The Measure of a Man
When Starfleet orders the android Data transferred for experimental disassembly, Captain Picard and his crew battle to defend Data's personhood—forcing Riker to prosecute, fracturing friendships and risking Data's life and legal precedent.
A charged moral crucible ignites when Starfleet orders Lieutenant Commander Data transferred to Starbase 173 so Commander Bruce Maddox can disassemble and study his positronic brain. Maddox, obsessed with duplicating Dr. Noonien Soong's work, claims the research could yield countless androids to serve the Federation. Admiral Nakamura backs the transfer as essential to Starfleet's future. Picard explodes with quiet fury: Data is a valued bridge officer, not a test subject. Maddox produces transfer orders; Picard seeks legal counsel from Phillipa Louvois, the sharp-edged JAG officer with a history of prosecuting Picard’s Stargazer court-martial. When Phillipa finds precedent—Acts of Gould—declaring Data Starfleet property, the conflict explodes from administrative quarrel into courtroom drama with universe-sized stakes.
Picard pivots into advocacy. He urges Data to submit voluntarily, then launches a legal campaign when Data, fearing the loss of the ineffable qualities that make his memories meaningful, resigns from Starfleet to block the transfer. Maddox answers with litigation to invalidate the resignation, insisting the stakes justify overriding Data’s wishes. Phillipa convenes a hearing. Duty forces Commander Riker—Data’s friend and loyal first officer—into the role of prosecutor. Riker resists fiercely but agrees to perform his duty, burning with anguish at the prospect of arguing that a comrade is mere property.
The trial becomes theatrical and intimate. Riker marshals cold technical evidence: Data’s hardware, computational capacity, and construction by Soong. In a gut-wrenching gambit, Riker removes Data’s hand and, in front of the court, flips the switch that powers him down—Data collapses inert. The act shatters the room and Riker himself; a single tear testifies to the cost of legal strategy. Picard reels but refuses surrender. He crafts a counterargument that pivots from engineering to moral consequence: construction does not equal ownership, and defining Data as property will set precedent that could render future sentient creations expendable—slaves for convenience. Picard forces Maddox to confront the implications of success: thousands of Datas, “expendable” by design, and a species judged by how it treats its creations.
Picard weaponizes specifics to humanize Data. He produces Data’s medals, a sonnet book, and a holocube of Tasha Yar; under oath the android reveals intimacy and memory, shows affection, and demonstrates self-awareness. Picard cross-examines Maddox until the expert, who had touted intelligence and self-awareness as criteria, cannot reconcile why Data is excluded. Phillipa, forced into the crucible she once wielded, deliberates and rewrites the legal calculus. She rejects the property ruling. The judge’s decision rescinds Data’s classification as mere property and upholds his right to choose—placing personhood over utilitarian engineering.
Resolution ripples across characters. Maddox, chastened but still committed to his work, gains Data’s reluctant blessing to continue research when ready. Riker endures the moral wound of having nearly destroyed his friend, yet finds solace when Data explains he learned from Riker’s sacrifice—sometimes one must deny belief to protect another. Picard stands vindicated in principle, though haunted by the cost and the historical duel with Phillipa Louvois. The episode closes on a melancholy note of renewed fellowship: Data reinstated, his yearning for humanity intact, the Enterprise crew bruised but resolute.
The narrative hammers urgent ethical questions: what constitutes sentience, who claims rights, and how legal frameworks translate moral values into precedent. It dramatizes the tension between scientific ambition and individual dignity, forcing pragmatic officers to choose between procedure and conscience. The trial operates as both legal contest and moral theater, with Picard’s rhetoric reframing law as a tool that can either protect or damn future life. At its heart, the story converts abstract philosophy into human pain: loyalty, sacrifice, the terror of being reduced to an instrument, and the fragile triumph when a court—and a people—choose to affirm worth over utility.
