The Most Toys (episode)

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"The Most Toys"
TNG, Episode 3x22 Production number: 40273-170 First aired: 7 May 1990
←	69th of 176 produced in TNG	→
←	69th of 176 released in TNG	→
	{{{nNthReleasedInSeries_Remastered}}}th of 176 released in TNG Remastered
←	176th of 727 released in all	→

Written By Shari Goodhartz Directed By Timothy Bond
43872.2 (2366)
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A trader fakes Data's death to add him to his collection of rare and unique objects.

[edit] Summary

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Lt. Commander Data has been sent to a trader's ship to obtain a quantity of hytritium, a rare, volatile element needed to treat a tricyanate-poisoned water supply on Beta Agni II. His shuttle explodes while returning to the USS Enterprise-D, and the crew assumes that he was destroyed in the explosion. The accident was staged by the trader, Kivas Fajo, who wants to add Data to his collection of rare and valuable antiquities.

Fajo expects Data to entertain him and sit on a chair to be displayed as part of his collection. Fajo begins communication with Data by speaking in a highly exaggerated manner until it becomes clear that Data is a very qualified communicator and can be spoken to normally. Data informed Fajo that he does not wish to stay and upon Fajo's refusal to free him Data advises that he will have to attempt escape however, Data soon finds he is unable to escape as the door is keyed to galvanic skin responses and DNA patterns. When Data tries to lift Fajo to use him to open the door, he is hit by a force field created by Fajo's proximity actuated field.

While Data is captive he tours the gallery, feeding the thought-extinct Lapling and sniffing the bubble-gum scent of the Roger Maris baseball card. Upon viewing the "Mona Lisa" Data attempts to imitate her smile.

Fajo soon shows his true colors as a vicious, cruel and immoral creature. At one point, when Data refuses to sit in the chair Fajo intends to display him in, Fajo threatens to kill his assistant Varria with a Varon-T disruptor. Later that evening when Fajo tries to “show off” his new “acquisition” to his friend and competitor, Palor Toff, Data plays dumb and refuses to communicate or behave normally. This angers Fajo as he is made to look a fool in front of his friend.

Geordi La Forge reviews the audio logs from the shuttle flight and discovers that Data failed to transmit a status message, several seconds before the explosion. Although trivial, it was a procedural error that Data never would have committed, and Geordi suspects that he was somehow unable to complete the task.

Worf is assigned to Data’s Ops duties and Deanna Troi is concerned for his emotional wellbeing as Worf was close to Data and this is the second time Worf has replaced a crewmate who has died. Worf points out that promotion due to the death of a crewmate is common on a Klingon vessel and adds that he honors the death of those he is replacing by performing the duties as well as his predecessor.

As the crew of the Enterprise delivers the hytritium to the water table on Beta Agni II, the substance responds much more quickly than expected, and Riker, Worf and Dr. Crusher beam down to investigate. They find several holes in their investigation: tricyanate is not indigenous to the planet and the only counteragent is the rare hytrithium compound conveniently provided by Fajo. Worf's tricorder readings reveal that the poisoning was indeed artificial, but Crusher finds this difficult to believe-the poison used to contaminate the water table is very unstable and difficult to transport. However, the poison is also difficult to counteract, as hytritium is the only antidote.

In a briefing, Riker points out that Fajo was in the right place in the right time to provide them with the hytritium they so desperately needed. It is speculated that Fajo poisoned the water to then sell the Enterprise crew the hytritium to make a profit, but Crusher points out that the venture would not be profitable. Picard requests a bio on Fajo, and the computer includes a list of the collected art treasures in his collection, which include such "rare and valuable objects" as Van Gogh's "The Starry Night." Recognizing that a Soong-type android could qualify as such, they determine that Data wass kidnapped, with the thief going so far as to replace him with a package containing the same materials used in his construction, so that the Enterprise crew, on analyzing the debris, would be convinced that Data had been destroyed.

Varria assists Data in escaping, but Fajo 'disrupts' her with the Varon-T. Her death is excruciating and painful to witness as she is destroyed from the inside out.

On hearing her scream, Data exits the escape pod he was preparing for launch, and picks up Varria's discarded disruptor, aiming it at Fajo. Fajo proceeds to taunt Data, saying that if he does not return to his chair, he will start killing others, and their blood will be on Data's hands, and that if only his programming allowed, he could kill him, and if only he could feel rage over Varria's death, he could kill him and stop it - but he has no feelings, he is only an android.

Data, however, decides that he cannot allow Fajo to continue. He draws the distruptor at a suddenly-panicking Fajo... but is beamed back to the Enterprise just as he pulls the trigger. The weapon is disabled in transport. Data hands it to Riker, and tells him to arrest Fajo for murder, kidnapping and theft. When Riker, noting Data's pose during transport, asks about the discharge, Data pauses, and says there must have been a malfunction.

Data visits Fajo in the brig and informs him that all the items he stole from others are being returned. Fajo asks Data if it satisfies him to know that Fajo's life is ruined. Data replies that he has no feelings, he is only an android.

[edit] Memorable Quotes

"He was a man, take him for all in all, I shall not look upon his like again."

- Picard in remembrance of Data

"For an android with no feelings, he sure managed to evoke them in others."

- Riker, to Picard, after Geordi's outburst at the thought that Data was at fault for the explosion

"Mr. Crusher, put us into close orbit. Mr. Data, scan... (It suddenly dawns on him - and the rest of the bridge crew - that Data is not there) my apologies, Mr. Worf."

- Picard

“Face it, Android, he has you.”
“It would seem, he has us both.”

