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ST:TNG - "Chain of Command" 1/4
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STAR TREK: THE NEXT GENERATION
"Chain of Command"
Teleplay by
Greg Knauss & Jason Snell
Copyright (C) 1992 Greg Knauss & Jason Snell
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STAR TREK: THE NEXT GENERATION
"Chain of Command"
CAST
PICARD BRYAN JENNINGS
RIKER SUSAN JENNINGS
DATA QUAN
TROI COLLIER
WORF GARRISON
O'BRIEN DUFFY
JEFFERSON
PROTESTOR #1
PROTESTOR #2
THOLIAN
Non-Speaking
SUPERNUMERARIES
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STAR TREK: THE NEXT GENERATION
"Chain of Command"
SETS
INTERIORS EXTERIORS
USS ENTERPRISE USS ENTERPRISE
MAIN BRIDGE
READY ROOM USS GUARDIAN
OBSERVATION LOUNGE
TEN-FORWARD THOLIAN SHIPS
ENGINEERING
JENNINGS' QUARTERS
PICARD'S QUARTERS
CORRIDORS
TRANSPORTER ROOM
MEETING ROOM
BATTLE BRIDGE
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STAR TREK: THE NEXT GENERATION
"Chain of Command"
TEASER
FADE IN:
EXT. ENTERPRISE
The Enterprise is slowing from IMPULSE POWER to a stop
next to the badly damaged U.S.S. GUARDIAN, a small
Federation ship. The Guardian has extensive exterior
damage and is obviously inoperable. It hangs unevenly
in space, seemingly dead.
PICARD (V.O.)
Captain's Log, Stardate 46453.5.
Interrupting a scheduled crew
transfer and shore leave at Starbase
2-0-9, the Enterprise has been
ordered into Tholian space to rescue
the crew of the U.S.S. Guardian.
A malfunction in the Guardian's
experimental reactor core led to
uncontrolled warp nine travel and
the destruction of her engines.
INT. CORRIDOR
Several FAMILIES walk through the corridor, talking
excitedly to each other, each a bit awed at being on the
Enterprise. A young couple, BRYAN and SUSAN JENNINGS,
are among them. Almost everyone carries a suitcase or
satchel of some sort.
PICARD (CONT'D, V.O.)
While new crewmembers and their
families move into quarters, we are
attempting to remove all traces of
Federation incursion into the
Tholian Assembly. Physical proof of
Federation trespass on their
borders, accidental or otherwise,
could easily be used by the Tholians
as a pretext for war. If
successful, only Starfleet Command
and our bridge crew will know of the
incident.
INT. BRIDGE
Riker is standing, nervously watching the image of the
Guardian on the viewer. Picard is sitting, just as
nervous, but showing it less.
RIKER
Away Team, your status?
GEORDI'S COM VOICE
Final adjustments are complete, sir.
We've finished placing the
detonators, and we're clearing out
the last of remaining crew members
right now. As soon as we're done,
there won't be anything left for the
Tholians to find but a cloud of
atoms.
RIKER
Make it as fast as you can, LaForge.
We don't want to be found.
GEORDI'S COM VOICE
Aye, sir.
A SENSOR WARNING sounds.
WORF
Commander, we are being scanned at
extremely long range.
RIKER
Tholians?
WORF
Unknown. However, the source of the
scan is at least four hours away at
maximum warp.
The information should be reassuring, but Riker is
still nervous.
RIKER
(looks to Picard)
I don't like this.
Picard shifts uneasily in his seat.
INT. JENNINGS' QUARTERS
The Jennings are a young couple, Susan a Starfleet
ensign and Bryan a civilian academic. Both are excited
about being on board the Enterprise, and they've
obviously just moved in. Boxes lie around, several
containing old-style books.
SUSAN
Oh, Bryan, this is so exciting! I
can't believe we're actually on the
Enterprise.
BRYAN
You're the one who earned this
assignment, Susan. You worked hard
for it. I'm just along for the
ride.
He walks over to her and hugs her.
SUSAN
It's still incredible. I'm going to
be on the bridge of the flagship!
And you'll get to finally see some
of the places you've written about.
He laughs.
BRYAN
Most of the places I've written
about, I don't want to see.
Revolutions can be dangerous.
They smile at each other and kiss. After a moment, as
they pull apart, Susan notices something out the window
and she moves past Bryan.
SUSAN
Hey...
BRYAN
What?
SUSAN
Something's happening out there.
EXT. SPACE
A small pinhole of light has appeared in space. It
expands slowly for a moment, then suddenly rips wide
open, sharp white light shining around its edges.
