Patrick Stewart Did Some Dark Research To Prepare For His Star Trek: TNG Torture Scene
"Star Trek: The Next Generation" was a pretty unusual job for classically trained theater performer Patrick Stewart, but it was one that he took very seriously from the beginning. By the time he got around to season 6 and had really gotten to know and love the world of "Star Trek," he took his performance even more seriously, but there was one season 6 episode that required even more dedication and some pretty dark research. In the second part of the two-part episode "Chain of Command," Picard is taken captive by the Cardassians and is tortured by Gul Madred (David Warner). Stewart was already pretty focused on the episode because of his lifelong appreciation for Warner's work, but as a member of Amnesty International for years before coming to "Star Trek," he was even more concerned about making sure the torture aspects of the episode were accurate and respectful to torture survivors.
In the book "Star Trek: The Next Generation 365" by Paula M. Block and Terry J. Erdmann, Stewart's dedication to making "Chain of Command" feel authentic and emotionally resonant was detailed, and as usual, the actor put in the work.
Doing research into torture
In the episode, Picard is tortured by Gul Madred in a number of ways, including isolation, stripping him naked, starvation, and causing him intense physical pain, all ending in a sick game where Madred shows Picard four lights and threatens him with excruciating pain if he doesn't agree with Madred saying there are actually five lights. In addition to working directly with Amnesty International on the episode, inviting them to Los Angeles to help with the torture scenes, Patrick Stewart also watched tapes that included statements from torture survivors and even a long interview with a torturer who shared his experiences hurting other people.
In addition to his rather uncomfortable research, Stewart also insisted on being completely nude during the scene where Picard is tortured by being stripped naked, because he wanted to fully honor the experiences of those who had endured similar torture in the real world. (Generally, nude scenes are done with some kind of skin-toned undergarment or even a little sock, but Stewart wanted to be as exposed as Picard.) Stewart's experience researching and filming the torture scenes might have been pretty unpleasant, but it helped lead to one of the very best episodes of "The Next Generation."
One of Star Trek's most intense episodes
"Chain of Command" has gone on to be appreciated as one of the best episodes of "Star Trek: The Next Generation" and one of the most intense installments in the entire franchise, in large part because of the terrific performances at the center of it, especially Patrick Stewart's. He plays Picard's initial resilience in the face of unspeakable torture with the strength we've come to expect of the character, but by the time he's nearly broken at the end of it all, he feels more human and relatable than ever before. The episode was also the last to air before the beginning of the next "Star Trek" series, "Star Trek: Deep Space Nine," which is a much darker take on the franchise. So, in a way, Stewart's intensity and the intensity of "Chain of Command" helped usher in the wartime drama of "Deep Space Nine."
One of the best things about "Star Trek" is that it can be so varied, ranging from the wildly fantastical to painful allegories for our own reality. In the case of "Chain of Command," Stewart made sure that his character's real-world counterparts were properly represented.