#The Measure of a Man

[trashmammal-7]

I just watched The Measure of a Man and I genuinely got so sad both watching Data's friends argue so hard for his right to not be disassembled against his will, but also the people on the other side who kept insisting that he's just an unconscious tool to be used for the benefit of Starfleet. Data my best friend Data I'll never let them hurt you.

[to-boldly-escape]

My dad is not a particular Star Trek fan but I’ve been talking about it nonstop and sending him clips. Now he’s showing episodes during his seminars 🥹

[qcon-tinuum]

I shall miss you, Geordi.

[drjackabbots]

"I have surmised that Commander La Forge was conditioned by Romulans. A process referred to historically – and somewhat inaccurately – as 'brainwashing'."

star trek: the next generation - the mind's eye, season 4 episode 24

[filmjunky-99]

s t a r t r e k t h e n e x t g e n e r a t i o n created by gene roddenberry [the measure of a man, s2ep9]

'The Commander is a physical representation of a dream, an idea conceived of by the mind of a man. Its purpose is to serve human needs and interests.

It's a collection of neural nets and heuristic algorithms. Its responses are dictated by an elaborate software program written by a man. Its hardware is built by a man.

And now a man will shut it off... Pinocchio is broken, the strings are cut.' - riker

[theoreticaltrek]

End discrimination against robots

(no audio)

[daikerday]

✨INTEREST CHECK OPEN✨

Data/Riker Day is scheduled for February 13th, the anniversary of The Measure of a Man! Fill out our form below and catch us around here and wherever you find the handle @daikerday!

https://forms.gle/kP4nTcgGBtzKHq6p6

[majuuorthrus]

It's quite interesting watching The Measure of a Man after generative AI

Because in the episode itself - nothing that happens in the courtroom proves Data is a sentient being. Probably because a) that's a really tough thing to prove to legal standards and b) we know Data is sentient, it's the premise of his character

And they admit that's not what they proved, merely the possibility of sentience

What really struck me is when Picard asks Data various questions to prove that he is self-aware (one of the three components of sentience defined by Commander Maddox). Mostly questions about what kind of being he is, where he is, why he is there

Thing is: generative AI is not anywhere close to sentient at this point in time. But you could ask a generative AI the same question and get the kind of answers that Picard uses to demonstrate that Data is self-aware - but we all know that the generative AI is not self-aware. It has analysed a lot of input data and used that to predict the most likely satisfactory answer to those questions - but it doesn't know if the most likely satisfactory answer matches reality or not

Like, I could train a generative AI so that the most likely satisfactory answer to "what are you" is "a rabbit". It's probably possible to do this to Data (in-universe). The difference is that Data knows that the most likely satisfactory answer is not the same as the truth - but how do you prove that?

[leehallfae]

STARFLEET WAS FOUNDED TO SEEK OUT NEW LIFE WELL THERE. IT. SITS.

[fenris-ranger]

[palatinewolfsblog]

"The Measure of a Man...

... is in the lives he has touched."

Ernie Banks.

[to-boldly-escape]

Just watched The Measure of a Man. Maddox's blindness is just chilling...and so real. Poor Data...I wanted to hug him so bad. I have to admire Picard's self control. I aspire to reach that level of composure...I would have been throwing sh!t!!

[nonstandardrepertoire]

finally finished my unhinged 9000-word fic about Data and friends causing a constitutional crisis in response to Commander Maddox's fucking bullshit so here it is if that sounds interesting to you!

[qcon-tinuum]

Is Data a machine? Yes. Is he the property of Starfleet? No. We have all been dancing around the basic issue. Does Data have a soul? I don't know that he has. I don't know that I have. But I have got to give him the freedom to explore that question himself.

[kats-kradle]

Category: Gen

Fandom: Star Trek: The Next Generation

Relationship: Jean-Luc Picard & William Riker

Characters: William Riker, Jean-Luc Picard

Additional Tags: Emotional Hurt/Comfort, Hurt No Comfort, Angst, Episode: s02e09 The Measure of a Man, Salt and Light

Summary:

Missing scene from 2x09 The Measure of a Man. Will struggles with the idea of persecuting Data.

[filmjunky-99]

s t a r t r e k t h e n e x t g e n e r a t i o n created by gene roddenberry Captain Phillipa Louvois, Judge Advocate General of Sector 23, Starbase 173 [the measure of a man, s2ep9]

'It sits there looking at me, and I don't know what it is. This case has dealt with metaphysics, with questions best left to saints and philosophers. I'm neither competent nor qualified to answer those. I've got to make a ruling to try to speak to the future.

Is Data a machine? Yes. Is he the property of Starfleet? No. We have all been dancing around the basic issue. Does Data have a soul? I don't know that he has. I don't know that I have. But I have got to give him the freedom to explore that question himself.

It is the ruling of this court that Lieutenant Commander Data has the freedom to choose.' - louvois