INT. BRIDGE
DATA
Sir, I am picking up a radiation
anomaly at heading 289, mark 6.
PICARD
Yellow alert. On screen.
The view switches to a picture of the tear, a swirl of
light pouring out of it.
PICARD (CONT'D)
A wormhole?
DATA
It appears so, sir.
A WARNING SIGNAL sounds.
WORF
Sensors indicate activity within the
wormhole.
EXT. SPACE
Suddenly, ramming trough the hole, the small, dart-like
form of a Tholian craft appears. It brakes unevenly for
a moment, then rounds on the Enterprise as the rip
closes behind it. As it maneuvers, the ship fires
phasers, barely missing a warp nacelle.
INT. BRIDGE
WORF
Tholians!
Picard stands.
PICARD
Red alert.
The KLAXONS sound.
RIKER
Shields up, defensive phaser fire
only.
WORF
Shields cannot be raised! The Away
Team is in transport!
PICARD
Evasive maneuvers. Raise shields as
soon as you can.
EXT. SPACE
The Tholian ship looms towards the Enterprise as the
bigger ship attempts to veer away.
The Enterprise's phasers fire, but are absorbed by the
Tholian's shields.
The Tholian ship fires again, this time scoring a
glancing hit on the strut supporting the port nacelle.
The blue glow in the nacelle flickers uncertainly for a
moment, then goes out.
INT. JENNINGS' QUARTERS
The Jennings are both rocked by the hit. The klaxons
wail in the background.
BRYAN
(shouting)
What's going on?
SUSAN
We're under attack! Hold on!
They grab for something to hold on to.
INT. BRIDGE
The bridge shakes from the hit.
WORF
Port nacelle is dead!
PICARD
Continue evasive. Long's Gambit.
RIKER
O'Brien, report!
INT. TRANSPORTER ROOM
O'BRIEN
Transporters are getting heavy
interference, sir. I'm
restabilizing the transmission now.
O'Brien works feverishly at the controls.
EXT. SPACE
The Tholian ship banks and heads towards the Enterprise
again.
INT. TRANSPORTER ROOM
O'Brien finishes his adjustments and Geordi and his team
begin to appear on the transporter pads.
INT. BRIDGE
WORF
Tholian ship is firing!
O'BRIEN'S COM VOICE
The Away Team is aboard!
RIKER
Raise shields!
EXT. SPACE
The Tholian ship fires again and hits the Enterprise
with one phaser beam on the saucer section -- before the
shields can go completely up. Explosions rock the ship,
and debris and fires are visible as the Enterprise
sweeps past the camera.
FADE OUT.
END OF TEASER
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STAR TREK: THE NEXT GENERATION
"Chain of Command"
ACT ONE
INT. BRIDGE
The crew is tossed around.
WORF
Shields are up. Moderate damage to
decks fifteen and sixteen.
RIKER
Fire phasers! Take his shields
down, scare him off.
EXT. ENTERPRISE
The Enterprise suddenly turns on the Tholian ship,
shrugging off a couple of phaser hits. It fires a
phaser spread that takes out the Tholian's shields.
The Tholian ship turns and warps out.
INT. BRIDGE
WORF
The Tholian ship is retreating, sir.
Picard wants to ask about the casualties from the
saucer hit, but knows his priorities.
PICARD
Set course for Federation space,
Evasion Pattern Delta. Full
impulse. Mr. Worf, continue long-
range sensor scans.
WORF
Aye, sir. Casualty reports coming
in.
Picard waits for the information, stony-faced.
WORF (CONT'D)
Twenty-seven dead: six crew members,
twenty-one civilians. Fifty-five
injured, eight seriously. The third
phaser blast hit crew quarters.
Picard had hoped that it wouldn't be that bad.
PICARD
(to himself)
Damn.
FADE TO:
EXT. ENTERPRISE
The Enterprise is limping away on impulse, back toward
Federation space. Suddenly, a small flare lights
behind the ship -- the Guardian has been destroyed.
PICARD (V.O.)
Captain's Log, Stardate 46453.8.
With the destruction of the
Guardian, the Enterprise is
attempting to return to Federation
territory on impulse power alone,
our warp drive seriously damaged in
the Tholian attack. The death of
twenty-seven people has only
emphasized how precarious the
situation is -- our capture in
Tholian space would be a political
and military disaster.
INT. JENNINGS' QUARTERS
Susan is sitting at a table, obviously distraught.
After a moment, Bryan walks through the door, very
sullen.
Susan stands and goes to her husband.
