History Recap / StarTrekTheNextGenerationS2E9TheMeasureOfAMan

* EasilyForgiven: Averted. It seems like Data is just forgiving Riker, but Data explains why Riker's actions still saved Data, by allowing a trial to give him a chance.

Torn, Picard is forced to swallow his pride and ask for help from Louvois, first asking for a way out of the transfer (Data resigning, which resulted in an unusually poignant argument about why CyberneticsEatYourSoul), then demanding a hearing be held after the out provided turns out to not be possible due to laws set ''two centuries ago''. Because of a lack of staff on-hand, Louvois assigns Picard as the defense and ''Riker'' as the prosecution, completely ignoring Riker's protests over the apparent conflict of interest by threatening to stand on her ruling if he doesn't. Then, during the trial, Riker argues that Data is not sentient by [[CaptainObvious making clear that Data is a robot]], including having him bend a steel bar (while Louvois ignores Picard's justified objection that there are ''organic, sentient beings with the strength to bend the bar just as easily'')... Riker then shuts Data off, proclaiming ''"Pinocchio is broken; its strings have been cut."''

** Even applies before the trial. Riker accesses the schematics of Data and discovers the off-switch. He reacts with a pleased look of "Yay, I won!" only for moments later to realize "Oh crap, I won."

* ObviouslyEvil: Commander Maddox comes off as just a bit creepy, probably due to his evident obsession and FantasticRacism towards Data.

* YouKeepUsingThatWord: The abuse of the word "sentient" (when ''sapient'' would be a much more appropriate term).
* WhatMeasureIsANonHuman: The plot theme, as reflected by its title.

* YouKeepUsingThatWord: The abuse of the word "sentient" (when ''sapient'' would be a much more appropriate term).

Torn, Picard is forced to swallow his pride and ask for help from Louvois, first asking for a way out of the transfer (Data resigning, which resulted in an unusually poignant argument about why CyberneticsEatYourSoul), then demanding a hearing be held after the out provided turns out to not be possible due to laws set ''two centuries ago''. Because of a lack of staff on-hand, Louvois assigns Picard as the defense and ''Riker'' as the prosecution, completely ignoring Riker's protests over the apparent conflict of interest by threatening to stand on her ruling if he doesn't. Then, during the trial, Riker uses a argument about the non-sentience of Data by [[CaptainObvious showing us that Data is a robot]], including having him bend a steel bar (while Louvois ignores Picard's justified objection that there are ''organic, sentient beings with the strength to bend the bar just as easily'')... Riker then shuts Data off, proclaiming ''"Pinocchio is broken; its strings have been cut."''

Picard is about to give up, when a talk with Guinan convinces him to start anew...this time by using the argument that creating a legion of Datas for labor use would bring about UnfortunateImplications that the Federation is sanctioning slavery, a profound affront to its most basic ideals. Convinced, Louvois decides to rule in favor of Data, and the show ends with Data refusing the procedure (though encouraging Maddox to continue his research, to make it safer), and thanking Riker for [[IDidWhatIHadToDo doing what he had to do]] to ensure Data's personal freedoms.

* MyGodWhatHaveIDone: Riker's reaction after he turns Data off. Later he tries to OptOut of the party because he very nearly won the case, but Data finds him and forgives him, knowing [[IDidWhatIHadToDo he hadn't had a choice]] but to try his best.

* YouAreBetterThanYouThinkYouAre: At the end, Data has to remind Riker of this since his agreement to prosecute in the case when forced to was really an act of self-sacrifice gave the android his one shot to win his freedom in court.

Picard is about to give up, when a talk with Guinan convinces him to start anew...this time by using the argument that creating a legion of Datas for labor use would bring about UnfortunateImplications that the Federation claims to have moved past. Convinced, Louvois decides to rule in favor of Data, and the show ends with Data refusing the procedure (though encouraging Maddox to continue his research, to make it safer), and thanking Riker for [[IDidWhatIHadToDo doing what he had to do]] to ensure Data's personal freedoms.

--> '''Picard:''' Are you prepared to condemn him, and those who come after him, to servitude and slavery? Your Honor, Starfleet was ''founded'' to seek out new life; well, '''THERE IT SITS!'''

Series:Main/{{Star Trek The Next Generation}}\\

* PatrickStewartSpeech: One of the most memorable of the series.

'''This episode contains examples of:'''

Picard is about to give up, when a talk with Guinan convinces him to start anew...this time by using the argument that creating a legion of Datas for labor use would bring about UnfortunateImplications that the Federation claims to have moved past. Convinced, Louvois decides to rule in favor of Data, and the show ends with Data refusing the procedure (though encouraging Maddox to continue his research, to make it safer), and thanking Riker for [[IDidWhatIHadToDo doing what he had to do]] to ensure Data's personal freedoms.

