--- title: "Forget ‘The Art of War’: Everything You Need To Know About Military Leadership Is In ‘Star Trek’" date: "2018-03-30" modified: "2018-03-30" authors: - name: "Jeff Schogol" job_title: "Senior Pentagon Reporter" link: "https://taskandpurpose.com/authors/jeff-schogol/" url: "https://taskandpurpose.com/news/star-trek-military-marine-commandant/" categories: - "Culture" - "Entertainment" tags: - "Leadership" --- # Forget ‘The Art of War’: Everything You Need To Know About Military Leadership Is In ‘Star Trek’ ![]() Von Clausewitz. Sun Tzu. Gene Roddenberry? The ‘Star Trek’ creator has a lot to say about war and military life — and, it happens, he has a superfan in the Marines’ top general. Gen. Robert Neller, the Marine Corps commandant, is a big fan of Capt. Jean-Luc Picard, the unflappable USS Enterprise skipper played by Sir Patrick Stewart in “The Next Generation.” The show, Neller says, teaches lasting lessons about leadership. https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=biHFBe-Ju2I “I've always enjoyed watching it,” Neller said during a March 29 discussion at the Atlantic Council think tank in Washington. “It's a leadership show, because you always find that the crew and the captain are put in some sort of moral, ethical, operational dilemma, which I find interesting.” Neller wasn’t able to give us some of his favorite TNG episodes, but here’s a few with with timeless lessons for Marines and other service members. Be warned, spoilers ahead. ### “The High Ground.” When terrorists kidnap the Enterprise’s doctor, Capt. Picard and his crew wrestle with how to respond without being drawn into a planet’s civil war. The episode first aired in 1990, the same year as Desert Shield — and the U.S. military’s first showdown with Saddam Hussein. In one scene, a surveillance video shows what looks eerily like the World Trade Center’s twin towers. **Key Picard quote:** "History has shown us that strength may be useless when faced with terrorism.” **Main takeaway:** Terrorism is a military problem that requires a political solution — but the better the military does, the less incentive politicians have to solve it. So, as Picard so finely put it, we’re just fucked. Related: The Pentagon Refuses To Discuss How It Plans To Screw Up The New Space Force Uniforms » ### “Peak Performance.” Data unexpectedly loses a war game against a famous strategist. He goes into a funk, trying to find out where he failed. Picard tells him to unfuck himself. Data realizes that to win, he doesn’t need to beat his opponent, just create a stalemate and outlast him. **Key Picard quote:** “It is possible to commit no mistakes and still lose. That is not a weakness; that is life.” **Main takeaway:** Don’t be afraid to fail. That’s why we have second lieutenants. ### “The Drumhead.” After a saboteur is discovered aboard the Enterprise, a retired admiral leads a witch hunt to for conspirators. Eventually, even Picard falls under suspicion. The episode is reminiscent of how James Jesus Angleton nearly destroyed the CIA looking for non-existent Soviet moles. **Key Picard quote:** “Five hundred years ago, military officers would upend a drum on the battlefield. They'd sit at it and dispense summary justice. Decisions were quick; punishments severe; appeals denied. Those who came to a drumhead were doomed.” **Main takeaway:** The military justice system can be cruel and arbitrary. Take whatever plea deal prosecutors offer you. Related: When It Comes To The Military, SciFi Movies Are Missing The Mark » ### “In Chain of Command, Part II.” Picard is captured on a mission concocted by the Cardassians to lure him away from the Enterprise. His captors torture him for intelligence on the defenses of a planet they plan to invade. The interrogation scenes evoke George Orwell’s “1984”: The Cardassian interrogator tries to get Picard to say he sees five lights when there are only four. **Key Picard quote:** “THERE... ARE... FOUR LIGHTS!” **Main takeaway:** Pay attention during SERE training. That stuff is super useful. ### “The Best of Both Worlds, Part I.” Even though chances of victory are slim, Picard orders the Enterprise to attack a Borg ship. He is quickly captured and assimilated into the Borg collective. Second Officer Riker decides to try a new weapon against the Borg ship, even though it would mean killing Picard. **Key Picard quote:** “Mr. Worf, dispatch a subspace message to Admiral Hanson. We have engaged the Borg.” **Main takeaway:** No matter how much readiness sucks; no matter how broken equipment is; the military will always answer the nation’s call to fling itself head-first into an open-ended conflict without an end game. **WATCH NEXT:** ## Author Jeff Schogol is the senior Pentagon reporter for Task & Purpose. He reports on both the Defense Department as a whole as well as individual services, covering a variety of topics that include personnel, policy, military justice, deployments, and technology. ### Author social links [Instagram]() [LinkedIn]() [Twitter]()