The Day Data Lost
Plot Beats
The narrative micro-steps within this event
Pulaski marvels that flesh beat "the computer," Troi offers gentle solace, Kolrami extends a rematch, and Data shakes his hand but declines, shutting the door on another try.
Pulaski challenges his supposed perfection; Data answers with stripped-down certainty—"Obviously I am not"—and the myth of his infallibility fractures.
Who Was There
Characters present in this moment
Calm and procedural; focused on duty rather than the emotional tenor of the room.
Lieutenant Burke stands ceremonially before the players, signals the formal start with the single command, 'Begin!', and otherwise remains a neutral procedural presence ensuring the match proceeds under order.
- • Ensure the match starts and proceeds according to protocol.
- • Maintain an orderly environment for the contest and observers.
- • Formal process and clear commands maintain discipline in public events.
- • Ceremony and protocol matter to the ship's social fabric and order.
Resigned and reflective on the surface; internally unsettled — a rare crack in self‑modeling that registers as a subdued, almost clinical shock.
Data sits opposite Kolrami, executes rapid plays as the counter climbs, rises after the board freezes at 133, shakes Kolrami's hand, and delivers the stark admission of non‑infallibility with quiet dignity.
- • Win the public Strategema match against Kolrami to validate his capabilities.
- • Demonstrate competence to the crew and uphold the image of dependable analytic power.
- • Analytic superiority and computational rigor produce predictable, optimal outcomes.
- • Clear, observable performance in public contests will reinforce crew trust and his role aboard the ship.
Concerned and gently protective, managing her own surprise while prioritizing Data's emotional equilibrium and the crew's morale.
Troi assists Data in pre‑game preparation, watches the accelerated match attentively, offers a conciliatory compliment after Data's defeat, and attempts to ease the emotional sting in front of the gathered crew.
- • Support Data emotionally and reduce his public humiliation.
- • Stabilize crew morale by framing the loss as honorable rather than catastrophic.
- • Emotional context shapes how performance is perceived by others.
- • A public setback can be reframed with empathetic intervention to prevent lasting damage.
Delighted and gleeful; takes personal satisfaction in upending the myth of machine perfection and relishing human victory.
Pulaski orchestrates the match's social setup with a match‑making smile, steps forward in visible delight when the counter stalls, and vocalizes the astonishment and pleasure of flesh‑and‑blood triumph over machine.
- • Stir social interaction and provoke growth or revelation in others by engineering competitive situations.
- • Expose Data to human vulnerability to elicit learning or emotional development.
- • Human unpredictability and intuition can trump mere computation.
- • Disruptive moments catalyze character revelation and needed change.
Confident and mildly triumphant, savoring the victory while maintaining an appearance of civility to maximize psychological effect.
Kolrami sits opposite Data, matching rapid plays, capitalizes on the final sequence as the board and counter freeze, responds with an overly courteous congratulation, and offers rematch with a tone that mixes grace and intellectual superiority.
- • Demonstrate Zakdorn strategic superiority and test the limits of Data's reasoning.
- • Undermine the crew's unspoken reliance on Data by scoring a public victory.
- • Superior strategic mastery confers both intellectual prestige and leverage.
- • Psychological pressure and public spectacle are valid tools to expose weaknesses.
Objects Involved
Significant items in this scene
The Strategema holographic cone projects the three‑dimensional gameboard, providing the visual and tactile arena for the contest; its shimmering pieces and movement communicate tempo and skill, then freeze mid‑animation when the match ends, turning spectacle into a silent signifier of an upset.
The small digital move counter audibly and visually tracks each play; as moves tick upward it creates mounting tension and then abruptly freezes on '133', offering the definitive, unambiguous evidence that Data was outplayed and converting ambiguity into a concrete outcome.
Location Details
Places and their significance in this event
Ten‑Forward serves as the public social stage where the Strategema exhibition is staged, gathering crew and senior officers into a small amphitheater; its open, social layout amplifies the humiliation and triumph alike, making the defeat not only personal to Data but communal to the ship.
Narrative Connections
How this event relates to others in the story
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Key Dialogue
"PULASKI: "I can't believe it. The computer was beaten by flesh and blood.""
"TROI: "You advanced quite far against such a worthy opponent.""
"DATA: "Obviously I am not.""