5 Reasons To Re-Watch The Measure Of A Man Before The Next Episode Of Star Trek Picard
2. Data's Magnanomity And His Relationship With Maddox
As the episode closes, Data formally refuses to undergo the procedure. While in theory that could leave an embittered man, Maddox and Data pledge to stay in touch and work together. Though Maddox did not appear again after this episode, their continuing relationship is explored in the fourth season episode Data's Day. In this episode, Data composes a letter to Maddox, explaining more of his day to day life on the Enterprise.
This shows that they stayed at least friendly in the years that followed. Maddox clearly continued his work as well. Armies of synthetic beings are created in the years that followed. In Star Trek Picard, the disassembled body of B4 is seen in the Daystrom Institute. However, although not shown on screen, the body of Lore would also have been available for Maddox's team to use.
Data refused to co-operate but continues to work with Maddox. Although Maddox has been stopped at this juncture, in the years that followed his access to other Soong type androids would have afforded him the opportunity he missed out on in this episode. Then, barely five years after the death of Data, the army of synthetics that came from Maddox's research destroyed the shipyards on Mars in a single, devastating attack.
Data worried in this episode that Maddox was not ready for the task he had assigned himself. The events of Star Trek Short Treks: Children of Mars seem to point to the fact that Data was right. Maddox disappears after the attack. A broken man perhaps? Ashamed that he was proven wrong all those years later? And, at the time of the attack, he had no Data available to him to prove him wrong.