Lieutenant Commander
Data , played by
Brent SpinerBrent Jay Spiner is an American actor, best known for his portrayal of the android Lieutenant Commander Data in the television and film series Star Trek: The Next Generation.-Early life:...
, is a character in
Star Trek: The Next GenerationStar Trek: The Next Generation is a science fiction television series created by Gene Roddenberry as part of the Star Trek franchise. Created about 21 years after the original Star Trek, and set in the 24th century about 80 years after the orginal series, the program features a new crew and a new...
(
TNG) television series and in the four subsequent
The Next Generation films.
Designed and built by Doctor
Noonien SoongIn the fictional Star Trek: The Next Generation universe, Dr. Noonien Soong is a human cyberneticist who is the creator of the regular android character Data. He is played by the same actor who plays Data, Brent Spiner...
, Data is a sentient
androidAn android is a robot or synthetic organism designed to look and act like a human. The word derives from ανδρός, the genitive of the Greek ανήρ anēr, meaning "man", and the suffix -eides, used to mean "of the species; alike" . Though the word derives from a gender-specific root, its usage in...
who serves as the second officer and chief operations officer aboard the
starshipA starship is a theoretical spacecraft designed for traveling between the stars, as opposed to a vehicle designed for orbital spaceflight or interplanetary travel....
s
USS Enterprise-DThe USS Enterprise is a 24th century starship in the Star Trek fictional universe and the principal setting of the Star Trek: The Next Generation television series...
and
USS Enterprise-EThe USS Enterprise is a fictional starship in the Star Trek science fiction franchise. It serves as the primary setting of the films Star Trek: First Contact, Star Trek: Insurrection, and Star Trek Nemesis...
. His
positronic brainA positronic brain is a fictional technological device, originally conceived by science fiction writer Isaac Asimov. Its role is to serve as a central computer for a robot, and, in some unspecified way, to provide it with a form of consciousness recognizable to humans...
allows him impressive computational capabilities. He has ongoing difficulties, however, understanding various aspects of
human behaviorHuman behavior is the collection of behaviors exhibited by human beings and influenced by culture, attitudes, emotions, values, ethics, authority, rapport, hypnosis, persuasion, coercion and/or genetics....
and is unable to feel emotions or understand certain human idiosyncrasies. He is given an emotion chip in
Star Trek: GenerationsStar Trek Generations is a 1994 science fiction film, and the seventh feature film based on the Star Trek science fiction television series. It is the first film in the series to star the cast of Star Trek: The Next Generation. It was shot in Overton, Nevada, Paramount Studios, and Lone Pine,...
.
Data is in many ways a successor to the original
Star TrekStar Trek is a science fiction television series created by Gene Roddenberry that aired from September 8, 1966 to September 2, 1969. Though the original series was titled simply Star Trek, it has acquired the retronym Star Trek: The Original Series to distinguish it from the spinoffs that...
s
SpockSpock is a character in the fictional Star Trek media franchise. First portrayed by Leonard Nimoy in the original Star Trek series, Spock also appears in the animated Star Trek series, two episodes of Star Trek: The Next Generation, seven of the Star Trek feature films, and numerous Star Trek...
(
Leonard NimoyLeonard Simon Nimoy is an American actor, film director, poet, musician and photographer. He is famous for playing the character of Spock on the original Star Trek series, and he reprised the role in various movie and television sequels.-Early life:Nimoy was born in Boston, Massachusetts, to...
), in that the character offers an "outsider's" perspective on humanity.
