Hero Worship ( episode ) Data helps the only survivor of a wrecked ship , a child , cope with the loss of his parents . Meanwhile , the crew investigates the cause of the wreck . Summary . Teaser . The arrives at the designated coordinates of the black cluster , scanning for the " Vico " within the cluster . The vessel appears to be adrift and the sensor s detect no life sign s . The " Vico " has experienced multiple hull breaches , but it is determined that it is barely safe enough for an away team to beam over . Riker , La Forge , and Data beam on board the vessel . While on board , they find a young boy caught under the wreckage of the damaged ship . Act One . Because the area where the boy is trapped is protected by several layers of shielding and victurium , he cannot be beamed out from under the wreckage . Data says he can lift it away , but he may quicken the imminent hull breach , so he advises Riker and La Forge to beam back ahead of him . When the boy wonders how Data can lift the heavy wreckage , Data tells him he is an android , not a normal man . Working together , Data frees the boy and they run to an unshielded corridor , allowing them to be beamed away by Hutchinson moments before the hull collapses . The boy , , turns out to be the only survivor of the ship . He tells Data and Crusher that the ship was attacked and boarded . Geordi reports that the away team found his mother ' s body underneath some wreckage in another part of the ship , while his father was likely blown out into space when the bridge was exposed . Seriously traumatized , Timothy initially only trusts Data . Counselor Troi advises Data that " his world is gone , " and the crew must help him to make a new one . Act Two . La Forge and Data are examining the files transferred from the " Vico " . It appears some EM pulse hit the ship and damaged its databanks , erasing 83 % of its data , including sensor log s . They start a structural analysis while Data asks La Forge about whether he has experienced a traumatic event . Data learns that a support structure is important for young children . Timothy has trouble blending in and appears to be suppressing his traumatic experience on board the " Vico " . While learning mythology in class , Timothy ignores the lesson and continues with a model of the Dokkaran Temple of Kural - Hanesh from their sculpture class . On the bridge , the crew learns that the vessel was attacked with disruptor - style weapons , and an attack style consistent with cloaked vessel . They suspect the Romulans , Klingons , or Breen . However , the ship wasn ' t boarded , so Timothy is not being truthful for some reason . Counselor Troi advises Data to spend time with him , given that the boy only seems to feel comfortable around Data . Data goes to Timothy ' s quarters , and recognizes the model he ' s building . Timothy is happy about the model , but then dismayed when Data innocently critiques the structure . Data attempts to comfort him when he is called by La Forge to Engineering and has to leave . Before leaving , Data decides to quickly build the model of the Temple with his super speed . Timothy is amazed by Data and asks how he does that . Data responds by saying that he is an android and was designed to exceed Human capacity , both mentally and physically . He further states that he does not possess the ability to experience emotions like Humans do . Timothy seems intrigued by the notion of not feeling happiness or sadness . He begins to emulate Data . Act Three . In the observation lounge , the senior staff review new findings . The cluster has unpredictable gravitational regions , and Picard decides to traverse them to understand what happened to the " Vico " . Troi says she will meet with Timothy soon to attempt to get more information . Counselor Troi goes to find Timothy to talk in Ten Forward , and finds that he claims to be an android , too . Although strange , she finds it is just part of the healing process and that Timothy will eventually snap out of it . Reporting later to Captain Picard suggests Data help make Timothy the best android possible . Data then begins teaching him how to be an android , fixing his hair like himself , getting a check - up with Dr . Crusher , and painting with him . While doing so , Timothy seems to finally open up , admitting that he has indeed been having nightmare s , but brushes it off by saying he doesn ' t need sleep . He finally falls asleep while painting , and Data puts him on his sofa . Act Four . The " Enterprise " enters the cluster , and experiences gentle nudges as the gravitational fronts affect the ship . Worf sees a ship on his sensors , but it appears to be reflections of the ship itself . Meanwhile , Data and Troi observe Timothy having a laugh at school . Troi believes Data ' s work is not done , however , and encourages him to talk to Timothy about his desire to be Human . In Ten Forward , they share in some dessert , and Timothy finds that Data cannot enjoy food like he can . Picard orders Worf to perform various scans , but they get refracted by the waves . Picard performs an experiment