Defend Yourself

"Defend Yourself"



Episode 167: Lower Decks

Captain's log, Stardate 47566.7 (Year 2370)

It's promotion time on the USS Enterprise and several officers on the USS Enterprise are working to prove their worthiness of promotion. Picard enters the bridge and orders a change of course to the Argaya system at maximum warp, under Starfleet's direction. Picard requests Riker, Worf and Data to join him to discuss, leaving the junior officers in charge.

Picard requests Ensign Sito to join him to the bridge. In his ready room, he asks how long she has served the USS Enterprise, which she answers 7 months. He mentions that she has been recommended for the opps position and asks if she is ready. When she says she is ready, he disagrees and asks about an incident involving a "dare-devil stunt" when she was with the Academy, resulting in the death of a fellow cadet. She then participated in a cover-up during the investigation to the death, forcing Picard to question her character. She claims that she did not enjoy her time at the Academy, but stuck with it and shouldn't that also say something about her character. He continues to reprimand her, convinced she should have been expelled from the Academy and unsure how she made it onto the Enterprise. Unable to defend herself, he dismisses her.

In Worf's mok'bana class, Sito is given a lesson in defending herself when being unfairly attacked. She courageously approaches Picard with a request to be respected for her hard work and efforts and if that cannot be the case, to be transferred to another ship. Picard tells her she won't find a more lenient commander. Sito wants to be judged for her performance on the ship, not for her past mistakes. He acknowledges her courage and explains that he was assessing her ability to complete an important mission, one that requires more courage than addressing a harsh commanding officer. He then admits that it was he who asked her to work on the Enterprise so she would have a fair chance to redeem herself.

Sito is asked to report back to discuss the secret mission. She is face-to-face with a Cardassian officer, who has risked his life to give disclose invaluable information about Cardassian strategic intentions. They need to safely return him back to Cardassian space, yet Picard does not require Sito to take on this mission. She volunteers to complete the mission, knowing the risk involved.

  30 hours pass and and there has been no sign of Ensign Sito's escape pod. Eventually, they are able to intercept a Cardassian report stating that a Bejoran prisoner escaped her captor and was killed in an evacuation pod as she tried to leave Cardassian space.

Picard: "To all Starfleet personnel, this is the Captain. It is my sad duty to inform you that a member of the crew, Ensign Sito Jaxa has been lost in the line of duty. She was the finest example of a Starfleet officer and a young woman of remarkable courage and strength of character. A loss will be deeply felt by all who knew her. Picard out."



What did I learn about Picard's leadership?

• Picard is an authoritarian and can be harsh in his critique. He does not show leniency with his Starfleet crew members. 
• Picard is a teacher and tests his crew in many ways. In this episode, his harsh remarks towards Sito's judgment of character was really a test of Sito's courage, as she will need to be able handle more unnerving experiences.
• Picard gives praise when necessary. In this episode, he praises her courage and agrees to judge her fairly.
• Picard believes in second chances and gave Sito a job on the Enterprise in order to give her a fair chance to redeem herself from a past mistake.
• Picard shows remorse in Sito's death and once again praises her "remarkable courage and strength of character".