Star Trek: The Next Generation s02e09 Episode Script
The Measure of a Man
Captain's log, stardate 42523.
7 We are en route to the new|Starbase 173 for port call.
Crew rotation is scheduled and we will off-load|experiment modules.
That's my chair.
My luck is lousy|unless I start on the dealer's right.
- That seems to be superstition.
|- Experience teaches me it's a truth.
The game is five-card stud,|nothing wild, ante up.
This game is very simple.
With only 52 cards,|21 of which I will see, and five players, there are|limited winning combinations.
There's more to this than the cards.
Of course.
The bets indicate|the strength of each hand.
Time to pluck a pigeon! Five.
I'm in.
l, too.
Call.
A seven and a six, the ace.
- I bet ten.
|- See that.
Call.
Fold.
Yeah, me too.
I'm out.
I bet five.
Same.
Your five.
And five.
Too rich for me.
No help.
I bet ten.
Your ten and ten.
Is that what is known|as a "poker face"? Playing or not? I fold.
- You had nothing!|- He bluffed you, Data.
It makes little sense|to bet if you cannot win.
I did win.
I was betting|that you wouldn't call.
- How could you tell?|- Instinct, Data.
The game is seven card high/low|with a buy on the last card.
And just to add interest,|the man with the axe takes all.
My God! Phillipa Louvois.
|And back in uniform.
It's been ten years, but seeing you|again like this makes it seem 50.
If we were alone,|know what I'd like to do? - Bust a chair across my teeth?|- After that.
Ain't love wonderful? Space, the final frontier.
These are the voyages|of the Starship Enterprise.
Its continuing mission,|to explore strange new worlds, .
.
to seek out new life|and new civilizations, .
.
to boldly go|where no one has gone before.
So, what are you doing out here? I am in charge of the 23rd Sector|JAG office.
We're brand new.
I have no staff,|but one terrified little ensign.
Hopefully we can make|some good law here.
Anything is possible.
|So you came back to Starfleet? The most worthwhile place to be.
- You had no reason to leave.
|- They forced me out.
No.
That was|your own damn stubborn pride.
When I prosecuted you in the|court martial, I was doing my job.
You did more than that,|you enjoyed it.
Not true.
A court martial is standard|procedure when a ship is lost.
It was my duty|as a Judge Advocate General.
You enjoy the adversarial process|more than getting at the truth.
I hope you've learned|a little wisdom along the way.
You know, I never thought|I would say this, .
.
but it's good to see you again.
It brings a sense of|order and stability to my universe to know that|you're still a pompous ass.
And a damn sexy man.
Capt Picard? - Admiral.
|- Capt Louvois.
You know Capt Picard? Yes.
We're old friends.
|Excuse me.
Picard, call me.
|You can buy me dinner.
Captain, good to see you again.
- May I introduce Cmdr Bruce Maddox?|- Commander.
He has an interesting proposal, but it can wait.
|I'm eager to see the Enterprise.
Yes, sir.
This way.
Admiral on the bridge.
I'm surprised at the decision to put|a base so close to the Neutral Zone.
We've had disturbing news|from both sides of the Zone.
We're here to respond when needed.
And it won't hurt to have|the Romulans know that we're nearby.
I thank you for this opportunity.
For 500 years, every vessel|named Enterprise has become a legend.
This one is no different.
Admiral.
Yes.
Captain, Cmdr Maddox|is here to work on your android.
Please take care of him.
How have you been, Data? My condition does not alter|with time, Commander.
You two are acquainted? I evaluated Data|when it applied to the Academy.
And was the sole committee member|to oppose my entrance, because I was not a sentient being.
What exactly will this work entail? I am going to disassemble Data.
Alright, explain this procedure.
Ever since I saw Data at the entrance|evaluation at Starfleet Academy, I've wanted to understand it.
I became a student of the works|of Dr Noonien Soong, Data's creator, and I've tried to continue his work.
I believe|I am close to a breakthrough that will enable me|to duplicate Dr Soong's work and replicate this.
But as a first step,|I must disassemble and study it.
Data is going to be my guide.
It sounds intriguing.
- How will you proceed?|- I'll run a full diagnostic on Data, evaluate its current software, then dump its core memory|into the starbase computer and begin a detailed analysis|of its construction.
You've constructed|a positronic brain? Yes.
You know how the electron resistance across the neural filaments|can be resolved? Not precisely.
That would seem|a necessary first step.
I am confident I will find the answer once I examine the filament links|in your anterior cortex.
If the answer is not forthcoming, your model will not function.
I do not anticipate any problems.
You seem a little vague on specifics.
What are the risks to Cmdr Data? Negligible.
Captain, I believe his basic research|lacks the specifics necessary to support an experiment|of this magnitude.
Cmdr Data is a valued member|of my bridge crew.
Based on what I've heard, I cannot allow Cmdr Data|to submit himself to this experiment.
I was afraid this might be|your attitude, Captain.
Starfleet's transfer orders, separating Cmdr Data from|the Enterprise and reassigning it to Starbase 173 under my command.
Data, I will see you in my office|tomorrow at 0900 hours.
Come.
You sent for me, sir.
Data, please sit down.
Well, we have a problem.
I am in complete agreement|with that assessment, sir.
Your service to this ship|has been exemplary.