Torn, Picard is forced to swallow his pride and ask for help from Louvois, first asking for a way out of the transfer (Data resigning, which resulted in an unusually poignant argument about why CyberneticsEatYourSoul), then demanding a hearing be held after the out provided turns out to not be possible due to laws set ''two centuries ago''. Because of a lack of staff on-hand, Louvois assigns Picard as the defense and ''Riker'' as the prosecution, completely ignoring Riker's protests over the apparant conflict of interest by threatening to stand on her ruling if he doesn't. Then, during the trial, Riker uses a argument about the non-sentience of Data by [[CaptainObvious showing us that Data is a robot]], including having him bend a steel bar, Louvois ignoring Picard's justified objection that there are ''organic, sentient beings with the strength to bend the bar just as easily''... Riker then shuts Data off, proclaiming ''"Pinocchio is broken; its strings have been cut."''

Picard is about to give up, when a talk with Guinan convinces him to start anew...this time by using the argument that creating a legion of Datas for labor use would bring about UnfortunateImplications that the Federation claims to have moved past. Convinced, Louvois decides to rule in favor for Data, and the show ends with Data refusing the procedure (though encouraging Maddox to continue his research, to make it safer), and thanking Riker for [[IDidWhatIHadToDo doing what he had to do]] to ensure Data's personal freedoms.

For once, the ''Enterprise'' ''isn't'' dinking about on some far-away planet, instead parking its aft at a local starbase for crew rotation and resupplying/offloading. Data gets his first taste at poker (which he fails at, due to Riker's impenetrable bluff, while Picard meets and catches up with an old friend/foil of his, Phillipa Louvois, currently assigned as a JAG officer on the station. After bleeding out some bad blood and sexual tension between them (seems like Louvois was Picard's love interest, before she tore him apart during the court martial hearing held for him losing his previous command), they're confronted by a Starfleet admiral and a slimy-looking commander, the latter of whom has an unhealthy interest in Data.

Torn, Picard is forced to swallow his pride and ask for help from Louvois, first asking for a way out of the transfer (Data resigning, which resulted in an unusually poignant argument about why CyberneticsEatYourSoul), then demanding a hearing be held after the out provided turns out to not be possible due to laws set ''two centuries ago''. Because of a lack of staff on-hand, Louvois assigns Picard as the defense and ''Riker'' as the prosecution, completely ignoring Riker's protests over the apparant conflict of interest by threatening to stand on her ruling if he doesn't. Then, during the trial, Riker uses a argument about the non-sentience of Data by [[CaptainObvious showing us that Data is a robot]], including having him bend a steel bar, though he concedes to Picard's justified objection that there are ''organic, sentient beings with the strength to bend the bar just as easily''... Riker then shuts Data off, proclaiming ''"Pinocchio is broken; its strings have been cut."''

For once, the ''Enterprise'' ''isn't'' dinking about on some far-away planet, instead parking its aft at a local starbase for crew rotation and resupplying/offloading. Data gets his first taste at poker (which he fails at, due to Riker's [[TheMagicPokerEquation impenetrable bluff]]), while Picard meets and catches up with an old friend/foil of his, Phillipa Louvois, currently assigned as a JAG officer on the station. After bleeding out some bad blood and sexual tension between them (seems like Louvois was Picard's love interest, before she tore him apart during the court martial hearing held for him losing his previous command), they're confronted by a Starfleet admiral and a slimy-looking commander, the latter of whom has an unhealthy interest in Data.

Torn, Picard is forced to swallow his pride and ask for help from Louvois, first asking for a way out of the transfer (Data resigning, which resulted in an unusually poignant argument about why CyberneticsEatYourSoul), then demanding a hearing be held after the out provided turns out to not be possible due to laws set ''two centuries ago'' (so, what, there's no such thing as amendments to the constitution or bill of rights in the future?). And from here, the show demonstrates how [[YouFailLawForever the Federation fails legal practices forever]]: because of a lack of staff on-hand, Louvois assigns Picard as the defense and ''Riker'' as the prosecution, completely ignoring Riker's valid argument of a little something known as "conflict of interest" by threatening to stand on her out-of-date ruling if he doesn't. Then, during the trial, Riker uses a "devastating" argument about the non-sentience of Data by [[CaptainObvious showing us that Data is a robot]], including having him bend a steel bar (and, of course, having Louvois ignore Picard's justified objection that there are ''organic, sentient beings with the strength to bend the bar just as easily''...The Federation must rely on the ''AceAttorney'' style of lawmaking). Turing Test? What's that? (Oh yeah...and he shuts him off.)

