Captain's log, stardate 42523.7.
We are en route to the newly-established
Starbase 173 for port call.
Crew rotation is scheduled
and we will be offloading experiment modules.
Hold it, that's my chair.
My luck is always lousy unless I start on the dealer's right.
That would seem to be superstition.
Bitter experience has taught me it's a fundamental truth.
Okay, the game is five-card stud, nothing wild, ante up.
This game is exceedingly simple.
With only 52 cards, 21 of which I will see,
and four other players,
there are a limited number of winning combinations.
There's more to this than just the cards, Data.
Of course. The bets will indicate the relative strength of each hand.
Time to pluck a pigeon, huh?
Five.
I'm in.
I too.
- Mm-hm. - Call.
A seven and a six, ladies.
I bet ten.
See that.
Call.
Fold.
Yeah, me too. I'm out.
I bet five.
See it.
Your five and five.
Too rich for me.
No help.
Ooh.
I bet ten.
Your ten and ten.
Is that what is known as a poker face?
Are you playing or not?
I fold.
You had nothing.
He bluffed you, Data.
It makes very little sense to bet when you cannot win.
But I did win. I was betting that you wouldn't call.
How could you tell?
Instinct, Data.
Instinct.
The game is seven card high-low with a buy on the last card.
And just to make it more interesting, the man with the ax takes all.
My God.
Phillipa Louvois, and back in uniform.
Well, it's been ten years, but seeing you again like this
makes it seem like 50.
You know what I'd like to do if we weren't around these people?
- Bust a chair across my teeth. - After that.
Ain't love wonderful?
Space, the final frontier.
These are the voyages of the starship Enterprise.
Its continuing mission: to explore strange new worlds,
to seek out new life and new civilizations,
to boldly go where no one has gone before.
So,
what are you doing out here?
I am in charge of the 23rd Sector JAG office.
We're brand-new.
I have no staff except for one terrified little ensign.
And hopefully we can make some good law out here.
Maybe do some good along the way. What do you think?
Anything is possible.
So you came back to Starfleet.
It's still the most worthwhile place to be.
- You had no reason to leave. - They forced me out.
Hm.
No, that was your own damn stubborn pride.
When I prosecuted you in the Stargazer court-martial,
I was doing my job.
Oh, you did more than your job. You enjoyed it.
Not true.
A court-martial is standard procedure when a ship is lost.
I was doing my duty as an officer of the Judge Advocate General.
You always enjoyed the adversarial process more
than getting at the truth.
Well, I hope that you've learned a little wisdom along the way.
You know, I never thought I would say this,
but it's good to see you again.
It brings a sense of order and stability to my universe
to know that you're still a pompous ass.
And a damn sexy man.
- Admiral. - Captain Louvois.
You're acquainted with Captain Picard?
Oh, yes. We're old friends. Excuse me.
Picard,
call me.
You can buy me dinner.
- Captain, it's good to see you again. - Admiral.
May I present Commander Bruce Maddox.
Captain.
Commander.
He has an interesting proposal for you.
But that can wait for a while.
I'm eager to see the Enterprise.
Yes, sir. This way.
Admiral, Commander Maddox, this is my first officer, William Riker.
- A pleasure, commander. - Mine.
- This way. - Thank you.
How long is it since we've seen each other?
You had just been assigned an ensign on board the old Reliant.
Oh, yes. And I remember a young lieutenant
who had strong views about snap inspections
and the admirals who pulled them.
The situation changes when you've got the admiral's stripes.
There isn't an officer in all of Starfleet
who wouldn't give his right leg to be where you are.
Captain of the starship Enterprise.
Bridge.
Congratulations on your appointment.
- Command of a starbase. - Thank you.
But I miss a ship.
Bit of advice, captain. Don't ever become an admiral.
They make you an administrator.
Admiral on the Bridge.
I was a little surprised at the decision to put a base in force
so close to the Neutral Zone.
As you know, we've had disturbing news
from both sides of the zone.
We're here to respond when needed.
And it won't hurt to have the Romulans know
that we're nearby.
