Whose Episode Is It Anyway? The Measure of a Man

[HugeLobes]

I reserve the right to disagree with the screenwriter, especially given all the amateurish mistakes the TNG screenwriters made, although those are not present in this episode.

Erm, okay. Screenwriters do generally have a pretty good idea of who the central character is though...

And while Picard gets the character arc, the story is ultimately about whether Data will be granted the rights of a sentient being. It's about Data.

By that logic any legal drama would be about the defendant rather than the lawyer, which isn't the case. Again, Data takes "the role of the catalyst for the plot". Sure, Data's decisions inform the story, but so do the decisions of several other characters.

Data decides he'd rather leave Starfleet than be taken apart, but he's almost entirely passive after that, and that decision is really only a slight escalation of the episode's central story - it's what lays out the struggle for our protagonist to work around. The ultimate resolution comes due to Picard's action, and it's his struggle throughout the episode more than it is Data's.

Data is the subject, not the main character. You're right, the episode is about Data, but that doesn't make him the protagonist.

 

[Spirit of 73]

Erm, okay. Screenwriters do generally have a pretty good idea of who the central character is though...

Erm, okay, so do I.

By that logic any legal drama would be about the defendant rather than the lawyer, which isn't the case.

You're missing the forest for the trees. I'm looking at the whole picture. If you want to just look at one aspect in isolation, it's easy to form any conclusion you want. I'm not saying Data is the main character just because the story is about him. I'm not even saying Data is definitely the main character. I'm saying it's not an easy call as you claim.

Above I posted the criteria for a protagonist. Some of them fall in Picard's court, some in Data's.

Again, Data takes "the role of the catalyst for the plot". Sure, Data's decisions inform the story, but so do the decisions of several other characters.

You're arguing against your own thesis here.

Data is the subject, not the main character. You're right, the episode is about Data, but that doesn't make him the protagonist.

It doesn't make him not the protagonist either. You're arguing against a point I did not make.

 

[HugeLobes]

It doesn't make him not the protagonist either. You're arguing against a point I did not make.

I'm really just trying to clear this up for you. Not entirely sure you understand the role of a protagonist. Yes, Data ticks several boxes, but so do other characters in the story. However, the main person who drives the plot forward is Picard. If Data had handled his own defense, things would be different.

You're arguing against your own thesis here.

I'm really not. Data's decisions do matter, but the task here falls on Picard's shoulders.

 

[Lance]

Interesting question @Spirit of 73 And, to be honest, I'm not sure of the answer. Perhaps The Measure of a Man is simply a perfectly beautiful example of an "ensemble" piece. Everyone, including Riker actually, has a strong part or arc in the plot. Maybe it's why this episode is one of TNG's best.

 

[Roundabout]

Picard had a lot of screen time in this episode (which wasn't unusual for any typical TNG episode). Besides being Data's legal advocate, he also was the main character in the subplot involving his relationship with the JAG lady. Picard obviously had a past with the JAG. He held a grudge against her, plus the two apparently had a romance in their past.

Picard was at the center of a lot of the drama in the episode, not just the courtroom scene. During the episode, there were a number of scenes of Picard discussing/arguing about points of the case with the JAG. These were important scenes which helped drive the plot and informed the viewer of the finer points of the case.

There was also the scene in Ten Forward where Picard talked about the case with Guinan. Picard used Guinan as a sounding board to help him formulate his argument to defend Data.

It was Picard who was shown doing the heavy lifting in defense of Data.

If you weigh Picard on one side and Data on the other side of the scale of justice (so to speak) as to who was the protagonist, the stronger case could be made that the scale tilted in favor of Picard imho.

I do not mean to downplay Data's significant role in the episode though. He chose not to be part of Maddox's scheme. Data did not want to be dissected. He wanted to live. He chose to resign from Starfleet. But it was Picard who came up with the arguments in defense of Data.

Interestingly, Data didn't mention, nor did anyone ask, what he planned to do with his life if he had indeed left Starfleet.

 

[Kilana2]

Interesting question @Spirit of 73 And, to be honest, I'm not sure of the answer. Perhaps The Measure of a Man is simply a perfectly beautiful example of an "ensemble" piece. Everyone, including Riker actually, has a strong part or arc in the plot. Maybe it's why this episode is one of TNG's best.

I voted for Riker because Data said in the end that he couldn't have won if it were not for Riker.

 

[StefanM]

Just compare it with Shows like (Shatner's) Boston Legal: The stories are about the trials and the plaintiffs. But the main characters, who carry the stories, are the lawyers like Denny Crane and Alan Shore.
So, yes, it was the case of Data, but the main character, who carried the story, was his "lawyer" Picard.

OR: just count the lines of dialogue. Picard will surely have the most.

 

[Mojochi]

Ok, so let's evaluate your criteria again

The protagonist faces challenges, particularly the central challenge or conflict within the story.

The central challenge is a legal ruling, which is bought by Picard

The protagonist wants or needs something (has a goal).

This is very vague. Everybody wants/needs something, even Louvois does, but the person who wants something particular to the central challenge/plot is Picard. He wants justice for his officer, from their institution, of which he is the more senior representative, & more responsible for obtaining it, as it is represented in said institution

The antagonist’s actions are interfering with the protagonist’s ability to achieve the goal.

Data's goal is only to continue being Data, as Data has been. Picard's goal is to put forth a challenge to prevent a new stimuli from altering that, even more so challenging it than Data himself. This one belongs to Picard imho.

The protagonist makes choices or decisions, which are usually difficult.

Again, vague. They're all doing that. As it pertains to the challenge & goals thereof, the choices/decisions that matter most are the legal challenge being brought, the case being made, & ultimately the revelation that is arrived at, which are all Picard's (With a little help from his sage, Guinan, which btw, the protagonist is usually the only one in a story to get the aid of wisdom from a sage, which leads to the revelation)

The choices made by the protagonist lead to consequences, good and bad.

Again, Data retains his liberties, because of Picard

The protagonist undergoes personal transformation, which is often dramatic, as a result of the events within the story.

Data is almost exactly the same after. Picard is the one with a new understanding, & everyone he's influenced.

At its heart, the story is often about the protagonist; it is the protagonist’s story.

The episode The Offspring is about Lal, but she is not the protagonist, her creator is. She, like Data in this episode, is merely the subject, but as I stated before, because this is a chapter in an ongoing serial, Data represents more than just a simple subject, because he is among a collective who gets featured as central to the whole. Data is a protagonist in his own story arc, of which this is a piece, but in the episode's story itself, he is not the protagonist