I originally set out to write an article on Commander Data's top 5 most iconic episodes in Star Trek TNG canon. However, after reviewing 7 Seasons (1987 - 1993) of TNG that prominently featured Data, I inevitably kept returning to the significance of S2 E9 "The Measure of a Man". It stood out to me because of the weighty themes of self-determination, human rights, and therefore- is there a God and one's place in the universe. Yes...all that and more is why I abandoned my original concept for this article to solely focused on Data's single most iconic episode!
“The Measure of a Man” features the philosophical question that machine nor man can definitely answer – do we have a soul? This was the setup for a legal battle to prove, in a JAG (Judge Advocate Geneal) courtroom setting, to adjudicate whether Data was sentient being or not.
In this episode a Commander Maddox (Associate Chairman of Robotics) came on board the Enterprise on a mission to experiment on the Data in order to replicate Dr. Noonien Soong’s (Data’s creator) achievements in Android technology. When Captain Picard refuses to allow Maddox to take Data, he [Maddox] produced a Starfleet order to have Data transferred (under his command) to Starbase 173.
Maddox intended to dismantle Data in a risky experiment that would leave Data’s memories intact, but likely without context, meaning and experience. Data gave an example that he would remember playing Poker with Commander Riker, but he would likely not recall the lesson he learned from playing Poker - which was much more than counting cards, and probability equations. Data's potential loss of contextual memories would likely nullify his card skills of risk, strategy and the art of bluffing and the all-important “Poker Face!”
Captain Picard came to Data's legal defense to oppose Starfleet orders to transfer him to Starbase 173. Consequently, Commander Riker (next in command) reluctantly prosecuted Data for refusing to comply with Starfleet's orders by resigning his command rather than accept his commission to Starbase 173. At question before the Starfleet judge (Captain Phillipa Louvois) - is whether Data is a machine and therefore the property of Starfleet to be dismantle?
Riker’s most compelling argument was that Data was in fact a machine because his limbs could be detached and he still functioned and he also had a fail-safe off switch in his back, to which Riker enabled, and Data did shut down in front of the court. This demonstration of Data's machine-like qualities was quite convincing, and Captain Picard was unsure of legal arguments to win.
Picard’s most compelling argument was to cross-examine Maddox to inquire that since he believed Data is not sentient, and therefore a machine, then he should be able to prove why humans ARE sentient. Maddox asserted that the sentient beings are self-aware, intelligent, and conscious. Picard then questioned Data, who gave responses proving he satisfied Maddox’s rules of being sentient. This compelling testimony was poignant and remined me of the iconic novels, such as Isaac Asimov's "Foundation" or Frank Herbert's "Dune" that dealt with similar issues of how humans control the rights of Artificial Intelligence and Thinking Machines.
This quiet and introspective episode is the most iconic because it questioned Starfleet’s goals and mission; while challenging the notion of humanity and its values and ultimately why it pushed the boundaries of what and who may or may not have a soul – and most importantly what and who has the right to choose one’s own destiny.
Ultimately Data won his right to choose (as a sentient being) and HE decided not to submit himself to Maddox’s dismantling experiment. Given that one of Starfleet's Prime Directives is to seek out new life forms across the galaxy. It's ironic they found one - right on the bridge of the USS Enterprise!