10 Most Intense Star Trek Scenes
6. There It Sits - The Measure Of A Man
Intensity in a scene need not be fatalistic, so it doesn't need to be action-packed, or galactic stakes. Sometimes, intensity can be a passionate argument over the rights of others, such as it was in The Measure Of A Man. Picard, confronted with the notion that Data may be used as the template for a slave race, reminds everyone in the room why they are exploring the galaxy.
The episode serves as a mission statement for Star Trek, offering the audience a look at how the franchise has grown since Kirk's day. Patrick Stewart's final arguments, defending Data's right to autonomy, remain among the very best wrapped up in a Starfleet uniform.
Starfleet was founded to seek out new life - the phrase that every Trekkie knew by heart, yet here was another officer coming to curtail the rights of that new life. It may only have been The Next Generation's second season, but it knew exactly what it was trying to say, and how to say it.
The A-500 androids in Star Trek: Picard only serve to prove how correct the captain was, all those years before.