I don't want to lose you.
I will not submit|to the procedure, sir.
I understand your objections.
But I have to consider|Starfleet's interests.
What if Cmdr Maddox is correct, that it is possible many more beings|like yourself could be constructed? Sir, Lt La Forge's eyes are|far superior to human eyes.
True? Then why are not|all human officers required to have their eyes replaced|with cybernetic implants? I see.
It is precisely|because I am not human.
That will be all, Mr Data.
Computer,|pull all relevant information regarding Starfleet regulations|on the transfer of officers.
Working.
My God, twice in as many days.
- I need your help.
|- An historic moment.
I have tried to make sense|of this gobbledegook, but it's beyond me.
The fact is,|my android officer, Data, is being transferred compulsorily|to be part of a dangerous, ill-conceived experiment.
|I want it stopped.
He can refuse to undergo|the procedure, but not the transfer.
Once this Maddox has|got control of Data, anything could happen.
|I don't trust that man.
We agree to certain risks|when we join Starfleet.
Yes.
Acceptable risks,|justified risks.
But I can't accept this.
|It's unfair.
He has rights.
All this passion over a machine? Don't start.
This is important to me.
Is there an option? There is always an option.
He can resign.
I see.
So you came to me for help? Yes.
I came to you.
You're|the JAG officer for this sector.
- I had no choice but to come to you.
|- Wait.
I didn't mean it that way.
I'm glad you felt you could|well, come to me.
The word "trust" just|isn't in your vocabulary, is it? - Good try.
Top marks for effort.
|- I wish things were different.
I wish I could believe that.
"When in disgrace|with fortune and men's eyes, I all alone|be weep my outcast state.
" Is it just words to you?|Or do you fathom the meaning? Is it not customary to ask permission|to enter an individual's quarters? I thought that we could talk,|that I could try to persuade you.
Your memories and knowledge|will remain intact.
Reduced to|the mere facts of the events.
The substance, the flavour|of the moment, could be lost.
Take games of chance.
- Games of chance?|- Yes.
I had read and absorbed every|treatise and book on the subject.
I was well prepared|for the experience.
Yet, when I finally played poker, I discovered that the reality|bore little resemblance to the rules.
And the point being? I believe it is possible to download|information from a positronic brain, but I do not believe you can preserve|the essence of those experiences.
There is an ineffable quality|to memory which I do not believe|can survive your procedure.
"Ineffable quality" I had rather|we had done this together.
But one way or the other, we are|doing it.
You are under my command.
No, sir, I am not under yours,|nor anyone else's command.
- I have resigned from Starfleet.
|- Resigned? You can't resign.
I regret the decision, but I must.
I am the culmination|of one man's dream.
This is not ego or vanity,|but when Dr Soong created me, he added to|the substance of the universe.
lf, by your experiments,|I am destroyed, something unique,|something wonderful will be lost.
I cannot permit that.
I must protect his dream.
And so must I.
But keep packing, because one way|or the other you will be reporting.
Captain's log, supplemental.
Cmdr Bruce Maddox, thwarted|by Data's abrupt resignation, is now seeking a legal remedy|for his woes.
Capt Louvois has requested|my presence at those discussions.
Your response|is emotional and irrational.
You endow Data with human attributes|because it looks human.
It is not.
If it were a box on wheels|I would not face this opposition.
Overt sentimentality is not one of|Capt Picard's failings, trust me.
I will tell you again,|Data is a valued member of my crew, an outstanding bridge officer.
If I am permitted|to make this experiment, our horizons become boundless.
Consider, every ship in Starfleet|with a Data on board.
Utilizing|its extraordinary capabilities, our hands and eyes|in dangerous situations You're preaching to the choir here.
|Get to the point.
Data must not be allowed to resign.
Data is a Starfleet officer|with certain rights.
I'm sick to death|of hearing about rights! What about my right not to have my|life's work subverted by ignorance? We have laws.
You cannot experiment|with people to prove your theories.
- Thank you.
|- Now you're doing it.
Data is an extraordinary piece|of engineering, but it is a machine.
If you permit it to resign, it will|destroy years of work in robotics.
Starfleet need not|allow the resignation.
Commander, who do you think|you work for? Starfleet does not ignore|its own regulations when they become inconvenient.
Like|it or not, Data does have rights.
Let me put it another way.
Would you permit the Enterprise|computer to refuse a refit? That's an interesting point.
|But the computer is property.
- Is Data?|- Of course.
There may be law to support this.
Then find it.
A ruling with such|broad implications must be supported.
I hope you will use the same zeal that you did|in the Stargazer court martial.
Data, you're supposed|to rip the wrapping off.
With the application|of a little care, Wes, the paper can be utilized again.
You're missing the point.
The Dream of the Fire|by K'Ratak.
Thank you, Worf.
With the Klingons, the novel|attained its full stature.
I couldn't disagree more.
We'll save|that argument for another day.
Excuse me, please.
Is something wrong? Of course there is.
|You're going away.
No one regrets|that necessity more than I.
You do understand my reasons? Sure, I understand.
I just don't like you|being forced out.
It's not fair.
As Dr Pulaski would no doubt|remind us, life is rarely fair.
Sorry, that doesn't|make it any better.
I shall miss you, Geordi.