Development
Gene RoddenberryEugene Wesley "Gene" Roddenberry was an American screenwriter and producer. He created the American science-fiction series Star Trek, an accomplishment for which he was sometimes referred to as the "Great Bird of the Galaxy" due to the show's influence on popular culture. He was one of the first...
told
Brent SpinerBrent Jay Spiner is an American actor, best known for his portrayal of the android Lieutenant Commander Data in the television and film series Star Trek: The Next Generation.-Early life:...
that over the course of the series, Data was to become "more and more like a human until the end of the show, when he would be very close, but still not quite there. That was the idea and that’s the way that the writers took it." Spiner felt that Data exhibited the
ChaplinesqueSir Charles Spencer Chaplin, KBE was an English comedic actor and film director. Chaplin became one of the most famous actors as well as a notable filmmaker, composer and musician in the early to mid Classical Hollywood era of American cinema.Chaplin acted in, directed, scripted, produced and...
characteristics of a sad, tragic clown. To get into his role as Data, Spiner used the character of Robbie the Robot from the film
Forbidden PlanetForbidden Planet is a 1956 science fiction film in CinemaScope and Metrocolor directed by Fred M. Wilcox and starring Walter Pidgeon, Anne Francis and Leslie Nielsen...
as a role model. Commenting on Data's perpetual albino-like appearance, he said: "I spent more hours of the day in make-up than out of make-up", so much so that he even called it a way of
method actingMethod acting is a technique in which actors try to engender in themselves the thoughts and emotions of their characters in an effort to create lifelike performances. It can be contrasted with more classical forms of acting, in which actors simulate thoughts and emotions through external means,...
. Spiner also portrayed Data's evil brother Lore (a role he found much easier to play, because the character was "more like me"), and Data's creator,
Dr. Noonien SoongIn the fictional Star Trek: The Next Generation universe, Dr. Noonien Soong is a human cyberneticist who is the creator of the regular android character Data. He is played by the same actor who plays Data, Brent Spiner...
. Spiner said his favorite Data scene takes place in "Descent", when Data plays poker on the holodeck with famous physicist
Stephen HawkingStephen William Hawking, CH, CBE, FRS, FRSA is a British theoretical physicist. He is known for his contributions to the fields of cosmology and quantum gravity, especially in the context of black holes...
, who played himself.
Spiner reprised his role of Data in the
Star Trek: EnterpriseEnterprise is a science fiction television program created by Brannon Braga and Rick Berman and set in the fictional Star Trek universe created by Gene Roddenberry in the 1960s...
series finale "These Are the Voyages..." in an off-screen speaking part. Spiner felt that he has visibly aged out of the role and that Data was best presented as a youthful figure.
Depiction
Dialog in "Datalore" establishes some of Data's backstory. It is stated that he was deactivated in 2336 on Omicron Theta after an attack by the Crystalline Entity, a spaceborne creature which converts life forms to energy for sustenance. He was found and reactivated by Starfleet personnel two years later. Data went to
Starfleet AcademyIn the fictional universe of Star Trek, Starfleet Academy is where the future members of Starfleet are trained. It was created in the year 2161, when the United Federation of Planets was founded. The Academy's motto is "Ex astris, scientia" - "From the stars, knowledge". This is derived from the...
from 2341-45 and then served in
StarfleetIn the fictional universe of Star Trek, Starfleet is a humanitarian and peacekeeping armada of spacecraft, that provides defense, research, diplomacy, and exploration to the United Federation of Planets .-History:...
. He was assigned to the
Enterprise under Captain Picard in 2364, after two prior ship assignments. In "Datalore", Data discovers his amoral brother, Lore, and learns he was not the first android constructed by Soong. Lore fails in an attempt to betray the
Enterprise to the Crystalline Entity, and Data
beamsA transporter is a fictional teleportation machine used in the Star Trek universe. Transporters convert a person or object into an energy pattern , then "beam" it to a target, where it is reconverted into matter...
his brother into space at the episode's conclusion.
In "Brothers", Data unites with Dr. Soong (also portrayed by Spiner). There he meets again with Lore, who steals the emotion chip Soong meant for Data to receive. Lore then fatally wounds Soong. Lore returns in the two-part episode "Descent", using the emotion chip to control Data and make him help with Lore's attempt to make the
BorgThe Borg are a fictional pseudo-race of cybernetic organisms depicted in the Star Trek universe. Aside from being the main threat in Star Trek: First Contact, the Borg also play major roles in The Next Generation and Voyager television series, primarily as an invasion threat to the United...
entirely artificial life forms. Data eventually deactivates Lore, and recovers, but does not install the damaged emotion chip.
