Product Details

• Actors: LeVar Burton, Gates McFadden
• Directors: LeVar Burton, Gates McFadden, Gabrielle Beaumont, Robert Becker, Cliff Bole
• Format: Closed-captioned, Color, NTSC
• Language: English, French
• Rated: NR (Not Rated)
• Number of tapes: 1
• Studio: Paramount
• VHS Release Date: May 31, 1995
• Run Time: 46 minutes
• Average Customer Review: 3.7 out of 5 stars  See all reviews (3 customer reviews)
• ASIN: 6302897165
• Amazon Best Sellers Rank: #436,317 in Movies & TV (See Top 100 in Movies & TV)

Editorial Reviews

Amazon.com

In this outing, the Enterprise-D answers a distress call from Dr. Ira Graves, brilliant cyberneticist (W. Morgan Sheppard). Grizzled, old Graves lives all alone on some sort of research planet with (of course) his gorgeous blond assistant, Kareen Brianon (Barbara Alyn Woods). An away team is dispatched and it soon becomes obvious that Graves is dying. For reasons that elude rational thought, Data develops an instant rapport with the scientist, who was his "father" Noonien Soong's mentor. Behind closed doors the android and the scientist bond, but Graves dies anyway. Kareen is beamed aboard the Enterprise-D to continue with her stimulating career as gorgeous blond research assistant.

Data, however, begins acting like a sybaritic idiot, which is, strangely, exactly how Graves behaved. It doesn't take long for the intrepid Captain Picard to ascertain that Dr. Graves downloaded himself into Data's neural net before he died. Graves's obnoxious core being has pushed Data's sweet, easygoing self far down into memory-dump land. We're talking big-time multiple-personality conflict here. Throw in an old-guy-in-young-android-body lust story and there's something for everyone. And it's well-written and well-acted, too. "Schizoid Man" lays the groundwork for the brilliant "Measure of a Man." It's a whole lot of fun, and at the same time quietly asks the viewer important questions about Data's right to exist. This is an all-around standout episode. --Kayla Riggney

From the Back Cover

The Enterprise receives a distress call from Kareen Brianon (Barbara Alyn Woods), assistant to Ira Graves (W. Morgan Sheppard), one of the greatest minds in the universe and teacher of Noonian Soong. Data (Brent Spiner) develops an instant rapport with Graves, who is fatally ill. Graves tells Data he has discovered a means to transfer his life's knowledge into a computer, and then dies.

Aboard the Enterprise, Data displays uncharacteristic human behavior, and accuses Picard (Patrick Stewart) of lustful intents toward the beautiful Kareen. A psychological examination reveals Data now consists of two conflicting personalities - his own rational side, and the fiery human mind of Graves which is slowly consuming the android.

As Graves schemes to create an android body for his love Kareen, Picard fights to set Data free.

Customer Reviews

Most Helpful Customer Reviews

2.0 out of 5 stars "Oh, I'll die, but I won't really be dead.", October 1, 2006

By 

Steven Y. "Pop Culture Addict" (Marvel Universe 616) - See all my reviews

This review is from: Star Trek - The Next Generation, Episode 31: The Schizoid Man [VHS] (VHS Tape)

The bonding of human knowledge and technology serves as the basis for "The Schizoid Man." Unfortunately, this intriguing premise turns out to be not as fully developed as it could have been.

The Enterprise-D responds to a distress call seeking medical help for the dying Doctor Ira Graves (W. Morgan Sheppard). Graves is seriously ill but develops a bond with Lieutenant Commander Data (Brent Spiner) before he passes away. Unbeknownst to the crew and Graves' former assistant, Kareen Brianon (Barbara Alyn Woods), the brilliant cyberneticist actually transferred his mind into Data before expiring. When he learns what has happened, Captain Jean-Luc Picard (Patrick Stewart) confronts the android and demands that Graves leave his body.

If you enjoy watching episodes where Data behaves abnormally, then "The Schizoid Man" is your cup of tea. However, the "switching bodies" plot is seriously underdeveloped and contributes nothing that you have not already seen in this type of story. You also have to wonder about the soundness of Graves' idea to transfer his mind into Data. If there is anything one has learned from watching the original series of Star Trek, it is that any plan involving the transfer of a human consciousness into an android body always manages to go awry. Apparently Graves did not bother consulting the research of the countless other eccentrics who tried to do the same thing before him.

4.0 out of 5 stars I grinned at the absurdity of the dialog of Data/Graves, January 23, 2005

By 

Charles Ashbacher (Marion, Iowa United States) - See all my reviews
(TOP 500 REVIEWER)    (VINE VOICE)    (HALL OF FAME REVIEWER)   

This review is from: Star Trek - The Next Generation, Episode 31: The Schizoid Man [VHS] (VHS Tape)

The Enterprise is sent to render urgent medical assistance to Dr. Ira Graves, the greatest living expert on artificial intelligence and androids. He is the academic father to the man who created Data, so he is in some sense Data's grandfather. They arrive to find him cantankerous, but resigned to the death of his body. Graves insists that Data call him grandpa and they begin some detailed discussions, where Graves reveals his plans to have his knowledge and experience transferred into a computer. However, Data informs Graves that he has an off switch, which piques his interest.
Shortly after this, Graves dies, the crew returns to the Enterprise and Graves is given a space burial. However, Data begins acting strangely, speaking absurd phrases that are more the product of a disturbed mind rather than that of an android one. He also begins showing uncontrollable emotion, demonstrating a great deal of jealousy for Graves' beautiful assistant. Dr. Crusher determines that there are two distinct personalities inside Data, Graves and Data. As time goes on, the Graves personality is growing stronger and soon will be the dominant one. However, after a series of "accidents" Graves voluntarily leaves Data and his essence enters a computer.
This is one of those episodes where Brent Spinner shows his immense talents as an actor. At various times he bounces between the staid android and an emotionally and psychologically unstable human. These changes take place in a matter of seconds, which had to be a significant challenge. Some of the dialog the "Graves inside Data" character states is pretty absurd, but it works. The incongruity of "Data's" statements makes the circumstances all the more believable, as it would have been less effective if the dialog has been only slightly out of the Data character.
There are many episodes in the second season where Data is the prime focus, often to the diminishment of some of the others. This is one such episode and it is well done. Like the other members of the Enterprise, I could not help grinning at the absurdity of the dialog of Data/Graves.

5.0 out of 5 stars Data's Past, July 13, 2001

By 

picardfan007 (USA) - See all my reviews

This review is from: Star Trek - The Next Generation, Episode 31: The Schizoid Man [VHS] (VHS Tape)

Data's Grandfather

Dr. Noonien Soong had a mentor; the great Dr. Ira Graves. He must have taught Soong the technical dilemma of creating a sentient machine. For those of you who don't know Soong created our favorite android. In this episode, the doctor who is dying wants to transplant his soul into Data to live forever. The Data/Graves personality attempted impress Kareen; his assistant. He had romantic feelings that he could not act upon because of his age difference. If he used Data's body he felt he had a chance. Overall this episode stands out as one of those human dramas that don't have any phaser battles. However, it was interesting to see Data develop his social skills as a sentient machine.