Picard is about to give up, when a talk with Guinan convinces him to start anew...this time by using the argument that creating a legion of Datas for labor use would bring about UnfortunateImplications that the Federation claims to have moved past (apparently not). Implausibly convinced, Louvois decides to rule in favor for Data, and the show ends with Data refusing the procedure (though encouraging Maddox to continue his research, to make it safer), and comforting Riker that [[IDidWhatIHadToDo he did what he had to do]] to ensure Data's personal freedoms.

Apparently, they have some bad blood between them, as well; the commander, named Maddox, was the only one on the Starfleet council to reject Data's admission out of [[WhatMeasureIsANonHuman his insistence that robots aren't alive]]. However, now he's interested in learning Data's secrets, determined to use him as a template to build more androids like him for manual labor. Interestingly, both Picard and Data are actively interested in this proposal...until they determine that Maddox doesn't have a lick of mechanical ingenuity needed to avoid harming Data during his dissection. They refuse, but Maddox, being the dick that he is, anticipated their refusal and whipped up transfer orders forcing Data into his negligent care.

Torn, Picard is forced to swallow his pride and ask for help from Louvois, first asking for an out of the transfer, then demanding a hearing be held after the out provided (Data resigning, which resulted in an unusually poignant argument about why CyberneticsEatYourSoul) turns out to not be possible due to laws set ''two centuries ago'' (so, what, there's no such thing as amendments of the constitution or bill of rights in the future?). And from here, the show demonstrates how [[YouFailLawForever the Federation fails legal practices forever]]: because of a lack of staff on-hand, Louvois assigns Picard as the defense and ''Riker'' as the Prosecution, completely ignoring Riker's valid argument of a little something known as "conflict of interest" by threatening to stand on her out of date ruling if he doesn't. Then, during the trial, Riker uses a "devastating" argument about the non-sentience of Data by [[CaptainObvious showing us that Data is a robot]], including having him bend a steel bar (and, of course, having Louvois ignore Picard's justified objection that there are ''organic, sentient beings with the strength to bend the bar just as easily''...The Federation must rely on the ''AceAttorney'' style of lawmaking). Turing Test? What's that? (Oh yeah...and he shuts him off.)

Torn, Picard is forced to swallow his pride and ask for help from Louvois, first asking for an out of the transfer, then demanding a hearing be held after the out provided (Data resigning, which resulted in an unusually poignant argument about why CyberneticsEatYourSoul) turns out to not be possible due to laws set ''two centuries ago'' (so, what, there's no such thing as amendments of the constitution or bill of rights in the future?). And from here, the show demonstrates how [[YouFailLawForever the Federation fails legal practices forever]]: because of a lack of staff on-hand, Louvois assigns Picard as the defense and ''Riker'' as the Prosecution, completely ignoring Riker's valid argument of a little something known as "conflict of interest" by threatening to stand on her out of date ruling if he doesn't. Then, during the trial, Riker uses a "devastating" argument about the non-sentience of Data by [[CaptainObvious showing us that Data is a robot]], including having him bend a steel bar (and, of course, having Louvois ignore Picard's justified objection that there are ''organic, sentient beings with the strength to bend the bar just as easily''...The Federation must rely on the ''AceAttorney'' style of lawmaking). Turing Test? What's that?

Apparently, they have some bad blood between them, as well; the commander, named Maddox, was the only one on the Starfleet council to reject Data's admission out of [[WhatMeasureIsANonHuman his insistence that robots aren't alive]]. However, now he's interested in learning Data's secrets, determined to use him as a template to build more androids like him for manual labor. Interestingly, both Picard and Data are actively interested in this proposal...until they determine that Maddox doesn't have a lick of mechanical ingenuity needed to avoid harming Data during his dissection. They refuse, but Maddox, being the dick that he is, [[TheDevTeamThinksOfEverything anticipated their refusal]] and whipped up transfer orders forcing Data into his negligent care.

Torn, Picard is forced to swallow his pride and ask for help from Louvois, first asking for an out of the transfer, then demanding a hearing be held after the out provided (Data resigning, which resulted in an unusually poignant argument about why CyberneticsEatYourSoul) turns out to not be possible due to laws set ''two centuries ago'' (so, what, there's no such thing as amendments of the constitution or bill of rights in the future?). And from here, the show demonstrates how [[YouFailLawForever the Federation fails legal practices forever]]: because of a lack of staff on-hand, Louvois assigns Picard as the defense and ''Riker'' as the Prosecution, completely ignoring Riker's valid argument of a little something known as "conflict of interest" by threatening to stand on her out of date ruling if he doesn't. Then, during the trial, Riker uses a "devastating" argument about the non-sentience of Data by [[CaptainObvious showing us that Data is a robot]], including having him bend a steel bar (and, of course, having Louvois ignore Picard's justified objection that there are ''organic, sentient beings with the strength to bend the bar just as easily''...I guess the Federation relies on the AceAttorney style of lawmaking). Turing Test? What's that?