Ah. Well, captain, I want to thank you for this opportunity.
For 500 years, every ship that has borne the name of the Enterprise
has become a legend. This one is no different.
Admiral.
Ah, yes.
Captain, Commander Maddox is here to work on your android.
Please take care of him.
Lieutenant Worf.
How have you been, Data?
My condition does not alter with the passage of time, commander.
The two of you acquainted?
Yes, I evaluated Data when it first applied to the Academy.
And was the sole member of the committee to oppose my entrance
on the grounds that I was not a sentient being.
What exactly will this work entail?
I am going to disassemble Data.
I think we should continue this conversation in the lounge.
All right, explain this procedure.
Ever since I first saw Data
at the entrance evaluation at the Starfleet Academy,
I've wanted to understand it.
I became a student of the works of Dr. Noonien Soong, Data's creator,
and I've tried to continue his work.
I believe I am very close to the breakthrough
that will enable me to duplicate Dr. Soong's work
and replicate this.
But as a first step, I must disassemble and study it.
Data is going to be my guide.
Data?
It sounds intriguing.
How will you proceed?
I will run a full diagnostic on Data,
evaluating the condition of its current software.
I will then dump its core memory
into the starbase mainframe computer
and begin a detailed analysis of its construction.
You've constructed a positronic brain?
Yes.
Have you determined how the electron resistance
across the neural filaments is to be resolved?
Not precisely.
That would seem to be a necessary first step.
I am confident that I will find the answer
once I examine the filament links in your anterior cortex.
But if the answer is not forthcoming, your model will not function.
I do not anticipate any problems.
You seem a little vague on the specifics.
What are the risks to Commander Data?
Negligible.
Captain, I believe his basic research lacks the specifics necessary
to support an experiment of this magnitude.
Commander Data is a valued member of my Bridge crew.
Based on what I've heard,
I cannot allow Commander Data to submit himself to this experiment.
I was afraid this might be your attitude, captain.
Here are Starfleet's transfer orders
separating Commander Data from the Enterprise
and reassigning it to Starbase 173 under my command.
Data, I will see you in my office tomorrow at 0900 hours.
Look, it's a transfer like any other transfer.
No, it is not. This is one of my key officers
and he's been removed without my being consulted.
I'm sorry about that.
But Commander Maddox's work in robotics
is considered critical by Starfleet Command.
Think what's at stake here.
If Commander Maddox can succeed in duplicating Noonien Soong's work,
other captains on other ships would have the advantage you now enjoy.
A Data on every bridge.
You don't want Data transferred, fine.
There's an easy solution. Have him work with Commander Maddox.
Nakamura out.
Come.
You sent for me, sir.
Data, please sit down.
Well, we have a problem.
I find myself in complete agreement
with that assessment of the situation, sir.
Your service to this ship has been exemplary.
I don't want to lose you.
I am pleased to hear you say so, sir. Thank you.
A solution to the problem does present itself.
Yes, sir?
Undergo the procedure, and then the transfer becomes moot.
I will not submit to the procedure, sir.
Data,
I understand your objections.
But I have to consider Starfleet's interests.
What if Commander Maddox is correct?
There is a possibility that many more beings like yourself
can be constructed.
True. But "possibility" is a word
which can encompass any number of outcomes. Good and bad.
But if he's right, Starfleet will be immeasurably enriched.
Captain,
I am a Starfleet officer.
Can they force me to do this?
It is precisely because you are an officer that they can.
We all take an oath to serve.
Now, this is the form your service is taking.
Sir, Lieutenant La Forge's eyes are far superior
- to human biological eyes, true? - Mm-hm.
Then why are not all human officers required
to have their eyes replaced with cybernetic implants?
I see.
It is precisely because I am not human.
That will be all, Mr. Data.
Computer, pull all relevant information
with regard to Starfleet regulations of the transfer of officers.
Working.
My God, twice in as many days.
I need your help.
An historic moment.
I have been trying to make sense of this gobbledygook,
but it's beyond me.