Me, too.
Take care of yourself, Data.
I have completed my research, based on the Acts of Cumberland|passed in the early 21st century.
Data is the property of Starfleet.
He cannot resign or refuse|to cooperate with Cmdr Maddox.
- What if I challenge this ruling?|- Then we must hold a hearing.
- I so challenge.
Convene a hearing.
|- Captain, that would be difficult.
This is a new base, I have no staff.
But surely you have regulations|to take care of such an eventuality.
There are.
I can use|serving officers as legal counsel.
You, as senior officer, would defend.
Very good.
The unenviable task of prosecuting|would be yours, Commander, as the next most senior officer|on the ship.
I can't.
I won't.
Data is my comrade.
|We have served together.
I not only respect him,|I consider him my friend.
When people of good conscience|have an honest dispute, we must still sometimes resort to|such an adversarial system.
You want me to prove Data is a mere|machine.
I can't.
I don't believe it.
I know better.
|I'm neither qualified nor willing.
You'll have to find someone else.
Then I rule summarily|based on my findings.
Data is a toaster.
Have him report to|Cmdr Maddox for experimental refit.
I see.
|I have no choice but to agree.
Good.
And I expect you|to do your duty in court.
If I find you are not doing your|best, I will end this then and there.
You don't have|to remind us of our duty.
You just .
.
remember yours.
I have never forgotten it.
Not then and certainly not now.
Come.
Data, Capt Louvois|has issued a ruling.
You are the property of Starfleet|Command.
You cannot resign.
I see.
From limitless options|I am reduced to none.
Or rather, one.
I hope Cmdr Maddox|is more capable than it appears.
Data, don't submit.
|We're going to fight this.
I challenged the ruling.
Capt Louvois|will be compelled to hold a hearing.
She may be overly attached|to the letter of the law, but I suspect|she still understands its spirit.
We will put to rest any question of|your legal status once and for all.
I have been asked to represent you,|but if you prefer another officer Captain, I have complete confidence|in your ability to represent me.
Computer, identify Riker, William T.
Access code, theta alpha 2737,|blue, enable.
Riker, William T, identified.
|Ready.
Access all available|technical schematics on Lt Cmdr Data.
Working.
This hearing,|convened on stardate 42527.
4, is to determine the legal status|of the android, Data.
The Judge Advocate General|has rendered a finding of property, the defence has challenged.
|Cmdr Riker? Your Honour, there is one issue,|one relevant piece of evidence.
I call Lt Cmdr Data.
Verify.
Lt Cmdr Data.
Current assignment, USS Enterprise.
- Starfleet Command decoration|- We'll stipulate to all of this.
Objection, Your Honour.
I want this read.
All of it.
Sustained.
.
.
Valour and Gallantry,|Medal of Honour with Clusters, Legion of Honour, the Star Cross.
Proceed, Commander.
- Commander, what are you?|- An android.
Which is? Webster's 24th Century Dictionary|Fifth Edition defines an android as an automaton|made to resemble a human being.
"Automaton.
" "Made.
" By whom? - Sir?|- Who built you, Commander? Dr Noonian Soong.
- He was?|- The foremost cybernetics authority.
More basic than that.
What was he? Human? Thank you.
What is your memory capacity and|how fast can you access information? I have an ultimate storage capacity|is 800 quadrillion bits.
My total linear speed has been rated|at 60 trillion operations per second.
Your Honour, I offer prosecution's|exhibit A, a rod of par-steel, tensile strength, 40 kilobars.
- Commander, can you bend that?|- Objection! Many life forms possess|mega-strength.
This is not relevant.
I can't agree, Captain.
|Proceed with your demonstration.
Drawing on the construction log|of the prototype android, Lore, also made by Noonian Soong,|I request to be allowed .
.
to remove Data's hand|for inspection.
Objection! It doesn't matter.
Objection withdrawn.
Proceed, Commander.
I'm sorry.
The Commander is a physical|representation of a dream, an idea conceived of|by the mind of a man.
Its purpose is to serve|human needs and interests.
It's a collection of neural nets|and heuristic algorithms.
Its response is dictated by|elaborate software written by a man, its hardware built by a man.
|And now Now a man will shut it off.
Pinocchio is broken.
|Its strings have been cut.
I request a recess.
Granted.
Do you mean|his argument was that good? His presentation was devastating.
|He almost convinced me.
You've got the harder argument.
By his own admission,|Data is a machine.
That's true.
You're worried about|what will happen to him? I've had to send people|on far more dangerous missions.
Then this should work out fine.
Maddox could get lucky and create|an army of Datas, all very valuable.
- Yes, no doubt.
|- He's proved his value to you.
In ways that I cannot|even begin to calculate.
And now he's about to be|ruled the property of Starfleet.
That should increase his value.
In what way? In the history of many worlds there have always been|disposable creatures.
They do the dirty work.
Work that no one else wants to do,|because it's too hard, too hazardous.
With an army of Datas,|all disposable, you don't have to think about their|welfare, or about how they feel.
Whole generations|of disposable people.
You're talking about slavery.
I think that's a little harsh.
I don't think that's harsh,|I think that's the truth.
A truth that|we have obscured behind .
.
a comfortable, easy euphemism.
"Property.
