Celestial Navigation (16 Feb. 2000)

In a lecture at Georgetown, Josh recalls the previous week at the White House, during which he replaced a dentally impaired C.J. in the press room and gave a memorably disastrous briefing, ... See full summary »

Director:

Christopher Misiano

Writers:

Aaron Sorkin (creator), Aaron Sorkin (teleplay),

Stars:

Rob Lowe, Moira Kelly, Dulé Hill

Cast

Episode cast overview, first billed only:
Rob Lowe	...	Sam Seaborn
Moira Kelly	...	Mandy Hampton
Dulé Hill	...	Charlie Young
Allison Janney	...	C.J. Cregg
Richard Schiff	...	Toby Ziegler
John Spencer	...	Leo McGarry
Bradley Whitford	...	Josh Lyman
Martin Sheen	...	President Josiah 'Jed' Bartlet
CCH Pounder	...	Deborah O'Leary, Secretary of Housing & Urban Development
Timothy Busfield	...	Danny Concannon
Janel Moloney	...	Donna Moss
Robert David Hall	...	David Nessler
Vaughn Armstrong	...	Sgt. MacNamara
Edward James Olmos	...	Judge Roberto Mendoza
NiCole Robinson	...	Margaret

Storyline

In a lecture at Georgetown, Josh recalls the previous week at the White House, during which he replaced a dentally impaired C.J. in the press room and gave a memorably disastrous briefing, responding to a reporter's question (sarcastically, although taken quite seriously) that the White House had a secret plan to fight inflation. Meanwhile, he's intermittently on the phone with Toby and Sam, who have flown to Connecticut and are now lost in a rental car on the Connecticut Turnpike. They've gone on critical business: the president's nominee for the Supreme Court, Roberto Mendoza, was pulled over by the local police for "driving while Hispanic" and refused to take a drunk test, so he was incarcerated. Toby has to talk the judge down from making a big public issue of his arrest by fighting the charges in court.

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Plot Keywords:

lecture | judge | told in flashback | latino | state trooper | 

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Genres:

Drama

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Details

Country:

USA

Language:

English

Release Date:

16 February 2000 (USA)

Filming Locations:

Forest Lawn Drive, Burbank, California, USA

Company Credits

Production Co:

John Wells Productions, Warner Bros. Television

Technical Specs

Runtime:

60 min

Sound Mix:

Stereo

Color:

Color

Aspect Ratio:

1.78 : 1

Did You Know?

Trivia

The exterior of the police station in "Celestial Navigation" is the show's post-production office.

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Quotes

Toby Ziegler: [Toby is in a jail cell with Judge Mendoza who's been erroneously arrested for drunk driving] One phone call, Judge. "Toby, this has happened. Tell them my name's Roberto Mendoza and the President's named me to the bench!"
Judge Roberto Mendoza: They pulled me over because I look like my name is Roberto Mendoza and I'm coming to rob your house.

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Connections

References Rocky and His Friends (1959)

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Soundtracks

"West Wing Main Title"
(uncredited)
Written by W.G. Snuffy Walden
Performed by Pete Anthony

User Reviews

Sam's in Foggy Bottom

Josh does an interview show, while Toby and Sam go to Connecticut to get Supreme Court nominee Mendoza out of jail, after he'd been arrested on a false drunk-driving charge. Josh's emergency substitution for C.J. in a press conference, because she had emergency root canal, turns into a flaming disaster. Playing the Wesley police sergeant is Vaughn Armstrong (ENTERPRISE). There's also a little CCH Pounder, for all you SHIELD fans out there. The jail cell scene between Toby and Mendoza is towering...it touches upon the raw wound of racism that still festers in this country. Olmos' rage and humiliation are palpable. One of the top ten scenes in show history.