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Star Trek: The Next Generation 2x9 "The Measure of a Man" - Full Watch-along (Patreon)

Published:
2026-03-20 18:00:05
Imported:
2026-10

Content

Follow along with me using your own copy of the episode!

Files

Star Trek: The Next Generation 2x9 "The Measure of a Man" - Full Watch-along

Comments

Squeesher

Oh Lord Thunderin' Jaysus... It's finally THIS EPISODE!!!

Summer

As usual Bunny asking the best questions . I am proud my fellow patreon people not mentioning this episode in all previous TNG episodes in case you didn’t see deleted scenes https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=VfIcrbWLRO8

reply

Data is "property" of Star Fleet? I thought we already abolished slavery...

Preaching to the Horse's Mouth

As usual with the these Friday midday drops I can't watch this one right away, but best believe I'm gonna fire it up as soon as I get home We've had some very good episodes so far in in S1 and S2. We've had a few not-so-good ones. I don't think it's a stretch to say (my opinion only, of course) but this might be the first real banger of the series so far. Like I said, very interested to check this out later today.

Squeesher

I've never gotten teary-eyed during this episode, until now... ❤️

Jim Jones

I've been waiting for us to get to this episode!! It was THE episode for many people "sitting on the fence" of TNG. And it solidly knocked people right off of it! This episode is often used in law school, AI ethics discussions, and philosophy classes. It's so freaking good. It helps show Picard as a moral heavyweight. And Guinan comes in clutch with excellent "Guinan advice".

Max

OMG he kept Tasha!

Joshua Langweil

Been waiting for this one! Your reaction made me tear up.

Mark Chrisco

Denise Crosby was touched by the use of Tasha in this episode

뱀파이안젤

What are you doing Riker?! Pinocchio became a real boy in the end!

Greg

Agree with what everyone else has said. This is a GREAT episode, my second favorite of Season 2 and included in my Top 10 of best TNG episodes period. It's a fast paced, well acted, well written episode exploring serious thorny issues that Star Trek likes to grapple with from time to time. I agree that Captain Phillipa Louvois is not the most likeable character, but I do hope you warm up to her on a second watch Bunny. She takes her job as JAG officer very seriously, and is dedicated to the job regardless of personal feelings. Hence Picard feeling she went above and beyond during his court martial of losing the Stargazer. Court martials, by the way, are very common. They ALMOST always happen when a Captain loses his or her ship, for any reason. It doesn't mean that you did anything wrong, it's an official procedure to make sure the cause of the loss is understood and to clear the Captain's record. And her ruling in the case of Data has a HUGE impact on Federation law going forward. Just like with the court system of the United States, once a legal prescient is decided, other courts tend to follow it. Limited as the ruling was, her decision established that Data -- and any other android like him -- is NOT property of Starfleet or the Federation, but instead has the choice to decide what to do -- the same rights any other member of Starfleet is granted. The contrast between the medals -- the highest awards the Federation can give -- and the keepsake hologram of Tasha is striking. And I knew you were going to lose it when it first came up. Riker also did an amazing job, which both Picard and Data recognize. If he didn't try to prove that Data wasn't property, by default, it was decided he was. So he did indeed injure himself to help his friend. The smile followed by the depressed face in his quarters when studying Data was first over the fact he found something damning he could use and then sadness at how damning that thing was. Regardless of the reason Riker hates to lose. Agree that we are seeing more and more of Picard's character develop, as well as Data here. The starbase by the way was just a re-dressed model of the Regula One Space Lab from Star Trek 2. It was a nice touch as the Admiral said on the bridge that 'Every ship for the last 500 years with the name Enterprise has covered itself in glory' which is very true. CV-6, the Yorktown class USS Enterprise carrier from WW 2, perhaps the most famous, as she fought the Japanese single handed at points, was damaged several times and reported sunk by the Japanese no less then three times, and fought through the whole war and almost every major battle and came out as the most decorated ship in American history. It's a huge shame efforts to preserve the ship failed and she was scrapped. The script was submitted by a former lawyer turned writer, by the way, accepted by Paramount due to the ongoing Writers Strike and the desperation they were feeling to get good scripts. She would go on to work on the show in an official position for a couple seasons. BTW -- Wikipedia claims a longer version of this episode (with 11 extra minutes) was released a while back. I never heard about this and need to go locate it.

Greg

Without spoiling anything, I was very interested that this idea of 'property' would come up again in later episodes.

