Worf vs Palpatine (read carefully!)

[Jedi Master Spock]

The grand battle begins! Here's the scenario.

Colonel Worf, famous for his gripping (but ultimately failed) defense of the war criminal Captain Kirk, faces Senator Palpatine, the charismatic human politician of the Old Republic, in the courtroom, by act of Q.

The trial is a recreation of Data v. Starfleet. His status as a sentient being (and thus deserving of the exercise of free will) as opposed to machine (and hence property, as droids are in Star Wars) is in question (as in "Measure of a Man"). They may call any witness they choose - David Hume, Tasha Yar, Richard Nixon, or Asimov and Clarke.

Q has searched far and wide for an impartial, yet fair judge. After a long search through the multiverse, he settles on the following:

Bahzell Bahnakson, a Hradani champion of a god of war and justice who has no prior experience with robots and no small distrust of wizards. He is unable to call upon Tomanak for direct guidance, for those of you wishing to appeal to the divine.

Will Worf or Palpatine win the case?

[Ted C]

I think that Colonel Worf has this sewn up, simply because the judge IS impartial and fair.

Were it simply a matter of rhetorical skill and exploitation of the letter of the law, Palpatine would have a chance.

I think that Worf can easily show, though, that Data has all the characteristics of a sentient being, and the same anti-slavery defense that Picard used would be equally effective for Worf. Bahzell just won't render a verdict that enslaves a sentient being.

I guess the only possible way for Worf to lose would be to fail to come up with the anti-slavery defense.