10 No-Win Scenarios In Star Trek (And How They Were Resolved)

2. Riker's Prosecution Of Data

Star Trek TNG The Measure Of A Man
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Scenario: If Riker wins the case, Data will be shipped to Starfleet HQ to be disassembled by Bruce Maddox. If he doesn't do his best job to win the case, the court will be suspended and Data will be sent anyway.

Resolution: For Riker, the entire situation is out of his hands. Ordered into the role of the prosecutor by Phillipa Louvois, he cannot do anything to throw the case in Data's favour. He needs to rely entirely on Captain Picard's legal skills. This becomes even more uncertain once Riker manages to prove in court, without a doubt, that Data is a machine.

However, what Riker fails to do is disprove Data's sentience. He can, in essence, only prove the nature of Data's make-up. Picard manages to prove that Data is more than the sum of his parts or, in any case, that the nature of sentience is wide and vague enough that the court is unable to differentiate between human and android.

Riker's best hope was to lose the case. Thankfully, when those hopes are placed in Jean-Luc Picard, they are in safe hands.

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Seán is the host and head writer/presenter for TrekCulture, as well as a writer/presenter on WhoCulture and WhatCulture Horror. He has authored two novels, dozens of short stories, and hundreds of articles for WhatCulture. He holds a Master of Arts in Creative Writing from University College Dublin. As part of his work with TrekCulture, Seán has been invited to participate in collaborations with Roddenberry Entertainment, as well as contributing to several Star Trek community projects. An avid fan of Star Trek, Doctor Who, and the horror genre at large, Seán's expertise has helped develop these channels to the successes they are today. As host of the Ups & Downs series on TrekCulture, Seán has become internationally recognised for his positive yet critically informed approach to reviewing every episode of modern Star Trek, ensuring he is one of the go-to voices in the Trek community. Favourite Quote to describe himself: "I'm serious about what I do, just not always about the way that I do it"