HERE THERE BE SPOILERS

Welcome back to my TNG Rewatch. As promised, I am going to finish hitting both the highs and lows of TNG’s final season. First up is “The Pegasus.”

“The Pegasus” is meant to be a reflection on the difference between mindless loyalty and making the hard choice to do the right thing. Admiral Pressman’s return and single-minded pursuit of retrieving the Pegasus, or more accurately, the technology she conceals in her Engineering section force Riker not only to confront a mistake he made as an Ensign but also allow him the opportunity to redeem himself. While exploring those themes makes for interesting television, I find the episode more interesting for what it says about Federation law and politics. The ghost of the office of the Judge Advocate General haunts the episode as tangibly as Riker’s regrets. “The Pegasus” could have been a great piece of storytelling, but neither Jonathan Frakes nor Terry O’Quinn give a solid enough performance to land this episode in the pantheon of TNG’s really great episodes. Rick Berman and Brannon Braga later use this episode as a framing story for the series finale of Star Trek: Enterprise, lending the episode its own form of infamy. For that alone, “The Pegasus” would merit a spot in a TNG retrospective.

Plot Ahoy!

The episode opens with Captain Picard grumbling about having to participate in “Captain Picard Day,” a ship-wide celebration of Picard as a role model for the ship’s children. A priority communication from Starfleet provides Picard with a brief respite from judging competition entries. Vice Admiral Blackwell explains to Picard that he’ll need to rendezvous with the Crazy Horse to pick up a Starfleet Intelligence operative who will brief them on the particulars of the mission. Picard complies. The operative in question turns out to be Admiral Erik Pressman, Commander Riker’s first commanding officer. Pressman explains to Picard that their mission will be to locate and salvage the Pegasus, the ship on which Riker served as an ensign under Pressman. The ship was presumably lost following a warp core breach some twelve years earlier, but intelligence from an operative on Romulus indicated that the Romulans had located the ship. Pressman assures Picard that the Pegasus must not fall into Romulan hands due to the sensitive nature of some of the equipment on board. In the background, Will Riker seems visibly uncomfortable.

The Enterprise enters the Devolin system to find the Warbird Terix already present. Picard and Sirol trade barbs via communication channels, and the Terix retreats. Picard orders a search of the area. Meanwhile, Riker and Pressman head to Ten Forward for drinks, and Riker expresses curiosity as to whether the Pegasus could or should be found. Pressman assures him that Admiral Raner of Starfleet Intelligence has offered him her full support in this endeavor. Pressman also conveys her orders that Riker must not speak about the “experiment” aboard the Pegasus even to Captain Picard.

Commander William Riker shows up in Sickbay with a broken rib, grumbling about an error he’d made while sparring with Worf. Dr. Crusher assures him that it’s an easily rectifiable mistake, and he’ll do better next time. Riker accepts treatment but does not appear convinced regarding his abilities to rectify his error. Data and Lt. Cmdr LaForge discover what could be the resonance frequency of the Pegasus inside an asteroid, and via some creative use of ionizing radiation, they conceal the ship’s presence from the lurking Romulans. Pressman insists that the Enterprise investigate. Unwillingly, the captain complies. Later, Riker brings reports to Picard’s quarters for the Captain’s perusal, and Picard corners him, demanding more information regarding a mutiny Picard discovered after acquiring a report of findings from the Judge Advocate General’s office. Riker stiltedly explains that a mutiny occurred, and he defended his captain. Together with seven other officers, he and Pressman fled to a shuttle and escaped only to watch the Pegasus explode. He tells Picard that he is under orders to divulge nothing more.

Once the Romulans have wandered farther away from the asteroid, the Enterprise confirms that not only is the Pegasus inside the asteroid but that the ship is partially entombed within the rock. Data can provide no explanation as to how this occurred, but he verifies that Engineering is accessible. Pressman demands Picard take the Enterprise into the asteroid, which Picard does after noting an objection in the record. Pressman and Riker beam aboard the Pegasus and climb over the bodies of the fallen to reach a piece of equipment all while bickering about the legality of what they’re doing. As it happens, the device Pressman has been sent to retrieve is a Federation cloaking device with the extra ability to phase through matter. The Treaty of Algeron expressly forbids Federation development of such a device, and the crew of the Pegasus opted to commit mutiny rather than violate the treaty.

