Plot Synopsis: While Geordi monitors and evaluates a team testing a new mining technology, Data investigates a group of robots that he believes qualify as lifeforms.
Plot A and B Analysis: The very long teaser begins with a poker game, with much talk of beards, and the stakes get pretty high before the captain calls everyone away. Evidently the Enterprise is called in to help a research team and see how they are doing testing a new technology, the Particle Fountain–in the process Picard will either recommend the new technology to Starfleet, or not. Everything almost goes haywire but the project chief, Dr. Farallon, pulls out her invention, a tiny gremlin-like robot called an exocomp, which fixes the problem. Plot A is about the exocomps and Data, there is no plot B. Back on the Enterprise she shows off the exocomp to Geordi and Data. Later she and Data are testing it, and it refuses to do its job. While they investigate there’s an explosion from just where it was supposed to go. After a discussion with Geordi, Data theorizes its behavior was due to the exocomp acting to preserve itself–if so, it would be a life form. They conduct a boring test to see if it’s alive or not. Something goes wrong on the orbital mining station, Picard and Geordi are trapped, and Data blocks the plan most likely to save them because the exocomps would be destroyed in the process. Riker and Data have a confrontation, the gremlins come up with their own solution, and two of the three exocomps are saved.
Favorite Scenes: Come to think of it, the poker game might be my favorite scene in this episode. All these years later I still remember Riker saying, “my beard is not an affectation!” and wondering what the heck an affectation was. I suppose the conversation between Data and Riker in the 37th minute is alright as well.
Use of Cast/Characters: Picard’s main job is to be the captain, and then be in jeopardy. Riker’s biggest contribution is to provide Data with a solution that doesn’t involve Picard and Geordi’s deaths, or Data’s own. Good man. I suppose this is a “Data episode.” Data gets slight character development, as we learn he has increased his computation speed significantly. He is front and center, advocating for the possible life in the exocomps. Geordi is almost as involved in this episode as Data, and in fact he is the one supposed to be in charge of helping the scientists. It’s his comment that gets Data thinking the robots might be alive. Not to mention Beardy, part 3! Beverly gets a little character development since she is apparently undergoing bat’leth training with Worf, but it seems out of character for her. Worf doesn’t get much and Deanna has about one line in the episode. She does get a new hairstyle though, which she will have for the rest of the series. Ellen Bry portrays Dr. Farallon and is just fine.
Blu Ray Version: Pause at 32:52, when folks are getting on the transporter pad. If you look left you’ll see the very clear shadow of filming equipment on the wall for several seconds.
Nitpicks: Why does the flagship and Geordi need to be diverted to check on researchers that are behind schedule, that aren’t even part of Starfleet? Doesn’t Starfleet have legions of engineers they could send on any other starship? It just doesn’t seem important enough for the Enterprise to be called in. If the exocomps are so ‘highly sophisticated’, why do they look so rudimentary? Those ridiculous-looking feet and tiny T-rex arms alone are worth making fun of.
Overall Impression: The problem I have with this episode is that I don’t really care about the exocomps. This episode is primarily about Data advocating for the possibility that the exocomps are alive; the problem is I don’t care whether they are alive or not, so it’s just not that interesting. In fact the question isn’t even answered when the episode ends! The new mining technology suffers the fate of most “new technologies” on TNG: it fails. This might be considered a Data episode, if so it’s one of the weakest. Lackluster and forgettable sums up my overall impression. I rate this episode 2 out of 5 stars.
Behind the Scenes/Trivia: Remember back in Booby Trap when Geordi was in the Holodeck, he had this large glass graphic in the background? We see the whole thing here on full display, especially in the 13th minute. Geordi gets to keep his beard for the previous episode and this one, because he needed it for his own wedding! All told there are three beard episodes: The Outcast, A Fistful of Datas, and this one. O’Brien isn’t in the transporter room because he’s busy shooting episodes of DS9 by this point. This episode was directed by Jonathan Frakes, too bad it wasn’t a good one.
In my previous review I referenced this episode as being unique, and it’s because of how I watched the show. Growing up I would watch and record every episode on our VCR (an ancient video recording device). I never failed to either watch the episode or catch the rerun and record that one. This episode is unique because I didn’t record it, and never watched it while the series was originally airing. It really bothered me that I missed them both and it wasn’t until years later that I finally got to see it. Turns out this episode is nothing special, but it’s a piece of trivia related to me that I wanted to share.
Missable/Unmissable? Don’t lose any sleep about missing this one, like I did. However, the next two episodes are a two parter that is absolutely unmissable.