In "
Inheritance"Inheritance" is an episode of the television series Star Trek: The Next Generation. It first aired on November 22, 1993.-Synopsis:The Enterprise arrives at Altrea IV, a planet with a molten core that is solidifying. This will eventually end all life on Altrea if unchecked. Pran and Juliana...
", Data meets "Dr. Juliana Tainer", who claims to have been Soong's wife and involved with Data's creation. Data discovers that Tainer is also an android created by Soong: a holographic program recorded by Soong and stored in Tainer's memory reveals that the real Tainer died. Data complies with the program's request that Tainer not be told of its true nature.
In "The Measure of a Man", Data is legally declared an autonomous individual, as opposed to Starfleet property. Dialogue in the episode also establishes some of his performance statistics: his storage capacity is stated as "800 quadrillion bits" or 100
petabyteA petabyte is a unit of information or computer storage equal to one quadrillion bytes , or 1000 terabytes, or 1,000,000 gigabytes. It is abbreviated PB...
s (88.817842
pebibyteThe pebibyte is a standards-based binary multiple of the byte, a unit of digital information storage...
s), and his processing speed is stated as "60 trillion operations per second" or 60 teraflops. It is also revealed that by this time Data had earned the Starfleet Command Decoration for Gallantry, Medal of Honor with clusters, Legion of Honor, and the Star Cross.
Data attempted to reproduce in "The Offspring" by creating an android daughter, Lal, from his own neural net matrix. She dies at the end of the episode because of an emotional overload in the face of having to be taken away from Data on the order of Starfleet. Data transfers her memories to himself.
In the two-parter "
Redemption"Redemption" is the name of a two-part episode of the science fiction television series Star Trek: The Next Generation. "Redemption " was the finale of the fourth season; it was the 100th episode , and it first aired on June 17, 1991...
" Data assumes his first command as captain of the USS
Sutherland during an engagement with the Romulans, where he is met by a prejudiced first officer. The first officer thinks Data to be an incapable officer for commanding a Starship, due to being an android. Data overcomes this prejudice by exposing the enemy tactics through his daring and superior thinking.
Data experiences dreaming for the first time in the first part of the double episode "
Birthright"Birthright" is a two-part episode of season six of Star Trek: The Next Generation.- Part I :The Enterprise is docked at Deep Space Nine, providing assistance in repairing the station. Julian Bashir, DS9's Chief Medical Officer, has come aboard to get assistance in examining a piece of technology...
", generated by a plasma shock to his system, during which he sees his younger father again, telling him, 'to be as free as a bird'. The episode would also reveal, through observations by Dr.
Julian BashirJulian Subatoi Bashir, M.D., played by Alexander Siddig, is a main character in Star Trek: Deep Space Nine. Bashir is the chief medical officer of space station Deep Space Nine and the USS Defiant.-Overview:...
, that Data appears to breathe as a means of systems regulation, and that he can voluntarily grow his hair, though he has never done so. He would later dream again in "
Phantasms"Phantasms" is a seventh-season Star Trek: The Next Generation episode.-Synopsis:Data sees three workmen destroying a warp plasma conduit. He tells them to stop and, after he speaks, he emits a high-pitched sound through his mouth. The workers tell him to be quiet, then attack him and tear him limb...
", when he experienced equally surreal nightmares which enable him to eliminate a life-threatening parasite from the ship.
