The Ensigns of Command is a solid episode of TNG. This episode has two storylines. The first, and most prominent, centers on Data, while the second involves Picard. Both stories are similar in that each deals with the challenges involved in overcoming a seemingly irrational conflict.

The title: The Ensigns of Command comes from a poem titled “The Wants of Man,” by John Quincy Adams. While the meaning of “ensigns” in this context is taken to mean “sigils” or “symbols”, the actual connection between the poem and the episode is not immediately clear. The closest interpretation seems to stem from the initial conversation Data has with Picard and Dr. Crusher, when Picard says, “Excessive honesty can be disastrous… particularly in a commander … Knowing your limitations is one thing. Advertising them to a crew can damage your ability to lead.”

Picard demonstrates this when he is forced to convince the Sheliak, a wonderfully conceived species, to give the Federation enough time to evacuate the planet. The Sheliak’s irrationally strict adherence to their treaty with the Federation confounds Picard, who tries every strategy we would expect: appealing to reason, to mutual benefit, and even a sense of moral outrage. None of these trappings work because the Sheliak are unwilling to exist outside of the treaty. In the end, it is Picard’s creative use of that treaty that ultimately convinces the Sheliak that it is in their benefit to make a minor exception — and Picard wins the necessary time to evacuate the colonists. This is Picard at his finest negotiating prowess, proving once again his command and leadership skills.

But it is Data’s mission on Tau Cygna that illustrates the “ensigns of command” most clearly. Data has a very clear deficiency: dealing with the complexities of human nature. And yet, he still finds a way to succeed, despite knowing his own limitations. His success is, literally, a sign of his growing ability to not only command, but to lead. Unlike the chain of command on a starship, the people of Tau Cygna do not have to obey Data’s wishes. And yet Data learns, as do we all, that true leadership comes not from “crown” or “sceptre,” but from “The People’s unbought grace.” In other words, the people of Tau Cygna follow his wishes, not because he orders them to do so, but because he proves a more effective leader than Gosheven: both more rational and more charismatic. Data’s final solution demonstrates a profound leap in his character growth, and brings him one step closer to being human

The Ensigns of Command is a very good episode that combines character development, humor, suspense, and a moral lesson that both the characters and the audience can take to heart.

Filed under: TNG Reviews