Actually this is one of the few episodes that dr.p treats data with a degree of decency. Almost like a mentor of sorts similar to how Picard and Geordi act for Data and showing him human aspects.

Then we get the stuff that happens with the Stragatema (the weird strategy game) that happens.

To be honest, I think that dr.p should have been gone as being someone who didn't see Data as being anything more than a machine then learn how he is more and slowly begins to appreciate and treat him better and maybe goes a Q route and becomes a trickster mentor of sorts for Data.

Let the Bones Spock dynamics rest.

But the writers had to go and be stupid. I really want to blame for gene this but I don't think that Gene was the one who came up with using the bones spock dynamics. That was the writers and I think that Gene decided to just do nothing over things.

Of course it did give the doctor some interesting uses opposed to boring Crusher. TNG has the same problem that Babylon 5 has with dr. Franklin. Neither can figure out how to make their doctors interesting.

Well until b5's gropos and we get some characterization for Franklin and then he gets his walkabout and then goes to mars. It gave him something to do but he was fairly uninteresting before those. His time with Marcus and the drug addiction were interesting.

Crusher is basically tied to picard and wesley and has little else. Dr.p has no ties to picard and is older and has a different personality. Then there is Gene's rule on conflict which didn't mean that the writers couldn't have used plots. Investigating what happens on a planet with a special disease maybe.

Oh well. It's not like having a doctor on board would have allowed for interesting stories to tell for writers that could actually think some