment he received is not disclosed in this episode.

Actress Jean Simmons played the part of Admiral Satie. She has appeared in a few movies that I have seen but none that I have seen recently. This is the only episode of any Star Trek show in which she appeared.

The first incident that Admiral Satie mentions took place in Episode 4.11 (Data's Day). The other incident she references when questioning Picard's record happened in 3.26 (The Best of Both Worlds) and 4.01 (The Best of Both Worlds - Part 2).

This episode clearly echoes the hearings conducted by Senator Joseph McCarthy in the 1950s.

This is a good to great episode. It is the performances by Patrick Stewart and Jean Simmons that make it as good as it is. The confrontation between the two near the end of the episode is chillingly great.