Characteristics
Being an android, Data is immune to nearly all biological diseases and other weaknesses that can affect humans and other carbon based lifeforms. This benefits the
Enterprise many times, such as when Data is the only crewmember unaffected by the inability to dream. One exception however was in the episode
"The Naked Now" where Data was also a victim of the Tsiolkovsky
polywaterPolywater was a hypothetical polymerized form of water that was the subject of much scientific controversy during the late 1960s. It was later found to be illusory, and today is used as an example of pathological science.-Background:...
virus. Data does not require life support to function and does not register a bio-signature, in which case the Enterprise-D crew usually have to modify their scanners to detect positronic signals in order to locate and keep track of him on away-missions.
Data however is vulnerable to technological hazards such as computer viruses, certain levels of energy discharges, ship malfunctions (when connected to the Enterprise main computer for experiments), remote control shutdown devices, or possession through technological means ranging from Ira Graves' transfer of consciousness into his neural net to an alien archeological probe that placed several different personalities into him. Other aspects that separate Data from most humanoid life forms is the fact that he cannot swim unless aided by his built in flotation device, yet he is waterproof and can perform tasks underwater without the need to surface. Data is also impervious to sensory tactile emotion such as pain or pleasure, until the events of
Star Trek: First ContactStar Trek: First Contact is the eighth feature film in the Star Trek science fiction franchise, released in November 1996 by Paramount Pictures. First Contact is the first film in the franchise to exclusively feature the cast of the Star Trek: The Next Generation television series...
when the Borg Queen grafted artificial skin cells on him where he was able to feel pain of another
BorgThe Borg are a fictional pseudo-race of cybernetic organisms depicted in the Star Trek universe. Aside from being the main threat in Star Trek: First Contact, the Borg also play major roles in The Next Generation and Voyager television series, primarily as an invasion threat to the United...
drone scratching him (The Borg Queen later shows him an example of "pleasure" with his new skin cells). Despite being mechanical in nature, Data is treated as an equal member of the mostly carbon based lifeform crew, to the point where his injuries are treated in the medical sickbay by bio-medical physicians as opposed to engineering where the technicians such as Chief Engineer Geordi LaForge would prove more appropriate to his positronic physiology.
Data is physically the strongest, and information/calculation-wise, the most intelligent member of the Enterprise crew. He is able to survive in atmospheres which most carbon based life forms would consider inhospitable as well as the lack of an atmosphere such as that of outer space. However, as a result of being an android, he is the most emotionally challenged, and with the addition of Dr. Soong's emotions chip, the most emotionally unstable member of the crew. Before the emotions chip, Data was unable to grasp basic emotion and imagination, leading him to download personality subroutines into his programming when participating in holographic recreational activities (most notably during Dixon Hill and Sherlock Holmes holoprograms) and during romantic encounters (most notably with
Tasha YarLieutenant Natasha "Tasha" Yar, played by Denise Crosby, is a character in Star Trek: The Next Generation. In the fictional series, the character served as chief of security aboard the USS Enterprise-D for the first season....
and Jenna D'Sora), yet none of those personalities are his own and are immediately put away after the duration of their usefulness to him at that given situation.
With Julianna Soong's inability to conceive children, Data has at least 5 robotic siblings (two of which are Lore and B4). Later on, his "mother" is revealed also to be his positronic sister as the real Julianna Soong died and was replaced with an identical Soong Type android, the most advanced one that Dr. Soong was known to have built. Data himself has built a daughter, which he named Lal (Hindi for "beloved"). This particular android exceeded her father in basic human emotion when she felt fear towards Starfleet's scientific interests in her. Eventually, this was the cause of a cascade failure in her neural net and she died as a result.
In film
In the film
Star Trek Generations, Data finally installs the emotion chip he retrieved from Lore, and experiences the full scope of emotions: joy (in which Data invents the "Life Forms Song"), humor (bombarding Geordi with corny jokes and one liners while on an away mission), crippling fear in the face of danger, and overwhelming guilt at his sudden failure to save his friend Geordi. This causes the chip to overload and fuse into his neural net. Later on however, he seems to be able to control his emotions much better, even though he cries for the first time upon finding his pet cat safe among the ship's wreckage at the end.
