Talk:The Quality of Life (episode)

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Contents 1 Episode talk page 1.1 Maintenance links 2 Removed 3 Background Information - removed nitpick

I found this episode absolutely incredibly well written. There were several important points in it - that Data believed the exocomps were life-forms - that Dr Fallon refused to believe and insisted on using them as machines even if they were life-forms - that Picard thought it was worth the effort to see if Data's belief was true - that Data stood by what he believed, even in the face of a courtmarshal.

But the thing that gets me is the ethics involved here. Not Picard's ethics, not Dr Fallon's, not Riker's, not even Data's. The ethics of the exocomps! When allowed to make their own decision, they evaluated the situation, discussed the possible options, and came down to their choices, disregarding which life-form was which, but only that there were five life-forms involved - the three exocomps, Picard, and LaForge.

Their choices were 1) to lose three lifeforms, themselves, while saving two, Picard and LaForge; 2) to lose two lifeforms, Picard and LaForge, while saving three, themselves; 3) or to lose only one lifeform and save four, two of themselves, Picard, and LaForge. They made the decision without regard to which kind of lifeform should survive and had no prejudice involved, which the humans and Data certainly did.

The machines, therefore, had more intelligence, logic, and more importantly, compassion for other lifeforms than the other characters.

I think that's amazing writing.

Abs

Talk pages are for discussing the content of the article, not for critiquing or reviewing episodes. --From Andoria with Love 04:58, 14 November 2006 (UTC)

[edit] Removed

• During the meeting Data says that viruses are alive. At this time scientists classify viruses as not alive. This may suggest that by the 24th century there is proof that viruses are alive or, that the definition of what constitutes life has been expanded to the point that viruses could be considered a non-cellular lifeform.

Nitpick, per MA:NIT; we don't make comparisons to reality.--31dot 02:38, 12 July 2009 (UTC)

[edit] Background Information - removed nitpick

Background Information - removed nitpick

*When Data is talking to Dr. Crusher in an attempt to ascertain what constitutes life, he says "...I do not reproduce..." This seems to contradict "The Offspring".

Joeloveland 14:43, November 4, 2009 (UTC)