67 - Contrast

I've recently gone back and watched a handful of Star Trek; TNG episodes, largely as a result of ST: Picard. There's a certain contrast with something that happens in a pair of episodes.

So. I started with Measure of a Man; I'd not seen this episode for a very long time, and i'm not really sure why. In this episode, Bruce Maddox (yes, that Bruce Maddox) tried to get Data transferred from the Enterprise to him in order that he can be disassembled and studied, so that Dr Soong's work can be reproduced (which is something that has yet to happen). 

Maddox reckons he'll be able to put him back together, but there are doubts. He begins proceedings to take control of Data, and carry out his work.  

Jean-Luc objects to this, and there's a courtroom trial in order to determine what to do with Data, whether he is sentient, and whether he has the right to choose what happens to him.

Needless to say, Picard wins and it is determined that Data has the choice as to whether or not he is disassembled for Maddox's experiments. Data, of course, declines to be disassembled; although he says he finds Maddox's work intriguing, and he perhaps be interested in working with him in the future. 

Absolute, clear message. 

After this, I watched I, Borg, followed by Descent parts 1 and 2. Largely because of Hugh. 

Descent, of course, also features another appearance by Lore, Data's "evil twin", and the other android successfully built by Dr Soong. They are, to all intents and purposes, and from a design point of view, the same. If Data is sentient, and has choice over his life; so must Lore.

Yet, at the end of the episode, once Lore's plan to rule the Borg has failed, Data shoots him with a phaser, and deactivates him. After this... well, there's a line of dialogue that says he has been disassembled. 

Now, you see... this sits badly with me. Yes, Lore was a wrong 'un, but surely as the case in Measure of a Man proved, he was a sentient being with the right to choose his life. To disassemble Lore is as wrong as it would have been to disassemble Data. Yet, this is what happens. 

Surely there could have been an other way?

[And, as a sideline; what happened to to the disassembled Lore? Did he find his way to Bruce Maddox? As I recall, Descent part 2 is the last time we see Lore, so I'm presuming it's possible... unless someone can tell me otherwise.]