The fact is, my android officer, Data, is being transferred compulsorily
to be made part of a highly dangerous and ill-conceived experiment,
and I want it stopped.
He can refuse to undergo the procedure,
but we can't stop the transfer.
Once this Maddox
has got control of Data,
anything could happen.
I don't trust that man.
We agree to certain risks when we join Starfleet.
Yes, acceptable risks, justified risks, but I can't accept this.
It's unjustified, it's unfair. He has rights.
All this passion over a machine?
Don't start.
This is important to me.
Is there an option?
There is always an option.
He can resign.
I see.
So you came to me for help.
Yes, I came to you.
You're the JAG officer for this sector.
I had no choice but to come to you.
Wait.
I didn't mean it that way.
I'm glad you felt you could—
Well, come to me.
The word "trust" just isn't in your vocabulary, is it?
Good try. Nine out of ten for effort.
I wish things were different.
I wish I could believe that.
- Geordi. - Hm?
I wish you to have this.
Data. You'll play Holmes again.
There are holodecks on the starbase.
You'll just have to find another Watson.
No. You are quite irreplaceable. I would prefer that you have it.
Thanks. I appreciate it.
Look, Starfleet's big, but it is a family.
We'll see each other again. Maybe even serve together.
Geordi. Have you ever considered
what you would do should you leave Starfleet?
No. I'm a career officer. This is my life.
I've never thought about it.
But, well, it's a big universe.
There's a lot I could do. I...
No, I can't even conceive of what I'd do.
Nor can I.
"When in disgrace with fortune and men's eyes,
I all alone beweep my outcast state."
Is it just words to you?
Or do you fathom the meaning?
Is it not customary to request permission
before entering an individual's quarters?
I thought that we could talk this out, that I could try to persuade you.
Your memories and knowledge will remain intact.
Reduced to the mere facts of the events.
The substance, the flavor of the moment, could be lost.
Take games of chance.
- Games of chance? - Yes.
I had read and absorbed every treatise and textbook on the subject
and found myself well prepared for the experience.
Yet when I finally played poker,
I discovered that the reality bore little resemblance to the rules.
And the point being?
That while I believe it is possible to download information
contained in a positronic brain,
I do not believe you have acquired the expertise necessary
to preserve the essence of those experiences.
There is an ineffable quality to memory,
which I do not believe can survive your procedure.
"Ineffable quality."
I had rather we had done this together.
But one way or the other, we are doing it.
You are under my command.
No, sir.
I am not under yours nor anyone else's command.
I have resigned from Starfleet.
Resigned?
You can't resign.
I regret the decision, but I must.
I am the culmination of one man's dream.
This is not ego or vanity.
But when Dr. Soong created me,
he added to the substance of the universe.
If, by your experiments, I am destroyed,
something unique, something wonderful, will be lost.
I cannot permit that.
I must protect his dream.
And so must I.
But keep packing, because one way or the other,
you will be reporting.
Captain's log, supplemental.
Commander Bruce Maddox,
having been thwarted by Data's abrupt resignation,
is now seeking a legal remedy for his woes.
Captain Louvois has requested my presence
at those discussions.
Your response is emotional and irrational.
- Irrational? - You are endowing Data
with human characteristics because it looks human.
But it is not.
If it were a box on wheels, I would not be facing this opposition.
Overt sentimentality is not one of Captain Picard's failings.
Trust me, I know.
I will tell you again.
Data is a valued member of my crew.
He is an outstanding Bridge officer.
If I am permitted to make this experiment,
the horizons for human achievement become boundless.
Consider, every ship in Starfleet with a Data on board,
utilizing its extraordinary capabilities.
Acting as our hands and eyes in dangerous situations.
That is worth a little inconvenience.
Look, you're preaching to the choir here.
Why don't you get to the point.
Data must not be permitted to resign.
Data is a Starfleet officer. He still has certain rights.
Rights, rights. I'm sick to death of hearing about rights.
What about my right not to have my life work
subverted by blind ignorance?
We have rule of law in this Federation.
