In the TNG pilot episode “Encounter at Farpoint,” when Data tells Riker he would gladly give up the abilities of an android to become human, Riker smiles and nicknames his new shipmate “Pinocchio.” The wooden puppet protagonist of the 1883 novel by Carlo Collodi, who wants to become a “real boy,” has become a popular metaphor for thinking about what it means to be human. But can a fairy tale about a talking puppet, a blue-haired fairy and people turning into donkeys have anything in common with a modern science fiction franchise?
According to Perri Klass at Smithsonian Magazine, Collodi was the eldest son of a cook and a seamstress, and one of only four out of ten children in his family who survived to adulthood. He used his education—paid for by his parents’ employer with the intention of making him a Catholic priest—to write political satire and children’s stories. “Education was a cause dear to Collodi’s heart,” Klass writes, because his success as a writer allowed him to lift his family out of poverty. Pinocchio dropping out of school, turning into a donkey and being forced to perform as a circus animal is a cautionary tale about how ignorance makes us easier to control. His quest to become a “real boy,” like Data’s, is about taking charge of his own life and being accepted by his community. The importance of knowledge, altruism, and identity are themes which recur in every Star Trek series. Here are just a few examples:
DS9 s01e20 “In The Hands of the Prophets”
When Pinocchio runs away from school, the talking cricket that represents his conscience warns him that he’s “bound to grow up to be an absolute donkey, and that everyone will make a fool out of [him].” The cricket’s prediction comes true soon enough, when a magician lures him and his classmates away and sells them as livestock. On Deep Space Nine, Vedek Winn is also out to make donkeys of her followers, although in a less literal way. She tries to censor Keiko O’Brien’s science classes to prevent the children from questioning their religion, which would mean questioning religious leaders like Winn herself. Like Pinocchio’s cricket, however, Keiko doesn’t give up teaching; she keeps the school open when most of her students drop out, and rebuilds even after it gets bombed. Thanks in part to her dedication, Jake Sisko and even Nog (who had to be dragged to class by the ear at first) grow up to be successful: a writer and a Starfleet officer, respectively. There are no long ears growing on DS9 … although as a Ferengi teenager, Nog might actually enjoy that.
VOY s06e24 “Life Line”
Gepetto the woodcarver, stressed out from worrying about money and arguing with his neighbors, thinks he’s making an ordinary toy he can sell in his shop. Instead he gets a moving, talking puppet as argumentative as he is, who complains about their poor living conditions and runs away. Pinocchio does care about his father, but he’s too distracted by his adventures to realize Gepetto is searching for him until it’s almost too late. They find each other trapped in the belly of a giant fish, and the only way out is to work together. Similarly, Lewis Zimmerman and his holographic son, the Doctor, are so much alike that they grate on each other’s last nerve, but with Lewis terminally ill and the Doctor malfunctioning, their only option is to put each other’s needs before their own—like the family they are.
TNG s02e09 “The Measure of a Man”
Within their stories, Pinocchio and Data are “real boys” from the beginning. What material they’re made of is incidental. All that matters is, firstly, that they believe it, and secondly, that they surround themselves with people who treat them as such. Every time someone tries to use them as objects—when Maddox wants to dismantle Data for research, or the Fire-Eater threatens to burn Pinocchio as firewood—they resist, and find their way back to those who see them as people. Although at first, the Blue Fairy expects Pinocchio to prove himself by passing all his exams, she eventually turns him human for saving his father, which he does without thought of a reward; i.e. just for being himself. As for Data and his personhood hearing, none of the accomplishments in his service record influence the judge’s decision. In the end, what makes the difference is Picard’s argument that denying personhood to those who ask for it would be a violation of Starfleet principles: “Your Honor, Starfleet was founded to seek out new life: well, there it sits!” Judge Louvois responds with the following ruling: “Does Data have a soul? I don’t know that he has. I don’t know that I have! But I have got to give him the freedom to explore that question himself.” The measure of a man, Data and Pinocchio learn, is how much humanity they see in others.
Discussion Questions:
- Which of Pinocchio’s 18 film adaptations is your favorite? Which one would you think is most likely for a Starfleet crew to play as a holoprogram?
- Having read the novel, how does it compare to the movies? Did the tone surprise you? (Honestly, my Disney-fan self was shocked several times.)
- Is the Blue Fairy a good mentor to Pinocchio, or does she manipulate him?
- Which of Star Trek’s A.I. characters (Data from TNG, the Doctor from Voyager, Zora from Discovery, etc.) do you find most interesting as a philosophical discussion starter?