" But that's not the issue|at all, is it? Cmdr Riker has dramatically|demonstrated to this court that Lt Cmdr Data is a machine.
Do we deny that? No.
|Because it is not relevant.
We too are machines.
|Just machines of a different type.
Cmdr Riker has also reminded us that Lt Cmdr Data|was created by a human.
Do we deny that? No.
|Again it is not relevant.
Children are made from the building|blocks of their parents' DNA.
Are they property? I call Lt Cmdr Data to the stand.
- What are these?|- My medals.
Why do you pack them?|What purpose have they? I do not know, sir.
I suppose none.
I just wanted them.
Is that vanity? - And this?|- A gift from you, sir.
You value it? - Yes, sir.
|- Why? It is a reminder of|friendship and service.
And this? You have no other|portraits of crew members.
Why this person? I would prefer not to answer|that question, sir.
I gave my word.
In the circumstances,|I don't think Tasha would mind.
She was special to me, sir.
We were .
.
intimate.
Thank you, Commander.
I have no|further questions for this witness.
Cmdr Riker, do you want to cross? I have no questions, Your Honour.
Thank you.
You may step down.
I call to the stand Cmdr Bruce Maddox|as a hostile witness.
Verify.
Maddox, Bruce, Commander.
Current assignment, Associate Chair|of Robotics, Technological Institute.
- Major papers|- Yes, he's an expert.
Commander, is your contention that|Lt Cmdr Data is not a sentient being and thus not entitled|to all the rights reserved for all life forms|in this Federation? Data is not sentient, no.
Would you enlighten us?|What is required for sentience? Intelligence,|self-awareness, consciousness.
Prove to the court I am sentient.
This is absurd!|We all know you're sentient.
So I am sentient|but Cmdr Data is not? - That's right.
|- Why? - Why am I sentient?|- Well, you are self-aware.
That's your second criterion.
Let's deal with the first,|intelligence.
- Is Cmdr Data intelligent?|- Yes.
It has the ability|to learn and understand and to - .
.
cope with new situations.
|- Like this hearing? Yes.
What about self-awareness? What|does it mean? Why am I self-aware? Because you are conscious|of your existence and actions, you are aware of yourself|and your own ego.
Cmdr Data, what are you doing now? Taking part in a hearing|to determine my rights and status.
- Am I a person or property?|- And what's at stake? My right to choose.
|Perhaps my very life.
"My rights.
" "My status.
" "My right to choose.
" "My life.
" It seems reasonably self-aware to me.
Commander? I'm waiting.
This is exceedingly difficult.
Do you like Cmdr Data? I don't know it well enough|to like or dislike it.
- But you admire him?|- Yes.
- It is an extraordinary piece of|- Engineering, programming, you said.
You have devoted your life|to the study of cybernetics? Yes.
- And Cmdr Data in particular?|- Yes.
- Now you propose to dismantle him.
|- To learn from it and make more.
- How many more?|- As many as are needed.
Hundreds, thousands if necessary.
There is no limit.
A single Data - and forgive me,|Commander - is a curiosity.
A wonder, even.
|But thousands of Datas Isn't that becoming .
.
a race? And won't we be judged|by how we treat that race? Now tell me, Commander,|what is Data? - I don't understand.
|- What is he? - A machine.
|- Are you sure? - Yes.
|- He met two criteria for sentience.
What if he met the third?|Consciousness.
What is he then? I don't know.
Do you? That's the question|you have to answer.
A courtroom is a crucible|where we burn away irrelevancies until we are left with|a pure product, truth, for all time.
Sooner or later,|this man or others like him will succeed|in replicating Cmdr Data.
The decision you reach today will|determine how we will regard this .
.
creation of our genius.
It will reveal what people are,|what he is destined to be.
It will reach beyond this courtroom|and this one android.
It could redefine the boundaries|of personal liberty and freedom, expanding them for some, savagely curtailing them for others.
Are you prepared to condemn him|and all who come after to slavery? Your Honour, Starfleet was founded|to seek out new life.
Well, there it sits! Waiting.
You wanted a chance to make law.
|Here it is.
Make it a good one.
It sits there looking at me,|and I don't know what it is.
This case has dealt|with metaphysics, with questions best left|to saints and philosophers.
I am neither competent|nor qualified to answer those.
I've got to make a ruling, to try to speak to the future.
Is Data a machine? Yes.
Is he the property of Starfleet? No.
We have all been dancing|around the basic issue.
Does Data have a soul? I don't know that he has.
|I don't know that I have.
But I must give him the freedom|to explore that question himself.
It is the ruling of this court that Lt Cmdr Data|has the freedom to choose.
I formally refuse|to undergo your procedure.
I will cancel the transfer order.
Thank you.
And Commander, continue your work.
When you are ready,|I will still be here.
I find some of what you propose .
.
intriguing.
He's remarkable.
You didn't call him "it".
You see? Sometimes it does work.
- Dinner?|- Are you buying? Sir, there is a celebration|on the holodeck.
I have no right to be there.
- Because you failed in your task?|- God, no, I was that close to a win.
- Yes, sir.
|- I almost cost you your life.
Is it not true|that had you refused to prosecute, Capt Louvois would have|ruled against me? Yes.
That action injured you and saved me.
I will not forget it.
You're a wise man, my friend.
