Rating: 8/10
The second series of "Star Trek: the Next Generation" gave us some incredible lows and same damn fine highs. I've already made reference to "A Matter of Honour" which immediately preceded "The Measure of a Man", and just as that episode set the bar incredibly high when it came to Klingon stories, this show takes Data's narrative into new ground, finally giving his character and in fact the vast majority of the ensemble an opening into exploring the unique position of the android senior officer on the NCC-1701D. Whilst the premise is truly a Trek invention, the convention of a courtroom drama gets taken to a new level of sci-fi excellence thanks to the characters and their respective actors.
- Three Reasons To Watch This Episode
- This is the first best story to take Data and give him a deep and satisfying focal point as a character in 'TNG'. Yes, we have caught some insights into Data thanks to episodes such as "Datalore" and "Elementary Dear Data". However whereas they show something about Data's development and history (his interest in Sherlock Holmes, the role of Noonian Soong in his creation, his search for human meaning to his 'life'), they only paint shadows. In "A Measure of a Man" we get Data's full measure. This isn't just an automaton or robot who Commander Maddox believes is the property of Starfleet. Data is both legally and more importantly for the viewer emotionally 'alive' by the end of this episode. Brent Spiner portrays Data with the same polished ease that Nimoy brought to Spock, but whilst for the original series star there were broader strokes to make his half-Vulcan come alive with in some ways Spiner creates a far more rounded android character rounded, real and human. And yet there is just enough of a gap between Data's growing self-awareness and his robotic nature to still give you a sense of 'the other'. Just as the Klingons were given the just treatment they deserved in the episode before this one, in "The Measure of a Man" Data finally receives his dues as a Star Trek legend.
- Picard also shows more in this episode than could nominally be expected in a show that is at heart about Data's rights. We get to see the Enterprise's captain off the bridge and meeting with a woman (aside from the absent Beverley Crusher) who had an important role in his life pre NCC1701-D. His backstory with Captain Phillipa Louvois (his prosecutor when the USS Stargazer was lost) is both interesting for what is revealed and what is not revealed, as well as drawing out Picard's portrayal by Patrick Stewart as a sex symbol. For a captain of a Federation starship with such a cool, almost arrogant manner to see him smoulder and flirt with the JAG officer is quite the change. Then to add to this new dimension there is an incredibly important moment between his character and Guinan's as they discuss the underlying meaing of Data's potential dismemberment, and of course to top things off Jean Luc becomes Perry Mason, artfully winning Data's case with a legal argument that combines skill, wisdom and humanity. The growth of these two leading figures in the TNG universe is taken forward by a quantum thanks to the great plot and fantastic acting by the two actors behind Data and Picard.
- Character, character and more character. Whilst the two leads make the most of their camera time and story, almost everyone who comes on screen with more than a couple of lines contribute to this episode. There's the 'bad guy' Commander Bruce Maddox who thinks he knows best for Data and in the process of trying to satisfy his own supposedly good intentions undermines not just Data's rights but those things that the Federation nominally stands for. Captain Louvois is one minute the saucy counterpoint to Picard's flirtation, the next a judicial officer struggling with legal and philosophical problems she finds herself barely able to decide upon. And yet she makes what the viewer at least would be considered good law. Importantly Jonathon Frakes' Riker has to straddle his own sense of friendship and duty when called upon to prosecute Maddox's case against Data, and the manner in which this plotline is written by the scriptwriters, and then portrayed by Frakes is excellent. Worf and Pulaski have their moments too, whilst we get Levar Burton's Geordi showing great emotion as he considers the potential loss of his best friend. Thankfully Deanna and Wesley hardly get a showing in "A Measure of a Man" so I can't complain about their usually negative influences on a TNG story.
- Three Reasons Not To Watch This Episode
- As I have outlined in previous reviews, and as cana be guessed from my high rating and fullsome praise of this episode, I can't give three reasons why you shouldn't watch "A Measure of a Man". I do have a small quibble with some of the effects (i.e. when Data's arm is removed in the trial sequence) and I also have some issues with the logic (how come the same Data who won all those Starfleet awards hasn't had the issue of his sentience come up before, or why was he so basic in understanding a mere season and a half before this show?). But when all is said and done to not watch this episode of TNG will reduce your appreciation and understanding of this sci-fi phenomenon significantly.
- Best Moment
- Worst Moment
- Blink & You'll Miss It
"And with it's unique positronic engineering the Data Food Processor slices, dices and makes the kitchen duties of a female Starfleet officer just that much easier!"share on: Facebook
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