The Most Toys

"The Most Toys" is the 22nd episode of the third season of the American science fiction television series Star Trek: The Next Generation, and the 70th episode of the series overall.

"The Most Toys"
Star Trek: The Next Generation episode
Episode no.Season 3
Episode 22
Directed byTim Bond
Written byShari Goodhartz
Featured musicDennis McCarthy
Cinematography byMarvin Rush
Production code170
Original air dateMay 5, 1990 (1990-05-05)
Guest appearance(s)

Set in the 24th century, the series follows the adventures of the Starfleet crew of the Federation starship Enterprise-D. In this episode, Lieutenant Commander Data (Brent Spiner) is kidnapped by an obsessive collector, who leads the Enterprise crew to believe that Data was destroyed in a shuttlecraft accident. The episode's title references a quote popular in the 1980s, "Whoever dies with the most toys wins".[1]

Plot

The Enterprise-D is called to assist the colony on planet Beta Agni II, which has suffered contamination to its water supply. They meet with the Jovis, a ship owned by the Zibalian trader Kivas Fajo (Saul Rubinek), a trader who so happens to have hitritium, the extremely rare compound needed to neutralize the contamination. The volatile substance cannot be beamed aboard, so Lieutenant Commander Data (Brent Spiner) is assigned to make several shuttle trips to collect the cargo. Just before the final trip, Data is kidnapped, and his shuttle is rigged to explode. The Enterprise crew scan the debris and finding trace elements matching Data, they believe he is dead, and are forced to leave to continue their mission.

Data is reactivated in a secured room and is met by Fajo, who explains he collects rare and valuable objects and has kidnapped Data due to his uniqueness. Varria tells Data to change out of his Enterprise uniform and to sit in his chair. Data refuses to follow orders and remarks that they are both Fajo's prisoners.

Mourning the loss of their friend, Geordi is certain that he is missing something about Data's destruction. Geordi takes his hypothesis to Picard and Riker, stating that the reason he can't find anything is there's nothing to indicate a malfunction. He explains that the only option is pilot error, but doesn't believe it as the odds are too vast to calculate. Picard gives him some words of solace and dismisses him. Picard and Riker select Worf as Data's replacement.

In an effort to make Data comply with his wishes, Fajo says that he isn't at war with anyone and is in fact Data's liberator. He prods Data about whether or not he is capable of killing anyone, and Data states that he is programmed to never kill except in defense, and thus would be incapable of murder. When Data still refuses to submit, Fajo splashes a solvent on Data's uniform that dissolves it so he will be compelled to change his clothes.

Geordi and Wesley run through Data's communications during the shuttle trips, with Geordi noting that Data follows protocol to the letter. Wesley further points out that Data didn't report the shuttle clearing the cargo bay of the Jovis on the final transmission, per protocol. Geordi and Wesley conclude that for Data to not follow standard procedures, such as not reporting something wrong, is not like him unless there was something wrong with Data himself.

Data remains defiant against Fajo's attempts to make him an object of display, purposely remaining silent and immobile when Fajo shows off his collection to a rival trader (Nehemiah Persoff). Only when Fajo threatens to kill Varria with a very rare and illegal Varon-T disruptor does Data agree to follow Fajo's orders and sits in the chair.

The Enterprise crew arrives at the colony and uses the hitridium to neutralize the contamination, but finds it works far more quickly than it should and deduce that the contamination had been caused deliberate, leading them back to Fajo. They return to the last-known location of the Jovis to track Fajo down.

Varria decides to help Data to escape. During the attempt they set off alarms that alert Fajo, and when he gets there, he uses the Varon-T disruptor on Varria, killing her without remorse. Data picks up the spare Varon-T that Varria had possessed and threatens to use it on Fajo. Fajo in turn threatens to murder more of his assistants if Data doesn't comply with his demands, believing that Data's programming will prevent him from shooting Fajo and to preserve the assistants' lives by submitting. Fajo further taunts Data to shoot him, mocking him as "just an android" incapable of feeling rage at Varria's death. Data states that he cannot allow this to continue and gets ready to shoot Fajo, much to the latter's shock. The Enterprise arrives and suddenly beams Data back aboard, discovering that the disruptor was in the process of discharging. Data is met in the transporter room by Commander Riker, and requests that Fajo be taken into custody, with Riker responding that arrangements have already been made. When Riker asks why the disruptor was energized, Data only offers that something may have happened during transport.