Not yet, sir.
|But with your help, I am learning.
7 We are en route to the new|Starbase 173 for port call.
Crew rotation is scheduled and we will off-load|experiment modules.
That's my chair.
My luck is lousy|unless I start on the dealer's right.
- That seems to be superstition.
|- Experience teaches me it's a truth.
The game is five-card stud,|nothing wild, ante up.
This game is very simple.
With only 52 cards,|21 of which I will see, and five players, there are|limited winning combinations.
There's more to this than the cards.
Of course.
The bets indicate|the strength of each hand.
Time to pluck a pigeon! Five.
I'm in.
l, too.
Call.
A seven and a six, the ace.
- I bet ten.
|- See that.
Call.
Fold.
Yeah, me too.
I'm out.
I bet five.
Same.
Your five.
And five.
Too rich for me.
No help.
I bet ten.
Your ten and ten.
Is that what is known|as a "poker face"? Playing or not? I fold.
- You had nothing!|- He bluffed you, Data.
It makes little sense|to bet if you cannot win.
I did win.
I was betting|that you wouldn't call.
- How could you tell?|- Instinct, Data.
The game is seven card high/low|with a buy on the last card.
And just to add interest,|the man with the axe takes all.
My God! Phillipa Louvois.
|And back in uniform.
It's been ten years, but seeing you|again like this makes it seem 50.
If we were alone,|know what I'd like to do? - Bust a chair across my teeth?|- After that.
Ain't love wonderful? Space, the final frontier.
These are the voyages|of the Starship Enterprise.
Its continuing mission,|to explore strange new worlds, .
.
to seek out new life|and new civilizations, .
.
to boldly go|where no one has gone before.
So, what are you doing out here? I am in charge of the 23rd Sector|JAG office.
We're brand new.
I have no staff,|but one terrified little ensign.
Hopefully we can make|some good law here.
Anything is possible.
|So you came back to Starfleet? The most worthwhile place to be.
- You had no reason to leave.
|- They forced me out.
No.
That was|your own damn stubborn pride.
When I prosecuted you in the|court martial, I was doing my job.
You did more than that,|you enjoyed it.
Not true.
A court martial is standard|procedure when a ship is lost.
It was my duty|as a Judge Advocate General.
You enjoy the adversarial process|more than getting at the truth.
I hope you've learned|a little wisdom along the way.
You know, I never thought|I would say this, .
.
but it's good to see you again.
It brings a sense of|order and stability to my universe to know that|you're still a pompous ass.
And a damn sexy man.
Capt Picard? - Admiral.
|- Capt Louvois.
You know Capt Picard? Yes.
We're old friends.
|Excuse me.
Picard, call me.
|You can buy me dinner.
Captain, good to see you again.
- May I introduce Cmdr Bruce Maddox?|- Commander.
He has an interesting proposal, but it can wait.
|I'm eager to see the Enterprise.
Yes, sir.
This way.
Admiral on the bridge.
I'm surprised at the decision to put|a base so close to the Neutral Zone.
We've had disturbing news|from both sides of the Zone.
We're here to respond when needed.
And it won't hurt to have|the Romulans know that we're nearby.
I thank you for this opportunity.
For 500 years, every vessel|named Enterprise has become a legend.
This one is no different.
Admiral.
Yes.
Captain, Cmdr Maddox|is here to work on your android.
Please take care of him.
How have you been, Data? My condition does not alter|with time, Commander.
You two are acquainted? I evaluated Data|when it applied to the Academy.
And was the sole committee member|to oppose my entrance, because I was not a sentient being.
What exactly will this work entail? I am going to disassemble Data.
Alright, explain this procedure.
Ever since I saw Data at the entrance|evaluation at Starfleet Academy, I've wanted to understand it.
I became a student of the works|of Dr Noonien Soong, Data's creator, and I've tried to continue his work.
I believe|I am close to a breakthrough that will enable me|to duplicate Dr Soong's work and replicate this.
But as a first step,|I must disassemble and study it.
Data is going to be my guide.
It sounds intriguing.
- How will you proceed?|- I'll run a full diagnostic on Data, evaluate its current software, then dump its core memory|into the starbase computer and begin a detailed analysis|of its construction.
You've constructed|a positronic brain? Yes.
You know how the electron resistance across the neural filaments|can be resolved? Not precisely.
That would seem|a necessary first step.
I am confident I will find the answer once I examine the filament links|in your anterior cortex.
If the answer is not forthcoming, your model will not function.
I do not anticipate any problems.
You seem a little vague on specifics.
What are the risks to Cmdr Data? Negligible.
Captain, I believe his basic research|lacks the specifics necessary to support an experiment|of this magnitude.
Cmdr Data is a valued member|of my bridge crew.
Based on what I've heard, I cannot allow Cmdr Data|to submit himself to this experiment.
I was afraid this might be|your attitude, Captain.
Starfleet's transfer orders, separating Cmdr Data from|the Enterprise and reassigning it to Starbase 173 under my command.
Data, I will see you in my office|tomorrow at 0900 hours.
Come.
You sent for me, sir.
Data, please sit down.
Well, we have a problem.
I am in complete agreement|with that assessment, sir.
Your service to this ship|has been exemplary.
I don't want to lose you.
