look all I'm saying is that being second in command can get stressful
if your beau and your friend combine their respective skills into domming the daylights out of you, it's just part of work-life balance ╮(. ❛ ᴗ ❛.)╭
(I have mad respect for riker being indiscriminately horny on main. you can't tell me he hasn't once considered the potential of a partner with vast patience, precision and stamina. it was his birthday all over again when another stepped in to handle the subtleties of getting into his head and unraveling him)
— Marvelous. How easily humans do that.
I still need much practice.
— There's some puzzles down on the...
Down on the planet that the captain wants answered. He suggests I take you with me on the away team I'll be leading.
— I shall endeavor to function adequately, sir.
— Yes.
Another scene in The Measure of A Man I want to touch on is the scene in the Observation Lounge, in which Maddox explains his plans for Data to Picard and Riker. First and foremost, we need to talk about the seating arrangment; how and where each character sits around the table.
Picard, of course, sits at the head of the table. Riker sits to Picard's right, Maddox sits to Picard's left (across from Riker), and Data sits left of Maddox.
By sitting in this manner, Maddox can talk to Picard and Riker while literally turning his back on Data, thereby not only verbally excluding him from the conversation (by not addressing him at all until forced to, and, one could argue, by calling him "it", although that's a bit more nuanced) but also literally blocking Data from joining the conversation with his body. Maddox sits leaned forward, which means Picard must lean sideways to even be able to see Data behind Maddox, which we can see him do.
And this seating arrangement is important!! It is a beautiful piece of visual storytelling; it shows precisely what the dynamic between Maddox and Data is and adds to the verbal cues we get.
But there's so much moreeee!
Like I said, Maddox doesn't actually address Data until Data asks him if he's constructed a positronic brain. He looks to Data with full confidence-- even a degree of smugness-- and confirms that he has. When Data bombards him with (VALID ASF) questions about how he'll work around certain issues, Maddox averts his gaze, only looking at Data sporadically, until he doesn't look at him anymore at all. Then he turns fully to Picard and Riker when he says: "I do not anticipate any problems", a sense of finality to his tone. It effectively stops Data from asking further questions.
Fortunately, Riker and Picard aren't convinced either, and here is where the dynamic of the scene shifts. Instead of Maddox's intended triangle of himself, Picard and Riker with Data on the outside, it now seems more like he sits surrounded; trapped between Picard, Riker and Data as they each ask him critical questions. We can physically see the shift in Maddox's body language-- he ducks his head, shifts around and makes himself look smaller. It's clear he now feels intimidated. Backed in a corner and with Picard telling him he won't allow Data to submit to the tests, he finally pulls out the transfer orders.
This scene is SO POWERFUL in how it visually sets up the dynamics between each of these characters, and how Maddox physically disrupts the pre-existing dynamic. It's a prime example of how the placement of characters and camera work can be used to tell a whole story without words. Idk who was in charge of this creative decision, but they deserve a standing ovation OMGGG
Again, I have the scene here-- it's zoomed and sped up but it's the only one I could find. I cut it off after Picard tells Maddox no, but immediately after that he pulls out the transfer orders and the scene ends.
