# Star Trek seemed to avoid \*real\* moral problems

**URL:** <https://boards.straightdope.com/t/star-trek-seemed-to-avoid-real-moral-problems/761152>\
**Category:** Cafe Society\
**Created:** [July 28, 2016, 11:46pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/star-trek-seemed-to-avoid-real-moral-problems/761152 "2016-07-28T23:46:46Z")\
**Posts on this page:** 3\
**Page:** 2

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**Author:** ![Grrr](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/grrr/32/146_2.png) [@Grrr](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Grrr)\
**Post date:** [July 29, 2016, 7:19pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/star-trek-seemed-to-avoid-real-moral-problems/761152/21 "2016-07-29T19:19:24Z")

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> [@ivylass](#):
>
> Data had to prove his sentience, which he did. Prior to that it wasn’t confirmed. He is a robot, after all.

Yeah but, in season 2, ep 1, Dr. Polasky says this to Data:

“I’m sorry Data, Star Fleet says you are a sentient being and I have to accept that.” (I can’t remember what she said prior to him that promted her to say that.)

And then, just a few episodes later, Data is on trail for his life.  
:smack:

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**Author:** ![Dale\_Sams](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/d/779978/32.png) [@Dale\_Sams](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Dale_Sams)\
**Post date:** [July 29, 2016, 7:44pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/star-trek-seemed-to-avoid-real-moral-problems/761152/22 "2016-07-29T19:44:51Z")

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Round six years ago I said “The Drumhead could never be made today”

Great ep.

And I’m pretty sure that hamfisted terrorist ep couldnt be made. And I could be wrong but I think the “returning vets locked up on the moon” ep with James Cromwell was aired either right before it or after. That might not be produced either. Or maybe so.

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**Author:** ![John\_DiFool](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/john_difool/32/19543_2.png) [@John\_DiFool](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/John_DiFool)\
**Post date:** [July 29, 2016, 8:44pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/star-trek-seemed-to-avoid-real-moral-problems/761152/23 "2016-07-29T20:44:50Z")

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What bugged me about a number of TNG eps was how they often bailed a character out of a difficult moral quandary. The most infamous example would have been Data deciding to shoot that Kivas Fajo guy (I always want to call him “Donny” for some odd reason…) after he realized the asshole was irredeemable-“I cannot allow this to continue…” and pulls the trigger on that sadistic disruptor Fajo used to kill that woman earlier in the ep…

…except that the transporter beams Data up at that exact moment-O’Brien even notices that the weapon had discharged, and deactivates it. When he asks Data about it, Data lies and says it must have malfunctioned!

Both those points still piss me off, saves Data from the consequences of his moral choice, then compounds it by having him lie out of character. :mad:

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