I will not submit|to the procedure, sir.
I understand your objections.
But I have to consider|Starfleet's interests.
What if Cmdr Maddox is correct, that it is possible many more beings|like yourself could be constructed? Sir, Lt La Forge's eyes are|far superior to human eyes.
True? Then why are not|all human officers required to have their eyes replaced|with cybernetic implants? I see.
It is precisely|because I am not human.
That will be all, Mr Data.
Computer,|pull all relevant information regarding Starfleet regulations|on the transfer of officers.
Working.
My God, twice in as many days.
- I need your help.
|- An historic moment.
I have tried to make sense|of this gobbledegook, but it's beyond me.
The fact is,|my android officer, Data, is being transferred compulsorily|to be part of a dangerous, ill-conceived experiment.
|I want it stopped.
He can refuse to undergo|the procedure, but not the transfer.
Once this Maddox has|got control of Data, anything could happen.
|I don't trust that man.
We agree to certain risks|when we join Starfleet.
Yes.
Acceptable risks,|justified risks.
But I can't accept this.
|It's unfair.
He has rights.
All this passion over a machine? Don't start.
This is important to me.
Is there an option? There is always an option.
He can resign.
I see.
So you came to me for help? Yes.
I came to you.
You're|the JAG officer for this sector.
- I had no choice but to come to you.
|- Wait.
I didn't mean it that way.
I'm glad you felt you could|well, come to me.
The word "trust" just|isn't in your vocabulary, is it? - Good try.
Top marks for effort.
|- I wish things were different.
I wish I could believe that.
"When in disgrace|with fortune and men's eyes, I all alone|be weep my outcast state.
" Is it just words to you?|Or do you fathom the meaning? Is it not customary to ask permission|to enter an individual's quarters? I thought that we could talk,|that I could try to persuade you.
Your memories and knowledge|will remain intact.
Reduced to|the mere facts of the events.
The substance, the flavour|of the moment, could be lost.
Take games of chance.
- Games of chance?|- Yes.
I had read and absorbed every|treatise and book on the subject.
I was well prepared|for the experience.
Yet, when I finally played poker, I discovered that the reality|bore little resemblance to the rules.
And the point being? I believe it is possible to download|information from a positronic brain, but I do not believe you can preserve|the essence of those experiences.
There is an ineffable quality|to memory which I do not believe|can survive your procedure.
"Ineffable quality" I had rather|we had done this together.
But one way or the other, we are|doing it.
You are under my command.
No, sir, I am not under yours,|nor anyone else's command.
- I have resigned from Starfleet.
|- Resigned? You can't resign.
I regret the decision, but I must.
I am the culmination|of one man's dream.
This is not ego or vanity,|but when Dr Soong created me, he added to|the substance of the universe.
lf, by your experiments,|I am destroyed, something unique,|something wonderful will be lost.
I cannot permit that.
I must protect his dream.
And so must I.
But keep packing, because one way|or the other you will be reporting.
Captain's log, supplemental.
Cmdr Bruce Maddox, thwarted|by Data's abrupt resignation, is now seeking a legal remedy|for his woes.
Capt Louvois has requested|my presence at those discussions.
Your response|is emotional and irrational.
You endow Data with human attributes|because it looks human.
It is not.
If it were a box on wheels|I would not face this opposition.
Overt sentimentality is not one of|Capt Picard's failings, trust me.
I will tell you again,|Data is a valued member of my crew, an outstanding bridge officer.
If I am permitted|to make this experiment, our horizons become boundless.
Consider, every ship in Starfleet|with a Data on board.
Utilizing|its extraordinary capabilities, our hands and eyes|in dangerous situations You're preaching to the choir here.
|Get to the point.
Data must not be allowed to resign.
Data is a Starfleet officer|with certain rights.
I'm sick to death|of hearing about rights! What about my right not to have my|life's work subverted by ignorance? We have laws.
You cannot experiment|with people to prove your theories.
- Thank you.
|- Now you're doing it.
Data is an extraordinary piece|of engineering, but it is a machine.
If you permit it to resign, it will|destroy years of work in robotics.
Starfleet need not|allow the resignation.
Commander, who do you think|you work for? Starfleet does not ignore|its own regulations when they become inconvenient.
Like|it or not, Data does have rights.
Let me put it another way.
Would you permit the Enterprise|computer to refuse a refit? That's an interesting point.
|But the computer is property.
- Is Data?|- Of course.
There may be law to support this.
Then find it.
A ruling with such|broad implications must be supported.
I hope you will use the same zeal that you did|in the Stargazer court martial.
Data, you're supposed|to rip the wrapping off.
With the application|of a little care, Wes, the paper can be utilized again.
You're missing the point.
The Dream of the Fire|by K'Ratak.
Thank you, Worf.
With the Klingons, the novel|attained its full stature.
I couldn't disagree more.
We'll save|that argument for another day.
Excuse me, please.
Is something wrong? Of course there is.
|You're going away.
No one regrets|that necessity more than I.
You do understand my reasons? Sure, I understand.
I just don't like you|being forced out.
It's not fair.
As Dr Pulaski would no doubt|remind us, life is rarely fair.
Sorry, that doesn't|make it any better.
I shall miss you, Geordi.
Me, too.
Take care of yourself, Data.
