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.
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.