You cannot simply seize people and experiment with them
- to prove your pet theories. - Thank you.
Now you're doing it.
Data is an extraordinary piece of engineering, but it is a machine.
If you permit it to resign,
it will destroy years of work in robotics.
Starfleet does not have to allow the resignation.
Commander, who do you think you're working for?
Starfleet is not an organization that ignores its own regulations
when they become inconvenient.
Whether you like it or not, Data does have rights.
Let me put it another way.
Would you permit the computer of the Enterprise to refuse a refit?
That's an interesting point.
But the Enterprise computer is property.
- Is Data? - Of course.
There may be law to support this position.
Then find it.
A ruling with such broad-ranging implications must be supported.
Phillipa, I hope you will use the same zeal
that you did in the Stargazer court-martial.
Data, you're supposed to rip the wrapping off.
With the application of a little care, Wes,
the paper can be utilized again.
Data, you're missing the point.
"The Dream of the Fire, by K'Ratak." Thank you, Worf.
It was in the hands of the Klingons that the novel attained its full stature.
I couldn't disagree more.
We'll save that argument for another day.
Excuse me, please.
Listen carefully. I didn't bring you a present.
That is quite all right. None was expected.
Instead, I'm gonna give you something far more valuable: my advice.
Now, you've spent years in the womb of Starfleet
and now you're going to start a new life.
You might consider the marvelous new experiences
offered by groundside living.
Thank you. I will take that under advisement.
Excuse me, doctor.
Is something wrong?
Of course there is.
You're going away.
No one regrets that necessity more than myself,
but you do understand my reasons?
Sure, I understand.
I just don't like you being forced out.
It's not fair.
As Dr. Pulaski would, at this juncture, no doubt remind us, life is rarely fair.
Sorry, that just doesn't make it any better.
I shall miss you, Geordi.
Yeah.
Me too.
Take care of yourself, Data.
Does Data have...?
Do you feel anything from him?
I can sense nothing from Data.
But that doesn't prove anything.
There are many minds from which I can read no meaning.
Well, he must be more than software, nets and chips.
It is possible that Commander Maddox is correct.
That we're anthropomorphizing Data.
Assigning to him
responses and emotions that he may not have.
I'm not sure I see that as a problem.
A little farewell celebration?
Yes. To which I don't recall inviting you.
I couldn't miss this. I want to hear Data's plans.
They are currently indefinite.
But my programming does offer a number of alternatives.
I am considering teaching.
I have had some success with my star pupil.
I have a better idea. Carnival work.
They could bill you as the Walking Encyclopedia.
Ask him any question.
Number One.
Meet me at Transporter 3.
On my way.
You were just leaving. I'll escort you.
I have completed my research,
based on the Acts of Cumberland passed in the early 21st century.
Data is the property of Starfleet.
He cannot resign and he cannot refuse
to cooperate with Commander Maddox.
What if I challenge this ruling?
Then I shall be required to hold a hearing.
Then I so challenge. Convene your hearing.
Captain, that would be exceedingly difficult.
This is a new base. I have no staff.
But surely, captain, you have regulations
to take care of such an eventuality.
There are. I can use serving officers as legal counsel.
You as the senior officer would defend.
Very good.
And the unenviable task of prosecuting this case
would fall on you, commander,
as the next most senior officer of the defendant's ship.
I can't.
I won't.
Data's my comrade. We have served together.
I not only respect him, I consider him my friend.
This isn't about friendship.
This is about duty and how we search for truth.
A system which pits friends against each other can't be the answer.
When people of good conscience have an honest dispute,
we must still sometimes resort to this kind of adversarial system.
You just want me to prove that Data is a mere machine.
I can't do that because I don't believe it.
I happen to know better. So I'm neither qualified nor willing.
You're gonna have to find someone else.
Then I will rule summarily based on my findings.
Data is a toaster.
Have him report immediately to Commander Maddox
for experimental refit.
I see. I have no choice but to agree.
Good. And I expect you to do your duty in that courtroom.
