THE PLOT
The Enterprise is contacted by the Sheliak, an advanced race that regards humanity as a "lesser life form." The Sheliak intend to colonize the fifth planet of Tau Cygna, with settlement to commence in four days. They have detected a human colony on that world, and demand its immediate removal.
Thanks to atmospheric radiation, there is no way to use the transporter to bring the colonists up. Using shuttlecraft only, it will take 3 weeks to evacuate the colony - time the Sheliak refuse to provide. As Picard takes the Enterprise out of orbit to confront the aliens, Data is left on the planet to prepare the colonists for evacuation. But there's another problem. Gosheven (Grainger Hines), the colonists' leader, does not believe Data's claims that the Sheliak could easily wipe them out. He favors staying and fighting, a course that will surely lead to the deaths of everyone on the planet!
CHARACTERS
Capt. Picard: The episode is nicely bookended by scenes in which Picard gives thoughtful counsel to Data. The meat of the episode sees the captain constantly frustrated in trying to deal with the Sheliak and their obstinence about working only within the exact letter of the treaty. When he finds something in the treaty that he can use against them, his enjoyment of this is clear, and Patrick Stewart plays that moment of triumph wonderfully.
Data: Not counting the irritating Gosheven, Data seems to be the one most insistent on his lack of feelings at this point. Though he may be incapable of emotion, Picard is keen to point out just how much individuality Data stamps on his actions simply through his decisions about what to emulate. The example of Data's consolidation of two musicians with widely varying styles into his own musical playing is a good one. And despite his insistence to Ard'rian that he can have no feelings for her, that last look he gives her out of the shuttlecraft indicates some reaction. Brent Spiner is outstanding, as he tends to be when the character writing calls for subtlety from him rather than ham.
Troi: The counsellor is actually fairly well-used for a change! Her briefing Picard on the Sheliak's insistence on precise language is reminiscent of her advising him about the Romulans, and represents a far more interesting use of the character than "I sense anger." Her illustration of language precision, using an alien word to describe a cup of tea and then challenging Picard's assumption (that she said "cup") with other possible meanings, is one of the best scenes she's had to date.
Hot Space Babe of the Week: Ard'rian (Eileen Seeley) is a young woman with a strong interest in robotics of all kinds. She finds humans to be unreliable, and prefers the rationality of machines. This explains her instant fascination with Data, which quickly grows into an attraction. Seeley's performance is horribly wooden, which keeps Ard'rian from being as memorable a guest character as she should be. Still, she's extremely pretty, and I find myself thinking that Data should have found a way to slip into conversation that he's "fully functional," as she seemed like she'd have been quite... receptive.
THOUGHTS
At last, a genuinely good episode again! It's been long enough since Q Who for the series' state to officially qualify as a slump.
The Ensigns of Command isn't a perfect episode. Too many of the scenes involving Picard and the Sheliak are all but identical. It also seems frankly absurd that it would take three days for Picard to insist on going over the treaty in detail. That's down there with Archer ignoring two dicey encounters with Klingons, and waiting until a crisis to bother looking them up in the Vulcan database. Surely any competent commander in this situation would assign a team to pick apart that treaty to find something of advantage the instant the situation of this episode presented itself? That's not even mentioning the actors playing the colonists, who deliver their dialogue with all the emotional intensity of sanded plywood.
For all of that, it's still rather good. The teaser efficiently sets up Data's dilemma for the episode along character lines: Know your limitations, but don't advertise them to others. This provides a context for the episode's "A" plot, which leaves Data to his own devices with the Enterprise unable to assist him. Melinda Snodgrass, of The Measure of a Man and Pen Pals, continues to show a strong understanding of Data's characterization. Her writing brings out the best in Brent Spiner's performance while creating a sense of Data both as machine and, perhaps, as more human than he can quite make himself believe.
The "B" plot is also entertaining. The Sheliak seem basically to be a race of space lawyers, communicating only in terms of what is in their treaty and ignoring any of Picard's attempts to negotiate outside the strict terms of the treaty. The scene on the Sheliak ship is visually well-done, with the simplest of tools - dim lighting, black curtains, and a few spotlighted areas - used to strong effect. They are sufficiently annoying that when Picard turns the tables on them, we enjoy his tormenting of them as much as he does.
Overall, an entertaining installment, one of the better episodes this show has provided in a while.
Overall Rating: 7/10
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