The Enterprise is sent in to check on the status of an experimental mining station which has been plagued by delays since the project began; Picard is set to decide whether or not the new technology is something Starfleet should support and adopt in the future. The station leader insists that the new technology is feasible even though she is several months behind of the project's goals. While investigating the station a hiccup occurs in one of the station's systems and the doctor who heads the facility seizes the opportunity to employ another project she's been working on: Exocomps. The Exocomps are small automated devices that can use the Jefferies Tubes of the station and on-board replicators to access hard-to-reach areas in order to make quicker repairs than a person could. The Exocomp is successful in making the repair. preventing more of a delay in the station's construction. The doctor wishes to expand the use of the Exocomps to help her catch-up to schedule on the station construction by having them take on more extensive tasks, Picard seems to approve so long as the station is able to prove its worthiness. Data helps the doctor in readying one of the Exocomps for a task but after it goes down a tube it shortly returns, having not completed the assigned task. As the doctor tries to reprogram the machine her control PADD shorts out, as does the Exocomp's receiver for instructions. Soon the conduit explodes. On the ship a diagnostic is performed on the Exocomp where countless new circuit paths are discovered, the doctor remarks that this is common defect the devices sometimes display, the only solution being to wipe out its memory and start over. Something that'll set their task even further behind. Geordi makes an off-hand comment about the Exocomp being lucky to leave the conduit before it exploded which sets Data off on a path of discovery. Data comes to the conclusion that the Exocomps are "alive" and are displaying self-preservation skills, a new diagnostic of the "failed" Exocomp shows that it not only has repaired itself but damaged itself in the first place to prevent the orders to go into the conduit. As a result Picard orders that the Exocomps temporarily not be used on the station until the consciousness of the devices can be determined. They set-up an experimental situation on the ship similar to the one that happened on the station and see if the Exocomp senses the risk and refuses to comply. It fails the test, the doctor seems satisfied that they're simply machines, but Data remains unconvinced and continues testing the device. After performing the test over 30 times, all where the Exocomp failed, Data is momentarily distracted by Dr. Crusher. During their conversation the Exocomp returns from the Jefferies Tube but with a different tool than it would have needed. Crusher and Data determine that the Exocomp saw-through the test and not only made the "repair" it was asked to do but also deactivated the false alarms being used in the test. Picard and LaForge are evaluating the station, now much further behind, when a disaster occurs on the station causing radiation levels to rise. The station is evacuated but Picard and LaForge are left behind and erect a forcefield to protect them from the radiation. With the radiation, and shield, preventing beaming they've only about 20 minutes to be rescued. The Enterprise tries to reach a solution to save Picard and LaForge and they decide to put the Exocomps into the mining-beam and detonate it, which would stop the radiation leak though it'd destroy the Exocomps. Data objects, bringing in his new conclusions but in the crisis Riker is unwilling to risk lives on a hunch that the devices are alive. The Exocomps have parts of the circuitry damaged so they cannot refuse the orders but before they can be transported, Data locks out the transporter system. After a confrontation with Riker it's decided that they'll ask them if the Excomps are willing to take the risk to make the repairs that'll allow the transport. When they do the Exocomps, instead, offer an alternative solution and are transported to the station's core. They're able to reduce the radiation levels enough to allow Picard and LaForge to be transported out, as well as two of the three Exocomps, one having to remain behind in order to maintain control of the radiation levels. Convinced that the Exocomps are alive the doctor says she'll be more mindful of how she treats them as they begin repairs on the station and continue working on the new technology. Data apologizes to Picard for risking his life or the hunch the machines are alive, but he felt the need to advocate for the machines since they couldn't do so for themselves. Picard remarks that it's the most human thing Data's ever done. Overall, I'd say this is a pretty decent episode, as I do think it presents an interesting situation for our characters to deal with. It's one of few chances we get to see the crew deal with exploring and finding new forms of life and the Exocomps certainly qualify. Kudos really needs to go to the writers and production staff of the episode for presenting us with an "AOTW" that's non humanoid and, rather is an actual machine in presentation making it that much harder to sell the idea of the machines being "alive" to the audience and the characters. In some ways this is similar to Season 3 episode dealing with the nanites. I think when I come down to it, I agree with Data in the sense that the Exocomps were "alive" in how we see them behave over the course of the episode, they do seem to demonstrate some level of intelligence over simple machinery decision-making. But it's, again, the fine line between what is "alive" and what is something simply behaving according to a program. Is my computer "alive" because the anti-virus software won't open certain files when they're downloaded? The show plays off this notion well with a nice scene between Crusher and Data where they discuss what "alive" is. Crusher comes up with a forced definition, which causes Data to counter with "fire" something that meets all of the qualifications Crusher outlined. Though no one would argue fire is "alive." Also an interesting look at Data's behavior and there's questions on how we want to interpret it. We've been told time and time again that Data's programing precludes him from being able to disobey orders or to behave in a manner that's unbecoming of a Starfleet officer. But, here we see him defy the orders of Riker and risks the lives of Geordi and Picard over a "hunch" that the Exocomps are a form of life. Could we interpret this to mean that Data is doing the right thing as a Starfleet officer? We've seen and been told before that a Starfleet officer is supposed to value life -any life- over his own when it comes down to it. So is Data accurate in thinking that Geordi and Picard's lives aren't worth "ordering" machines into a suicide machine when they've no choice to refuse? As Data points out, *he* can make the decision to go into the station and create a window for beaming, even though doing so would end his own life. But the Exocomps were not offered any such thing before Data stepped in. Certain things to think about in that regard when it comes to this episode. Overall, I'd say it's a fair episode. Maybe slightly good because there's some good stuff with Data and Crusher is well used here as well. Next week, one of TNG's better outings.
You're thinking of the season 3 premiere - Evolution The thing is, to make that scene work they had to change Crusher's character and history. She gives a completely different (and more scientific) answer to what defines life in season 1's Home Soil.