From: tlynch@cco.caltech.edu (Timothy W. Lynch)
Newsgroups: rec.arts.startrek.info
Subject: Synopsis, "The Quality of Life"
Followup-To: rec.arts.startrek.current
Date: 22 Nov 1992 01:29:44 GMT
Organization: California Institute of Technology, Pasadena
Reply-To: tlynch@juliet.caltech.edu
NNTP-Posting-Host: sandman.caltech.edu
Summary: == synopsis
Keywords: TNG, Data, machine life?

WARNING:  The following review contains spoiler information for "The Quality 
of Life."  (The TNG episode, that is, not the concept itself.  :-) )  Those 
not wishing said spoilers are advised to remain calm, avoid panic, and simply 
skip this message.



The Enterprise arrives at the planet of Tyra 7A, where Geordi is inspecting 
the completion of a "particle fountain," a possible new mining technique.  
The scheduling and implementation problems of the fountain, however, quickly 
prove overwhelming, and a disaster is averted only with the help of an 
exocomp, a tool invented by the station's Dr. Farallon.  The exocomp is 
designed to be a problem solver, and it not only replicates the tools it 
needs to do its jobs, but adds on new circuits in its own brain when 
encountering an unfamiliar task.  It's a great breakthrough, and Picard 
agrees to Farallon's request for a 48-hour delay to use her exocomps to 
finish bringing the particle fountain up to full strength.

Unfortunately, this also falls prey to problems.  One of the exocomps leaves 
a plasma conduit and "refuses" to return, apparently malfunctioning and 
burning out its command circuits.  This proves fortunate for the exocomp, as 
the conduit exploded very shortly thereafter, but puzzles the examiners, who 
find large numbers of brain pathways that do not appear to have any impact on 
job performance.  Farallon dismisses it as a malfunction now rendering the 
exocomp useless and returns to the station.  Data, however, continues 
researching, and finds that approximately two hours after the exocomp burnt 
out its own control pathways, it rebuilt them once the danger had passed.  
After some thought, Data concludes that the exocomps may very well be alive, 
and urges Farallon not to continue using them.

Farallon protests, and at a hastily convened conference no immediate 
conclusion is reached.  However, all parties do agree to test Data's 
hypothesis by recreating the situation where the "malfunction" occurred and 
seeing if the exocomp truly has survival instincts.  In a test where a 
simulated disaster is set up for the exocomp to find while conducting a 
repair, the exocomp fails to flee on cue, thus convincing nearly all parties 
that it is, in fact, not a living being.  Farallon returns to her work, 
leaving the one "defective" exocomp with Data.  Data, however, continues 
testing, and when a conversation with Dr. Crusher distracts him from bringing 
the exocomp back after a "failure", he finds that the exocomp didn't fail the 
test at all.  Rather, it saw right through it, realizing the "disaster" was a 
sensor glitch; and not only did it finish the initial repair, it repaired the 
sensors to correct the anomaly.  

Before he has a chance to inform others of this situation, however, another 
mishap befalls the station, calling for its evacuation.  Unfortunately, both 
Geordi and Picard are trapped on board it, with radiation levels rising 
rapidly.  With time too short to send a shuttle or properly configure a 
photon torpedo, the only chance appears to be programming all three exocomps 
to beam into the particle stream and then detonate, shutting down the 
fountain.  Data strenuously objects to this, but is overruled; and Farallon 
goes so far as to disconnect their command pathways just in case they 
malfunction and attempt to shut down.  

Data responds to this by locking out the transporter controls, and refuses to 
release them even under threat of court-martial.  In the end, Riker 
grudgingly agrees to reconnect the pathways and give the exocomps, if they 
are alive, the choice of whether to act or not on the situation.  They choose 
to help, but not by destroying themselves.  Rather, they beam into the 
station and absorb enough power from the core to open a "window" through 
which Picard and Geordi can be beamed.  Two of three are subsequently saved, 
with the third remaining behind to hold the window open for the others.  
Farallon agrees not to exploit her creations any longer, and Picard informs 
an apologetic Data that risking all to fight for the exocomps' rights was 
"the most human decision you've ever made."

NEXT WEEK:  The first of five reruns, and I take a very-needed vacation.  Ta!

Tim Lynch (Harvard-Westlake School, Science Dept.)
BITNET:  tlynch@citjulie
INTERNET:  tlynch@juliet.caltech.edu
UUCP:  ...!ucbvax!tlynch%juliet.caltech.edu@hamlet.caltech.edu
"Always the easy questions..."
		--us, after Data asks "what is the definition of life?"
--
Copyright 1992, Timothy W. Lynch.  All rights reserved, but feel free to ask...