The Contradiction in Graves' Last Words
Plot Beats
The narrative micro-steps within this event
At the doorway, Data pauses and insists the crew hold Graves' funeral "the way he wanted," calling it his dying wish—an assertion that conflicts with the earlier claim of instantaneous death and introduces a concrete mystery to unravel.
Riker puzzles over the timeline—if death was swift, when could Graves have made a dying wish?—and Pulaski offers a speculative answer (perhaps a premonition), shifting the group's mood from puzzled to speculative and heightening narrative tension.
Who Was There
Characters present in this moment
Posthumously obsessive about controlling his legacy
Absent physically but psychologically present through Data's references—his legacy and potential lingering consciousness dominate the subtext of the conversation.
- • Ensure his funeral arrangements reflect his greatness
- • Maintain some form of existence through Data if transferred successfully
- • That his intellect deserves preservation beyond biological death
- • That Data represents the perfect vessel for his continued existence
Defensive professionalism covering discomfort with both Data's correction and the disturbing implications of his behavior
Clashes with Data immediately after supporting his factual claim about Graves' rapid death, becoming defensive when corrected about her pronoun use while failing to examine the deeper implications of Data's behavior.
- • Present medical findings with factual accuracy
- • Maintain professional decorum despite interpersonal tensions
- • That biological death is absolute and medically verifiable
- • That protocols should dictate pronoun usage regardless of personal preferences
Surface calm masking underlying turmoil (whether his own or Graves' influence)
Exhibiting contradictory behavior—initially presenting as characteristically emotionless about Graves' death before displaying uncharacteristic linguistic corrections about personhood pronouns and emotional investment in funeral arrangements.
- • Ensure Graves' funeral arrangements comply with what Graves would want
- • Defend his personhood status against Pulaski's linguistic dehumanization
- • That being referred to as 'it' constitutes an unacceptable denial of his personhood
- • That honoring Graves' wishes is his paramount responsibility
Thoughtfully concerned without overt alarm
First to notice and voice the glaring inconsistency between Data's claims about the timing of Graves' death and his subsequent reference to a dying wish, demonstrating superior investigative instincts.
- • Identify logical inconsistencies in the situation
- • Alert Picard to potential dangers without causing panic
- • That Data's behavior contains troubling inconsistencies worthy of investigation
- • That major decisions should be made after careful consideration of all evidence
Objects Involved
Significant items in this scene
Pulaski cites her preliminary report to scientifically validate Data's claim about Graves' rapid death, using its factual neutrality as both medical justification and psychological distancing mechanism from the growing unease about Data's behavior.
Location Details
Places and their significance in this event
The Captain's Ready Room serves as the confined space where growing suspicions about Data's identity manifest, its formal Starfleet setting heightening the incongruity of Data's emotional outburst and logical contradictions.
Narrative Connections
How this event relates to others in the story
"Graves' metaphoric identification with mechanical longing ('If I Only Had A Heart' and 'We're much alike') resonates with Data's philosophical detachment when Picard asks if Graves' death unsettles him—both beats explore mortality, identity, and the blurred human/machine line."
"Graves' metaphoric identification with mechanical longing ('If I Only Had A Heart' and 'We're much alike') resonates with Data's philosophical detachment when Picard asks if Graves' death unsettles him—both beats explore mortality, identity, and the blurred human/machine line."
"Graves' metaphoric identification with mechanical longing ('If I Only Had A Heart' and 'We're much alike') resonates with Data's philosophical detachment when Picard asks if Graves' death unsettles him—both beats explore mortality, identity, and the blurred human/machine line."
"Graves' metaphoric identification with mechanical longing ('If I Only Had A Heart' and 'We're much alike') resonates with Data's philosophical detachment when Picard asks if Graves' death unsettles him—both beats explore mortality, identity, and the blurred human/machine line."
Key Dialogue
"DATA: 'I am not an "it," Doctor. You have been duly informed of this on several occasions, yet you continue to label me with that abhorrent pronoun.'"
"DATA: 'We will try and do the funeral the way he wanted, will we not, Captain?'"
"RIKER: 'I thought he said death came swiftly. When did Graves have time to make a dying wish?'"