A Fistful of Datas
| "A Fistful of Datas" | |
|---|---|
| Star Trek: The Next Generationepisode | |
| Episodeno. | Season 6 Episode 8 |
| Directed by | Patrick Stewart |
| Story by | Robert Hewitt Wolfe |
| Teleplay by | Robert Hewitt Wolfe Brannon Braga |
| Featured music | Jay Chattaway |
| Production code | 234 |
| Original air date | November 9, 1992 |
| Guest appearances | |
| |
"A Fistful of Datas"is the 134th episode of the American science fiction television seriesStar Trek: The Next Generation,the eighth episode of thesixth season,which premiered in theUnited Stateson November 9, 1992. Its title is a play on the title of theSergio Leone"Spaghetti Western"filmA Fistful of Dollars.
Set in the 24th century, the series follows the adventures of theStarfleetcrew of theFederation starshipEnterprise-D.In this episode,Worf,his sonAlexander Rozhenko,andDeanna Troiare trapped in theholodeckwhere the characters resembleDataand have his superior abilities.
This episode features a scene with Data indrag,and has numerous comedy elements.[1][2]It has been noted as a fun and comical episode, and praised for its use of the holodeck.[2][3]
Plot summary
[edit]TheEnterprisehas arrived 2 days early for a rendezvous with a supply ship, USSBiko,and the crew spend the extra time pursuing personal activities.DataandLa Forgepropose toCaptain Picardto attempt to set up systems that would allow them to use Data's processing abilities to run critical systems in the case of main computer failure, and he allows them to proceed.
Meanwhile,Worfreluctantly joins his sonAlexanderin a holodeck adventure set in the town ofDeadwood, South Dakota,in theAmerican Old West,later joined byDeanna Troi.[4]The three play the role of lawmen in Deadwood, where Eli Hollander, the "Butcher of Bozeman", is wanted. Worf tries to use his Starfleet tactics to end the episode quickly, but Alexander insists that he play along with the scenario. They capture Eli, learning that his father Frank is a sly and powerful man.
As Data and La Forge work on the interface, a brief energy surge occurs. The ship's systems react strangely, specifically around elements of Data's logs and records. Data also takes up stereotypicalWild Westmannerisms and vernacular, unaware.
In the holodeck, Frank, who appears exactly like Data, captures Alexander, demanding the release of his son Eli. Worf gets into a gun battle and is wounded, and he and Troi find that the holodeck safety protocols are off and they cannot end the program. They realize Alexander could be in trouble and the only assured way is to play out the story. Further, Troi observes that Eli now possesses skills comparable to Data's. As more of the holodeck characters take on Data's appearance, Worf works to create a personal shield as protection, knowing he would not be victorious against characters that all have Data's skills.
Data and La Forge determine that the power surge causes segments of the main computer and Data's processes to swap memories, and they start a memory purge to restore both to normal operation.
On the holodeck, Worf and Troi successfully defeat Frank and his gang, and recover Alexander. They believe the story is now over, but the holodeck does not yet respond. Only after Miss Annie, proprietress of the local tavern and also now looking like Data, thanks Worf for his bravery and throws herself into Worf's arms, does the story end, allowing the three to leave safely. Data and the ship's computer are restored to normal, and Worf promises to join Alexander on the holodeck for another adventure in Deadwood. In private, Worf dons his cowboy hat, practices his quickdraw, and smiles at himself in the mirror. As a final nod to theWestern genrewhere heroes are often seen riding off into the sunset, the episode concludes with theEnterpriseflying toward and seemingly into a star that is half obscured by a nearby planet.
Reception
[edit]In 2016,SyFyranked this the ninth best holodeck episode of theStar Trekfranchise.[5]
In 2017,Popular Mechanicssaid that "A Fistful of Datas" was one of the top ten most fun episodes ofStar Trek: The Next Generation,describing it as a holodeck story with an old American Western setting, with funStar Trekcharacters such as Cowboy Klingon and Counselor Troi as Durango.[3]This episode was noted in 2017 for its humorous elements, Western theme, and for Data's presentation as a woman of the old American west.[1]
In 2019,CBRrated "A Fistful of Datas" the 13th best 'holodeck' episode of the franchise.[6]In 2007, it was listed among holodeck episodes byIo9,who noted that Data (Brent Spiner) appears as holographic versions of himself.[7]
In 2019,Screen Rantranked "A Fistful of Datas" the tenth funniest episode ofStar Trek: The Next Generation.[2]
In 2020,GameSpotrecommended this episode for background on the character ofData.[8]However, they also noted this episode as one of the most bizarre moments of the series, when "Madam Data", a sort of hybrid between Brent Spiner's Data character and Saloon lady of the American West, greets Worf.[9]
In theRed DwarfABC's on their season 2 DVD Bonus set, Patrick Stewart (Picard) is talking about his first experience withRed Dwarfwatching the Season 6 Episode 3 episode "Gunmen of the Apocalypse".He stated that he was outraged at first because it resembled" A Fistful of Datas ", but as he watched it further, he saw some differences.
Releases
[edit]The episode was released as part of theStar Trek: The Next Generationseason sixDVDbox set in the United States on December 3, 2002.[10]A remastered HD version was released onBlu-rayoptical disc, on June 24, 2014.[11][12]
References
[edit]- ^abStape, Will (2017-07-31)."Star Trek's Funniest Episodes: From 'The Original Series' to 'Enterprise' and Beyond".TREKNEWS.NET.Retrieved2019-07-31.
- ^abc"Star Trek: The 10 Funniest TNG Episodes Ever".ScreenRant.2019-07-14.Retrieved2019-07-18.
- ^abMoseman, rew; Wenz, John (2017-09-08)."The 10 Goofiest 'Star Trek: The Next Generation' Episodes".Popular Mechanics.Retrieved2019-03-13.
- ^STAR TREK: THE NEXT GENERATION: "A Fistful of Datas", #40276-234, Written by Brannon Braga and Directed by Patrick Stewart - FINAL DRAFT SEPTEMBER 17, 1992
- ^Granshaw, Lisa (2016-10-05)."From baseball to Sherlock Holmes: The top 10 Star Trek holodeck episodes".SYFY WIRE.Archived fromthe originalon 2017-11-13.Retrieved2020-01-19.
- ^"Star Trek: Ranking the 20 Best Holodeck Episodes".CBR.2019-01-04.Retrieved2019-03-26.
- ^Anders, Charlie Jane (5 June 2009)."Star Trek's Absolute Worst Holodeck Adventures".io9.Retrieved2019-06-08.
- ^"Star Trek Picard: 10 Next Generation Episodes That Will Catch You Up On Data".GameSpot.Retrieved2020-01-13.
- ^"The 11 Most Bizarre Moments Throughout Star Trek: The Next Generation".GameSpot.Retrieved2020-01-27.
- ^Ordway, Holly E. (December 6, 2002)."Star Trek the Next Generation – Season 4".DVD Talk.RetrievedFebruary 28,2015.
- ^Marnell, Blair (June 20, 2014)."Exclusive Video: Star Trek: The Next Generation Season 6 Gag Reel".Crave Online. Archived fromthe originalon July 3, 2014.RetrievedFebruary 28,2015.
- ^Lipp, Chaz (February 28, 2015)."Blu-ray Review: Star Trek: The Next Generation – Season Six".The Morton Report.RetrievedFebruary 28,2015.
