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Star Trek: The Next Generation: Season 2, Episode 9The Measure of a Man (11 Feb. 1989)When Data resigns his commission rather than be dismantled for examination by an inadequately skilled scientist, a formal hearing is convened to determine whether Data is considered property without rights or is a sentient being. Director:Robert Scheerer |
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Title: The Measure of a Man (11 Feb 1989)
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Cast
| Episode cast overview: | |||
| Patrick Stewart | ... | ||
| Jonathan Frakes | ... | ||
| LeVar Burton | ... | ||
| Michael Dorn | ... | ||
| Marina Sirtis | ... | ||
| Brent Spiner | ... | ||
| Wil Wheaton | ... | ||
| Diana Muldaur | ... | ||
 |
Amanda McBroom | ... | |
| Clyde Kusatsu | ... | ||
|
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Brian Brophy | ... | |
| Whoopi Goldberg | ... | ||
| Colm Meaney | ... | ||
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Storyline
At Starbase 173, the crew have a bit of leave. Data learns some of the intricacies of playing poker while Captain Picard runs into an old friend of a sort, Captain Phillipa Louvois, who established a new JAG office at the base. She once prosecuted him, unsuccessfully, but there is admiration at least, on both sides. Problems arise however when Commander Bruce Maddox receives permission to disassemble Data to determine how he functions. When Data expresses doubts about Maddox's likelihood of success, he refuses to undergo the procedure and resigns his commission. He soon finds himself the center of a judicial inquiry to determine if he is just a machine and a piece of property or a sentient being who has the right to make his own decisions. Captain Louvois finds herself sitting in judgment with Captain Picard defending Data's claim against Commander Riker who is forced to present the opposing arguments. Written by garykmcd
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Release Date:
11 February 1989 (USA) See more »Company Credits
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Technical Specs
Aspect Ratio:
1.33 : 1
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Commander William T. Riker: The Commander is a physical representation of a dream - an idea, conceived of by the mind of a man. Its purpose: to serve human needs and interests. It's a collection of neural nets and heuristic algorithms; its responses dictated by an elaborate software written by a man, its hardware built by a man. And now... and now a man will shut it off.
[Riker switches off Data, who slumps forward like a lifeless puppet]
Commander William T. Riker: Pinocchio is broken. Its strings have been ...
See more »
Did You Know?
Trivia
Data's storage capacity is stated as 800 quadrillion bits. In modern terms, this equates to 88.818 pebibytes (PiB), or more simply, 100,000 terabytes (TB). See more »Goofs
Data tells Picard that Maddox was the only dissenting member of a screening committee that approved his entrance into Starfleet. This implies that the majority approved him. Since only sentient beings can take the oath of a service personnel officer, this would be the grounds for Data's status as a living being, but this is overlooked at the trial. See more »Quotes
[Riker is doing his duty in the courtroom]Commander William T. Riker: The Commander is a physical representation of a dream - an idea, conceived of by the mind of a man. Its purpose: to serve human needs and interests. It's a collection of neural nets and heuristic algorithms; its responses dictated by an elaborate software written by a man, its hardware built by a man. And now... and now a man will shut it off.
[Riker switches off Data, who slumps forward like a lifeless puppet]
Commander William T. Riker: Pinocchio is broken. Its strings have been ...
See more »
Too many people look at the Trek stories and shows as "just science fiction" but Gene Rodenberry had much more in mind. This episode stayed true to Rodenberry's vision and made us think and question. It looked at themes of Civil Rights and Slavery.. it looked at ethics, morality and science all intermingling.
There was some excellent acting in this one. Whoopi Goldberg, Diana Muldaur, Patrick Stewart & Brent Spiner all played their prospective roles particularly well. But, in my opinion, it was the character of Riker that played the most difficult role in this story and Jonathan Frakes pulled it off excellently!
The character of Lt. Commander Data, the android crew member, was an ingenious invention of the Next Generation writers. Each time they explored his character the more interesting he became. This story, by Melinda M. Snodgrass, however, is the best of those explorations of character. It could be used in an ethics class! It is a definite "must see!"