Episode complete credited cast: | |||
Patrick Stewart | ... | Capt. Jean-Luc Picard | |
Jonathan Frakes | ... | Cmdr. William Riker | |
LeVar Burton | ... | Lt. Cmdr. Geordi La Forge | |
Michael Dorn | ... | Lt. Worf | |
Gates McFadden | ... | Dr. Beverly Crusher | |
Marina Sirtis | ... | Counselor Deanna Troi | |
Brent Spiner | ... | Lt. Cmdr. Data | |
Wil Wheaton | ... | Wesley Crusher | |
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Eileen Seeley | ... | Ard'rian McKenzie |
Mark L. Taylor | ... | Haritath | |
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Richard Allen | ... | Kentor |
Colm Meaney | ... | Chief Miles O'Brien | |
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Mart McChesney | ... | Sheliak |
After a century of silence, the Enterprise receives a message from the Shelia system informing them that they have discovered a human colony on a world in their sector. As they will be colonizing the planet themselves in four days time, they want the Enterprise to evacuate all humans from their territory. The planet in question is in a high radiation zone and no one can understand how any human could be living there. Data, immune to the radiation, is sent to the planet to arrange for the inhabitants' departure. Once there, however, he finds a population of 15,253 who firmly have no intention of leaving. While Picard seeks a way to get more time from the Sheliak, Data enlists the help of one local to convince the rest to leave. Written by garykmcd
TNG continues to struggle with the concept of non-human sentient beings.
Data is sentient. He is not creative, but by every accepted definition, he is alive. Yet year after year, TNG tries to force Data to be more Human, instead of accepting him as he is.
Then an entire colony of 15,000 reject Data, just because he's not Human. They're all willing to die, knowing full well that he is a representative sent by Humans, simply because Data himself isn't Human.
And the Shelliac (spoiler alert: more non-humans!) are portrayed as the bad guys, even though they had the right to wipe out the colony the moment the moment they discovered it, without mentioning it to the Federation.
Then there's the romantic aspect. Women keep throwing themselves at Data because he's everything Humans aspire to be: kind, compassionate, rational, reasonable, dedicated, incorruptible. Everything but emotional.
Data is pure good. But that's not enough for selfish, irrational, stubborn, malicious Humans. Data must also feel every emotion, play the violin with soul, and be a fantastic lover.
Those are things Data is not, and cannot be. It's too bad that we cannot accept Data, and tell him every day that he is inadequate, just because he is different.