Data’s Fight for Rights

[neverkas]

Hi everyone!
I'm learning English, and one of the ways I'm practicing is by reading Star Trek: The Next Generation texts and writing about them in my own words. I just finished working on a paragraph from the episode “The Measure of a Man,” and it really made me think about rights, justice, and what it means to be sentient.

I wrote a short post explaining what the paragraph means, how it feels, and what a curious kid might ask after reading it. I also added some new words I learned along the way.
I'd love any feedback—about the ideas or the English!
Thanks for reading, and live long and prosper!


What it means

A Starfleet commander who specialized in cybernetics wanted to perform a dangerous procedure on the only android known to humans because he believed it would provide important information about how its positronic brain worked. He believed Data was just a machine who couldn’t perceive emotions and didn’t deserve rights like humans do. Data analyzed the commander’s theories, but those theories didn’t have enough scientific support to justify such a risky procedure. So Data refused the proposal and asked his captain, Picard, to help him.
Isn't it brave when someone stands up for themselves using reason instead of force?

How it feels:
It feels like only humans are seen as deserving rights, and machines aren’t even given a chance to argue with their creators. It also feels like when you’re in danger, you can ask your friends or colleagues for help. And it feels unfair that some people think they’re better than others just because of their position in society.
Sometimes the strongest thing you can do is admit you need help.

What a curious kid might ask:
Why would someone think they have more rights than others?
What could someone do if they don’t have a friend to ask for help?
How can we believe that people in power will do the right thing for us?
Can someone without rights ever prove they deserve them—just by being kind or wise?

New Words I Learned

Advocated
It is used when someone wants to argue and has something that strongly supports their ideas or theories.
Example: Picard advocated for him when the scientist wanted to experiment on his friend without his agreement.
Picard advocated for Data because no one should be forced into an experiment they don’t agree with.

Flawed
It is used when something has issues or weaknesses.
Example: Data believes the law is flawed when people with power are the ones in court.
A law that protects only the powerful is clearly flawed, right?

Prompting
It means that something caused another thing to happen.
Example: The poor information in the scientist’s investigation prompted Data to refuse his proposal.
Sometimes a weak argument can prompt a very strong refusal.

 

[neverkas]

I wanted to modify the post a little more before publishing, but when I wrote the title, it published automatically.

Here's the text I mentioned:
Data was a major influence in the process of legally and socially recognizing the sentience of Soong-type androids. In 2365, Jean-Luc Picard was asked by Admiral Nakamura on behalf of Commander Bruce Maddox to submit Data to an untested procedure that Maddox believed and had advocated would grant Federation cybernetic science a greater understanding of the technology of Data's positronic brain. Data studied Maddox's proposal and found it to be flawed; persuading William T. Riker and Picard of the legitimacy of Data's position as to the scientific merit of Maddox's project; prompting Maddox to present Nakamura's duly logged orders requiring Data to submit.

 

[Herald252]

If this post serves as a starting point, I would be delighted to engage in a conversation about the episode with someone who is not a native English speaker. The text itself is well-written, and I have no concerns regarding your English proficiency. The concepts are accurate, so what would you like to discuss? Do you have a query about the episode, or would you like to hear someone else's perspective on it?

 

[Mojochi]

You've got a well worded breakdown & presentation of your thoughts & terminology

It feels like only humans are seen as deserving rights, and machines aren’t even given a chance to argue with their creators.

I suspect Maddox & Nakamura are holding a minority opinion here, & this hasn't been a widely accepted opinion throughout Starfleet. Data was admitted to Starfleet over 20 years earlier, with only one objection from Maddox himself, at the time. He's risen through the ranks and holds an esteemed career otherwise.

Plus, the conditions of this episode's events are suspicious to me. They are way out in space, when this directive comes in, & called to a barely staffed space port, where this order is given from command. The judge is new, has had a contentious relationship with Data's captain, in the past (Picard's court-martial) and there's no one assigned to hear this case properly.

It feels to me that Maddox & in some way maybe also Nakamura, plotted to slyly slip this sketchy order through, before anyone could stop them, by issuing it out in the middle of nowhere, on an ill-equipped station, with a judge they'd only just put in place, specifically because she'd opposed Picard previously. Fortunately for Data, she seemingly had better integrity than that & properly heard them out.

Data has come across android bigotry a few other times, but not enough, in my opinion, to suggest it's the prevalent opinion. I do feel like he does face skepticism about his nature, that has maybe hindered him some, but not as critically as to routinely want to deny him all liberty entirely. Only a couple people have tried that stunt, Maddox & Haftel (who tried to take his daughter)

Can someone without rights ever prove they deserve them—just by being kind or wise?

I can't imagine being kind or wise would be enough. I'd think you'd also have to be persuasive at making your opposer empathize with your position.

How can we believe that people in power will do the right thing for us?

I'm not certain that we ever really can. I suppose, if possible, we should assess their character intensively before we ever let them get in power, to begin with.

What could someone do if they don’t have a friend to ask for help?

That's tough. Fortunately for Data, Picard isn't just a friend. He's a leader, & a higher ranking superior. Being willing to take your issues to people with greater authority or influence can also prove helpful, even when you seem alone. Again, persuading people by getting them to empathize with your plight can serve you well.

Why would someone think they have more rights than others?

Ignorance, short-sightedness, tunnel-vision, narcissism, absence of objectivity, or basically any state of being that prevents you from being able to identify with others, & what they might be going through, that has never applied to you. True sentience requires us to be able to conceive of others as being potentially just like us, & then understand that they'd not want done to them anything we'd not done to us. It's one of humanity's oldest principals, "Do until others as you'd have done unto you"