Data's high-speed heroics

[Vanyel]

I wouldn't think the phaser would be allowed to pick its own target, but that it has a swivel emitter that can be moved by the person holding the gun. If it chose its own target how would it discern friend from foe?

Example, Data and Lore both wearing the same uniform. Neither is armed but in a struggle, they break apart, but only by a foot or less. The one with the phaser has determined which is Lore, but the phaser chooses Data instead.

Swivel emitter good, auto target, not always. Especially in close quarters, or trying to pick off one person out of many.

[Holdfast]

Maybe the phaser can detect its user's eye movement and can autorotate its emitter to lock on to whatever target the user is looking at?

(just don't get distracted by an ally running across the scene while pressing down the fire button! )

[Leviathan]

Vanyel wrote:

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I wouldn't think the phaser would be allowed to pick its own target, but that it has a swivel emitter that can be moved by the person holding the gun. If it chose its own target how would it discern friend from foe?

Example, Data and Lore both wearing the same uniform. Neither is armed but in a struggle, they break apart, but only by a foot or less. The one with the phaser has determined which is Lore, but the phaser chooses Data instead.

Swivel emitter good, auto target, not always. Especially in close quarters, or trying to pick off one person out of many.

I believe such a swivel-and-auto-target device is correctly referred to as a plot seeking guidance system.

[Dream]

Soong didn't create Data to be some kind of killing machine. Data certainly could be dangerous with his his enhanced abilities as shown by Lore, but that doesn't mean he never misses with a phaser or can kill a room full of people in seconds.

Data can move his fingers and arms very quickly, but he can only run at normal speeds.

[Timo]

Maybe the phaser can detect its user's eye movement and can autorotate its emitter to lock on to whatever target the user is looking at?

Or the user might point the gun at a group of targets, and the gun gently "buzzes" the user's hand at each potential target. The user then confirms with a keypress which target he wants to lock on to - and thereafter the beam will hit that target regardless of where the gun is pointing.

Is Data known to have missed with a hand phaser?

Timo Saloniemi

[Vanyel]

Timo wrote:

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Or the user might point the gun at a group of targets, and the gun gently "buzzes" the user's hand at each potential target. The user then confirms with a keypress which target he wants to lock on to - and thereafter the beam will hit that target regardless of where the gun is pointing.

Is Data known to have missed with a hand phaser?

Timo Saloniemi

I believe he has, Too Short a Season comes to mind as does Descent Part I. In both cases the opponents had cover.

He's not a made killing machine, but his specs, his hand eye coordination, his ability to gauge distance, and his speed and strength and resilience do make him a formidable opponent. If his life depended on it, or the lives of others, he could probably kill a room full of people easily and quickly too.

[Dream]

Lore beat Worf down in seconds in Datalore.

Data would be able to do the same. But of course Data is a pretty nice guy and would rather restrain than kill someone.

[Mott the barber]

Dream wrote:

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Lore beat Worf down in seconds in Datalore.

Data would be able to do the same. But of course Data is a pretty nice guy and would rather restrain than kill someone.

Except at the end of "The Most Toys"... or did he? I love the debate on that one.

[Tiberius]

Mott the barber wrote:

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Except at the end of "The Most Toys"... or did he? I love the debate on that one.

That was just bad writing that had Data acting out of character.

[Captain McBain]

I hate the 'bad writing' argument. It did happen. Why Data acted that way is the question.

[Dream]

Captain McBain wrote:

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I hate the 'bad writing' argument. It did happen. Why Data acted that way is the question.

The episode is suppose to make you question what you would do if you had been in Data's place. If your kidnapper announced that he would kill others if you didn't do what he told you after already killing someone, what would you do?

[Tiberius]

Captain McBain wrote:

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I hate the 'bad writing' argument. It did happen. Why Data acted that way is the question.

There's no justification for the way he acted.

However, further discussion in this thread would be taking it off topic. I'd be happy to discuss/debate it with you in another thread if you;d like to start one.

[Dream]

Ti-BOO!-rius wrote:

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There's no justification for the way he acted.

However, further discussion in this thread would be taking it off topic. I'd be happy to discuss/debate it with you in another thread if you;d like to start one.

There's already a pretty long discussion about it right here

[T'Girl]

Dream wrote:

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The episode is suppose to make you question what you would do if you had been in Data's place. If your kidnapper announced that he would kill others if you didn't do what he told you after already killing someone, what would you do?

Ti-BOO!-rius wrote:

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There's no justification for the way he acted.

Data would have been completely justified, really right from his first conversation with Kivas Fajo, in using his superior strength to take Fajo into custody. If necessary, tying him up with his own clothing, then assuming control of the ship, then communicating his situation to the Enterprise.

The ship's crew could be threaten with Fajo's being harmed, if they did not co-operate with Data. This too would have been justified by the events of the episode. Again, right from the beginning

And at the end of the episode, there is no way of telling if Data's intent was to kill Fajo, wounding a known murder and kidnapper in order to control him would have been reasonable. A nice jagged hole burned through Fajo's shoulder? Okay.

Controlling Fajo was the key to Data's freedom.

[Tiberius]

Dream wrote:

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There's already a pretty long discussion about it right here

I know, I've already got many posts in that thread. :P