Events in This Episode
The narrative beats that drive the story
The Enterprise arrives at Starbase 173, setting the stage for a seemingly routine port call. Captain Picard encounters Phillipa Louvois, a former prosecutor with whom he shares a contentious history, immediately establishing a tense personal undercurrent. Admiral Nakamura and Commander Maddox then arrive, and Maddox quickly reveals his intent: to disassemble Lieutenant Commander Data for research, aiming to replicate Dr. Soong's work and create more androids. Data, initially intrigued, soon identifies critical flaws and risks in Maddox's plan. Picard, recognizing Data as a valued officer rather than a mere object, vehemently refuses to allow the procedure. However, Maddox counters with Starfleet transfer orders, forcibly reassigning Data to his command, escalating the conflict from a scientific proposal to a direct challenge to Data's autonomy and Picard's authority. This act establishes the central conflict, introduces the key players, and ignites the ethical dilemma at the story's core.
Picard's clipped captain's log opens a scene of routine procedure that undercuts a private, character-led experiment: a poker game in Data's quarters. Data, applying flawless probabilistic logic, is baffled when …
In Data's quarters the crew's ritual poker game becomes a miniature thesis on what separates android reasoning from human unpredictability. Data reduces hands to probabilities and reads bets as data; …
Captain Picard's quiet moment on Starbase 173 is ruptured by the return of Phillipa Louvois. Their exchange reopens the old wounds of the Stargazer court‑martial — professional rancor that bleeds …
Picard and Phillipa's tense, flirtatious reunion — a duel of pride and old grievances — is abruptly cut short when Admiral Nakamura arrives with Commander Bruce Maddox. Their private barbs …
Picard confronts Admiral Nakamura, who dismisses his concerns, emphasizing Starfleet's utilitarian interest in replicating Data. Picard then attempts to persuade Data to voluntarily undergo the procedure, framing it as a service to Starfleet, but Data steadfastly refuses, drawing a powerful analogy to human officers not being forced into cybernetic implants. Data's refusal forces Picard to seek legal counsel from Phillipa Louvois, who, despite their personal friction, advises that Data's only recourse to avoid the transfer is to resign from Starfleet. This revelation shifts Data's perspective, leading him to reflect on his unique existence, his memories, and the 'ineffable quality' of his experiences, which he fears will be lost. In a poignant moment of self-determination, Data resigns from Starfleet to protect his 'dream,' directly challenging Maddox's authority and setting the stage for a legal battle.
Admiral Nakamura's boarding instantly militarizes the bridge: crew tense, eyes flick to rank. Nakamura’s polished courtesy masks a power play as he introduces Commander Maddox—then has Worf tactically escort him …
Admiral Nakamura's visit quickly shifts from ceremonial to coercive: after a polite, performative tour of the bridge he casually installs Commander Maddox as the ship's new 'mission specialist' for the …
On the Enterprise bridge Commander Maddox coldly converts philosophical opposition into a practical threat: he reminds Data he opposed his Academy entry and then bluntly announces, "I'm going to disassemble …
Commander Maddox frames his obsession with duplicating Dr. Soong’s work as destiny and calmly outlines a step-by-step plan to disassemble Data — diagnostics, memory dump, and component-level study — while …
In the Observation Lounge Maddox outlines a step-by-step plan to disassemble Data for study. Data methodically probes technical gaps—most notably unresolved electron resistance across neural filaments—exposing that Maddox's model is …
What begins as a technical and moral debate over Data's disassembly abruptly becomes enforceable command when Commander Maddox produces authenticated Starfleet transfer orders reassigning Data to Starbase 173. Picard's moral …
Admiral Nakamura's brusque viewscreen order — framing Data's reassignment as routine and indispensable to Commander Maddox's research — propels Picard into a private confrontation with Data. Picard offers a pragmatic, …
After Admiral Nakamura's brusque announcement of Data's transfer, Picard summons Data to the ready room and tries to persuade him to volunteer for the procedure to nullify the transfer. Data …
Maddox, enraged by Data's resignation, seeks legal recourse, leading to a heated exchange with Picard and Phillipa. Maddox dismisses Data as a mere machine, arguing for the boundless potential of replication, while Picard passionately defends Data's rights as a Starfleet officer. Phillipa, initially pragmatic, begins to consider Maddox's argument that Data might be Starfleet property, a concept that alarms Picard. Meanwhile, a farewell party for Data in Ten-Forward underscores the crew's deep affection and concern for their friend, with Geordi expressing his sadness and Riker wrestling with the implications of Data's status. Maddox crashes the party, cruelly suggesting Data is fit only for carnival work, further highlighting his dehumanizing view. The act culminates in Phillipa's ruling, based on the 'Acts of Gould,' that Data is indeed Starfleet property and cannot resign. Picard immediately challenges this, forcing Phillipa to convene a hearing. In a cruel twist of fate, Phillipa appoints Picard as Data's defense counsel and, to Riker's horror, forces him to prosecute, creating an agonizing moral dilemma for the First Officer who must argue against his friend's personhood.
