Norah Satie Rear Admiral Norah Satie was a female Human Starfleet officer of the 24th century . She was the daughter of renowned Starfleet judge and civil liberties advocate Aaron Satie . She was also a renowned investigator . Early life . When she was a child , her father would pose a question for her and her elder brothers to debate at every dinner . Her father loved it when she outsmarted them with a subtle point of logic , which she did many times . Satie ' s father instilled in her over her lifetime a deep devotion to the Federation , teaching her that it was the " most remarkable union ever conceived . " She would devote her life to protecting it from forces outside and within . ( ) Starfleet career . She worked closely with Admiral Thomas Henry for a period of time . ( ) In 2363 , Satie issued Captain Jean - Luc Picard ' s orders to take command of the . ( ) In the period from 2363 to 2367 , Satie was stationed at multiple planetary and starbase locations . Deeply devoted to her work , she did not see family or friends . In 2364 , she played a principal role in uncovering a conspiracy by parasitic being s to invade and conquer the Federation . By 2367 she had retired . ( ) Investigation aboard the USS " Enterprise " - D . Early successes . In 2367 , she was a member of an " ad - hoc " Starfleet panel established to investigate an explosion near the " Enterprise " - D ' s warp core . She was able to get a full confession from the treacherous Klingon , J ' Dan , a scientist who was on the ship as part of the Officer Exchange Program – but whose true purpose was spying for the Romulan s , though he did nothing to cause the explosion . With the help of her Betazoid aide , she also discovered medical technician Simon Tarses had lied on his application to Starfleet to hide his partial Romulan ancestry . Growing paranoia . Convinced there were more spies and saboteurs on board and growing increasingly suspicious about myriad unrelated events , Satie began to manifest symptoms of monomania ; her determined ambition to rein in a " grand conspiracy " clouded her ability to make sound judgments and caused her to connect past occurrences to a non - existent , complex subterfuge scheme . Her zealousness did not diminish even after Lieutenant Commanders Geordi La Forge and Data presented evidence that the explosion near the warp core was an accident . In fact , she went so far as to falsely claim that warp core explosion had evidence of sabotage in an interrogation of Tarses that proved excessively aggressive . In that regard , when Tarses ' acting counsel , Commander William T . Riker , advised him to invoke his right in the Seventh Guarantee of the Constitution of the United Federation of Planets to avoid self - incrimination , Satie twisted its intent into an insinuation of insubordination against the technician that validated her accusations . She later went to expand her accusations , deriding the starship ' s operations , its perceived lax security , and in particular , the " non - vigilant " command style – eventually going as far as questioning Picard ' s loyalty to the Federation . With Picard in the dock , she recounted the tragic tale of the recent Borg invasion , with its outcome of eleven thousand people killed and thirty - nine starships destroyed at Wolf 359 . Because this had happened when the Borg had assimilated Picard into Locutus , she subtly insinuated that he had been somewhat culpable or complicit . This , along with her persecution of Tarses , prompted the captain to remind Satie of her father ' s legacy and what he had taught and written in support of free speech and thought , ideals the Federation sought to uphold , which Picard believed she was now – ironically and perhaps unwittingly – undermining . Downfall . Picard ' s invocation of her father ' s teachings as a defense incensed her , and in reaction , Satie began ranting with near - hysteria about her perception that Picard had insulted her and her father , and she proclaimed she now intended to destroy Picard personally , saying she had " " brought down bigger men than [ he ] . " " Satie ' s furious retort and by - now obvious witch hunting caused Admiral Thomas Henry , who came to observe the questioning , to become so irritated with this over - the - top behavior that he , without a word and a disgusted look on his face , abruptly walked out during the session . He then suspended the inquiry and disbanded the investigation panel , which ended Satie ' s disruptive visit to the " Enterprise " - D . Picard likened the ordeal to a " Drumhead trial " , as he explained to a disconsolate Lieutenant Worf about the dangers of such " trials " , as well as the ease for well - intentioned people to let conspiracy investigations to degenerate into them . ( ) Appendices . Background information . Norah Satie was played by acclaimed actress Jean Simmons . According to the script pronunciation guide for " The Drumhead " , Satie ' s surname was pronounced as " sah - TEE " . The final draft script of " The Drumhead " directed her to remain steadfastly composed and statuesque , even during the confusion surrounding her downfall , indicating an unrepentant attitude . This largely plays out in the episode , as she admits no wrongdoing or apology and keeps her haughty composure . Apocrypha . In the novel " A Time for War , A Time for Peace " , Scotty speaks to Admiral Ross about the group being assigned to evaluate the and he mentions to Ross that Sabin Genestra worked for Norah Satie when Captain Picard disgraced her . In the short story " Meet With Triumph and Disaster " , which appears in the anthology " The Sky ' s the Limit " , Satie is one of the flag officers given a tour of the newly commissioned by its appointed captain , Thomas Halloway .