If I find for one minute that you are not doing your best,
I will end this then and there.
You don't have to remind us of our duty.
You just...
Just remember yours.
I have never forgotten it.
Not then and certainly not now.
Come.
Data, Captain Louvois has issued a ruling.
You are the property of Starfleet Command.
You cannot resign.
I see.
From limitless options, I am reduced to none, or rather one.
I can only hope that Commander Maddox
is more capable than it would appear.
Data, you're not going to submit. We are going to fight this.
I've challenged the ruling.
Captain Louvois will be compelled to convene a hearing.
She may be overly attached to the letter of the law,
but I suspect that she still understands its spirit.
We will put to rest this question of your legal status once and for all.
Now, I have been asked to represent you,
but if there is some other officer with which you would feel more happy—
Captain, I have complete confidence in your ability
to represent my interests.
Number One. I had no idea you were interested in swordplay.
Hardly. It's too close to our real contest.
Now, look. This hearing isn't about you and me.
Isn't it? Data may be the issue,
but it's our performances which will be judged.
That's true.
Then that's the nature of the adversarial contest.
Then justice can only be served by opponents of equal ability.
Are you suggesting we aren't evenly matched?
I've been forced into this, so I have only one option.
And that's to give my best effort.
I see.
So you're here to inform me
you're going to do everything within your power
and within the boundaries of the law to win?
Yes.
So am I.
All right, well, I'm gonna have to know everything about you.
Sir, all of that information is stored in the Enterprise computer banks.
- Yes, I'd like to hear it from you. - Very good, sir.
Activation occurred 27 years ago on Omicron Theta.
I entered the academy in '44 and graduated in '48
with honors in probability mechanics and exobiology.
- First posting— - Data, Data. Whoa, whoa. Stop.
I can get all this from the computer.
I believe I indicated that earlier, sir.
Data.
I need to know how you think.
What you want, how you feel.
I have to know what motivates you.
What drives you, Data.
Sir, may I inquire as to the purpose of this line of questioning?
I have to prove that you are a sentient life-form.
But I am not, sir. I am a machine.
Data, that's not what I need to hear.
How can we deny the obvious?
By searching for an argument that will legally deny that obvious fact.
But if it is fact, sir, how can argument alter—?
Data.
Sir?
The law recognizes many things as people
that aren't possessed of flesh and blood.
It's, uh...
- It's a little legal fiction. - Hm.
I am beginning to understand why Shakespeare wrote:
"Let us kill all the lawyers."
Computer, identify Riker, William T.
Access code Theta-Alpha-2737-Blue, enable.
Riker, William T., identified.
Ready.
Access all available technical schematics
on Lieutenant Commander Data.
Working.
Be seated.
Are the counselors ready?
- Yes. - Yes, Your Honor.
This hearing, convened on stardate 42527.4,
is to determine the legal status of the android known as Data.
The office of Judge Advocate General has ruled a finding of property
and defense has challenged.
Commander Riker?
Your Honor, there is only one issue and one relevant piece of evidence.
I call Lieutenant Commander Data.
Verify.
Lieutenant Commander Data.
Current assignment: USS Enterprise.
Starfleet Command Decoration for Valor and...
Your Honor, we'll stipulate to all of this.
Objection, Your Honor.
I want this read, all of it.
Sustained.
Valor and Gallantry, Medal of Honor, with Clusters,
Legion of Honor, the Starcross.
Proceed, commander.
Commander, what are you?
An android.
Which is?
Webster's 24th Century Dictionary, Fifth Edition,
defines an android as an automaton made to resemble a human being.
An automaton.
Made by whom?
- Sir? - Who built you, commander?
- Dr. Noonien Soong. - And he was?
The foremost authority on cybernetics.
More basic than that. What was he?
Human?
Thank you.
Commander, what is the capacity of your memory
and how fast can you access information?
I have an ultimate storage capacity of 800 quadrillion bits.
My total linear computational speed has been rated
at 60 trillion operations per second.
Your Honor, I offer into evidence prosecution's exhibit A,
a rod of parsteel. Tensile strength: 40 kilobars.
