Synopsis: The crew of the Enterprise comes across Borg individuals not attached to the collective, just as Lt. Commander Data experiences his first emotion.
It is fitting that this episode be titled “Descent,” because that is what the Logos-driven rational conscious ego perceives is occurring when it comes in contact with bits of material from the Eros-driven unconscious. Here Lt. Commander Data is an embodiment of this experience.
In “Descent,” when Data initially speaks with Counselor Deanna Troi about his experiencing emotion, he details how he has tried to feel emotions other than what he first experienced when killing a Borg at the Ohniaka III outpost. Troi asks him why he doesn’t try to feel anger again. Data tells her: “Anger is a negative emotion. I wanted to concentrate on something more positive.” To this Troi responds: “Data, feelings aren’t positive and negative. They simply exist. It’s what we do with those feelings that becomes good or bad” (Moore & Singer, 1993). This resonates with a quote from depth psychologist, Carl (C. G.) Jung: “Psychology does not know what good and evil are in themselves; it knows them only as judgments about relationships. ‘Good is what seems suitable, acceptable, or valuable from a certain point of view, evil is its opposite” (1934/1939, p. 53). However, Troi’s statement and Jung’s passage do not necessarily reflect the culture in which we and Data find ourselves in, one that does privilege “good” and “positive” things over what we are led to believe by society is evil. Even more perplexing to Data is his admission to Troi that after he killed the Borg that was attacking him that he felt pleasure.
Data is trapped in the Starfleet mindset, which is reflective of the mindset that we find ourselves in now. That privileges emotions deemed good over those it perceives as evil. Data is left to explore all these feelings, and the result is the cliffhanger of the sixth season of Star Trek: The Next Generation.
References:
Jung. C. G. (1969). Aion. In R. F. C. Hull (Trans.), The collected works of C. G. Jung (Vol. 9 ii). Princeton University Press. (Original work published 1936)
Moore, R. D. (Writer), & Singer A. (Director). (1993, June 19). Descent (Season 6, Episode 26) [TV series episode]. In M. Piller & R. Berman (Executive Producers), Star trek: The next generation. Paramount Television.
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