Pressman and Riker beam back aboard the Enterprise to discover that the Romulans have sealed the Enterprise inside the asteroid. Sirol offers to beam the crew aboard and take them to Romulus. Picard declines. Riker suggests that they use the cloaking device from the Pegasus to escape the asteroid, much to Pressman’s rage. Pressman attempts to take command of the Enterprise and orders Worf to escort Picard to his quarters. Worf refuses, and the Enterprise escapes while also discovering how the Pegasus was lost. Picard orders the Enterprise to decloak and informs the Terix that the Federation will be contacting the Romulan government regarding the incident, and he orders Worf to arrest Pressman. Riker voluntarily submits to arrest as well.

Later, in the brig, Picard tells Riker that he’ll have some difficult questions to answer. Wracked with guilt, Riker admits he should have come forward much earlier. Picard tells him that when it counted, he did. He also explains that Riker’s service has garnered him a great deal of good will which can save him, but he may lose some of that good will as a result of these events coming to light. However, because Riker willingly did the right thing despite the cost to him personally, Picard assures him that he’s still fit not only to wear a Starfleet uniform but also serve aboard the Enterprise as first officer. They leave the brig together.

Analysis

As a discussion between Pressman and Picard makes clear, the primary tension in “The Pegasus” is meant to be that of loyalty vs. doing the right thing. Pressman falls into the former camp, demanding absolute loyalty, but Picard values free thought and moral character in his officers. He even revisits his reasons for selecting Riker, that Riker risked a court martial to keep his captain aboard the Hood, which is a nice callback to “Encounter at Farpoint.” Of course, the episode frames Picard as being in the right, which is the entire purpose of the Captain Picard Day sequence. It serves as a preface for Picard’s decision to de-cloak within view of the Romulan ship. He’s the role model; Pressman is not.

Picard did not have to cause an incident between the Federation and the Romulan Star Empire. He could have remained cloaked until well beyond the Terix’s sensor range, but despite Pressman’s orders to the contrary, he chooses the path of honesty and potential censure for insubordination over the easy path. That’s the clear difference between Pressman and Picard. Pressman must rely on rank and demand loyalty because unlike Picard, he cannot earn respect due to his own moral bankruptcy. His utter disregard for the bodies of his fallen crew serves as ample evidence of how bereft of moral principles Pressman really is. Having spent six years and change serving under Picard, Riker has fully internalized the substantive difference between Pressman and Picard as commanders and chooses to follow Picard’s example by prioritizing honesty and following the law over his own career and future.

What I like best about “The Pegasus” is that at no point does Riker plead that he was merely following orders as an excuse or defense of his choices as an ensign. The implication is that Starfleet regulations contain something similar to the UCMJ’s Article 91 carve-out exception for refusing to obey unlawful orders. The 2019 MCM establishes in R.C.M. 916(d) that following orders is a defense to any offense unless the accused knew or reasonably should have known the orders were unlawful. Riker admits that he was seven months out of the Academy, so he would have known that development of a cloaking device by the Federation would have been unlawful under the terms of the Treaty of Algeron. Riker cannot even claim mistake as to whether Pressman’s orders were lawful. Neither can Pressman for that matter, which is why he places such a high importance on Riker’s entrenched loyalty. That loyalty is literally all that saved not only his career but also guaranteed him a future outside a Federation prison.

In 21st Century America, granting the Treaty of Algeron weight as law would be subject to certain requirements. The Treaty of Algeron either would have been deemed self-executing or Federation legislation specifically prohibiting the development of a cloaking device pursuant to the Treaty’s terms would have been promulgated. American jurisprudence recognizes that treaties are a source of law, but unlike precedential decisions or legislation, treaties must either be self-executing or have supporting legislation passed. A treaty is deemed self-executing when its own terms contain an implication that the treaty will come into effect without other action. Generally, treaties affecting the rights of individuals are considered self-executing, but where the obligations fall on a public body, the question of whether such a treaty is self-executing is somewhat murky. Going down that rabbit hole is ultimately unnecessary. The episode sheds no light on that rather esoteric question of law but merely establishes unequivocally that the Treaty of Algeron’s prohibition is recognized as legally binding on Starfleet. As a result, even with Admiral Raner’s support, Pressman cannot hide behind the excuse of following orders any more than Riker could, so Pressman would also be subject to court martial.