- Commander, would you bend that? - Objection.
There are many life-forms possessed with mega-strength.
These issues are not relevant to this hearing.
I'm afraid I can't agree, captain.
Proceed with your demonstration, commander.
Drawing on the log of the construction of the prototype android Lore,
also constructed by Noonien Soong,
I request to be allowed
to remove the commander's hand for your inspection.
Objection.
It doesn't matter.
Objection withdrawn.
Proceed, commander.
I'm sorry.
The commander is a physical representation of a dream.
An idea, conceived of by the mind of a man.
Its purpose?
To serve human needs and interests.
It's a collection of neural nets and heuristic algorithms.
Its responses, dictated by an elaborate software written by a man.
Its hardware built by a man.
And now...
And now a man will shut it off.
Pinocchio is broken.
Its strings have been cut.
I request a recess.
Granted.
Do you mean his argument was that good?
Riker's presentation was devastating.
He almost convinced me.
Well, you've got the harder argument.
By his own admission, Data is a machine.
Mm-hm. That's true.
You're worried about what's gonna happen to him.
I've had to send people on far more dangerous missions.
Well, then this should work out fine.
Maddox could get lucky and create a whole army of Datas,
all very valuable.
Oh, yes, no doubt.
He's proved his value to you.
In ways that I cannot even begin to calculate.
And now he's about to be ruled the property of Starfleet.
That should increase his value.
In what way?
Well, consider that in the history of many worlds,
there have always been disposable creatures.
They do the dirty work.
They do the work that no one else wants to do
because it's too difficult or too hazardous.
And an army of Datas, all disposable.
You as their leader, you don't have to think about their welfare,
you don't think about how they feel.
Whole generations of disposable people.
You're talking about slavery.
I think that's a little harsh.
I don't think that's a little harsh, I think that's the truth.
But that's a truth that we have obscured
behind a comfortable, easy euphemism.
Property.
But that's not the issue at all, is it?
Commander Riker has dramatically demonstrated to this court
that Lieutenant Commander Data is a machine.
Do we deny that? No.
Because it is not relevant.
We too are machines, just machines of a different type.
Commander Riker has also reminded us
that Lieutenant Commander Data was created by a human.
Do we deny that? No.
Again, it is not relevant.
Children are created
from the building blocks of their parents' DNA.
Are they property?
I call Lieutenant Commander Data to the stand.
Commander, is this your travel case?
Yes, sir.
- May I? - Hm.
What are these?
My medals.
Why do you pack them? What logical purpose do they serve?
I do not know, sir.
I suppose none. I just wanted them.
Is that vanity?
And this?
A gift from you, sir.
- Do you value it? - Yes, sir.
Why?
It is a reminder of friendship and service.
And this.
You have no other portraits of your fellow crew members.
Why this person?
I would prefer not to answer that question, sir.
I gave my word.
Under the circumstances, I don't think Tasha would mind.
She was special to me, sir.
We were
intimate.
Thank you, commander.
I have no further questions for this witness.
Commander Riker, do you want to cross?
I have no questions, Your Honor.
Thank you. You may step down.
I call to the stand Commander Bruce Maddox
as a hostile witness.
Verify. Maddox Bruce, commander.
Current assignment: Associate Chair of Robotics,
Daystrum Technological Institute.
- Major papers— - Yes, yes, yes.
Suffice it to say he's an expert. Commander, it is your contention
that Lieutenant Commander Data is not a sentient being,
and therefore not entitled to all the rights reserved
for all life-forms within this Federation.
Data is not sentient, no.
Why, commander?
Because Data is an outstanding piece of engineering and programming.
Commander, would you enlighten us? What is required for sentience?
Intelligence, self-awareness, consciousness.
Excellent.
Prove to the court that I am sentient.
This is absurd.
We all know you're sentient.
So I'm sentient, but Commander Data is not?
- That's right. - Uh-huh.
Why?
Why am I sentient?
Well, you are self-aware.
