4.11 — “Data’s Day”
Plot: Data narrates a day in his life aboard the Enterprise for the benefit of Dr. Maddox at the Daystrom Institute. Events include Miles O’Brien’s marriage, intrigue with the Romulans, and the introduction of Data’s not-yet-named cat.
Thoughts: Average episodes of this show sure are better than they used to be.
A big concept episode, such as Data narrating his day, is unusual. We can agree it’s a pretty big day, complete with an incursion into the Neutral Zone and the discovery of a Romulan spy in the Federation. I suggest that the real focus is not on these events, but on the furious world-building engaged in by the writers as they kick open doors for new characters and plot possibilities to expand our concept of life aboard the Enterprise.
Seen for the first time here are the characters of Data’s cat, later named Spot, and Keiko Ishikawa-O’Brien, who will appear in seven more episodes of TNG before becoming a recurring character on Deep Space Nine. Also, watch out for return trips to the funky barber shop and its unusual barber. Not content to stop there, we are introduced to the concepts of Night Watch and Day Watch aboard ship, and are told that a normal day on the Enterprise includes not one, but two onboard chess tournaments. Do you think the players could have combined forces to create one large chess tournament, maybe introducing flights and stratification to accomodate players of different abilities? Why can’t they get along? Who will intervene to repair the feud between the chess factions? It’s just a matter of time before one of these partisans gets into the Holodeck and takes down the warp core with a simulation of stealing pawns en passant.
The sly peeks behind Data’s facade enabled by the narrative device play well. One characteristic of Data that is definitely human is his curiosity. When Keiko informs him that she is cancelling the wedding, he has several follow up questions. A truly unfeeling computer would just leave, right? Why care?
No one but Leonard Nimoy seems to be able to play a Vulcan convincingly (an observation I have made before). So far, Mark Lenard is the only one who comes close. And Vulcans are too capable of lying. Capable of committing mutiny, even.
One wonders why Keiko alone, of all the officers present, is not wearing her dress uniform at the wedding. Her wedding costume is a bit over the top. Her characterization as flighty and impulsive is not untouched by sexism. Still, I welcome the presence of another woman on the show.
Gates McFadden choreographed Crusher’s dancing scenes with Data. She worked as a choreographer before being cast in the show, and is credited (as Cheryl McFadden) with creating the ballroom scene in Labyrinth (1986).
I laughed at these lines:
DATA [Off Camera]: The safest and most logical decision in this situation is to contact Starfleet and await further instructions. However, based on past experience, I project only a seventeen percent chance Captain Picard will choose that alternative.
PICARD: Red Alert. All hands stand to battle stations.
Overall, the episode is a bit too flat to earn top marks from me. Its spirit of invention has the potential to make a lot of future episodes more interesting, however.
3 out of 5 tap dance routines.
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