Stardate: 42437.5
Original Air Date: January 25, 1989
Writers: Richard Manning & Hans Beimler (story), Tracy Tormé (teleplay)
Director: Les Landau
“You have cheated. You have extended your life at the expense of another.”
This episode begins with a rare “medical log” by Dr. Pulaski. Eight hours ago, the Enterprise received an emergency request for medical assistance from the assistant of elusive Dr. Ira Graves –he is arguably “the greatest human mind in the universe.” For years, he has lived in complete isolation on a remote planet devoted full-time to his research on molecular cybernetics. His work has recently reached a critical stage. This mission has been given Priority One by Starfleet. Meanwhile, Geordi and Counselor Troi have been summoned by Data to see his “new image.” Geordi has been worried that Data is becoming somewhat insecure lately –an impossibility for an android. When they arrive, Data shows them a new beard on his face. But this strange liitle interlude has nothing to do with the rest of the episode.
When the Enterprise arrives at “Gravesworld,” a distress call is suddenly picked up from the USS Constantinople delivering a “mayday” alert. Its outer hull has been breached and environmental systems are compromised. The Constantinople is a transport ship being used to ferry settlers. It has 2,012 colonists aboard. Thus, with two critical emergencies, Riker proposes a long-range transportation to Gravesworld (or a “near-warp transport”) with an away team consisting of Riker, Worf, Troi, Data, and a Vulcan named Lieutenant Selar. They depart for Gravesworld while the Enterprise attempts to rescue the colonists. However, the long-range transportation apparently has some strange effects (Deanna Troi is temporarily caught inside a wall), but no lasting effects or problems.
They meet Dr. Graves’s assistant, Kareen Brianon, who issued the alert, and then Dr. Graves, himself. Sadly, he has become a short-tempered, cantankerous, misogynistic old man. He is quickly diagnosed with the final stages of Darnay’s Disease, a terminal disease. Dr. Graves is given perhaps a week to live. He departs with Data for a moment.
Meanwhile, the Enterprise has solved the crisis aboard the USS Constantinople and has returned to Gravesworld just as Dr. Graves manages to secretly transfer his own consciousness into Data. Dr. Graves is pronounced dead and he is given a funeral before his body is ejected into the endless depths of space. Data (with Dr. Graves’s personality) delivers a memorably ridiculous eulogy –“to know him is to love is to know him.” But Data begins acting strangely –disobeying Picard and obsessing over Kareen. He attacks Picard and Dr. Graves inexplicably decides to vacate Data and place his own consciousness into the ship’s computer. Thus concludes this episode.
My Thoughts on “The Schizoid Man”
Once again, Brent Spiner really shines in this outing. I found the premise for “The Schizoid Man” to be a compelling throwback to TOS episodes like “The Man Trap” or “What Are Little Girls Made Of?” with a lone scientist on a remote planet conducting life-changing research. Of course, Dr. Graves is alone on a remote planet with a beautiful young woman named Kareen and they both secretly love each other, even though Dr. Graves is a fairly revolting character.
The first half or so of this episode sets up an interesting premise, the latter half is carried by Brent Spiner but it is unfortunately not enough as Dr. Graves suddenly decides to develop a conscience while inside Data… and why doesn’t the Enterprise have some sort of security protocol against someone transferring their conscience into the ship’s computer? Wouldn’t this pose a threat for the future? And lastly, wouldn’t the crew be eager to figure out how Dr. Graves transferred himself to Data in the first place? Isn’t this an extraordinary discovery that could have wide-ranging implications for humanity?
I’m sure somewhere buried in this mess of a script there was a fairly intriguing idea. Perhaps it will be explored in future Data episodes.
Writer/Director
This episode was directed by Les Landau and the story was written by Richard Manning & Hans Beimler, while the teleplay was drafted by Tracy Tormé.
Star Trek Trivia:
- This episode may have been inspired by an episode of The Prisoner. They apparently tried to get Patrick McGoohan to star in this episode.
- At one point, Dr. Graves claims to be as healthy a “Rigellian Ox.”
- At one point, Kareen asks if Worf is a Romulan which greatly offends him.
- As established in the first season episode “Datalore,” Data was created by Dr. Noonien Soong. Dr. Graves claims to have known Dr. Soong.
- At one point, Dr. Graves is whistling “If I Only Had A Brain.” Dr. Graves mistakenly calls it an ancient song called “If I Only Had A Heart.”
- In addition to this episode, W. Morgan Sheppard (Dr. Ira Graves) also appeared in an episode of Voyager and also Star Trek VI: The Undiscovered Country, in the latter as warden of a Klingon gulag. He appeared in an uncredited role in the 2009 reboot Star Trek as a member of the Vulcan High Council. He appeared in Babylon 5 and was one of many Star Trek actors who voiced characters in the animated Gargoyles show.
- Suzie Plakson (who plays Lt./Dr. Selar) appears two more times as other characters in TNG, and then Voyager and Enterprise.
- Picard quotes Shakespeare’s Sonnet 18 in this episode.
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