Data's Day

DVD, TNG S4 (Data's Day)

The day to day running of the ship is not something we usually see - daily duties may not make for the most exciting stories, but once in a while a peak into shipboard life away from the battles, missions and spatial conundrums can be revealing and a delight as the constructed reality is brought further to life. Who better to take us through such things than Data, a simple, well-meaning outsider, trying to comprehend and anticipate other people's ways. His commentary on the experiences he goes through are enlightening to his view of the world, and his perfect mimicry of Dr. Crusher's dancing shows what feats he's physically capable of. But the episode is more than a slow-burner as the trials of wedding preparation, the confusion between Keiko and O'Brien and the haughty ambassador-turned-spy, T'Pel, all create diversions from Data's regular activities.

It's frustrating to see the Enterprise bested by the Romulans like that, but staying to engage with five Warbirds wouldn't have been a prudent move - even Picard retreats when it's necessary, which is a valuable lesson in itself. The enjoyment comes in the flourishing of O'Brien as a fully-formed character, and the introduction of his bride Keiko Ishikawa. It would have been better if she'd been seen before, as her appearance into shipboard life is very sudden, though Data has known her a long time. It must be remembered that the O'Brien's were recurring characters, not members of the main cast, easy to forget after their move to 'DS9'.

My favourite section is the dancing, in which Data proves very capable, although it is a mystery why he didn't simply download dancing routines into his program - he must have wanted social connection more than just details, and it did give him a chance to interact with the Doc in a different setting. I'd never seen the last third of the episode, so it was a little disappointing that it didn't quite live up to the rest, as Data's observations take a back seat to the unfolding Romulan plot. It might have been better not to have over-egged the pudding with that storyline.

It's really nice to hear Data's doing it all for Commander Maddox who wanted to disassemble him back in Season 2, and they have become correspondents. The idea was recycled at least once, when Dr. Phlox performed a similar experiment on 'Enterprise' which says the idea is one worth copying (not that everything 'Enterprise' copied was worth it!). Another link between the series' is mention of Andorians and that their weddings consist of four people, unless... but Data doesn't finish his sentence so we aren't treated to in-depth details of Andorian marriage rituals. The Romulan menace has woven through the series since the Season 1 finale, and though their appearance has been sporadic it's the closest thing to an ongoing arc the series has played with, along with the Borg and the Klingons.

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