SUSAN
Did you find out?
BRYAN
Richard's dead. Michelle's going to
make it, but she'll have to have an
artificial arm.
SUSAN
Jimmy?
BRYAN
Dead.
(beat)
Presumed dead. They couldn't find
his body. They think it was pulled
outside.
Susan pulls Bryan towards her and holds him tightly.
SUSAN
Oh, God, Bryan...
BRYAN
I know... I know...
SUSAN
It's so awful. Imagine losing your
whole family... just like that.
Bryan's jaw tightens as he continues to hold Susan.
BRYAN
(quietly)
Shhh...
Susan is near tears.
SUSAN
It seems so... so...
Bryan seems different; angrier.
BRYAN
...pointless.
(beat)
It all seems so pointless.
INT. OBSERVATION LOUNGE
Data is concluding a background briefing on the
Tholians.
DATA
Little is known about the Tholians
beyond rumor and myth. They are
extremely territorial and have
attacked several Federation outposts
over the past decade, claiming the
settlements are an incursion into
their space.
PICARD
Thank you, Mr. Data.
(beat)
Discussion?
WORF
Where did that Tholian ship come
from? Sensors detected no vessels
in the entire sector.
DATA
The Tholian ship emerged from what
presumably was an artificial
wormhole. Such phenomena are
extremely rare and the likelihood
that a naturally occurring one would
directly benefit the Tholians is
remote.
PICARD
An _artificial_ wormhole?
DATA
It is the only available conclusion.
RIKER
It doesn't seem possible.
There is a brief pause, each is silently considering
options.
GEORDI
What about the Web?
Everyone looks slightly surprised. But it makes sense.
TROI
The Web?
DATA
The Tholians, through unknown means,
have the ability to create a field
of distorted space-time called the
"Web." The local effects of the Web
are thought to be unstable,
occasionally causing ships caught in
it to be thrown through subspace.
There is a standing Starfleet order
to avoid Tholian ships traveling in
the two-vessel configuration needed
to create the Web.
RIKER
There are half a dozen cases where
Federation ships were caught off-
guard by the Tholians and either
captured or transported light-years
from their original position. Two
were never heard from again, and
were assumed to have been thrown
clear of the galaxy.
WORF
But the Tholians do not use the Web
on their own ships.
PICARD
That we are aware of. Perhaps the
technology has been sufficiently
refined as to be used as a method of
safe transport.
RIKER
(brain-storming)
If they were to shift from two-ship
patrols to three-ship patrols, they
could move the third ship to
anywhere it needed to be.
WORF
That would explain how the outposts
were surprised by their attackers.
According to reports, there were no
warnings.
INT. JENNINGS' QUARTERS
Bryan's character, from here on out, changes. His grief
over the death of his friend is intense, but he has
trouble expressing it as grief. His trip on the
Enterprise is the first time he has stepped outside of
the Ivory Tower -- his first contact with the real world
after being steeped in theory and academia for most of
his adult life. In many ways, he is an intelligent
infant, unable to understand why things are not the way
he believes they should be. He is not a bad person, but
he is very, very naive, and he is reacting the only way
his life-experience lets him.
He and Susan have been having a intense discussion that
is slowly elevating into an argument.
SUSAN
Bryan! You can't talk like that.
BRYAN
Why not? Our friend is dead, Susan.
His five-year-old son's body was
sucked out of the ship. I just want
to know why they died.
SUSAN
But you can't!
BRYAN
Why not?
SUSAN
You just can't. This is a Starfleet
ship. You signed up to come with
me. It's not like being on a
planet.
BRYAN
I don't think that because I agreed
to come aboard, I gave up all my
rights as a Federation citizen. I
have a right to know, Susan! Don't
you want to know why Richard died?
SUSAN
Of course I do, but if Starfleet
decides that I shouldn't, then that
has to be good enough.
BRYAN
I can't believe you're saying that!
If I died tomorrow, wouldn't you
want to know if my death had some
meaning? Some purpose? If Rich and
Jimmy died to save a planet, or to
rescue a ship, or even in an
accident, fine. Great. But I want
to know.
Susan sighs.
SUSAN
I see your point. I really do. I
understand what you're saying, so
please try to understand what I am
saying.
BRYAN
And that is?
SUSAN
This is a Starfleet ship. It's the
defense of the Federation. Some
things have to happen in secret. If
you knew what the Enterprise was
doing, so would everybody else --
including the Romulans and the
Ferengi and the Borg and whoever
that was shooting at us.
BRYAN
Whoever that was shooting at us
already knows what the Enterprise is
doing! Why can't we?
