TNG s2e9 “The Measue of a Man”
That episode annoyed the shit out of me.
First off the entire premise of a court martial or hearing is freaking stupid.
The admiral forcing Riker to “prosecute” Data is stupid.
The idea that Starfleet (or the federation) doesn’t already have some list of qualifications for sentience or sapience or whatever term you want to use to say ‘they’re like us’; is patently stupid. And we’ll add to it that an Admiral whose job it is to weigh in on these matters, wouldn’t have checked if such a test existed, is even more so.
The only realistic thing in this episode is some exploitive asshole shopping around for an incompetent (or bribable?) judge.
but what bugs me most of all? when Riker makes the “So he can be turned off,” argument, Picard didn’t immediately whip out a phaser and say, “yeah. So can you. <ptssssrrrshhhh>” and then have Crusher bring him back just to make a point.
Another nit about Riker’s argument: at one point he detaches Data’s arm to demonstrate that he’s a machine. Four years later Riker’s arm was amputated and reattached by the subspace aliens in Schisms.
You could consider that karma.
well, I’d settle for that bit where Riker takes his arm off, “I’d like to call Riker to the stand, please”, and then a curt gesture to Worf, armed with a batleth.
(if you’re getting the sense that I don’t like Riker… there’s a reason for that. )
Look, just because the affair didn’t turn out well doesn’t mean you should have bad feelings towards Riker. Will has to do what Will has to do and there are just so many life forms out there that he has yet to fuck.
The arguments made should already be sorted, undoubtedly. It’s the grandiose speeches and courtroom drama in and of itself that make it memorable. Strange New Worlds s2e2 “Ad Astra Per Aspera” is a more worthy entry.
I dunno. I think Picard taking a phaser to Riker because he’s being a dick would be even more memorable. Glorious. Possibly even grandiose if Picard put a little brandish in the draw.
Lets just be realistic here, the Prime Directive wouldn’t work if they hadn’t already sorted them. first off, the PD is restricted to sentient life or cultures. If it weren’t, eating a non-replicated salad would break the PD. or keeping a houseplant. Which, then would obviously require some highly codified definition of what ‘sentient’ was- and almost certainly would have already had massive amounts of precedent, including standardized tests to be applied whenever someone who might be sentient is found.
Presumably, the only reason the PD would not apply to Data is because he was “made”. but the PD applies to clones, which are also made.
“Did you run the sentience tests?” “yes…?” “Did he pass?” “but he was manufactured!! they don’t apply?” “Did he pass?”
Maddox new this, is which is probably why he waited until Data was off Earth, or so far on the fringe that the only appropriate place to hear this was on a fringe space station so new that the JAG officer didn’t have enough jurors and had to do a drumhead trial.
It also annoyed me because the ending of the TOS episode I, Mudd was about how the androids were given freedom and independence and were now able to form an independent society and develop as a culture.
But suddenly androids don’t count?
One of my favorite episodes exposing that just because someone is different and built differently doesn’t mean there less of a person. Idk how you all don realize that this show has extreme amounts of subtle political tones to it. As someone who is autistic I even see it. It a show and sometimes not everything in it lines up. It’s for entertainment. that episode helped me realize that just because I’m autistic and trans doesn’t mean I’m less of a person because I’m different.
My thoughts every time I see that episode:
That’s a great quote. I like it.
Idk, kind of a trash philosophy when applied.
I’m sure all the world’s greatest dictators thought themselves the best of men.
The assumption being that no outside influence or previous experience be considered is a bit short sided. Of course, so is the originating quotation. We try to hope for the best and work with what we’ve got.
But we should always strive to learn more rational, logical, infallible truths than we currently know.
He’s not wrong, dammit. He’s just an asshole.
Being a good person is a trash philosophy?
Right, now go read the second of two sentences in my comment.
So… don’t be a good person because you could actually be one of the world’s greatest dictators. Yeah, that makes sense.
Good being purely subjective and constantly misappropriated by evil makes it a pretty shit philosophy, yes.
Being “good” without democratically and meritocratically defining an objective good is a shit philosophy.
The stoicism of Marcus Aurelius rings true even now. Also a brilliant TNG episode, well worth the occasional rewatch.