Picard bursts into JAG pleading for an immediate legal blockade to prevent Commander Maddox from taking Data for a dangerous disassembly. Phillipa calmly delineates the law: she cannot stop the …
In Phillipa Louvois's JAG office Picard pleads for a legal option to stop Data's transfer. The exchange abruptly shifts from procedural to personal when Phillipa closes the physical and emotional …
Data methodically packs intimate artifacts — a holocube of Tasha Yar, a box of medals, an antique sonnet book — revealing the interior life beneath his android surface. Maddox barges …
Commander Maddox brusquely invades Data's private quarters, plucks an antique sonnet from the pile and uses it as a provocation to collapse a technical dispute into a moral one. Data …
In the JAG office Picard converts a procedural squabble into a constitutional moment. Maddox argues for commandeering Data as property for scientific progress, Phillipa probes the legal basis, and Picard …
In the JAG office Picard confronts Commander Maddox and Captain Phillipa Louvois as Maddox bluntly insists Data is a machine and must not be allowed to resign for the sake …
At Ten-Forward the crew stages a warm, slightly comic farewell for Data—he carefully opens gifts (then rips paper to please Wesley), receives an antique from Worf, and shares a tender, …
At Ten-Forward the crew stages a bittersweet farewell for Data that shifts from lighthearted gift-giving to something raw and urgent. Pulaski offers blunt, practical advice about life off-ship; Data politely …
At Data's farewell in Ten-Forward the tone shifts from warm ritual to existential test. Geordi's raw grief and a tender embrace underline what's at stake, then Riker pulls Troi aside: …
At Data's farewell in Ten-Forward tender camaraderie and awkward affection give way to confrontation and duty. Intimate moments (Data and Geordi, Pulaski's advice) are undercut when Riker and Troi quietly …
Picard informs Data of the upcoming hearing, reaffirming his commitment to fight for Data's personhood, despite Data's own logical struggle to understand the concept of being a 'sentient life-form' when he perceives himself as a machine. The tension between Picard and Riker intensifies during a fencing match, where Riker grimly declares his intention to win, even if it means destroying Data's case, highlighting the profound personal cost of his duty. Picard then embarks on a difficult mission to understand Data's inner world, questioning him about his thoughts, desires, and feelings, pushing Data beyond his programmed responses to articulate the 'why' behind his actions. Concurrently, Riker, in the computer room, meticulously researches Data's schematics, discovering a chillingly effective way to prove Data is a machine, his face etched with the pain of his impending victory. The act culminates in the courtroom, where Riker, in a devastating move, demonstrates Data's physical capabilities, then removes his hand and powers him down, reducing him to an inert object. The shocking act leaves Data lifeless, Picard reeling, and Riker himself in agony, a single tear betraying the immense personal sacrifice he has made.
