25 Best Episodes Of Star Trek EVER

10. The Measure Of A Man - Star Trek The Next Generation

Star Trek The Measure of a Man
CBS

One of the first great episodes of The Next Generation, The Measure of a Man is now infamous for Picard's speech on the rights on Androids and by extension sentient beings living in slavery in all of creation.

Star Trek Picard has already revisited this episode in a massive way, with the returning character of Commander Bruce Maddox creating Data's daughters Dahj and Soji. Here, he is the man attempting to dismantle Data, to study and better understand him. He is arrogant and closed to anything other than the process of his work.

While audiences had had time to get to know Data, the episode was a stark reminder that there was a universe outside the bulkheads of the Enterprise. It was one of the first great displays of acting from both Patrick Stewart and Brent Spiner, as both actors were truly pushed in this episode. Data's calm lack of emotion helped the sympathy he elicits in the show and he was developing it piece by piece.

Here, in the second season, is one of the first examples of the Data that would come to be. It is an episode with heart, with passion and with a message. It was prime Roddenberry, showing the chance for the future to be the best that it can be, just sometimes needing a little reminder along the way.

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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"