- Varria and Data regarding Fajo.

"We're talking about sabotage."
"With tricyanate? That's hard to believe. It's slow to assimilate, difficult to replicate and hard to transport. There are a lot of easier ways to poison a water supply - more effective ways too."
"Can you think of any reason a saboteur would choose tricyanate?"
"It might pass for a natural disaster, and since there's only one way to treat it - with hytritium - maybe somebody figured we couldn't locate it - it is hard to find."
"Then it really was lucky, wasn't it - that we were able to find hytritium when we did, and just enough for this crisis?"

- Riker and Dr. Crusher, seeing that this was no natural disaster

"Fajo was in the right place at the right time - just when we needed him most."
"You suggesting he created the problem just to solve it?"
"Possibly."
"What - to make a profit from his sale of hytritium?"
"It doesn't add up - the cost of producing tricyanate is very expensive. He wouldn't make a profit from it - quite the contrary."
"Then why would he do it?"
"What did he want?"

- Riker, Picard, Geordi, Dr. Crusher, and Worf, figuring out that something wasn't right

"Computer, biographical data on the trader Kivas Fajo."
"Accessing file on Kivas Fajo...a noted collector of rare and valuable objects, including the Rajac crystal, "The Starry Night" by Vincent van Gogh, the Lawmin Galactopedia, the Moliam Andi tapestries..."
"Computer, that is sufficient."
"Rare and valuable object..." (Knowing what - or who - might qualify as such)
"What if Data wasn't on that shuttle?"
(Through his combadge)"Mr. Crusher...set course for the site of the shuttlepod explosion - Warp 8."

- Picard, the Enterprise computer, Riker, and Geordi, putting the pieces together

"Mr. O'Brien said that the weapon was in a state of discharge."
"Perhaps something occurred during transport, Commander."

- Riker and Data after Data fired on Kivas

[edit] Background Information

[edit] Story and production

The title of this episode comes from a phrase occasionally used to justify greed of varying levels: "He who dies with the most toys, wins."
In a deleted scene, Fajo sends Varria to test Data's sexual abilities (in which Data references his only sexual encounter from TNG: "The Naked Now"), however, Data learns of Fajo's intent, leaving Varria utterly humiliated which would later fuel her desire to betray Fajo in the climax.

[edit] Cast

Actor Saul Rubinek was cast as Kivas Fajo with very short notice. British actor David Rappaport was first cast in the role, but committed suicide during initial filming. All scenes featuring Rappaport were re-shot with Rubinek.

[edit] Props

Among the artifacts in Fajo's collection is the communication device used by Sarjenka in "Pen Pals", and a small vase that would be seen in the crew quarters of Data, Worf, Miles O'Brien and many others in later episodes.
The 1962 Roger Maris baseball card used was the first in the Topps series of 598 cards that year on account of Maris having bested Babe Ruth's single season home run record by one the previous year with 61 homers.
Picard reads from Data's book of collection of Shakespeare's dramas (that he gave him as a gift) a phrase from Hamlet (act 1, scene 2): "He was a man, take him for all in all, I shall not look upon his like again".
Stunt actor Dennis Madalone's technician costume was the first to be auctioned off in the It's A Wrap! sale and auction, where it sold for $212.50. [1]
The costume worn by Nehemiah Persoff (Palor Toff) later sold on It's A Wrap! for $206.50. [2]
The costume worn by Saul Rubinek (Kivas Fajo) was also sold on It's A Wrap! for $920.00 [3]
The costume worn by Brent Spiner (Data) was sold on It's A Wrap! for $662.00. [4] A second costume of the same design was also sold in a later lot for $1,902.00. [5]
Several Varon-T disruptor props were also sold, including on in the Profiles in History auction for $1,500.00 [6]; a second and third prop later sold by It's A Wrap! went for $405.00 and $375.05, respectively. [7]
The studio model for the Jovis was among the items sold in the "40 Years of Star Trek: The Collection" auction. The estimated price for this model was $3,000 to $5,000; it ultimately sold for $4,800 ($5,760 with premium). [8]
The Zibalian escape pod,designed by Joseph Hodges, later served as the aft portion of several guest vessels.

[edit] Continuity

This episode features a shuttlepod Pike, named after Christopher Pike, second captain of the USS Enterprise.
Lt Yar is mentioned in this episode when Troi expresses concern to Worf that he has now replaced two deceased officers.
Worf also mentions that he has manned the Ops position before in a direct reference to the first season when he acted as relief Conn and Ops officer should Geordi or Data be unavailable.

[edit] Trivia

A collectible box set from the Star Trek Customizable Card Game was aptly called The Fajo Collection.
When Fajo tells Data to change clothes by dinnertime, the written script on the wall behind and below Fajo is identical to the written Iconian from TNG: "Contagion".

[edit] Video and DVD releases

Original UK VHS release (two-episode tapes, CIC Video): Volume 35, 20 January 1992.
UK re-release (three-episode tapes, Paramount Home Entertainment): Volume 3.7, 4 September 2000.
As part of the TNG Season 3 DVD collection.

[edit] Links and references

[edit] Starring

[edit] Also Starring

LeVar Burton as Lieutenant Geordi La Forge
Michael Dorn as Lieutenant Worf
Gates McFadden as Doctor Beverly Crusher
Marina Sirtis as Counselor Deanna Troi
Brent Spiner as Lieutenant Commander Data
Wil Wheaton as Ensign Wesley Crusher

[edit] Guest Stars

Previous episode:
"Hollow Pursuits"

Star Trek: The Next Generation
Season 3

Next episode:
"Sarek"

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