Object

Commander Data's Hand (Courtroom Exhibit)

A fully articulated android hand of polished plasteel and synthetic dermal sheathing, roughly human-sized with visible joint actuators and faint seams where servomechanisms meet outer covering. In the courtroom it appears cold and clinical as Riker detaches it, presents it for inspection, and lays it beside the motionless Data; observers study its mechanical contours with a mix of curiosity, contempt, and horror while the hand itself remains inert and immaculate.

2 appearances

Purpose

To serve as an articulated manipulative appendage for Commander Data, enabling tactile interaction, fine motor tasks, and physical manipulation as part of his android body.

Significance

Functions as the prosecution's physical evidence and a symbol of dehumanization: by reducing Data to removable parts and displaying the hand on the stand, the trial reframes identity as property. Its removal and display precipitate the decisive act of switching Data off, escalating moral stakes and rupturing personal bonds among the crew.

Appearances in the Narrative

When this object appears and how it's used

2 moments

S2E9 · The Measure of a Man

The Machine Demonstration — Riker Turns Data Off

Data's detached hand is removed by Riker, offered to the judge for inspection as a tactile exhibit, then placed beside the motionless Data; it functions as visceral physical evidence that literalizes the prosecution's claim that Data is an assemblage of parts rather than a person.

Before: Affixed to Data, resting on the witness chair and scanner as part of his body during testimony.

After: Detached, held and inspected by the prosecution and judge, then laid down next to Data on the counsel table as an exhibit.

View full event

S2E9 · The Measure of a Man

The Switch: Riker Powers Data Down

Commander Data's detached hand is removed by Riker and presented as physical evidence; Phillipa inspects it, Riker slaps it against his palm to make the point of artificiality, and then it is laid beside the now-motionless Data, becoming a stark visual symbol of the trial's dehumanization.

Before: Attached to Data's arm as part of his active physiology while seated in the witness chair.

After: Detached, in Riker's possession briefly, then laid beside Data on the counsel table/witness area as an exhibit and visual punctuation to the demonstration.

View full event