SUSAN
You _can't_. That's just the way it
is.
BRYAN
Then the way it is... is wrong.
INT. OBSERVATION LOUNGE
GEORDI
The left nacelle strut is perforated
and the warp field guidance conduit
has been destroyed. I'm trying to
extend the starboard warp bubble to
enclose the entire ship, but even if
it works, we'll still be lucky if we
can hold warp one for more than a
few days. We need to get to a
starbase.
PICARD
How long will it take you to make
the repairs?
GEORDI
About four hours. I've already got
two teams working on it.
Picard pauses a moment as he considers this.
PICARD
Data, how long will it take us to
get out of Tholian space if we go to
warp one in four hours?
DATA
Approximately three days, nine hours
and forty-six minutes, assuming the
most direct route.
PICARD
And using Evasion Pattern Delta?
DATA
Approximately five days, two hours.
This is not welcome information.
PICARD
What are the chances of being found
for both navigations?
DATA
Given known Tholian technology,
there is a 99.5 percent probability
of being detected if we use the
shortest-distance route. If we
remain on our current course, there
is an 85 percent chance of being
discovered.
WORF
Permission to ready defensive
systems, Captain.
PICARD
Granted.
RIKER
We're going to need them.
INT. JENNINGS' QUARTERS
Susan is changing into a red Starfleet uniform. Their
argument has intensified and shifted focus, and Bryan is
beginning to shout. Again, his anger at Starfleet, at
the system, is his way of dealing with grief --
wrongheaded or not, he is attempting to give purpose to
the deaths.
BRYAN
Dammit, Susan! If I'm going to die,
I want to have some control over the
situation.
SUSAN
You're not going to die! Why do you
keep saying that?
BRYAN
I could die at any time! So could
you, or anybody else on this ship!
The difference is, you have some
control over the situation. You get
to sit up on the Bridge and know
what's going on. I don't. None of
the civilians do.
SUSAN
It's a Starfleet ship! I'm in
Starfleet!
BRYAN
And because I'm not, I don't get to
know what danger I'm going to be in?
That's not fair! I signed my name,
but I didn't give up control of my
life. If fifty percent of the
people on this ship are civilians,
why don't we have fifty percent of
the control?
SUSAN
I'm not going to argue with you
anymore, Bryan. I've got to go...
I'll be late for my first bridge
shift.
BRYAN
(sarcastic)
Great. Good luck. Drop me a line
if we're all going to get killed.
SUSAN
That's really unfair, Bryan. You
know it is. Maybe you should go see
the ship's counselor.
BRYAN
So now it's a problem with me?
SUSAN
No. It's just that... This is
normal, in a way. You feel trapped
and helpless. They expect that. We
read about it in the academy. You
can do something about it.
Bryan laughs bitterly.
BRYAN
Yeah, I'll do something about it.
Susan looks uneasily at Bryan, then exits.
BRYAN (CONT'D)
But not with the ship's counselor.
FADE OUT.
END OF ACT ONE
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STAR TREK: THE NEXT GENERATION
"Chain of Command"
ACT TWO
EXT. ENTERPRISE
The Enterprise is in warp, and the port nacelle is dark.
INT. MEETING ROOM
A large group of people fill the room, most dressed in
black or Starfleet formal wear.
The small murmur that was running through the crowd
rises slightly as soon as Picard and Troi, both dressed
in formal wear, enter the room and everybody --
especially Bryan -- watches as they walk to a podium.
TROI
(quietly, to Picard)
Because of the number of people
killed, almost everybody on board
either knew one of the dead, or
knows someone who did. They are in
a period of grieving. Their pain is
acute, and it ranges from intense
sadness to anger to denial.
The sound of the crowd dies away as Picard reaches the
podium and pauses to collect his thoughts for a moment.
Troi stands behind him.
PICARD
Throughout history, intelligent
beings have sought out the unknown.
From wooden rafts to starships, the
common bond between sentient
species, no matter the cultural or
biological differences, is
exploration. We are here, deep in
space, far from our home worlds,
driven by a universal curiosity...
But this quest, this need to know,
brings costs.
Picard pauses.
PICARD (CONT'D)
Today, we mourn those who have lost
their lives fulfilling a destiny.
They have sacrificed the most that
any one being can sacrifice in the
pursuit of--
Bryan suddenly leaps out of his seat, a combination of
rage and deep sadness. Troi focuses in on him and her
expression changes.
BRYAN
Stop it!
Picard is taken aback.
PICARD
What?
BRYAN
Stop it! Stop with the patronizing!
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