"The Quality of Life" is the 135th episode of the American science fiction television series Star Trek: The Next Generation. It is the ninth episode of the sixth season.
Set in the 24th century, the series follows the adventures of the Starfleet crew of the Federation starship Enterprise-D. In this episode Data discovers that a group of robots are likely intelligent lifeforms.
This episode introduces the Exocomp robots.
As the damage to the fountain is repaired, Dr. Farallon admits she is still not sure if the Exocomps are sentient but promises not to abuse them again. Data explains to Picard that he had to stand up for the Exocomps, just as Picard had stood up for him when his own sentience was questioned. Picard acknowledges that Data's actions were probably the most human thing he has ever done.
Reception
In 2011, this episode was noted by Forbes as one of the top ten episodes of the franchise that explores the implications of advanced technology. They compared the episode to an earlier episode "Evolution", noting the discussions between the character Data and others.
Releases
The episode was released as part of the Star Trek: The Next Generation season six DVD box set in the United States on December 3, 2002. A remastered HD version was released on Blu-ray optical disc, on June 24, 2014.