First Contact: ‘In Theory’ Season 4 Episode 25

Data and Jenna D'Sora on a date.

After a bad breakup, Lieutenant D’Sora takes a romantic interest in Data as he is kind and attentive in a way her previous partners have not been. Data asks all of the senior staff for advice before deciding to pursue the relationship. In a series of random scenes Data learns that women don’t always mean what they say, that you shouldn’t be creepy and weird and start arguments for no reason, and that it’s important to pay attention to people. The relationship ends when D’Sora realises she’s drawn towards men who are bad at communicating their feelings but Data doesn’t care because he’s a robot. In the perfunctory science B-plot, the crew investigates a nebula but it’s filled with a bunch of weird space anomalies that make matter disappear, killing an extra in the process. In order to get out with the Enterprise intact, Picard insists on piloting a shuttle ahead of the ship to navigate around the space bubbles. He does but in a vain attempt to create drama, the shuttle explodes but everything is fine.

Listen to the previous episode, ‘The Mind’s Eye’ here.