10 Greatest Star Trek Courtroom Episodes

The Drumhead is an example of how the power of a witch-hunt can divide even the most loyal friends and colleagues, drawing on The Crucible to display the true dangers of paranoia. Retired Admiral Norah Satie arrives on board the Enterprise, ready to help flush out a rather straightforward case of espionage.

What follows is an horrific abuse of power, leaving the ship rattled, Worf's faith in the truth shaken, and a young man's career in ruins.

While Satie cloaks her arguments in the search for the truth, and by extension any and all that she deems enemies of the Federation, it quickly becomes apparent that her real goal is simply another victory on her belt - even if she doesn't even see that herself. The episode offers one of the iconic speeches by Captain Picard - with every speech censured - and reveals this once respected Admiral for the paranoid fearmonger that she has become.

There are no true winners in this case. The incident that begets the whole situation is revealed to be nothing more than an accident, one that leaves a swathe of destruction in its wake.