IMDb > "Star Trek: The Next Generation" The Measure of a Man (1989)
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"Star Trek: The Next Generation" The Measure of a Man (1989)



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Overview

User Rating:
8.3/10   329 votes
Director:
Writers:
Contact:
View company contact information for The Measure of a Man on IMDbPro.
Original Air Date:
11 February 1989 (Season 2, Episode 9)
Plot:
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. | add synopsis
User Comments:
Best episode of the ST:TNG series. more (5 total)

Cast

  (Episode Credited cast)

Additional Details


Fun Stuff

Trivia:
This is the first episode to feature a poker game in Commander Riker's quarters. This would become a common feature of the show for its duration with various officers and crew participating. more
Goofs:
Anachronisms: The JAG officer calls Data a toaster, but by this time food replicators have been in existence for 85 years, making it highly unlikely that toasters could have survived to remain in common vernacular. more
Quotes:
Admiral Nakamura: For five hundred years, every ship that has borne the name of the Enterprise has become a legend. This one is no different. more

FAQ

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11 out of 12 people found the following comment useful.
Best episode of the ST:TNG series., 6 December 2007
10/10
Author: Mike_Wiggins from Newport, Rhode Island, USA

Of all the episodes of Star Trek: The Next Generation, this is the episode that I consider, without hesitation, to be the best episode of the series. Its brilliant writing explores many facets including the right to choose your pathway in life (be you android or not), what makes a "sentient being" ("Does Data have a soul?"), the ethics of robotics (do we have the right to make slaves out of them?), friendship, camaraderie, and other factors.

As MTDAVIES mentioned, this is the type of storyline that Gene Roddenberry wanted for "Star Trek". By the time this episode came along, most of us who watched the series were already attached to the Enterprise crew, and especially to Data as he was the foil for exploring ourselves and the human condition. To have Data be told that he didn't have the right to choose for himself was inconceivable. The resulting JAG case was riveting as well as emotional.

You just can't ask for better Star Trek than this. This also ranks very highly in the "Best Science Fiction ... period" category.

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