The Borg tried to use Data's emotion chip to manipulate him in the film
Star Trek: First ContactStar Trek: First Contact is the eighth feature film in the Star Trek science fiction franchise, released in November 1996 by Paramount Pictures. First Contact is the first film in the franchise to exclusively feature the cast of the Star Trek: The Next Generation television series...
, in which the Borg Queen could activate it against his will (he could not deactivate it), before she tempted him with "live flesh" grafted onto his arm to generate physical sensations, to force him to comply with her while still her unwilling captive. She then seduces him more successfully after his failed escape attempt by turning him into a full 'human', with later even more skin grafted onto his face. Data is eventually forced to take her life to end his captivity, and admits to having been tempted to join her, for a mere "0.68" seconds; an "eternity" for an android.
In the film,
Star Trek: InsurrectionStar Trek: Insurrection is a 1998 science fiction feature film, directed by Jonathan Frakes, written by Michael Piller , and with music composed by Jerry Goldsmith. It is the ninth film in the Star Trek franchise, and the third to feature the cast from the television series Star Trek: The Next...
Data malfunctions after having been shot at during a duck blind mission, causing his safety protocols to take over his cognitive functions, causing him to run amok. He is eventually safely retrieved by Capt Picard, by "singing" him into surrender, in the face of an entire attack force, and is returned to his usual functioning self. Data also states that, in case of a water landing, he was designed "to serve as an emergency flotation device".
In the film,
Star Trek Nemesis Data discovers another older brother, the childlike B-4. To this character he transfers his entire memory engrams to help him evolve. Near the end of the film, after Shinzon has been killed by Picard, Data beams the captain off the enemy Reman ship, the
Scimitar, to safety using the only emergency transport device he has. Data destroys the
Scimitar and in the process sacrifices himself, saving the captain and crew of the Enterprise. At the end of the film Data's brother B-4 is heard attempting to sing the song Data performed for
Commander RikerCaptain William Thomas Riker, played by Jonathan Frakes, is a fictional character in the Star Trek universe primarily appearing as a main character in Star Trek: The Next Generation.- Casting :...
and
Deanna Troi'sDeanna Troi is a main character in the science-fiction TV series Star Trek: The Next Generation and related TV series and films, portrayed by actress Marina Sirtis. Troi is a human/betazoid hybrid and has the empathic ability to sense emotions. She serves as the ship's counselor on the Enterprise...
wedding reception, with some assistance from
Captain PicardJean-Luc Picard is a Star Trek character primarily portrayed by actor Patrick Stewart. He appears in the television series Star Trek: The Next Generation and the feature films Star Trek Generations, Star Trek: First Contact, Star Trek: Insurrection, and Star Trek Nemesis and made an appearance in...
, meaning Data transferred his memory into B-4.
In the comic
Star Trek: CountdownStar Trek: Countdown is a four-issue comic book prequel to the 2009 film Star Trek by IDW Publishing. It follows the characters of Spock and the Romulan Nero during the year 2387, detailing the events that cause them to travel to the 23rd century...
prequel to the eleventh star trek film
Star TrekStar Trek is an American science fiction entertainment series.The original Star Trek was an American television series, created by Gene Roddenberry, which debuted in 1966 and ran for three seasons, following the interstellar adventures of Captain James T. Kirk and the crew of the Federation...
, Data is resurrected through the memories of B-4, and is in command of the
Enterprise E as he aids the protagonists throughout the events of the comic.
