{"id":4963,"date":"2015-09-21T13:00:36","date_gmt":"2015-09-21T20:00:36","guid":{"rendered":"http:\/\/markwatches.net\/reviews\/?p=4963"},"modified":"2015-09-13T12:19:54","modified_gmt":"2015-09-13T19:19:54","slug":"mark-watches-the-next-generation-s04e21-the-drumhead","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/markwatches.net\/reviews\/2015\/09\/mark-watches-the-next-generation-s04e21-the-drumhead\/","title":{"rendered":"Mark Watches ‘The Next Generation’: S04E21 – The Drumhead"},"content":{"rendered":"

In the twenty-first episode of the fourth season of The Next Generation<\/i>, THIS IS SO MESSED UP AND I LOVE IT. Intrigued? Then it\u00e2\u20ac\u2122s time for Mark to watch Star Trek<\/i>.<\/p>\n

Trigger Warning: For discussion of racism, terrorism, torture, nationalism<\/b>.<\/p>\n

My god, what an incredible<\/i> episode of The Next Generation<\/i>. It takes us to an immensely uncomfortable place, and it\u00e2\u20ac\u2122s done in a way that forces one to think of the ways in which we\u00e2\u20ac\u2122re complicit in drumhead trials in our own world. And that\u00e2\u20ac\u2122s not just applicable to military tribunals, either. I think that hunts like these happen everywhere: gossip mags, Tumblr communities, activist networks, our own homes. The horror that unfolds here tears a hole in the Federation\u00e2\u20ac\u2122s facade, too, showing that even a futuristic society can be subject to the same problems that we\u00e2\u20ac\u2122re <\/i>dealing with.<\/p>\n

I\u00e2\u20ac\u2122ll touch on the larger meanings of \u00e2\u20ac\u0153The Drumhead\u00e2\u20ac\u009d in the second half of this review, so let\u00e2\u20ac\u2122s focus on what actually happens within this episode. It\u00e2\u20ac\u2122s amazing to me to think back on the escalation that occurs here because for the first half of this episode, this was not<\/i> a terribly thrilling story. Which is okay! That\u00e2\u20ac\u2122s necessary in order to bring us to a point where we have to stop and wonder how the hell this episode became what it was. And really, that moment is absolutely the interrogation of Picard, a sign that Satie\u00e2\u20ac\u2122s hunt for a conspiracy has gone so far that it\u00e2\u20ac\u2122s downright offensive.<\/p>\n

But why is that? Why is the Romulan threat serious enough for consideration, and yet, the events of this episode still come off as upsetting? I think the pacing of the plot in Jeri Taylor\u00e2\u20ac\u2122s script is why this episode works so brilliantly. At the opening, we expect to experience a story about a saboteur onboard the Enterprise<\/i>. We know that J\u00e2\u20ac\u2122Dan is guilty of sending secrets to the Romulans, and it\u00e2\u20ac\u2122s entirely believable that he had help in doing so. That\u00e2\u20ac\u2122s precisely<\/i> how Taylor nabs us: we love the Enterprise<\/i>. We know that the Romulans are their mortal enemy. We want the best for these people. So as Satie and her companions arrive onboard and attempt to find the traitor, we trust them. Both Satie and Sabin do their best to make sure<\/i> they are trusted. I AM SO PLEASED THAT I REALIZED SOMETHING WAS WRONG, THOUGH. I thought it was strange that Satie and Sabin, in succession, sought out Picard and Worf to reassure them how valuable<\/i> they were, how much they were trusted<\/i>.<\/p>\n

They then proceed to prove the exact opposite of that.<\/p>\n

It\u00e2\u20ac\u2122s fascinating (in an entirely disturbing way) how quickly Picard and Worf go from being assets to enemies. Obviously, that\u00e2\u20ac\u2122s the point. Satie becomes so convinced of her moral righteousness and certainty that she begins to view everyone <\/i>as part of some sort of conspiracy. Now, there\u00e2\u20ac\u2122s plenty to be said of her own personal paranoia, and ultimately, that\u00e2\u20ac\u2122s what unravels this entire nightmare. But I think \u00e2\u20ac\u0153The Drumhead\u00e2\u20ac\u009d is a million times more disturbing when you see how Satie and company pull others<\/i> in. It\u00e2\u20ac\u2122s not until she holds that first public hearing and utterly steamrolls poor Simon Tarses that the tide turns against the kid. That was intentional on her part, too. She and Sabin waited until that public hearing to smear Tarses with the truth of his heritage. Why? Because the insinuation that Tarses has anything<\/i> to do with the Romulans is so much more damning than any real evidence. It\u00e2\u20ac\u2122s a scandal. It\u00e2\u20ac\u2122s rife for gossip. And the news will spread, the ship will condemn Tarses for hiding his heritage, and she\u00e2\u20ac\u2122ll gain more power than she had before. It\u00e2\u20ac\u2122s McCarthyism. It\u00e2\u20ac\u2122s everything we heard post-9\/11 to justify immoral wars against brown and black people far, far away from our own country. It\u00e2\u20ac\u2122s a damning and pervasive system that aims to demonize and criminalize people because of their skin color or how much money they don<\/i>\u00e2\u20ac\u2122t<\/i> have.<\/p>\n

