10 Times Star Trek: The Next Generation Went "Dark & Gritty"

The Drumhead is yet another episode that paints Starfleet in a negative light. It starts out with a bang. Like, literally. There’s an explosion on the Enterprise and, after some investigation, it turns out that the explosion was an act of sabotage.

Naturally, the crew needs to find out who, on the ship, is responsible. Leading the investigation is a retired rear admiral named Norah Satie. Satie is highly respected in Starfleet.

With the help of Worf, overs a traitor. Turns out, a Klingon exchange officer is working for the Romulans. They arrested the Klingon and case closed, right? Well, Satie has other plans.

She zeros in on a Vulcan medical officer who had administered treatment on the Klingon. Meanwhile, La Forge discovers the explosion was the result of an accident. And, the Klingon traitor had nothing to do with it.

But, Satie reveals that the Vulcan medical officer is a quarter Romulan. Solely based on his race, Satie determines the Vulcan is guilty and, beyond that, she’s on the hunt for his collaborators.

Suddenly, every crew member is suspected. Anyone who has the gall to assume innocence or question Satie’s methods is under suspicion. Satie has started a witch hunt on board the Enterprise. The episode deals with the consequences of nativism, xenophobia, and paranoia while demonstrating that not even Starfleet is immune to these cultural failings.