Data visits Fajo In the brig, where Fajo laments the reversal of their situation, but says defiantly that he will again add Data to his collection one day. Data informs Fajo that his stolen collection has been confiscated, and all his possessions returned to their rightful owners. Fajo remarks, "It must give you great pleasure." Data replies "No, sir, it does not. I do not feel pleasure. I am only an android." He then leaves a stunned Fajo alone in the brig.

Production
  • The characters name Kivas Fajo comes from script coordinator Lolita Fatjo, and a mineral mentioned in episode The Trouble with Tribbles.[2]
  • David Rappaport, a well-known British dwarf actor, had originally been cast for the part of Kivas Fajo. Rappaport struggled with depression during his life, and attempted suicide shortly after filming some scenes as Fajo. (Rappaport later died by suicide on 2 May 1990, three days before the airing of this episode). Saul Rubinek was brought in to take over the role and complete the episode. Select scenes with Rappaport were included in a special In Memoriam reel on disc five of the third-season TNG Blu-ray set.[3][4]
  • The episode's title comes from a popular saying found on bumper stickers and T-shirts in the 1980s which read, "He who dies with the most toys wins."[5] The quote is originally attributed to flamboyant millionaire Malcolm Forbes.[6]
  • Writer Shari Goodhartz was dissatisfied with the ending and wished she had been able to come up with something more clever, finding it a little too convenient. Spiner agreed with Goodhartz Data purposefully shot Fajo, but the producers wanted it to be kept ambiguous. Goodhartz said "If I had a chance to do it over, with all the experience I have behind me now, I would argue passionately for Data’s actions and their consequences to have been clearer, and hopefully more provocative."[7]

Trivia

Famous artwork is heavily featured in this episode, to demonstrate Fajo's taste in what he considers unique and valuable.

  • Among the artifacts that Fajo has collected, there is a copy of Salvador Dali's The Persistence of Memory. The copy was created by artist Elaine Sokoloff.
  • Although it is never seen, Vincent van Gogh's The Starry Night is mentioned by the Enterprise computer as one of the artifacts collected by Fajo.
  • In a small scene before the one where Fajo threatens to kill Varria with a disruptor in order to get Data to obey him, Data is looking at Leonardo da Vinci's famous Mona Lisa, trying to imitate her famously enigmatic smile.

Reception

Zack Handlen of The A. V. Club gave the episode a grade A-. Handlen wrote that in one way the episode could be considered a variation on the episode The Measure of a Man, but that it stands quite well on its own and that "subtle character exploration" of Data gives it its edge.[8] Keith R.A. DeCandido reviewed the episode and gave it 8 out of 10, praising the ambiguous ending, and the performances of Spiner and Rubinek.[2]

In 2014, io9 ranked "The Most Toys" as the 95th best episode of Star Trek in their list of the top 100 Star Trek episodes.[9]

References
  1. Toles, Tom (October 24, 2016). "He who dies with the most toys loses". The Washington Post. Amazon Media. Archived from the original on November 30, 2018. Retrieved September 20, 2020.
  2. DeCandido, Keith R. A. (January 27, 2012). "Star Trek: The Next Generation Rewatch: "The Most Toys"". Tor.com.
  3. "TNG S3 Blus: David Rappaport "The Most Toys" Footage Will Be Included". TrekCore.com. March 31, 2013. Retrieved September 19, 2013.
  4. Latchem, John (April 4, 2013). "'Star Trek' Series Soaring on Blu-ray". Home Media Magazine. Archived from the original on April 12, 2013. Retrieved April 5, 2013.
  5. The Star Trek: The Next Generation companion.
  6. Cohen, Charles E. (March 19, 1990). "A Paladin of Publicity Bows Out in Grand Style". People.com. Retrieved December 31, 2011.
  7. "Speaking With Shari Goodhartz Part Two". www.marvwolfman.com.
  8. Zack Handlen (2010). "Star Trek: The Next Generation: "Hollow Pursuits"/"The Most Toys"". The A. V. Club.
  9. Anders, Charlie Jane (October 2, 2014). "The Top 100 Star Trek Episodes Of All Time!". io9. Retrieved November 23, 2020.

Resources
  • Star Trek The Next Generation DVD set, volume 3, disc 6, episode 2
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