by firing phaser s into the cluster . They are refracted , even when fired at full intensity . Picard asks Data whether a disruptor - style weapon would also be ineffective , and Data says yes ; likewise , a ship ' s cloaking device would be impossible to maintain . The evidence before them is clear : " Vico " could not have been attacked inside the nebula . They call Counselor Troi to bring Timothy to the ready room . There they once again ask Timothy what happened to his ship . He insists that they were attacked . Data then tells Timothy " androids do not lie . " Breaking down , Timothy tells them that it was " him " , that he " killed them all . " Act Five . Timothy explains that while the ship was being impacted , he lost his balance and his arm hit a computer panel in engineering , just before the ship was destroyed . Timothy believes he must have caused the ship ' s destruction , but they tell him that it was impossible for him to have done so just by hitting a computer panel , as there were safety protocols . While Picard , Data and Troi try to reassure the boy that he is not responsible , they are all left with wondering what really caused the " Vico " s destruction . The " Enterprise " then shakes and Timothy says that this is how it started on the " Vico " as well . The wave front intensity increases and Commander Riker orders that Worf raise the shields to 75 % . The ship is then shaken again harder than before . Picard comes out of his ready room and orders Ensign Felton to bring the " Enterprise " full about and engage at warp 2 , but the ship ' s engines have been disabled by the cluster . They continue to increase shield strength . Timothy remembers hearing the same demand for increased shield strength aboard the " Vico " before it was destroyed . Developing a theory , Data leads Timothy to the science station at the aft section of the bridge and begins running a rapid analysis . Despite the increased shield strength , the " Enterprise " is hit even harder , and Picard orders warp power transferred to the shields , something which Timothy also remembers hearing . The transfer is made , and an enormously powerful wave front is fifteen seconds from impact when Data tells the captain to drop the shields . Riker objects that that is suicide , but Data , deathly serious , repeats the order . Picard complies , and the wave front barely rocks the ship . Data then explains that their own shields caused the increases in the wave front . If they had maintained the shield strength with warp power , they would have been torn apart . Data says that this was also the cause of the " Vico " s destruction . Thanks to Timothy ' s memory and Data ' s own speedy analysis , the same disaster was averted on the " Enterprise " . Outside the schoolroom , Data and Troi talk about Timothy . Troi says he still has a lot of pain but he is a boy again . Data talks to Timothy . Timothy says he misses his parents but that he is all right . He also says that Data must have thought it was pretty funny when he was imitating him . But Data responds by saying that he has often heard that imitation is the highest form of flattery . Timothy asks if they can still do things together and Data says he would be happy to count Timothy among his friends . " " That would be . . . acceptable " " , Timothy replies with his android persona . Memorable quotes . " " I am designed to exceed Human capacity . That is correct . " " " " His world is gone , Data . We ' re gonna have to help him build a new one . " " " " Data , I would like you to make Timothy the best android he can possibly be . " " " " Timothy , your head movements are counter - productive . Can you be still ? " " " " But you do it . " " " " The servo mechanisms in my neck are designed to approximate Human movements . I did not realize the effect was so distracting . " " " " You sound like you don ' t want to be an android . " " " " I " am " an android . That will never change . " " " " I would gladly risk feeling bad at times , if it also meant that I could taste my dessert . " " " " We were attacked ! We were attacked ! " " " " Impact in fifteen seconds . " " " " Sir , drop the shields . " " " " That ' s suicide , Data ! " " " " Captain . Drop the shields . " " " " I have many Human friends . I would be pleased to count you among them . " " " " That would be . . . acceptable . " " Links and references . References . black cluster ; Breen ; carbon dioxide ; cloaking device ; ; Dara ' s brother ; deflector shield ; deflector shield generator ; Dokkaran ; disruptor ; EM pulse ; Elamos the Magnificent ; enantiodromia ; fusion reactor ; G unit ; graviton wave ; harmonic amplification effect ; Klingon ; ; ; " " ; Milky Way Galaxy ; mythology ; neck ; number one ; ; palate ; phaser rifle ; polysaccharide ; protostar ; red alert ; red ochre ; Romulan ; " Row , Row , Row Your Boat " ; second officer ; Sector 97 ; servo - mechanism ; shield modulator ; shock ; Starbase 514 ; systems engineer ; Tagas ; Tamarin frost ; Temple of Kural - Hanesh ; Timothy ' s father ; Timothy ' s mother ; user code clearance ; ; victurium ; VISOR ; yawn