Spot
Spot is Data's
petA pet is an animal kept for companionship and enjoyment or a household animal, as opposed to livestock, laboratory animals, working animals or sport animals, which are kept for economic reasons. The most popular pets are noted for their loyal or playful characteristics, for their attractive...
catThe cat , also known as the domestic cat or housecat to distinguish it from other felines and felids, is a small carnivorous mammal that is valued by humans for its companionship and its ability to hunt vermin and household pests...
and a recurring character in the show. Spot appears in several episodes during
TNG's last four seasons, first appearing in "
Data's Day"Data's Day" is a fourth season episode of Star Trek: The Next Generation. Data records the events of a single day of his life, which include Chief O'Brien and Keiko's pre-wedding jitters, learning to dance and the investigation of the loss of a Vulcan Ambassador in a transporter accident...
". Spot also appears in
Phantasms,
Star Trek: GenerationsStar Trek Generations is a 1994 science fiction film, and the seventh feature film based on the Star Trek science fiction television series. It is the first film in the series to star the cast of Star Trek: The Next Generation. It was shot in Overton, Nevada, Paramount Studios, and Lone Pine,...
and
Star Trek: NemesisStar Trek Nemesis is a 2002 science fiction film directed by Stuart Baird, written by John Logan , and with music composed by Jerry Goldsmith. It is the tenth feature film in the Star Trek franchise, and the fourth and final film to star the cast from the television series Star Trek: The Next...
.
Despite the name, Spot is not actually patterned with spots. Spot originally appears as a male
Somali catThe Somali is a long-haired Abyssinian. The breed appeared spontaneously in the 1950s from Abyssinian breeding programs when a number of Abyssinian kittens were born with bottle-brush tails and long fluffy coats. Abyssinians and Somalis share the same personality and appearance...
, but later appears as a female orange tabby house cat, eventually giving birth to
kittenA kitten is a juvenile domesticated cat that is not yet fully-grown.The young of big cats are called cubs rather than kittens. Either term may be used for the young of smaller wild felids such as ocelots, caracals, and lynx, but "kitten" is usually more common for these species...
s (
TNG: "
Genesis"Genesis" is the nineteenth episode of Star Trek: The Next Generations seventh season, which first aired on March 19, 1994. Captain Jean-Luc Picard and Data return to the USS Enterprise to discover the rest of the crew de-evolved into more primitive forms of life, including spiders, amphibians and...
"). The authors of the
Star Trek Encyclopedia jokingly speculate that these inconsistencies can be explained by the idea that Spot is a shape-shifter or victim of a
transporterA transporter is a fictional teleportation machine used in the Star Trek universe. Transporters convert a person or object into an energy pattern , then "beam" it to a target, where it is reconverted into matter...
accident (depending on which edition of the
Encyclopedia one reads).
Data creates several hundred food supplement variations for Spot and composes the poem "
Ode to Spot" in the cat's honor (
TNG: "
Schisms"Schisms" is an episode of Star Trek: The Next Generation from the sixth season. It was originally aired on October 19 1992.It is famous amongst fans for the linguistically clever, but over-the-top by Data about Spot, his cat.-Plot summary:...
"). (The poem was actually written by Clay Dale, the visual effects artist.) A computer error later causes some of the ship's food replicators to create only Spot's supplements and replaces portions of a play with the ode's text (
TNG: "
A Fistful of Datas"A Fistful of Datas" is an episode of Star Trek: The Next Generation, and was first aired on 1992-11-9. It is the eighth episode in the sixth season. Its title is a play on the title of the Sergio Leone film A Fistful of Dollars.-Plot Summary:...
").
In "
Genesis"Genesis" is the nineteenth episode of Star Trek: The Next Generations seventh season, which first aired on March 19, 1994. Captain Jean-Luc Picard and Data return to the USS Enterprise to discover the rest of the crew de-evolved into more primitive forms of life, including spiders, amphibians and...
"
(TNG) the morphogenetic virus "Barclay protomorphosis syndrome" temporarily mutates Spot into an
iguanaIguana is a genus of lizard native to tropical areas of Central and South America and the Caribbean.. The genus was first described by Austrian naturalist Josephus Nicolaus Laurenti in his book Specimen Medicum, Exhibens Synopsin Reptilium Emendatam cum Experimentis circa Venena in 1768...
