Observations in TNG: "Chain of Command II"
A joint project with TrekCore, by Jörg Hillebrand and Bernd Schneider
Here are some observations about sets, props and visual effects in TNG: "Chain of Command II" without a specific theme, and a comparison of the original TV release (TNG) with the remastered episode (TNG-R).
"Chain of Command II" HD Screencaps @ TrekCore
| Description TNG | Other caps | Comparison TNG to TNG-R | Description TNG-R | |
| The Cardassian hypospray or injector seen in this shot is different from the ones regularly used in later DS9 episodes. |  DS9: "Sacrifice of Angels" |
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The device in HD. | |
| Both shots of the USS Enterprise-D facing a Cardassian Galor-class warship were originally created for previous episodes. This shot was created for "Ensign Ro", but also appeared in part one of "Chain of Command". |  "Ensign Ro" |
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The shot in HD. | |
| A medical device, often identified as a dermal regenerator, is used by a nurse to heal Worf's wound. The pink glow was added in post production. |   |
The device in HD. | ||
| The Cardassian desktop monitor seems to be a modification of the regular Starfleet desktop monitor seen aboard the USS Enterprise-D. The prop was later repainted and used for numerous other alien species in later episodes and series. It first reappeared in season 7 as Baran's desktop monitor in "Gambit II". Variations of the TNG Desktop Monitor |
 "Gambit II" |
 "Interface" |
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The monitor in HD. |
| This shot of the USS Enterprise-D and a Galor-class warship was originally created for "The Wounded". |  "The Wounded" |
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In the remastered version of the episode, the glow of the Cardassian deflector is much more red. | |
| We get a first good look at Cardassian writing and a Cardassian PADD in this shot. This type of PADD was used in countless later DS9 episodes. |  DS9: "Strange Bedfellows" |
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The PADD in HD. | |
| Jil Orra's pet wompat seems to be a white ferret. |   |
A better look at the animal in HD. | ||
| Gul Madred's Cardassian PADD displays the same graphic as the one used by Gul Lemec earlier in the episode. |   |
A better look at the PADD (and the FOUR LIGHTS) in HD. | ||
A microphone briefly pops into view in the top right-hand corner of this scene. Also pay attention to the unconventional chair. It seems a regular "human" chair was used and two additional Cardassian legs were added to make the prop look more alien. |
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No microphone is visible in the remastered episode. | ||
| The results of a quantum resonance scan of the Cardassian Galor-class warship are displayed in this sequence of screenshots. |   |
The display was redone for TNG-R. The model of the Cardassian ship is still crude but now matches the physical miniature. | ||
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| A map of the border between Federation and Cardassian space is seen in these three screenshots. |   |
For the remastering of the episode, the designation of the sector was changed from 21527 to 71527. No names of star systems are legible even in HD. | ||
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| Instead of a Starfleet dossier on Minos Korva, the monitor displays an engineering log of the USS Enterprise-D originally created for "Galaxy's Child". |  "Galaxy's Child" |
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When the file had to be recreated for the remastering of the episode, a proper dossier on Minos Korva was written. | |
| The cut-open Taspar egg reveals the still living creature inside. |   |
The delicious egg in HD. | ||
| The antimatter mines seen in this episode are clearly made from the same prop as the transporter test cylinders seen in episodes like "The Ensigns of Command" and "Data's Day". In real life, these are U.S. Navy sonobuoy casings. Re-Uses of Sonobuoy Containers |
 "The Ensigns of Command" |
 "Data's Day" |
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The props in HD. |
| The interior of the shuttle seen in this episode is clearly that of a Type-6 shuttle, first seen in "Darmok", and not the interior of a Type-7 shuttle, as seen in "Samaritan Snare". |  "Samaritan Snare" |
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The interior of the shuttle in HD. | |
| This shot of the USS Enterprise-D inside the McAllister C-5 nebula is clearly a re-use of footage of the ship in the Mar Oscura in "In Theory". |  "In Theory" |
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The shot in HD. | |
| Several pages from Picard's Shakespeare book can be nicely seen in these screenshots. The book is normally on display in the ready room but was given to Picard by Jellico in the last episode. The book used here is
The Annotated Shakespeare - Volume I. Picard's Shakespeare Books |
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We can recognize more of the book in HD. | ||
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| The label on Riker's door can be clearly read in this shot, even in SD. |  |
No changes | ||
| In this shot, the shuttle suddenly has switched from a Type-6 shuttle (interior shot) to a Type-7 shuttle (exterior shot), just like in the previous episode. The footage was originally created for "Unnatural Selection" and the nebula replaces the USS Enterprise-D and the planet shot. Variations of the Type-7 Shuttle |
 "Unnatural Selection" |
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The shot remains unchanged in HD. | |
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| A proximity scan displayed on a large monitor in the shuttle cockpit. |   |
The graphic looks much crisper in HD now. | ||
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| Another look at the antimatter mines which only appear in this episode. |   |
The props in HD. | ||
| This shot of the USS Enterprise-D inside the McAllister C-5 nebula was also originally created for "In Theory". |  "In Theory" |
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The shot in HD. | |
| The Cardassian logo is seen up close for the first time in this shot. The colors of the logo would regularly change over the years. The Evolution of the Cardassian Emblem |
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The emblem in HD. | ||
| A close-up of the control device Gul Madred uses to torture Captain Picard. |   |
The prop in HD. | ||
| This shot of the USS Enterprise-D alongside the USS Cairo first appeared in "Tin Man". While the original footage of the two ships was filmed for the pilot episode, it was recomposited for "Tin Man". |  "Tin Man" |
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The shot in HD. | |
