The Quality of Life

DVD, TNG S6 (The Quality of Life)

Return of the Beard! As in last episode, Geordi's beard gets spotlighted as if the characters weren't allowed to change without tentative steps to gauge the reaction of viewers. That's probably so - by this point in the series it had become a cash-cow brand powering through the ratings and earning Paramount loadsamoney. The smallest alteration that might upset perceptions was probably frowned upon, but if there were going to be any, they had to be carefully laid out, not sneaked by without anyone noticing. The opening scene featuring Beverly playing poker with three bearded crewmates took advantage of the beard theme and went off on a whole for-and-against discussion on the merits of the humble beard! Geordi and Riker feel it stands for strength, while Worf says Klingons view a beard as a sign of courage, but Beverly believes it hides something and is merely a fashion statement like women doing their hair or nails. It's not the most important moral issue of the story, but it is good fun and leaves us hanging teasingly with the possibility that if Beverly had won they'd all have had to shave the beards off, and if they'd won she'd have turned into a brunette. If only the Captain hadn't interrupted, either way would have been a novel outcome.

The real issue at the heart of this story is no less than the meaning of life itself. That is, the definition of life rather than the purpose, and whether objects that can learn and operate independently can be considered alive. Thanks to Data we know that highly complex mechanical constructs can be sentient beings, but if every piece of technology was put in that class and given the ability to exceed its programming we'd be in big trouble - exocomps and the EMH were probably more trouble than they were worth as they needed constant attention and couldn't always be relied upon to do what was necessary since they had free will. Sorry Doctor, you were worth it really. That's what I began to think early in the episode: that these were mere cutesy-fied anthropomorphic buckets. I mean they didn't even look very cutting edge and sleek by Starfleet standards, but, like 'Star Wars' Droids, they had a character of their own and I came to forgive even their shamelessly sentimental waving arms/ears and blinky lights.

Actually, the idea of robots that can self-replicate their own tools is an inspired idea and no doubt the modern world is close to similar breakthroughs since tools can now be 'manufactured' on the spot by machines given the raw components, which is basically replicator technology even though it doesn't yet reach the molecular level. Initially I felt the aesthetics were flawed, but the little critters grew on me and by the time they were voluntarily saving the lives of Picard and Geordi I'd been won over, especially when one of them stays behind to ensure the rest survive. There were shades of Season 1's 'Home Soil' where life lay undiscovered until it made itself known against the science team who didn't want to admit to the possibility of life and lose their precious experiments, but in this story there were no threats from the boxy bots to show them in a bad light and it makes me wish we saw more of these things on starships carrying out work, not least because people love robots. On the subject of light, I've never noticed before, but Dr. Crusher has blinds in her office which clearly show a corridor behind her. This must surely be a new addition as I've always thought it was a solid wall there.

Data's insubordination is a big moment in the episode. Previously he's taken what Starfleet orders he's given even if they were stacked against what he saw as right - would he have given up his homemade daughter Lal if forced to do so and not having the get-out clause of her death? At that point I think he would have felt he had no choice, but now he's learned to stand up for life in the mechanical world like never before. Frakes does a good performance opposite Data's calm intractable refusal to return transporter control, and I expect carrying the weight of the ship and his Captain's life came more easily as he was carrying the production in real life as the Director. Something of the films 'First Contact' and 'Nemesis' came to me in the episode, mainly from Data and Picard's talk at the end where the android tactfully explains why he was willing to choose the exocomp's freedom over Picard's rescue, and Picard understands. There's a sign of the special bond they developed that stood out in those two films when Picard goes back for Data, then Data saves Picard at the cost of his own life. Maybe he learnt something valuable from those exocomps?

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