Oh, that's the second of your criteria.
Well, let's deal with the first.
Intelligence.
- Is Commander Data intelligent? - Yes.
It has the ability to learn and understand
and to cope with new situations.
- Like this hearing? - Yes.
What about self-awareness?
What does that mean?
Why...? Why am I self-aware?
Because you are conscious of your existence and actions.
You are aware of yourself and your own ego.
Commander Data, what are you doing now?
I am taking part in a legal hearing to determine my rights and status.
Am I a person or property?
And what's at stake?
My right to choose.
Perhaps my very life.
"My rights.
My status. My right to choose."
"My life."
Well, he seems reasonably self-aware to me,
commander.
I'm waiting.
This is exceedingly difficult.
Do you like Commander Data?
I...
I don't know it well enough to like or dislike it.
- But you admire him? - Oh, yes.
It is an extraordinary piece—
Of engineering and programming. Yes, you have said that.
Commander, you have devoted your life to the study
- of cybernetics in general. - Yes.
- And Commander Data in particular? - Yes.
And now you propose to dismantle him.
So that I can learn from it and construct more.
- How many more? - As many as are needed.
Hundreds, thousands if necessary.
- There is no limit. - Uh-huh.
And to what end?
To use them as effective units on Federation ships.
You see...
a single Data, and forgive me, commander, is a curiosity.
A wonder, even. But thousands of Datas?
Isn't that becoming...
a race?
And won't we be judged by how we treat that race?
Now, tell me, commander, what is Data?
I don't understand.
- What is he? - A machine.
- Is he? Are you sure? - Yes.
He's met two of your three criteria for sentience.
What if he meets the third?
Consciousness, in even the smallest degree.
What is he then? I don't know.
Do you?
Do you? Do you?
Well, that's the question you have to answer.
Your Honor, a courtroom is a crucible.
In it we burn away irrelevancies until we are left with a pure product,
the truth, for all time.
Now, sooner or later, this man, or others like him,
will succeed in replicating Commander Data.
Now, the decision you reach here today
will determine how we will regard this creation of our genius.
It will reveal the kind of a people we are,
what he is destined to be.
It will reach far beyond this courtroom and this one android.
It could significantly redefine the boundaries
of personal liberty and freedom.
Expanding them for some,
savagely curtailing them for others.
Are you prepared to condemn him and all who come after him
to servitude and slavery?
Your Honor, Starfleet was founded to seek out new life.
Well, there it sits.
Waiting.
You wanted a chance to make law. Well, here it is.
Make it a good one.
I don't know, boys.
I just don't know.
It sits there looking at me.
And I don't know what it is.
This case has dealt with metaphysics,
with questions best left to saints and philosophers.
I'm neither competent nor qualified to answer those.
I have got to make a ruling,
to try to speak to the future.
Is Data a machine?
Yes.
Is he the property of Starfleet?
No.
We have all been dancing around the basic issue.
Does Data have a soul?
I don't know that he has.
I don't know that I have.
But I have got to give him the freedom to explore that question himself.
It is the ruling of this court
that Lieutenant Commander Data has the freedom to choose.
I formally refuse to undergo your procedure.
I will cancel that transfer order.
Thank you.
And, commander, continue your work.
When you are ready, I will still be here.
I find some of what you propose
intriguing.
He's remarkable.
You didn't call him "it."
You see?
Sometimes it does work.
Phillipa.
Dinner?
Are you buying?
Sir,
there is a celebration on the holodeck.
I have no right to be there.
Because you failed in your task?
No, God, no. I came that close to winning, Data.
Yes, sir.
I almost cost you your life.
That is true, sir.
But commander...
Will,
I have learned from your example.
What could you possibly have learned from that ordeal?
That at times, one must deny one's nature,
sacrifice one's own personal beliefs,
to protect another.
Is it not true that had you refused to prosecute,
Captain Louvois would have ruled summarily against me?
Yes.
That action injured you
and saved me.
I will not forget it.
You're a wise man, my friend.
Not yet, sir.
But with your help, I am learning.