Star Trek: The Next Generation: The Outrageous Okona

Work Title: Star Trek: The Next Generation: The Outrageous Okona
Medium: TV Episode
Episode Title: The Outrageous Okona
Year: 1988
Writer(s): Burton Armus
"Original" Writer: Yes Writer(s): Les Menchen
"Original" Writer: Yes Writer(s): Lance Dickson
"Original" Writer: Yes Writer(s): David Landsberg
"Original" Writer: Yes Own work?: No
Summary:

(copied from http://www.startrek.com/startrek/view/series/TNG/episode/68366.html) While traveling through the Omega Sagitta system, the U.S.S. Enterprise aids a disabled cargo ship and plays host to its sole occupant, Captain Okona. Once on board the Enterprise, the handsome, roguish Okona charms the crew — particularly the women — with his quick wit and mischievous manner. Data, however, is unable to understand Okona's jokes and looks to Guinan and the holodeck for lessons in human humor. Meanwhile, two small interplanetary vessels lock their lasers on the U.S.S. Enterprise, demanding Okona's surrender. First, Debin accuses Okona of getting his daughter, Yanar, pregnant; then Kushell, with his son Benzan at his side, charges the dashing Captain with stealing his nation's prized Jewel of Thesia. Knowing that releasing Okona to either Debin or Kushell would cause a war between their respective homelands, Picard agrees to help Okona make a fast getaway. However, a discussion with Wesley Crusher convinces Okona to change his mind and turn himself in. When all of the parties are beamed aboard the U.S.S. Enterprise to discuss the matter, Okona proposes to Yanar, which prompts an outburst from Benzan, who confesses that he fathered Yanar's child and took the jewel to present to the girl as his pledge of marriage. Okona also admits that he's been acting as a go-between for the couple, whose families have been feuding for years. Once everything is out in the open, Yanar agrees to marry her beloved Benzan. The ordeal resolved, Data returns to the Holodeck to try out some jokes he's learned in front of an audience. After a disappointing attempt, Data reaches the sad conclusion that he is incapable of being funny. But as the crew bids good-bye to Okona, Data is caught off guard by a question from Okona and delivers a response that leaves everyone on the bridge laughing.

Era/Year of Portrayal: distant_future
Distinctive characteristics of the world in portrayal:

Takes place aboard a starship in the 24th century.

Technology

  • Name of portrayed presence-evoking technology: The Holodeck and Data
  • Description of the technology: Data (an android) programs the ship's Holodeck, a virtual reality space, to teach him about human humor. The computer has vast stores of knowledge about humor through the last several centuries; he picks general-interest humor in the 1980s. He enters the Holodeck to find Joe Piscopo on stage in an empty comedy club. He speeds up Piscopo's routine at one point, ostensibly to learn jokes more quickly. He turns the audience program on and off, making typical comedy club patrons appear and disappear. Their laughter does not always coincide with the timing of Data's jokes.
  • Nature of task or activity: Data is trying to learn about the sense of humor possessed by humans, something he lacks as an android.
  • Performance of the Technology: It replicates a 1980s-era comedy club well, but the fact that the audience seems programmed to laugh at everything Data says suggests it doesn't work as well as he hoped it would.
  • Description of creator(s): The creators of the Holodeck are not explicitly identified.
  • Major goal(s) of creator(s): For leisure use by the Enterprise crew.
  • Description of users of technology: Data is an android and a member of the Enterprise crew.
  • Type(s) of presence experience in the portrayal: both
  • Description of presence experience: Data is somewhat puzzled by his experience on the Holodeck, as he doesn't get any of the jokes the comic tries to teach him. When he tries out his own routine on the holographic audience, he seems pleased at first, but later disappointed when he realizes they're programmed to laugh at everything he says.
  • User awareness of technology during experience: Data is aware of the Holodeck as a constructed environment. He fast-forwards the comic's routine at one point and appears to be scanning and memorizing his jokes. This is something a human user of the Holodeck probably would not do, but Data's android brain can process the information as fast as the computer can provide it.
  • Valence of experience: Data enjoys it somewhat, but never really reaches his goal of learning what makes humans laugh.
  • Specific responses: Data's interaction with the Holodeck is deliberate and mechanical, as might be expected between an android and a spatial and social presence.
Long-term consequences:

Data's repertoire of jokes grows, but his innate sense of what's funny to humans does not seem to improve much.

Other:

Like "Elementary, Dear Data", this episode portrays the interaction between one social presence (an android) and another spatial/social presence (the Holodeck).

Coder name: Tina Peterson
Coder email: tina.peterson@temple.edu
Coder affiliation: Temple University