Review of The Measure of a Man

Data is forced by Starfleet regulations despite his rank of Commander to take part in a refit that has been ordered by Maddox a cybernetic expert from Starfleet. Data questions Maddox's proposals and "decides" to retire his Command. However Maddox goes to the JAG Officer Louivois who prosecuted Picard in his Stargazer Trial where the end result left the two with bad feelings. Maddox goes to the JAG and gets he to see his side of the story and she then orders Data to the refit and voids his retirement request. Picard then intervenes and has Loiuvois call for a trial board where Picard will defend Data and Riker, by order of the JAG will prosecutor for Maddox & Starfleet. Riker does his diligent research and when he discovers Data's "off" switch he is initially proud that he found an important piece if evidence to help his case and quickly realizes the damage he will do to Data and turns sad at the prospect of using it. Meanwhile Picard & Guinan are talking about the case and how Starfleet decided that Data is a machine with no rights. Now able to build a race of Disposisable creatures to do the work that corporeal beings can not due to the danger involved. Guinan forces Picard to see that a race of Data's doing the dirty work that no one else is willing to do (as in slaves, illegals, etc.) is wrong and when the court reconvenes Picard uses he newly gained knowledge to gain Data a victory for self awareness and for self decision.

In the end Riker & Data meet up where Data asks Riker why he isn't at Data's victory party. Riker tells Data I came this close to winning. Yet Data reminds Riker that he was an unwilling participant by the courts order since if Riker refused to prosecute then the JAG would have ruled summarily that Data is a "toaster" send him to Maddox for an experimental refit. Data recognized that Riker was put in a "no win scenario." 11 of 10 actually