While Picard no doubt decides to de-cloak in front of the Terix because he believes in the necessity of being honest regarding the exact nature of what the Pegasus was out there doing twelve years prior, choosing to cause an incident of the magnitude he does also guarantees that it will be politically necessary to bring Pressman and likely Raner before a court martial. Had Picard chosen to sneak away from the Devolin system, Starfleet Intelligence could have forced a cover-up. Doing so would not have been honorable, but Starfleet Intelligence could have made the cost of going public repugnant enough that Picard could not have subjected his crew to it. Picard’s decision not only forces the issue, but it also forces Starfleet to make public sacrifices of both Pressman and Raner as well as possibly any number of their intimates. A greater cynic than myself would assume that Picard, savvy politician that he is, took that fall out into account when deciding to decloak.

That Pressman has as much support as he does indicates that not everyone in Starfleet adheres to the spirit of the service embodied by the Enterprise crew. Pressman is correct when he asserts that the Federation has denied itself the opportunity to develop equalizing technology, creating a security risk. Pressman and his co-conspirators want to level that playing field, and they’re willing to go outside Federation law and policy to do so. In TNG, the Federation represents an idealized government, but toward the end of the series’ run, the existence of the Maquis brings the goodness of the Federation into question. DS9 deals with issues of political expediency vs. idealized morality more in-depth, and Ira Behr ultimately creates Section 31 to sidestep the question of Starfleet involvement in some of the more unsavory aspects of acting as a nation-state in the world of Trek. There have been previous whispers of potential nefarious dealings, but for me, “The Pegasus” serves as the first real intimation that the perfection to which the Federation aspires is not as feasible as one might think.

With all of the foregoing in mind, Riker’s redemption arc in the episode and the thematic division between mindless loyalty and moral character are really the least interesting elements of this episode.

Rating:

Three cups of Earl Grey Tea

Stray Thoughts From the Couch:

1. I do find myself wondering exactly what the charges at those courts-martial would be. Certainly obstruction of justice, perjury, and subornation of perjury would likely find their way into the charging documents. I’d throw conspiracy on there as a great catch-all. I can maybe even see charging Pressman with “conduct unbecoming of an officer,” subject to the caveats of that particular statute which go far beyond the bounds of this article. I should also note that at no point have I ever been a JAG or practiced in any area that would touch on criminal law or the Uniform Code of Military Justice. I also assume that any requirement that an unlawful order result in a violent act has been suspended by whatever regulation Starfleet uses in place of the UCMJ.
2. The emotional crux of the episode is the showdown between Pressman and Riker aboard the Pegasus, and it really should have been more impactful. Pressman literally steps over the bodies of the fallen as if they’re debris in his way, and even when Riker points that out, Riker can’t summon up any emotional investment in the deaths of these people. It could have been a great scene, but it just falls flat.
3. I dislike that Riker seemingly escapes severe punishment for his role in the Pegasus incident. Apparently, the ending of Ronald D. Moore’s first draft of the teleplay reflected actual repercussions. In the finished episode, there’s a real “well, you learned your lesson” vibe that undercuts what should have been Riker’s sacrifice to tell the truth. It’s unfortunate, but I can sort of see why the showrunners would have preferred to avoid shaming the XO in the final season.
4. I mentioned above that Braga and Berman opted to set “These Are the Voyages” as a holographic recreation of historical events that Riker uses to work through making a better choice in “The Pegasus.” I’m sure they intended “These Are the Voyages” as a goodbye to the franchise, reflecting their history of work in Trek. However, doing so did a major disservice not only to the cast and crew of Enterprise but also to the fans of that series. Calling back to an episode of a different Trek that aired ten years prior re-centered the final episode’s narrative on Will Riker rather than the crew of the NX-01, robbing that cast and crew of the opportunity to offer a more Enterprise-centric goodbye.