Induced self - destruction Several entities with artificial intelligence ( like self - aware computers and android s ) suffered from severe internal systems failures after they had been made aware of paradox es or other dilemmas . Being guided by logic , these artificial intelligences were unable to cope with logically insoluble problems . Captain James T . Kirk was quite adept at inducing self - destruction in artificial intelligences , or " talking computers to death . " He achieved the feat at least four times . ( ) Cases of induced self - destruction . Landru . One of the self - imposed " Directives " of the sentient computer Landru was to take care of " the Body . " When Kirk made Landru aware that Landru had violated this Directive by imposing detrimental stagnation to " the Body , " Landru suffered a fatal internal systems failure . ( ) M - 5 . The programming of the M - 5 multitronic computer included Dr . Richard Daystrom ' s ethical convictions . Kirk made the M - 5 unit aware that it had killed Human beings , in contradiction of M - 5 ' s ( or Daystrom ' s ) ethical principles . M - 5 concluded that it deserved death as a penalty for its killings and shut down . ( ) " Nomad " . The artificial lifeform " Nomad " was accidentally programmed to sterilize all imperfect lifeforms . When Kirk made " Nomad " aware of three errors " Nomad " had made ( resulting from mistaking Kirk for its " creator " Jackson Roykirk ) , " Nomad " deemed itself imperfect and exploded itself , thus carrying out its own programming . ( ) Norman . The androids of Mudd suffered from a severe internal failure when their coordinator , Norman , was presented with the liar paradox by Kirk and Harcourt Mudd , following a dazzling display of non sequiturs culminating in the detonation of a " bomb " which only existed in the imagination of the crew of the " Enterprise " . Rayna Kapec . When the android Rayna Kapec was presented by Kirk with the choice between love for her " father " Flint and for Kirk , Rayna ceased to function and died . ( ) Related cases . There are some cases where artificial intelligences or cybernetic beings were unable to cope with irrational or paradoxical inputs . Andrea . After Kirk kissed the android Andrea she displayed erratic behavior . ( ) Redjac . Spock cleared Redjac out of the Enterprise computer by having the computer calculate pi to the last digit . ( ) The Rice hologram . When Commander William T . Riker encountered a Captain Paul Rice projected by the hostile Echo Papa 607 , Riker gave the hologram nonsensical answers , causing the Echo Papa to break off its ruse . The invasive program . Commander s Data and Geordi La Forge devised an invasive program to be inserted into the Borg hive mind . The program featured a paradoxical geometric shape . The program was supposed to destroy the entire Borg Collective eventually . It is not known , however , if the invasive program would have actually worked as the plan was not carried out due to ethical considerations . In this case it was not the paradox itself that was the weapon however . Instead , the shape was said to include a virus - like effect designed to be spawned when the shape was analyzed by the Borg . ( )