"In Theory" is the 99th episode of the science fiction television series Star Trek: The Next Generation. The 25th episode of the fourth season.
An Enterprise-D crew-member (portrayed by Michele Scarabelli) develops romantic feelings for Data, and in his continuing attempt to emulate humanity, he attempts to reciprocate. However, his attempts meet with only mixed success, because of his lack of understanding of the subtle details of human behaviour. Eventually, the woman in question realises that she is repeating her old mistake; she left her previous boyfriend as he was too unemotional, and now she has fallen for Data, a man incapable of experiencing emotion. Data sees her point, and discontinues the relationship.
In the underlying plot, the Enterprise explores a dark matter nebula where collisions with undetectable pockets of subspace deformations cause strange happenings aboard the ship. As the pocket activity intensifies, minor hull breaches occur resulting in the death of a female crewmember who becomes fused to a deck. Captain Picard volunteers to guide the Enterprise to safety using a more maneuverable shuttlecraft.
- This episode marked the directoral debut by lead actor Patrick Stewart, who went on to direct a further four episodes.
- Stewart has called "In Theory" his personal favorite episode.[citation needed]
- This is the first episode where Data uses a verbal contraction, "Don't". Data has always claimed that due to his programming, he was never able to use verbal contractions, although some episodes have shown his language using something close. Additionally, Data says "I'll join you" after Jenna orders a calaman sherry.
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