The Next Generation’s Most Iconic Episodes Without George R. R. Martin

George R.R. Martin and Star Trek: The Next Generation, at first glance, have nothing in common. Martin is best known for writing the A Song of Ice and Fire novels, which helped launch the iconic HBO series Game of Thrones. Star Trek: The Next Generation helped breathe new life into the Star Trek franchise, even giving birth to new series like Star Trek: Deep Space Nine and Star Trek: Voyager — and a string of films, including the classic Star Trek: First Contact. What most Star Trek: The Next Generation fans might not know is that Martin helped bring one of the show’s most iconic episodes to life: Season 2’s “The Measure of a Man.”

“The Measure of a Man” finds Captain Jean-Luc Picard (Patrick Stewart) forced to defend Data (Brent Spiner) in court to prove that he’s a person and not merely a machine. Further complicating matters is the fact that First Officer William Riker (Jonathan Frakes) has to argue against Data’s personhood despite serving multiple missions with him. It’s a tense, emotionally moving episode that ranks among the very best of Star Trek: The Next Generation‘s offerings… but it almost never came to pass. So, how did George R.R. Martin get involved?

George R.R. Martin’s Advice to a ‘Star Trek: The Next Generation’ Writer Shaped “The Measure of a Man”

“The Measure of a Man” was the first official Star Trek: The Next Generation episode from Melinda Snodgrass, who previously wrote the Star Trek novel The Tears of the Singers. She drew from her experience as a lawyer when crafting the courtroom scenes and intended to draw parallels with the Supreme Court’s decision on the Dred Scott case, but almost pulled back on some of the heavier aspects of “The Measure of a Man.” Snodgrass would eventually reveal that George R.R. Martin gave her a vital piece of writing advice on the Star Trek: The Next Generation Season 2 Blu-Ray: “Never hoard your silver bullet.” Snodgrass took that to heart, and her script was purchased — leading to more writing assignments on Star Trek: The Next Generation Season 2 and a consulting position on Season 3.

Snodgrass and Martin worked together before her contribution to Star Trek: The Next Generation. The duo would serve as editors on the Wild Cards anthology series, which takes place in an alternative history following World War II. An alien virus leads to mankind either developing startling physical mutations or superpowers, with the former being referred to as “Jokers” and the latter as “Aces.” Martin and Snodgrass wrote stories set in the Wild Cards universe alongside other sci-fi authors like X-Men legend Chris Claremont and Doctor Who alum Paul Cornell. A Wild Cards television series is in the works for Peacock, with Snodgrass serving as an executive producer; this means that a new generation will potentially be exposed to her science fiction writing.

“The Measure of a Man” Influences ‘Star Trek’ — And Pop Culture — To This Day

It’s not an understatement to point out how influential “The Measure of a Man” was. Not only did it show that Star Trek: The Next Generation could deliver philosophical episodes in the vein of Star Trek: The Original Series, but it also introduced themes that would continue through Star Trek history. Data’s humanity would be the focus of most episodes, including “The Offspring,” where he constructed his “daughter” Lal, and any episodes involving his “evil twin” Lore (also played by Brent Spiner) Star Trek: First Contact would also feature Data being tempted with humanity by the Borg Queen (Alice Krige), who offered to give him true human flesh in exchange for being assimilated into the Borg hive. But the true impact of “The Measure of a Man” can be felt in Star Trek: Picard, where Starfleet choosing to dismantle synthetic lifeforms in response to an attack on Mars led Picard to resign in protest. Data also plays a major role in the first season as his “daughters” Dahj and Soji (Isa Briones) encounter Picard at separate times; they were both built by scientist Bruce Maddox, who first appeared in “The Measure of a Man.”

“The Measure of a Man” is referenced in Ted 2 of all films. Its entire plot hinges on Seth MacFarlane‘s titular foul-mouthed teddy bear attempting to prove he’s a person in the eyes of the law, with a lawyer (Amanda Seyfried) even arguing in his favor. It even features a cameo from Star Trek: The Next Generation alum Michael Dorn, who dons a cheaper version of his Worf costume at a scene set in New York Comic Con! This isn’t entirely surprising; MacFarlane made no secret of his love for Trek, to the point where his sci-fi dramedy The Orville is Star Trek: The Next Generation in all but name. Yet it also speaks to how “The Measure of a Man” resonates to the point where a feature film can utilize it.

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The 10 Best Captain Picard Episodes in ‘Star Trek: The Next Generation,’ Ranked

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George R.R. Martin Was Ironically Turned Down From Writing ‘Star Trek’

George R.R. Martin didn’t just inspire Melinda Snodgrass to write “The Measure of a Man”; he also threw his own hat into the ring to write Star Trek: The Next Generation. But a producer turned him down for the strangest reasons, which Martin expanded upon when he hosted a workshop at the UCSD’s Arthur C. Clarke Center for Human Imagination:

I had an interview with Star Trek: The Next Generation for a possible job as a staff writer. I remember coming in to the office of this producer – who thankfully did not last long on the show and you can see why when I tell the story. He said “I don’t know who you are can you tell me your credentials.” And I said “I am just coming off Twilight Zone where I worked for a while, but before that I wrote novels and short stories. I am primarily a science fiction writer.” And he said “Oh really, well Star Trek is not a science-fiction show, it is a people show.” I was fooled by the photon torpedoes and starships. I was misled. Needless to say I did not get that job.

The irony of Martin being turned down by Star Trek: The Next Generation, other than his previous sci-fi work on The Twilight Zone and The Outer Limits, is that his work thrives on character interactions. Game of Thrones wouldn’t be as nearly as interesting as it was without the rivalry between houses or the power plays between various characters. While Martin never got to step on the bridge of the U.S.S. Enterprise, his influence helped one of Star Trek: The Next Generation‘s most iconic episodes, and its influence can be felt to this day.

Star Trek: The Next Generation

Release Date

1987 – 1994-00-00

Network

Syndication

Showrunner

Gene Roddenberry

Directors

Cliff Bole, Les Landau, Winrich Kolbe, Rob Bowman, Robert Scheerer, Jonathan Frakes, Robert Wiemer, Gabrielle Beaumont, Alexander Singer, David Carson, Paul Lynch, Corey Allen, Patrick Stewart, Chip Chalmers, Joseph L. Scanlan, James L. Conway, Robert Lederman, Tom Benko, Timothy Bond, Robert Legato, Adam Nimoy, Robert Becker, David Livingston, LeVar Burton

Writers

René Echevarria, Maurice Hurley, Richard Manning, Melinda M. Snodgrass, Tracy Tormé, Hannah Louise Shearer, Stuart Charno, Ira Steven Behr, Sara B. Cooper, Peter Allan Fields, Herbert Wright, Frank Abatemarco, Burton Armus, Hilary Bader, Morgan Gendel, David Kemper, Michael I. Wagner, Philip LaZebnik, Robert McCullough, Susan Sackett, Nick Sagan, Fred Bronson, Robert Hewitt Wolfe, Sam Rolfe