-like reptile.
Spot is notoriously unfriendly to most people other than Data. Commander
William RikerCaptain William Thomas Riker, played by Jonathan Frakes, is a fictional character in the Star Trek universe primarily appearing as a main character in Star Trek: The Next Generation.- Casting :...
once received serious scratches from Spot (
TNG: "Timescape").
Geordi La ForgeGeordi La Forge is a regular character in the television series Star Trek: The Next Generation, played by LeVar Burton. He served as helmsman of the USS Enterprise-D in the first season, then occupied the role of the chief engineer for the rest of the series and in the TNG-era films.-Casting:LeVar...
borrowed her to experience taking care of a cat, but she knocked over a vase and teapot and damaged his furniture (
TNG: "
Force of Nature"Force of Nature" is the 160th episode of the science fiction television series Star Trek: The Next Generation and the ninth episode of the show's seventh season...
"). When Data asked
WorfLt. Commander Worf, played by Michael Dorn, is a main character in both Star Trek: The Next Generation and Star Trek: Deep Space Nine, and also the films based on The Next Generation. Worf is the first Klingon main character to appear in Star Trek, and has appeared in more Star Trek episodes than...
to take care of Spot, Worf proved to be allergic to her and sneezed in her face, angering her (
TNG: "
Phantasms"Phantasms" is a seventh-season Star Trek: The Next Generation episode.-Synopsis:Data sees three workmen destroying a warp plasma conduit. He tells them to stop and, after he speaks, he emits a high-pitched sound through his mouth. The workers tell him to be quiet, then attack him and tear him limb...
"). However, she did get along with Lieutenant
Reginald BarclayLieutenant Reginald Endicott "Broccoli" Barclay III, played by Dwight Schultz, is a recurring character in the television series Star Trek: The Next Generation...
, thus when Data had to leave on a mission at the same time Spot's kittens were due, he persuaded Barclay to take care of her (
TNG: "
Genesis"Genesis" is the nineteenth episode of Star Trek: The Next Generations seventh season, which first aired on March 19, 1994. Captain Jean-Luc Picard and Data return to the USS Enterprise to discover the rest of the crew de-evolved into more primitive forms of life, including spiders, amphibians and...
").
After Data died, it was mentioned in a
deleted sceneDeleted scene is a commonly-used term in the entertainment industry, especially the film and television industry, which usually refers specifically to scenes removed from or replaced by another scene in the final "cut", or version, of a film...
of
Star Trek: NemesisStar Trek Nemesis is a 2002 science fiction film directed by Stuart Baird, written by John Logan , and with music composed by Jerry Goldsmith. It is the tenth feature film in the Star Trek franchise, and the fourth and final film to star the cast from the television series Star Trek: The Next...
that
WorfLt. Commander Worf, played by Michael Dorn, is a main character in both Star Trek: The Next Generation and Star Trek: Deep Space Nine, and also the films based on The Next Generation. Worf is the first Klingon main character to appear in Star Trek, and has appeared in more Star Trek episodes than...
is now taking care of her on board the
Enterprise.
Scholarly and fan reception
Fans and scholars have compared Data to
SpockSpock is a character in the fictional Star Trek media franchise. First portrayed by Leonard Nimoy in the original Star Trek series, Spock also appears in the animated Star Trek series, two episodes of Star Trek: The Next Generation, seven of the Star Trek feature films, and numerous Star Trek...
from the original series, though Data's desire to comprehend and emulate humanity contrasts with Spock's disdain for his perceived human shortcomings. Spiner later appeared with
Leonard NimoyLeonard Simon Nimoy is an American actor, film director, poet, musician and photographer. He is famous for playing the character of Spock on the original Star Trek series, and he reprised the role in various movie and television sequels.-Early life:Nimoy was born in Boston, Massachusetts, to...
in a scene in the episode
Unification, Part II, where Data and Spock compared their ideologies: Spock stated that some Vulcans aspire all their lives to achieve what Data had been given by design, and Data replied that, in choosing a fully Vulcan way of life, Spock was rejecting his half-human heritage, in effect abandoning what Data had sought for all his life. Spock further said that he had "no regrets" for his humanity, though Data noted that "no regrets" is a human expression.
