Object

Data's Diagnostic Programs

A suite of interlinked software routines resident in an android's positronic matrix: layered inference modules, traceable decision trees, probabilistic weighting tables, and procedural test harnesses. Invisible yet tactile in practice, the programs surface as diagnostic logs, status flags, and console readouts when Data runs self-tests. Troi and the captain watch as Data invokes these routines, fingers metaphorically tracing logic paths while the code's outputs reshape his demeanor and command confidence.

2 appearances

Purpose

To perform logical deduction, run self-diagnostic checks, and govern Data's decision-making processes; used here to locate, isolate, and correct an emergent error responsible for an unexpected defeat.

Significance

Acts as the narrative locus of doubt and vulnerability: the programs become both suspect and remedy. Their failure destabilizes Data's epistemic certainty, creates latent risk for upcoming simulations and command decisions, and propels emotional and procedural conflict between Data, Troi, and the captain.

Appearances in the Narrative

When this object appears and how it's used

2 moments

S2E21 · Peak Performance

Data's Diagnostic Denial

Data's Diagnostic Programs surface visibly as monitors and procedural routines he references aloud; they function narratively as the mechanism by which Data externalizes and contains his uncertainty, turning an affective crisis into traceable computational processes.

Before: Active and processing at high speed, displaying large volumes of technical data on wall monitor and screens.

After: Program checks are running and are being cross‑checked with ship systems; diagnostics remain active as Data resumes research.

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S2E21 · Peak Performance

When an Android Admits Doubt

Data's Diagnostic Programs are the focal tools he invokes—running layered tests, cross‑checks, and probabilistic analyses. They function as both his attempted remedy for error and his language for admitting fallibility, transforming personal doubt into executable procedures.

Before: Active within Data's positronic matrix, producing rapid readouts on the wall monitor and console.

After: Continuing to run and being intensively cross‑checked against the ship's computer; no definitive resolution declared within the scene.

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