Star Trek: 10 Most Overused Plot Tropes

The biggest weakness of technological life in Star Trek appears to be logical paradoxes. Many robots, when exposed to nonsensical statements or contradictory orders can and have completely self-destructed and died.

Kirk was able to talk at least four synthetic lifeforms into death in the Original Series episodes, The Return Of The Archons, The Changeling, I, Mudd, and The Ultimate Computer, usually just by stating some obvious facts that contradict the robots' beliefs.

In the Next Generation episode, I Borg, Data and Geordi are even able to design a paradoxical geometric shape so impossible that if the Borg assimilated it they would be so confused it could hypothetically destroy the collective.

So far, only highly advanced artificial lifeforms, such as Data and the other androids of his origin, have been able to make sense of these paradoxes, or at least ignore them like humans do. Less sophisticated robotic brains cannot handle being confused, apparently.