In another vein, robotics engineers regard Data (along with the Droids from the
Star WarsStar Wars is an epic space opera franchise initially conceived by George Lucas. The first film in the franchise was originally released on May 25, 1977, by 20th Century Fox, and became a worldwide pop culture phenomenon, spawning two immediate sequels, released at three-year intervals...
movies) as the pre-eminent face of robots in the public's perception of their field.
In an interview with
TV Guide, Brent Spiner said he received more fan mail than the other principal actors; he characterizes the letters as "romantic mail." He considers most of these letters as being "really written to Data; he's a really accessible personality."
The Beat FleetThe Beat Fleet, also known by initialism TBF, is a rap-rock band from Split, Croatia, founded in 1990. Members of the band are: Mladen Badovinac , Luka Barbić , Aleksandar Antić , Ognjen Pavlović , Nikša Mandalinić, , Jan Ivelić...
, a
CroatiaCroatia , officially the Republic of Croatia , is a country in southeast Europe, at the crossroads of the Pannonian Plain, the Balkans, and the Mediterranean Sea. Its capital is Zagreb...
n
hip hopHip hop as a cultural movement "manifest in B-boying , graffiti writing, DJing and eMCeeing/rapping – is an artistic commitment to seize freedom from oppressive social conditions...
band, wrote a song called "Data" for their latest album
Galerija Tutnplok dedicated to Data. The release of this album coincided with reruns of
Star Trek: The Next Generation being shown on
Croatian RadiotelevisionCroatian Radiotelevision is a Croatian public broadcasting company. It operates several radio and television channels, over a domestic transmitter network as well as satellite...
.
On April 9, 2008, Data was inducted into
Carnegie Mellon UniversityCarnegie Mellon University is a private research university in Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania. Since its inception, Carnegie Mellon has grown into a world-renowned institution, with numerous programs that are frequently ranked among the best in the world...
's
Robot Hall of FameThe Robot Hall of Fame was established in 2003 by the School of Computer Science at Carnegie Mellon University in Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania, USA. It is designed to honor both achievements in robotics technology and robots from science fiction that have served as creative inspiration in robotics...
during a ceremony at the
Carnegie Science CenterThe Carnegie Science Center, located in the North Shore neighborhood of Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania, opened in 1991. With a history that dates to October 24, 1939, the Carnegie Science Center is the most visited museum in Pittsburgh...
in
Pittsburgh, PennsylvaniaPittsburgh is a city in and the county seat of Allegheny County, Pennsylvania, United States, and the second largest city in the state. Its population was 334,563 at the 2000 census; by 2006, it was estimated to have fallen to 312,819. The population of the seven-county metropolitan area is...
.
According to
Steve JobsSteven Paul "Steve" Jobs is an American businessman, and the co-founder and chief executive officer of Apple Inc. Jobs previously served as CEO of Pixar Animation Studios....
, CEO of Apple Inc., he was inspired to develop the now popular
iPodiPod is a brand of portable media players designed and marketed by Apple and launched on . The product line-up includes the hard drive-based iPod Classic, the touchscreen iPod Touch, the video-capable iPod Nano, and the compact iPod Shuffle. The iPhone can function as an iPod but is generally...
by watching Data in an episode of
Star Trek: TNG listen to 5 pieces of music simultaneously, as well as queue up any song at will using the main computer. He was also inspired by the Enterprise-D holodecks to attempt to create his own, as featured in the documentary
How William Shatner Changed the WorldHow William Shatner Changed the World is a two-hour television special, commissioned by Discovery Channel Canada and co-produced for History Channel in the United States and channel five in the United Kingdom...
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