Even Worf gets wrapped up in this nightmare. It\u00e2\u20ac\u2122s telling to me that he believes Tarses was guilty solely based on one lie. He claims that anyone would be proud<\/i> of their bloodline if they were innocent, but he misses a huge part of why Tarses lied. Picard has to point out to him that everyone already created an atmosphere that was unsafe to him<\/i>. Would Tarses have been in a better situation if he\u00e2\u20ac\u2122d told the truth about his paternal grandfather? I imagine not. I imagine that Satie would have singled him out about his heritage anyway<\/i>.<\/p>\n

And thus, we have the unethical problem at the heart of \u00e2\u20ac\u0153The Drumhead.\u00e2\u20ac\u009d Satie\u00e2\u20ac\u2122s confirmation bias controls her, and her unwavering commitment to the \u00e2\u20ac\u0153state\u00e2\u20ac\u009d of Starfleet and the Federation prevents her from examining her own behavior. In her mind, guilt is entirely by association. In her mind, she\u00e2\u20ac\u2122s never made a mistake, she\u00e2\u20ac\u2122s never had the wrong kind of friend, and her past is exemplary. How could it not be when her father was a pillar of logic and justice? She creates a warped perception of the world where she\u00e2\u20ac\u2122s an administer of justice, while the world is full of villains to take down and destroy. There are no innocent people, no innocent mistakes, no innocent associations.<\/p>\n

It\u00e2\u20ac\u2122s horrifying to watch. But I think it\u00e2\u20ac\u2122s important to note that as soon as Satie confronts Picard about his experience with the Borg, Picard reverses her own techniques upon her. I mean, look: it is so unbelievably fucked up for a person to use Picard\u00e2\u20ac\u2122s torment against him like that. So Picard brilliantly<\/i> hits Satie with a personal blow, giving her a taste of her own medicine. Suddenly, it\u00e2\u20ac\u2122s not okay to use one\u00e2\u20ac\u2122s past against them! Suddenly, it\u00e2\u20ac\u2122s the most immoral thing imaginable! I WONDER WHY THAT IS.<\/p>\n

Satie\u00e2\u20ac\u2122s disgrace is loud, ugly, and vicious, until it\u00e2\u20ac\u2122s quiet and ashamed. She disappears from this show without a word of apology, and to be honest, that\u00e2\u20ac\u2122s precisely within her characterization. She\u00e2\u20ac\u2122s too prideful to admit that she\u00e2\u20ac\u2122s been wrong on a systemic level. How many other innocent people have been bullied by her into confessions? How many lives has she ruined in pursuit of safety and honor? The damning message behind \u00e2\u20ac\u0153The Drumhead\u00e2\u20ac\u009d relates to this unethical act. In the most tragic form of irony, Satie and her associates put state safety above human life. In doing so, they violated the very core principles of that organization, the ones that were supposed to make it the best of its kind in the galaxy. She did more harm than good, and I wonder if she\u00e2\u20ac\u2122ll ever be able to admit that.<\/p>\n

The video for \u00e2\u20ac\u0153The Drumhead\u00e2\u20ac\u009d can be downloaded here for $0.99<\/a>.<\/p>\n

Mark Links Stuff<\/b><\/p>\n

– I am now on Patreon<\/a><\/b>!!! MANY SURPRISES ARE IN STORE FOR YOU IF YOU SUPPORT ME<\/a>.
\n– The Mark Does Stuff Tour 2015 is now live and includes dates across the U.S. this summer and fall Check the full list of events on my Tour Dates \/ Appearances page.<\/a>
\n– My Master Schedule<\/a> is updated for the near and distant future for most projects, so please check it often.\u00c2\u00a0My next Double Features for Mark Watches will be the remainder of\u00c2\u00a0The Legend of Korra<\/i>, series 8 of\u00c2\u00a0Doctor Who<\/i>, and Kings<\/i>. On Mark Reads, Diane Duane’s Young Wizards<\/i> series will replace the Emelan books.
\n<\/b>-\u00c2\u00a0Mark Does Stuff is on Facebook!<\/a>\u00c2\u00a0I’ve got a community page up that I’m running. Guaranteed shenanigans!<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"