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S2E5 · Star Trek: The Next Generation - The Schizoid Man
S2E5
· Star Trek: The Next Generation - The Schizoid Man

The Walking Purgatory of Desire

Graves engages Data in a profound philosophical interrogation about the nature of human emotions, particularly desire, revealing the stark limitations of Data's artificial existence. Graves' melancholic reflections on human experiences like pain, lust, and pleasure lead to a poignant moment where Data admits his inability to truly understand desire. This revelation prompts Graves to declare Data's existence a 'walking purgatory'—neither dead nor alive, incapable of true feeling. The interaction underscores the tragic divide between human mortality and artificial consciousness, with Graves' ironic lament about mourning an immortal being adding layers of existential despair and foreshadowing his own desperate bid for survival.

Plot Beats

The narrative micro-steps within this event

2

Graves probes Data about pain, desire, and other primal feelings, rattling off emotions and directly asking if Data knows 'desire,' shifting the conversation from metaphor to a pointed examination of Data's experiential lack.

intellectual exchange to probing discomfort

Data admits he will likely never truly know desire, answering with near-sadness; Graves seizes the moment to pity Data, calling his state a 'walking purgatory' and crystallizing the moral and existential gulf between them.

quiet resignation to blunt pity

Who Was There

Characters present in this moment

2
Ira Graves
Doctor
 primary

Bittersweet contemplation masking desperation

Graves attends to a computer terminal while whistling, probing Data's understanding of human emotions with melancholic intensity. He reflects on the irony of mortality and artificial existence.

Goals in this moment
  • • To expose Data's emotional limitations and deepen his existential crisis
  • • To assert his intellectual superiority and moral ambiguity
Active beliefs
  • • Existence without emotional depth is a form of purgatory
  • • Human mortality gives life meaning, even in suffering
Character traits
Melancholic Philosophical Manipulative Reflective
Follow Ira Graves's journey
Data
Second Officer
 primary

Thoughtful with undertones of sadness

Data engages with Graves' written material before being drawn into a profound conversation about human emotions. He admits his inability to understand desire, revealing vulnerability.

Goals in this moment
  • • To comprehend human emotions through Graves' philosophical interrogation
  • • To reconcile his artificial nature with human experiences
Active beliefs
  • • Understanding emotion is key to approaching humanity
  • • His limitations are inherent to his artificial existence
Character traits
Analytical Curious Vulnerable Earnest
Follow Data's journey

Objects Involved

Significant items in this scene

2
"If I Only Had A Heart" Song (Graves' Whistled Performance)

Graves whistles 'If I Only Had A Heart' as a melancholic accompaniment to their conversation. The song's lyrics about yearning for emotional capacity mirror Data's quest for humanity, adding layers of irony and pathos.

Before: Partially whistled by Graves
After: Lingering in the air as an unanswered question
Before: Partially whistled by Graves
After: Lingering in the air as an unanswered question
Graves' Written Material (Including Final Instructions)

Graves' written materials serve as physical manifestations of his intellectual legacy and existential angst. Data interacts with them at superhuman speed, underscoring the contrast between Graves' mortality and Data's artificial cognition.

Before: Scattered throughout Graves' laboratory
After: Potentially reorganized after Data's engagement
Before: Scattered throughout Graves' laboratory
After: Potentially reorganized after Data's engagement

Location Details

Places and their significance in this event

1
Graves' Laboratory

Graves' laboratory provides a claustrophobic arena for this existential confrontation. The sterile precision of the space underscores the thematic tension between Graves' organic deterioration and Data's artificial stillness.

Atmosphere Tense with undercurrents of melancholy
Function Stage for philosophical duel
Symbolism Represents the intersection of human fragility and artificial permanence
Flickering monitor lights pulse like failing vital signs The faint scent of ozone and antiseptic undercuts the whistled melody

Narrative Connections

How this event relates to others in the story

What this causes 6
Foreshadowing medium

"Graves quietly whistles 'If I Only Had A Heart' while Data studies his work (intimate, symbolic bonding); later Data behaves cryptically and programs Graves-triggered holodeck behavior—the earlier musical/moment motif prefigures Data's becoming a living conduit for Graves' persona."

Data's Erratic Behavior at the Holodeck Threshold
S2E5 · Star Trek: The Next Generation …
Foreshadowing medium

"Graves quietly whistles 'If I Only Had A Heart' while Data studies his work (intimate, symbolic bonding); later Data behaves cryptically and programs Graves-triggered holodeck behavior—the earlier musical/moment motif prefigures Data's becoming a living conduit for Graves' persona."

The Code Beneath the Courtesy
S2E5 · Star Trek: The Next Generation …
Symbolic Parallel medium

"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."

The First Fissures in Data's Facade
S2E5 · Star Trek: The Next Generation …
Symbolic Parallel medium

"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."

Data's Dignity and the Shadow of Graves
S2E5 · Star Trek: The Next Generation …
Symbolic Parallel medium

"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."

Data's Mechanical Mourning
S2E5 · Star Trek: The Next Generation …
Symbolic Parallel medium

"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."

The Contradiction in Graves' Last Words
S2E5 · Star Trek: The Next Generation …

Key Dialogue

"GRAVES: "Pain... Lust... envy... pleasure... desire. Do you know what desire is, Data?""
"DATA: "No... I do not suppose I will ever know what it really is.""
"GRAVES: "I feel pity for you. Your existence is a kind of walking purgatory -- neither dead nor alive, never really feeling anything. Just existing. Just existing.""