Star Trek: The Original Series' "The City on the Edge of Forever" is often lauded as one of the franchise's best episodes, and with good reason, but this classic episode of Star Trek: The Next Generation is even better. Following Captain James T. Kirk (William Shatner) and his doomed romance with Edith Keeler (Joan Collins), "The City on the Edge of Forever" truly is a masterpiece in terms of its storytelling. The episode follows Kirk and Spock (Leonard Nimoy) as they travel back in time to repair the damage Dr. Leonard McCoy (DeForest Kelley) inadvertently caused in the past.
While in 1930s New York, Kirk falls in love with soup kitchen operator Edith Keeler, only to learn that she must die to restore the correct timeline and save the future. It's Kirk's most beautiful and tragic love story, but it's not the most quintessentially Star Trek episode of the franchise. Star Trek: The Original Series had other episodes that dealt more directly with social commentary or more unique science fiction concepts. While "The City on the Edge of Forever" certainly has something special, other, later Star Trek episodes have a more profound impact on the franchise as a whole.
Why TNG's "The Measure Of A Man" Is Better Star Trek Than "The City On The Edge Of Forever"
"The Measure Of A Man" Tackles Bigger Issues & Questions Than "The City On The Edge Of Forever"
Star Trek: The Next Generation followed in the footsteps of TOS, introducing the world to Captain Jean-Luc Picard (Patrick Stewart) and continuing the franchise's trend of delivering compelling and relevant science fiction stories. Some TNG episodes, like this season 2 classic, transcended Star Trek to address something bigger. The best Star Trek episodes wrestle with impossible questions like what it means to be human, and TNG's "The Measure of a Man" may be the best example of this.
"The City on the Edge of Forever" certainly deserves its accolades and represents a lot about what makes Star Trek great. It's a beautiful love story, complete with time travel and tragedy. Star Trek: The Next Generation's "The Measure of a Man," however, doesn't involve time travel or universe-altering stakes, but it tackles some of life's most complicated questions. The episode centers around the android Lt. Commander Data (Brent Spiner) and the question of whether he's the property of Starfleet or has the right to make his own decisions.
Cyberneticist Dr. Bruce Maddox (Brian Brophy) wants to dismantle Data for further study, and he argues that the android belongs to Starfleet. Data, of course, protests, as does Captain Picard, who risks his own career to stand up for his friend and crew member. Data eventually resigns himself to his fate and begins packing up his things, but Picard calls for a formal hearing, leading to one of the best court scenes in Star Trek history. Commander William Riker (Jonathan Frakes) must argue against Data, despite his personal feelings on the matter, and his argument shakes even Picard's resolve.
"The Measure of a Man" is also a great episode for Riker, as he struggles with his role in Data's trial. In the end, Data recognizes that Riker's actions helped save the android's life, even as they pained Riker personally.
After an enlightening talk with Guinan (Whoopi Goldberg), Picard delivers one of his most powerful speeches as he points out that Data represents everything Starfleet stands for. Data is the new life that Starfleet is meant to seek out, and claiming him as property could lead to a race of slaves. In the end, the judge, Captain Phillipa Louvois (Amanda McBroom), cannot say definitively whether Data has a soul, but she determines that he should have "the freedom to explore that question himself." Not only does this encapsulate Data's entire story arc, but it also describes the human experience.
"The Measure of A Man" Is Star Trek Social Commentary At Its Absolute Best
"The Measure of A Man" Highlights The Importance Of Empathy & Tackles Life's Big Questions
In many ways, "The Measure of a Man" is just as emotional as "The City on the Edge of Forever," particularly for Star Trek fans who have formed an attachment to Data. It hurts when Maddox refers to Data as an "it," but it's lovely to see how much his friends care about him. The episode goes beyond our emotional connections to its characters, though, tackling issues of sentience, artificial intelligence, and scientific advancement. Maddox truly believes he can improve lives by dismantling Data, but he doesn't see Data as a person.
Captain Picard rightly points out the dangers in dehumanizing Data and the slippery slope down which this could lead. As modern technology moves closer to creating an artificial life form with similarities to Data, these questions become even more relevant. But even beyond that, "The Measure of a Man" warns of the dangers of technological and scientific advancement without ethical considerations and human connection. The entire episode acts as an argument in favor of radical empathy, and the story highlights the importance of seeking connection with those who are different than us rather than isolating them as something "other."
Data's Star Trek Trial Continues To Affect Star Trek, While Kirk's Greatest Love Story Does Not
Star Trek On Paramount+ Continues To Grapple With Issues Of AI & Sentience
While "The City on the Edge of Forever" profoundly affected Captain Kirk, the events of that episode did not reverberate throughout the Star Trek universe like Data's trial in "The Measure of a Man." Captain Louvois' ruling that Data has the right to choose continues to affect the Star Trek of the Paramount+ era, particularly in Star Trek: Picard. At some point, Starfleet seems to have forgotten about their promise to Data, and they developed a race of non-sentient androids for use as manual labor. This backfired spectacularly, as the Romulan Zhat Vash eventually turned these synths against Mars in a devastating attack.
The Guardian of Forever from "The City on the Edge of Forever" does pop up in Star Trek: Discovery season 3, as a way to send Emperor Georgiou (Michelle Yeoh) back into the past.
In the wake of the Mars attack, the United Federation of Planets banned all synthetic life, regardless of whether these beings were sentient or not. This did not stop cyberneticists like Bruce Maddox (John Ales) and Altan Soong (Brent Spiner) from continuing their research, which eventually led to the creation of Dahj and Soji Asha (Isa Briones). After the events of Picard season 1, Soji embarked on a diplomatic mission to educate people about synthetic life.
Star Trek: The Next Generation's "The Measure of a Man" truly wrestles with the question of what it means to be human in a profound and poignant way.
In Star Trek: Picard season 3, Data received the ultimate upgrade with a new android body that combined the consciousnesses of Data, Lore, B-4, and Data's daughter Lal (Hallie Todd). This marks the culmination of Data's dream to achieve his own form of humanity, and "The Measure of a Man" marked a vital step along that journey. While Star Trek: The Original Series' "The City on the Edge of Forever" undoubtedly tells a beautiful story, Star Trek: The Next Generation's "The Measure of a Man" truly wrestles with the question of what it means to be human in a profound and poignant way.
