Poll Why did Data fire?

Ironically, I'm in the camp that thinks Data does in fact exhibit emotions despite everyone thinking he doesn't. However, in this case, I think it was a decision of logic that led him to fire. So I voted no. It was a logical choice for the greater good.

Why'd he lie about it... if in fact it was or could be considered a lie? 2 reasons I can see. #1 It's nobody's business what he did there or why. That deal was straight up between Data & Fajo. Personal business that when all is said & done, need not be for anyone else to rightfully know.

#2, he's had a rough track record with Starfleet, given the hijack in Brothers, the matter of android rights continually coming up, getting caught up by his own crew in Clues. The list goes on. He'd have good reason to suspect that his actions could be misconstrued, and cause him more unwanted scrutiny.

That he fired is a clear breach of what everyone assumes is one of his primary programming protocols, & he only did it because he was painted into a corner of having to, but he may not trust his own ability to once again explain or defend himself to Starfleet, about why he could bypass such a protocol. He doesn't need more reasons for people to question "android" judgement. Best to just sweep it under the rug

 

And that is the appropriate response to just so many complaints on this board...

Here is how it seems to me, and how it seems we were meant to think about it (though we were really meant to be unsure):
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The immediate life-or-death moment is now over. That poor woman is dead. No one else in the room to kill, that Fajo would be willing to destroy. According to his usual, practical principles of duty and ethics, Data should not shoot Fajo, and not with a fatal and torturous Disruptor. Eventually Fajo will get the upper hand again, though, and control Data... Fajo will get out another of those disruptors, and Data will continue not to fire his. So, even after what Fajo has just done, he completely gets away with it, and continues to treat Data like a thing he owns.
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As Fajo states, the only way out of this for Data would be if he could actually summon up feelings of rage at the injustice of it all, that would overwhelm and over-ride his default position against unneeded excessive violence. He does, in that moment. Or, it's more machine-like than that, but a close android equivalent. It's a sort of epiphany, a transforming moment. It seems it's a transformation that you don't need to be flesh and blood to have. Being a conscious, intelligent being is enough, knowing the wrong that's been done is enough. He's now a lot further on that road to humanity.
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Some major change obviously happened, since it was disturbing enough to him to lie about it, to Riker.
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What's great about this episode, though, is that we can't know for sure. The whole episode is about this one moment, and so much of it is unstated. They get you to think about the implications on your own.
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Sure, you can come up with reasons for putting a stop to Fajo, such as on the basis of his being generally dangerous, but Fajo may never kill again. He certainly held off with that woman for many years. The disruptor wouldn 't just "stop" Fajo, it's more like setting him on fire and watching him burn. (Never mind how quickly the woman's disintegration happened.. the idea of it was supposed to be that it took a long time.)

 

Since Data seems to sum up his rationale for firing with the line, "I cannot permit this to continue," I'm curious as to what you think "this" referred to, if not Fajo's murders. His abuse of his underlings? His kidnappings and thefts? Data's own captivity?

 

I went on to explain. Data overcame that rather thin, lightweight, practical morality and summoned up outrage, the feeling Fajo had said was impossible for him. A machine might emphasize that Fajo may never kill again. A being with visceral, gut-level feeling concludes-- This is a murderer. He must be stopped. He can't be allowed to get away with this. This ends HERE." It was everything you said, but especially outrage at the murder, and the possibility of its continuing.

 

Data firing out of anger kinda negates that whole emotion chip thing.

 

He is constantly learning new things and adapting human emotions. I think it is possible that he did fire as an act of vengeance.

 

First I figured it was all down to logic, but after thinking about it I think it might have been anger, or at least an emotion that overshadowed pure logical judgement.

Could he not have simply walked over and 'arrested' Fajo, rather than killing him? (Genuine question: It's been a while since I saw the episode and I forget if Fajo was armed)

Also, if it was done for logical reasons, would Data have really needed to lie to Riker about it?

 

No, because Fajo was wearing that force field device that repelled Data if he got too close.

 

Ah yep, I'd forgotten that That would certainly have stopped a physical arrest!

I still wonder why Data would feel the need to lie to his superior officer though.

 

That's my biggest problem with the episode. That could certainly lead to trust issues with Data, but the episode ran out of time.

 

It could be as simple as not Data thinking anyone would understand. Everybody wants to make this about Data's relationship to Fajo, but no one is thinking about Data's relationship to everyone he knows. As I stated earlier, He does not have a very good track record for successfully explaining his judgement calls. He made a judgement call in deciding to shoot Fajo, which goes against a primary protocol. (I think it was a very logical & rational response for the circumstances, but feel free to believe what you want about his motives)

What happens when he tries to explain what he did, or log it officially? Maybe nothing... or maybe people in Starfleet call his judgement into question YET again. That Data was able to make the choice to end a person, in such a manner is probably not something you want on the official record, regardless of how rational or justifiable it was. Data doesn't need any more reasons for people to doubt him. There's already plenty of that in his history. So he stayed mum & deflected inquiry. A logical choice as well, if you don't consider yourself your own best advocate, in explaining tough calls like this

 

It was also a personal, disturbing moment for him.

 

Yup, that was my other earlier point. It' s personal. Nobody's business but Data's. Just like Worf's choice to hide the Klingon/Romulan colony. This is not a Starfleet matter

 

It's Riker's business if Riker thinks it is. Whatever side we come down on, I hope we agree that we were definitely meant to wonder. What is human feeling? Can it evolve on the spot, even in an AI, in response to a crisis or challenge? We strain to look in side Data's head, but he doesn't let us. I hope no one thinks it's an obvious, cut-and-dried thing.

 

Why, indeed, IS it Riker's business whether or not Data fired? Facts:

- The Jovis is a privately owned vessel and thus is outside Starfleet jurisdiction.

- Data, being the victim of kidnapping, has the right to defend himself and others. This is an absolute right that all sentient beings have. Certainly Starfleet and the Federation are prepared to defend that right.

 

Let's also bear in mind that Data believed that Starfleet still believed him dead, so he had no reasonable expectation of any rescue. If he knew the Enterprise was figuring it out and on the way to save him he probably would have just sat in his chair and waited it out.

Legally there's no question, it was self defense. It was Riker's business in the sense that he is Data's commanding officer and he needs to be able to reliably understand and predict Data's behavior in a crisis. I don't think they should have had him lie because that contradicts his established character.

 

I think another part of the conflict in his decision is that he didn't just kill him, he killed him with a cruel, banned, weapon.

 

Data, didn't need emotions to fire on Fajo. Fajo was an ongoing threat to an unknown number of people, and Data didn't see any other way than to kill him to stop that threat. Once Fajo was caught Data didn't want to kill him anymore, thus proving my point. An emotional Data would still have wanted to kill him.

 

It was the only weapon Data had. What was he supposed to do, go frisk one of the Jovis crew and steal theirs?

 

Exactly, but I'm guessing that would make using it harder to justify to himself and his CO.