I have completed my research, based on the Acts of Cumberland|passed in the early 21st century.
Data is the property of Starfleet.
He cannot resign or refuse|to cooperate with Cmdr Maddox.
- What if I challenge this ruling?|- Then we must hold a hearing.
- I so challenge.
Convene a hearing.
|- Captain, that would be difficult.
This is a new base, I have no staff.
But surely you have regulations|to take care of such an eventuality.
There are.
I can use|serving officers as legal counsel.
You, as senior officer, would defend.
Very good.
The unenviable task of prosecuting|would be yours, Commander, as the next most senior officer|on the ship.
I can't.
I won't.
Data is my comrade.
|We have served together.
I not only respect him,|I consider him my friend.
When people of good conscience|have an honest dispute, we must still sometimes resort to|such an adversarial system.
You want me to prove Data is a mere|machine.
I can't.
I don't believe it.
I know better.
|I'm neither qualified nor willing.
You'll have to find someone else.
Then I rule summarily|based on my findings.
Data is a toaster.
Have him report to|Cmdr Maddox for experimental refit.
I see.
|I have no choice but to agree.
Good.
And I expect you|to do your duty in court.
If I find you are not doing your|best, I will end this then and there.
You don't have|to remind us of our duty.
You just .
.
remember yours.
I have never forgotten it.
Not then and certainly not now.
Come.
Data, Capt Louvois|has issued a ruling.
You are the property of Starfleet|Command.
You cannot resign.
I see.
From limitless options|I am reduced to none.
Or rather, one.
I hope Cmdr Maddox|is more capable than it appears.
Data, don't submit.
|We're going to fight this.
I challenged the ruling.
Capt Louvois|will be compelled to hold a hearing.
She may be overly attached|to the letter of the law, but I suspect|she still understands its spirit.
We will put to rest any question of|your legal status once and for all.
I have been asked to represent you,|but if you prefer another officer Captain, I have complete confidence|in your ability to represent me.
Computer, identify Riker, William T.
Access code, theta alpha 2737,|blue, enable.
Riker, William T, identified.
|Ready.
Access all available|technical schematics on Lt Cmdr Data.
Working.
This hearing,|convened on stardate 42527.
4, is to determine the legal status|of the android, Data.
The Judge Advocate General|has rendered a finding of property, the defence has challenged.
|Cmdr Riker? Your Honour, there is one issue,|one relevant piece of evidence.
I call Lt Cmdr Data.
Verify.
Lt Cmdr Data.
Current assignment, USS Enterprise.
- Starfleet Command decoration|- We'll stipulate to all of this.
Objection, Your Honour.
I want this read.
All of it.
Sustained.
.
.
Valour and Gallantry,|Medal of Honour with Clusters, Legion of Honour, the Star Cross.
Proceed, Commander.
- Commander, what are you?|- An android.
Which is? Webster's 24th Century Dictionary|Fifth Edition defines an android as an automaton|made to resemble a human being.
"Automaton.
" "Made.
" By whom? - Sir?|- Who built you, Commander? Dr Noonian Soong.
- He was?|- The foremost cybernetics authority.
More basic than that.
What was he? Human? Thank you.
What is your memory capacity and|how fast can you access information? I have an ultimate storage capacity|is 800 quadrillion bits.
My total linear speed has been rated|at 60 trillion operations per second.
Your Honour, I offer prosecution's|exhibit A, a rod of par-steel, tensile strength, 40 kilobars.
- Commander, can you bend that?|- Objection! Many life forms possess|mega-strength.
This is not relevant.
I can't agree, Captain.
|Proceed with your demonstration.
Drawing on the construction log|of the prototype android, Lore, also made by Noonian Soong,|I request to be allowed .
.
to remove Data's hand|for inspection.
Objection! It doesn't matter.
Objection withdrawn.
Proceed, Commander.
I'm sorry.
The Commander is a physical|representation of a dream, an idea conceived of|by the mind of a man.
Its purpose is to serve|human needs and interests.
It's a collection of neural nets|and heuristic algorithms.
Its response is dictated by|elaborate software written by a man, its hardware built by a man.
|And now Now a man will shut it off.
Pinocchio is broken.
|Its strings have been cut.
I request a recess.
Granted.
Do you mean|his argument was that good? His presentation was devastating.
|He almost convinced me.
You've got the harder argument.
By his own admission,|Data is a machine.
That's true.
You're worried about|what will happen to him? I've had to send people|on far more dangerous missions.
Then this should work out fine.
Maddox could get lucky and create|an army of Datas, all very valuable.
- Yes, no doubt.
|- He's proved his value to you.
In ways that I cannot|even begin to calculate.
And now he's about to be|ruled the property of Starfleet.
That should increase his value.
In what way? In the history of many worlds there have always been|disposable creatures.
They do the dirty work.
Work that no one else wants to do,|because it's too hard, too hazardous.
With an army of Datas,|all disposable, you don't have to think about their|welfare, or about how they feel.
Whole generations|of disposable people.
You're talking about slavery.
I think that's a little harsh.
I don't think that's harsh,|I think that's the truth.
A truth that|we have obscured behind .
.
a comfortable, easy euphemism.
"Property.
" But that's not the issue|at all, is it? Cmdr Riker has dramatically|demonstrated to this court that Lt Cmdr Data is a machine.
