The Most Toys is a 1990 episode from the television series The Next Generation and involves Lieutenant Commander Data being kidnapped by an effeminate and obsessive collector, who leads the Enterprise crew to believe that Data was killed in a shuttlecraft accident. The episode aired during the third season and has generated criticism from some viewers and fans of the series.

Plot

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The Enterprise-D is called to assist a colony world that has suffered Tricyanide contaimination to its water supply. Because of this, they meet with a ship named the Jovis owned by the trader Kivas Fajo (Saul Rubinek), who is carrying a chemical compound called Hitridium which would neutralize the contamination. Because Hitridium is a volitale substance that cannot be beamed aboard, Data is assigned to shuttle Fajo's cargo from the Jovis to the Enterprise, which needed to be done in several trips.

Just before the final trip, the crew of the Jovis kidnaps Data, and performs a scan of his body. They remove Data from the shuttlecraft, and set it to explode between their vessel and the Enterprise. When the shuttlecraft that Commander Data was flying explodes, the Enterprise crew fear that Data is dead and have to delay the investigation because of the vital mission they are on. The Enterprise scans the wreckage of the shuttle, and find materials which seem to indicate Data died in the explosion - in reality the Jovis crew took the results of the scans they made and placed the appropriate amount of materials onboard the shuttle to simulate a casualty.

Data is then taken to an art gallery onboard Fajo's ship. Fajo collects rare and valuable objects and thus has kidnapped Data because he is a highly advanced android. Fajo is joined with his female slave named Varria (Jane Daly), He then tries to persuade Data to remove his Starfleet uniform and gives tours of his rare collection to some fellow art effienceiandos. Upon threatening to kill Varria with a powerful disruptor which is illegal in the Federation, Data finally agrees to sit in a chair as Fago asks.

Upon arriving at the colony, the Enterprise uses the Hitridium to neturalize the Tricyanide contamination. They find that the Tricyanide was neturalized very quickly, in fact too quickly for naturally occurring Tricyanide. They determine that the Tricynaide was replicated, even though it is very difficult and expensive to replicate. The only way to remove Tricyanide is through Hitridium, which causes the crew to become even more suspicious of Fajo as he just happened to have Hitridium. In the conference room the crew learns that Fajo is a collector of rare and valuable items. Enterprise sets out to find Fajo and determine what happened to Data.

Data is then able to escape with the help of Varria, and the Enterprise crew is finally able to locate Fajo's ship, with Data onboard. However, before the Enterprise can beam up Data, Fajo murders Varria with a disruptor. Fajo drops the gun, and walks away. Data picks up the weapon, and nearly kills Fajo, but is beamed aboard the Enterprise just as he begins to fire. In fact, Chief O'Brien reports that the weapon was in a state of discharge during transport, and he quickly deactivates the weapon. Once onboard the Enterprise, Data asks Commander Riker to arrest Fajo. When asked why the weapon was discharging, Data tells Riker that something probably happened to the weapon during transport.

Data later visits Fajo in the Enterprise brig. He reveals to Fajo that the remainder of his stolen collection has been confiscated, and is being returned to their rightful owners. When Fajo asks Data if that gives him pleasure, Data replies that it doesn't. Data tells Fajo that he does not feel pleasure, and that he is only an android.

Criticism

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At a science fiction convention in 1987 Gene Roddenberry promised that The Next Generation would have gay characters in it. Many gay and gay-friendly fans felt that this was the initial response to this promise and were insulted because Kivas Fajo's effeminate mannerisms, artist friends and eagerness to see Data naked were seen as signs that the first gay character on the series was a stereotypical gay villain. However, other fans have disputed the idea that this episode has anything to do with homosexuality or homophobia, given that he was not so much interested in seeing Data naked as he was in getting him to change clothes.

Data's decision to kill Fajo (effectively murdering him, since he was defenseless) has been criticized by some fans as being out-of-character.

Trivia

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• David Rappaport, a well-known British actor and little person, had originally been cast for the part of Kivas Fajo. Rappaport struggled with depression in his life, and committed suicide in 1990, shortly after having filmed some scenes as Fajo. Saul Rubinek was then asked to take over the role, but some early still shots include Rappaport in the role.

Star Trek: The Next Generation episodes