Desmond

Yeah, I'd say this one, and maybe a couple others, made people (including TOS fans) sit up and take notice of TNG. Up to this point I think it was mostly viewed as an inferior knockoff.

Greg

Thanks for sharing! I JUST found out about this when checking the episode details on Wikipedia.

Desmond

Was a nice touch, and does a lot to "humanize" Data.

Summer

It is also on the bluray of this episode

Michael

Melinda M. Snodgrass is the writer of this episode,she is a lawyer and a Star Trek fan m she is friends with George RR Martin who also wrote for television, this episode is considered one the best episodes and a turning point for Data , I remember when the Blu-ray released they had 2 season 2 episodes showing in theaters this and another one ,when Data was ruled to be free the audience stood and cheered

Super Sunny Sunblade

Data learning "game" from The Master himself William Riker? Can't wait!

Jack

I was very excited for you to see this one. It's one of my favorites the whole series! I'm so glad it impacted you in much the same way it affected me. This was also "my" episode. Some fun re-use of resources here. The courtroom set was a clever redress of the battle bridge. But the biggest (literally) re-use was the Regula-1 space station from Star Trek II The Wrath of Khan. The effort to scale it up to make the Enterprise-D look correct (which is about 3 times the size of the original Enterprise) was kind of hilarious. If you look at the windows of the Enterprise versus the windows on the space station, it makes the space station windows look about 15 stories tall. 😆 But hey, save money where you can. And it certainly doesn't detract from the absolutely brilliant writing and acting of this episode. THIS is *quintessential* Star Trek -- big sci-fi ideas and concepts explored in a thoughtful and entertaining way.

Soma

Max

& The "Tasha intimacy" Defense?! Your Honor, I rest my case!

Paul Hess

With these two episodes (Matter of Honor and Measure of a Man) TNG is starting to take character realism, character development, and mature writing much more seriously and I love it! It’s a trend that will accelerate in later seasons, and something you will also notice in Babylon 5. Earlier in the season, in my opinion, even good episodes like The Neutral Zone or good concepts like Where Silence Has Lease were always hampered by shallow writing that caricatures the cast and even whole species and we have to turn off that part of our brain to enjoy those episodes, but we’re turning a corner now and things will keep getting better. I’m looking forward to watching this with you and here for the ride going forward!

William Terry

Actually The Constitution does not abolish slavery, which legally still exists, the 13th Amendment abolished chattel slavery, selling slaves. So Data will need another defense.

bullettbot

iv been waiting for this one and you didn't disappoint

Brian Straight

I'd certainly say this is the episode where TNG breaks through the glass ceiling.

Lost Monk

This is considered a breakout episode of the early part of the series. For the writing, and for the character of Data.

TJ

This episode exemplifies what Star Trek is all about. When I saw it for the first time during its original run, it allowed me to finally "let go" of TOS and embrace TNG. That's how moved I was by the sheer power of this story. It was also an episode where Picard finally won me over. That's a testament to combining outstanding writing with a brilliant actor who brought those words to life in dramatic fashion... One of my all-time favorite episodes across all of Star Trek!

Desmond

Yeah, this is a real landmark episode for TNG, and I'm glad no one spoiled that element of it for you. We were all waiting for you to get to this one! Great writing, and great performances, everyone treated it with the proper gravity, obviously Spiner and Stewart but also Frakes and Whoopi. I can't say that this episode "did it" for me, simply because I watched the show all out of order, back in the days of "you watched whatever episode was on", lol. But it's definitely one of the best of TNG. There's also an extended version of this episode...it's available on the bluray, not sure about Paramount +. Adds about 12-13 mins of footage, well worth a watch if you're interested.

Jeremiah

Beautiful reaction to a beautiful episode ❤️ 🖖

Paul Hess

April notice how nobody here is a villain, or at least a cartoon villain. Every character has motivations, principles, and a vision of what's best that they fight for. It's a clash of ideas and ideals. I love your reaction You asked why Riker smiles when he find Data's off switch, the achilles heel to win the case. He is a fighter doing his duty and it was a smile of finding the right move, but just after he smiles you see he realizes what the implications are and the blood drains from his face and his spirit leaves him.

