“The Most Toys” is episode twenty-two of season three of Star Trek: The Next Generation.
The Enterprise is procuring a supply of hytritium, a dangerous compound that’s needed to treat a poisoned water supply on a colony world. It’s too unstable for transporters, so Data is transporting it in a shuttlecraft. The last cases are being loaded and Data contacts the Enterprise and tells them he’s about to leave. The woman in charge wants Data to acknowledge the load and he presses a finger against some sort of pad. Which disables him. The woman scans his composition. The Enterprise sees the shuttle leave the trader’s ship. It then explodes.
Before the Enterprise can contact the other ship, it contacts them. The trader, Kivas Fajo (Saul Rubinek) asks what happened. Captain Picard wants Fajo’s ship’s sensor data and the trader complies. They have just enough hytritium to do the job, but there’s no margin for error. Fajo states the nearest supply is three weeks distance away, assuming they have any. For obvious reasons, no-one wants the stuff around. He may stop selling it himself. Riker states the Grissom is close to the other system, and the captain orders they be notified in case some hytritium is needed, and the Enterprise departs.
Data reactivates in a room and finds his combadge gone. The woman who disabled him, Varria, and Fajo arrive. Fajo thinks Data is wondrous and talks to him initially as if Data would have difficulty understanding normal speech. Data has been brought there for Fajo’s enjoyment and appreciation. Data says he is being kept captive then. Fajo disagrees; Data will be pampered, his every wish fulfilled. Data wishes to leave. Well, every wish but that one. Data has no desire to remain and his Starfleet duties wouldn’t allow it anyway.
Data tries to force the door, but can’t. Fajo tells him ten androids like Data couldn’t force it, not that there are ten like Data. The door is coded to Fajo’s galvanic skin responses and DNA and Fajo is protected by a forcefield. Why does Fajo want Data? In the room is Fajo’s collection. It contains unique and original items, including the last member of a species. Data is one of these items now, the crown jewel of Fajo’s collection. He looks forward to seeing how another collector reacts. Data states everything Fajo is doing is wrong. Yes, but he’s learned to live with it.
Geordi and Wesley enter Data’s room. Geordi thought Data would outlive them all. By centuries. They go through his things; a book that was a gift from the captain, the poker chips and cards, Data’s medals and his holocube of Tasha Yar. Geordi is trying to figure out what went wrong, what he’s missing.
Varria enters the collection room. She has clothes Fajo wishes him to wear, and he is to sit in his chair. Data has no reason to do so. Varria states Fajo will give him a reason. Data states the Enterprise will be looking for him. Varria says they believe he was destroyed. A scan will detect the elements of Data’s construction in the correct proportions; that’s why Varria scanned him. Varria asks if it’s part of Data’s programming to seek out vulnerabilities in his enemies. Yes. She tells him no-one on the ship will help him escape. Fajo has him. Data thinks Fajo has them both.
Geordi meets with the captain and Commander Riker in the captain’s ready room. He can’t find anything that went wrong because there was nothing to find. No explanation at all for what happened, except possibly one. Pilot error. And Geordi doesn’t believe that’s remotely possible with Data. He can’t even calculate the error. Data could, if he was here. Geordi doesn’t know what he’s suggesting. The captain tells Geordi that they are going to be reaching the system shortly and he needs Geordi rested. Sometimes there is no explanation. After Geordi leaves, Picard asks Riker who could replace Data at ops. Worf. That would have been the captain’s choice as well.
Fajo cannot understand why Data will not simply comply with his requests and realise that he is now part of Fajo’s collection. Data has no interest in complying, but Fajo has ways to enforce his will. Though Data himself is too valuable to damage. Geordi, meanwhile, is sure that he’s missing something and eventually realises what it is.