Do we deny that? No.
|Because it is not relevant.
We too are machines.
|Just machines of a different type.
Cmdr Riker has also reminded us that Lt Cmdr Data|was created by a human.
Do we deny that? No.
|Again it is not relevant.
Children are made from the building|blocks of their parents' DNA.
Are they property? I call Lt Cmdr Data to the stand.
- What are these?|- My medals.
Why do you pack them?|What purpose have they? I do not know, sir.
I suppose none.
I just wanted them.
Is that vanity? - And this?|- A gift from you, sir.
You value it? - Yes, sir.
|- Why? It is a reminder of|friendship and service.
And this? You have no other|portraits of crew members.
Why this person? I would prefer not to answer|that question, sir.
I gave my word.
In the circumstances,|I don't think Tasha would mind.
She was special to me, sir.
We were .
.
intimate.
Thank you, Commander.
I have no|further questions for this witness.
Cmdr Riker, do you want to cross? I have no questions, Your Honour.
Thank you.
You may step down.
I call to the stand Cmdr Bruce Maddox|as a hostile witness.
Verify.
Maddox, Bruce, Commander.
Current assignment, Associate Chair|of Robotics, Technological Institute.
- Major papers|- Yes, he's an expert.
Commander, is your contention that|Lt Cmdr Data is not a sentient being and thus not entitled|to all the rights reserved for all life forms|in this Federation? Data is not sentient, no.
Would you enlighten us?|What is required for sentience? Intelligence,|self-awareness, consciousness.
Prove to the court I am sentient.
This is absurd!|We all know you're sentient.
So I am sentient|but Cmdr Data is not? - That's right.
|- Why? - Why am I sentient?|- Well, you are self-aware.
That's your second criterion.
Let's deal with the first,|intelligence.
- Is Cmdr Data intelligent?|- Yes.
It has the ability|to learn and understand and to - .
.
cope with new situations.
|- Like this hearing? Yes.
What about self-awareness? What|does it mean? Why am I self-aware? Because you are conscious|of your existence and actions, you are aware of yourself|and your own ego.
Cmdr Data, what are you doing now? Taking part in a hearing|to determine my rights and status.
- Am I a person or property?|- And what's at stake? My right to choose.
|Perhaps my very life.
"My rights.
" "My status.
" "My right to choose.
" "My life.
" It seems reasonably self-aware to me.
Commander? I'm waiting.
This is exceedingly difficult.
Do you like Cmdr Data? I don't know it well enough|to like or dislike it.
- But you admire him?|- Yes.
- It is an extraordinary piece of|- Engineering, programming, you said.
You have devoted your life|to the study of cybernetics? Yes.
- And Cmdr Data in particular?|- Yes.
- Now you propose to dismantle him.
|- To learn from it and make more.
- How many more?|- As many as are needed.
Hundreds, thousands if necessary.
There is no limit.
A single Data - and forgive me,|Commander - is a curiosity.
A wonder, even.
|But thousands of Datas Isn't that becoming .
.
a race? And won't we be judged|by how we treat that race? Now tell me, Commander,|what is Data? - I don't understand.
|- What is he? - A machine.
|- Are you sure? - Yes.
|- He met two criteria for sentience.
What if he met the third?|Consciousness.
What is he then? I don't know.
Do you? That's the question|you have to answer.
A courtroom is a crucible|where we burn away irrelevancies until we are left with|a pure product, truth, for all time.
Sooner or later,|this man or others like him will succeed|in replicating Cmdr Data.
The decision you reach today will|determine how we will regard this .
.
creation of our genius.
It will reveal what people are,|what he is destined to be.
It will reach beyond this courtroom|and this one android.
It could redefine the boundaries|of personal liberty and freedom, expanding them for some, savagely curtailing them for others.
Are you prepared to condemn him|and all who come after to slavery? Your Honour, Starfleet was founded|to seek out new life.
Well, there it sits! Waiting.
You wanted a chance to make law.
|Here it is.
Make it a good one.
It sits there looking at me,|and I don't know what it is.
This case has dealt|with metaphysics, with questions best left|to saints and philosophers.
I am neither competent|nor qualified to answer those.
I've got to make a ruling, to try to speak to the future.
Is Data a machine? Yes.
Is he the property of Starfleet? No.
We have all been dancing|around the basic issue.
Does Data have a soul? I don't know that he has.
|I don't know that I have.
But I must give him the freedom|to explore that question himself.
It is the ruling of this court that Lt Cmdr Data|has the freedom to choose.
I formally refuse|to undergo your procedure.
I will cancel the transfer order.
Thank you.
And Commander, continue your work.
When you are ready,|I will still be here.
I find some of what you propose .
.
intriguing.
He's remarkable.
You didn't call him "it".
You see? Sometimes it does work.
- Dinner?|- Are you buying? Sir, there is a celebration|on the holodeck.
I have no right to be there.
- Because you failed in your task?|- God, no, I was that close to a win.
- Yes, sir.
|- I almost cost you your life.
Is it not true|that had you refused to prosecute, Capt Louvois would have|ruled against me? Yes.
That action injured you and saved me.
I will not forget it.
You're a wise man, my friend.
Not yet, sir.
|But with your help, I am learning.