In the JAG office Phillipa Louvois coldly rules Data the property of Starfleet under the Acts of Gould, converting a personnel dispute into a legal mandate. Picard instantly challenges her, …
In the JAG office Admiral Phillipa invokes the Acts of Gould and declares Data Starfleet property, triggering Picard to demand a hearing. Phillipa, pressed by logistics, orders the hearing be …
In the Ready Room Picard reads Captain Louvois's formal ruling: Data has been declared Starfleet property and cannot resign. Data responds with bleak, precise irony, reduced from 'limitless options' to …
In the Ready Room Picard delivers Admiral Louvois's cold legal finding: Data is Starfleet property and his resignation is invalid. Data meets the verdict with bleak, measured irony, reduced from …
After Starfleet's cold bureaucratic decree reduces Data to property, Picard refuses to accept that fate. In the ready room he announces a formal hearing and pledges to fight the ruling—awkwardly …
In Data's quarters Picard forces the conversation away from sterile logs and back onto the android himself, insisting that Data articulate not just facts but motive, desire and interior life. …
Picard pushes Data out of the convenient, impersonal record and forces him to articulate his inner life—how he thinks, what he wants and why—so the Enterprise can frame a legal …
In the aftermath of Riker's devastating demonstration, a despondent Picard seeks counsel from Guinan, reflecting on his past with Phillipa and his perceived failure. Guinan's profound insight—that decisions today create precedents for the future, and that defining Data as property could lead to 'slavery' for an entire new race—ignites a renewed fire in Picard. Armed with this powerful ethical framework, Picard returns to the courtroom, delivering a masterful closing argument that transcends technicalities, challenging the very definition of personhood and the moral responsibility of a species towards its creations. He humanizes Data by presenting his medals, sonnets, and the holocube of Tasha Yar, forcing Data to reveal his 'intimate' connection, rocking Phillipa. Picard then relentlessly cross-examines Maddox, cornering the expert into admitting he cannot define sentience, nor explain why Data doesn't meet his own criteria. Phillipa, deeply moved by Picard's arguments and Data's testimony, ultimately rules in Data's favor, declaring him not property but a sentient being with the right to choose. The resolution sees Data offering Maddox a chance to continue his work, and Data comforting a guilt-ridden Riker, explaining that Riker's painful sacrifice taught him the profound lesson of denying one's nature to protect another, solidifying their bond and affirming Data's growing understanding of humanity.
Alone in the Enterprise computer room, Riker authenticates himself, sifts through legal opinions and technical files, and commands the system to produce Data’s schematics. The terminal returns a file stamped …
Alone in the Enterprise computer room, Riker uses his clearance to pull up Data's classified schematics. He records a clandestine personal log—exhausted, unwilling, and morally unsettled at being forced into …
In a high-stakes hearing to determine whether Data is property or a person, Picard demands Data's full Starfleet record be read aloud to humanize him while Riker methodically builds a …
In open court Riker methodically reduces Data to machinery: he elicits that Data was built by Dr. Noonien Soong, has massive storage and processing capacity, then stages a public demonstration …
In open court Riker stages a clinical, devastating demonstration to prove Data is property: after extracting technical testimony and bending a plasteel bar, he removes Data's hand for inspection and, …
Late in Ten-Forward a defeated Picard sits alone until Guinan quietly breaks his isolation. Through gentle questions she teases out a confession — the old humiliation of the Stargazer court-martial …
Late in Ten-Forward Picard breaks his silence with Guinan, confessing a long personal humiliation—the Stargazer court-martial—and revealing how wounded pride shapes his response to Louvois. He proposes a high-risk tactical …
Late in Ten-Forward, a weary Picard unburdens himself to Guinan about the Stargazer humiliation and his tactical gambit to avoid a damaging legal ruling. As he explains arranging Data’s voluntary …
Picard abandons technical argument and transforms the hearing into an ethical test: he summons Data, produces the android's travel case—medals, a book of sonnets, a single holocube of Tasha Yar—and …
In the courtroom's emotional crucible Picard calls Data and then Maddox as a hostile witness, producing Data's medals, a book of sonnets and a holocube to humanize the android. Picard …
In the courtroom climax Picard reframes the hearing from technical taxonomy to moral precedent, humanizing Data with medals, sonnets and intimate testimony and forcing Commander Maddox into a corner. Picard's …
Immediately after Judge Phillipa's ruling, the courtroom's jubilation subsides into a quiet, intimate coda. Data approaches Commander Maddox and, with calm generosity, offers him permission to continue his research when …