The Next Generation series of Star Trek is the one I have seen and loved the most. It was just wonderful in all aspects: plot, character, set-design, dialog, even special effect (by then standards for TV shows). Though all characters are memorable, it’s ultimately Data that stands out as the one and only – the android with near-human intelligence and a child’s curiosity.
This clip is from Season 3 of the series, the episode called The High Ground. By Data’s line of reasoning, terrorism is acceptable in bringing about widely desired political change when all else fails. Certainly a very contentious point! But hey, it’s Data, and he can say anything, without risking our fondness of him.
The description on the YouTube page of the clip informs that the episode was first banned from airing on TV in Britain. They did show the full episode ultimately. And a very relevant quote from the great E.M. Forster: “We are willing enough to praise freedom when she is safely tucked away in the past and cannot be a nuisance. In the present, amidst dangers whose outcome we cannot foresee, we get nervous about her, and admit censorship.”
