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9 of 10 people found the following review helpful:
5.0 out of 5 stars
A thoughtful exploration of "android rights", November 11, 2000
This review is from: Star Trek - The Next Generation, Episode 35: The Measure Of A Man [VHS] (VHS Tape)
This episode of "Star Trek: The Next Generation" takes on a classic science fiction theme: the rights and dignity of sentient artificial beings. "The Measure of a Man" ranks right up there with the best of such explorations. The combination of an intelligent script and superb acting makes this one that bears repeat watching. Lieutenant Commander Data, the android bridge officer on the starship "Enterprise," is faced with the unpleasant prospect of being disassembled against his will by an obsessed Starfleet cybernetics expert. Scriptwriter Melinda Snodgrass effectively uses the dramatic device of a legal hearing as the vehicle by which to present a philosophical inquiry into the crucial questions: Is Data "alive"? Does he have inalienable rights? Would forcing him into actions against his will amount to slavery? The performances are uniformly good. Special mention should be made of Brent Spiner's portrayal of Data: it is a masterfully nuanced performance which engages the viewers' sympathy. And Patrick Stewart, as Data's captain and courtroom defender, delivers his key pieces of oratory with passionate integrity. As I noted above, this television episode can be read as part of a greater science fiction tradition. But in its exploration of the enduring conflict between individual rights and the forces of exploitation, "The Measure of a Man" is also a worthy successor to the literature of the anti-slavery activists of the 19th century. Watch "The Measure of a Man" and then read an abolitionist classic like "Uncle Tom's Cabin," "The Narrative of the Life of Frederick Douglass," or "David Walker's Appeal." With "The Measure of a Man," the "Star Trek" creative team has produced an episode that is full of moral relevance.
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6 of 6 people found the following review helpful:
5.0 out of 5 stars
Measure of a Man, January 23, 2000
This review is from: Star Trek - The Next Generation, Episode 35: The Measure Of A Man [VHS] (VHS Tape)
This is one of my all-time favorite TNG episodes. In a nutshell: starfleet wants to disect Data for nefarious purposes. Picard convinces old flame to hold hearing to establish Data's personhood. Old flame assigns Riker to represent starfleet. (When Riker tries to refuse, she threatens to declare Data a toaster.) Hearing ensues... I was impressed when I saw this first-run and I'm STILL impressed. "Measure of a Man" asks the question: "What defines sentience?" But it also asks the more profound question: "What defines humanity?" The hearing is both touching and thought-provoking. I found myself wondering if *I'd* be declared sentient under the same circumstances. Spiner's performance gives Data a gentle dignity and compassion that just shines. Too many great lines to list. Stand-out scene when Riker removes Data's arm at the hearing and says: "I'm sorry." A must-have for all TNG fans.
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8 of 9 people found the following review helpful:
5.0 out of 5 stars
Easily, One of Trek's Finest Hours, January 24, 2002
This review is from: Star Trek - The Next Generation, Episode 35: The Measure Of A Man [VHS] (VHS Tape)
Commander Data is to be 'retrieved' by famed Starfleet scientist Commander Bruce Maddux for ... disassembly? This exceptional morality play about the nature of existence has wonderful depth for being a mere forty-plus minutes. In record time, it manages to deal with such titillating sci-fi subjects as the man vs. machine controversy, a person's right to choose, and even slavery. Brent Spiner, as Commander Data, is at top form in this episode, given perhaps the greatest story possible: a story tinkering with a hidden sense of euthanasia and his right, as a manufactured being, to make the choices that determine his fate. Picard Stewart, as his captain and defense attorney in court, gives an incredibly stirring speech about the nature of epistemology. Another must-see ... but not just for Trek fans.
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