Data’s Day is a subtle, nearly perfect episode of TNG. There is a major focus on character development, a successfully interwoven subplot about Romulans, as well as an altogether refreshingly different approach to storytelling.

The premise of Data’s Day is to have Data record all of his activities during the course of one day, in order to help Commander Maddox further his research. The continuity back to The Measure of a Man is a nice touch, as is as seeing Data’s genuine desire to help Maddox — the man who once tried to strip Data of his civil liberties. Data decides to focus his report on the theme of friendship and, indeed, the interactions among friends is central to this episode.

The episode progresses at a fairly slow pace, but nowhere does it feel dragged out or tedious. Data’s central conflict is his role in the wedding of Transporter Chief O’Brien to Keiko, the blushing bride who has a case of cold feet. Data’s interactions with members of the crew are what make the episode so endearing. He is still learning the nuances of human behavior and his errors in judgment are humorous for the audience and enlightening for Data.

What makes all of this work is that we see the story from Data’s perspective. Whether he is learning to dance from Dr. Crusher, or analyzing Romulan strategic maneuvers on the edge of the Neutral Zone, the episode unfolds through Data’s eyes. It’s an unique method for telling a story, but because Data is such a likable character, it works extremely well.

As such, we only get glimpses of the Romulan subplot whenever Data is directly involved. It’s an effective way of setting up the major twist: A Vulcan Ambassador, who was to conduct clandestine negotiations with the Romulans appeared to have died in a transporter accident. Instead, she was actually surreptitiously beamed on board a Romulan ship.

After realizing that accident was staged, the Enterprise rushes to confront the Romulans. Only then do they realize the rouse went deeper still: the Vulcan Ambassador was actually a Romulan spy. Outmaneuvered and outgunned, the Enterprise retreats from the confrontation.

It’s also refreshing to see an episode in which not everything works out as it should for the Federation. The effect is that the Romulans get a boost to their reputation, and the series adds a bit of realism that is sometimes overlooked just for the sake of a happy ending.

Data’s Day is an exceptionally well-rounded and enjoyable episode. It gives us both a classic Trek subplot (the Romulans) and a refreshing new approach to an episode (Data’s perspective). The result is one of the best episodes of the series.

Topics: Romulans
Filed under: TNG Reviews