This week we watched Marjorie Prime and the Star Trek: TNG episode “Measure of a Man”. What I thought was interesting about both of these texts was how similar yet different they are. They both deal with the creation of memories through the experiences has with different people. At the same time, they are both different because one deals with how a memory, no matter how fond or intimate, can be easily rewritten or even convoluted as you grow older and the other deals with our certain certain objects both define a memory and how that memory is associated to things.
As a Star Trek fan, this is one of my favorite episodes. I have a real soft spot for Data and how his sole purpose is to be human or to be as human as possible. The one scene I would like to focus on is the court room scene. Although this scene has alot to do with Data’s rights as both a sentient android and his rights as a Starfleet
officer on board the Enterprise, Picard uses Data’s memories as a way to argue that Data is able to feel and self-aware of the deep feelings he and other people have. Picard brings a tote of various objects that Data has a very intimate connection to. During his cross-examination of Data, Picard pulls out two things that have a deep and intimate impact on Data. The first is a book that was gifted to him by PIcard. Data says that the book “is a reminder of friendship and service”. Picard then pulls out a hologram of the late Tasha Yar. Data is hesitant to talk about it as the hologram has a deep, emotional meaning to him. Data says: “She was special to me, sir. We were… intimate.” This object, if not both, is the reason why Picard and Data win the court case. In relation to the voice thread, the scene has a lot to do with extended cognition–part of the reason why we keep certain things with us in our life is because of what they make us remember. They help us remember people, places, and events and how they’ve shaped who we are.
I loved the concept of Marjorie Prime. It reminded me a bit of Blade Runner 2049 and topic of human v. hologram in that. Unlike Blade Runner however, Marjorie Prime is easier to follow and explain in relation to the topic at hand. I think this movie is a good representation of how our memories change. I feel as if our memories change to bring us more comfort as we age especially when we start to lose our memories; we change certain things to make ourselves feel more safe and secure whether we realize it or not. Another reason is that we’re not just remembering the original event but our memory of the event as well–this is a good example of why eye-witness accounts are, most time, very unreliable.