Matthew Graves (Graviton)

So, Bunny, all those times you said before that you were waiting for that episode that really "wows" you I thinking "Measure of a Man" :) As an Asimov fan you can probably guess what my opinion of this episode is. It is rightly considered a classic, and I would say it is a cornerstone episode of TNG. There so much to love about this story. The central issue of Data's "personhood" is a great method for diving into deep questions about the nature of consciousness, self determination, and ethics and morality. It's extremely well written, thoughtfully addressing complex philosophical matters while wtill being deeply emotional and dramatically satisfying. We get great major character moments from Picard and Data, and nice smaller, but deeply meaniful ones from Riker and Geordi. And Guinan is brilliant here. As a practicing trial attorney I could pick apart a few legal aspects. (It's absolutely bonkers that a major legal issue involving fundamental rights would be settled with two amatatures acting as counsel) But it's not really the point. The episode uses theconceit of a legal hearing as a tool to frame and propel the drama and the themes, and it does a great job with it. It may not be a totally "realistic" court scene but it does capture the essence beautifully. I especially love Picard's line "Starfleet was created to seek out new life, well THERE IT SITS!" Great writing, and superb performance by Stewart there! I love where the episode lands in the end. It doesn't pretend that it can give a definative answer to the profound questions raised about of the nature of consciousness. It instead makes a strong statement about moral responsibility in addressing those questions. Anyway. one of my favorite episodes. I loved your reaction Bunny. Hell, I even got a little misty just from seeing how you were moved. ADDENDUM: I almost forgot... I was highly amused by this weeks musical rendition of the theme song. Shall we call that the "Meow Mix"? (I know, sorry everyone. I couldn't help myself :) )

Preaching to the Horse's Mouth

I like Phillipa's character. I rather enjoy that she's both snarky and charismatic at the same time. But "Look, lady, maybe if you tried being less of a bitch...," had me rolling😆

Preaching to the Horse's Mouth

B talking about Doc Pulaski: "She just likes to be contrarian, doesn't she?" Me: Yup. That's why I love her.

Shayne

When my best friend and I went back and rewatched TNG from the beginning again a few years ago, after we watched this one, we sat in silence for a bit as the credits rolled. And my friend said, "Now that is some fucking Star Trek." I think that sums it up. This is the first truly great episode of TNG in the series. It was a delight watching you experience it for the first time.

John DiGiantomasso

This was a great episode. The one that got me first was "Conspiracy" with the creepy-crawlies and Commander Remmick's head exploding.

Greg

One of the deleted scenes from this episode has Picard and Data in Data's quarters going over the plan for his defense, and as Picard argues that he's going to use technicalities in Starfleet law to win his case, Data responds "I am beginning to understand why Shakespeare wrote 'let us kill all the lawyers'"

timothy w moyer

👏. I don't know what a soul is by definition , But I DO know Data has one. Good episode, yes , echos of Court-Martial in TOS. This is Trek at its best--->. " New lifeforms?, Well There It Is ! " Ha Ha , I can't describe definitive episode, I was always "IT'S ON , grab the snacks". 😂. Great watch along , Bunny

bunnytails

Watched once but reminded of many times from comments. I can't take all the credit!

bunnytails

Haha. Oh was this the meowing intro recording? 🤣 I'm not surprised you love this episode as well, Matthew!

bunnytails

Thanks, I'll look into the extra footage!

bunnytails

I've also been having trouble "letting go" of TOS. But slowly I am warming up to TNG as its own unique and wonderful thing.

Paul Hess

As you pointed out in your summary, give Patrick Stewart some great scripts and he eats them up.

bunnytails

I am looking forward to it as well!

Paul Hess

Diana Muldaur Is a great actress, and I loved her in both TOS appearances, L.A. Law, and other things. But she just never really gelled for me in her appearances in TNG. Luckily with such a large ensemble we can all find what we like here.

Joshua Langweil

I get to see these episodes in a new light through you . When I saw this episode first air, I was 11 years old. Didn't quite have the same impact back then.

WastedPo

Melinda M. Snodgrass wrote the script for "Measure of a Man." She wasn't an official staff writer at the time. She just submitted the script to the show (which was a fairly common thing for TV back in the day; outsiders just submitting scripts on the hopes the producers would like it). Probably not a surprise, but she was previously a lawyer. Snodgrass would become a script supervisor and contributor for Trek for a little while after this episode, and I honestly feel like the show benefitted greatly in this period from her contributions. (One episode in particular I'll mention after you get to it, obviously.)

Thegonagle

I always hope they play Fizbin. Except on Tuesday.

Skye Maidstone

I like this one but I don't love it. The slavery thing is a big heavy handed and I don't even think Picards closing argument is that compelling (although well acting of course). It's a fan favourite though, just too much courtroom drama and not enough sci-fi for my tastes.

bunnytails

I can see where you're coming from!