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Data (Star Trek)

• View history

Data is a character in the fictional Star Trek universe portrayed by actor Brent Spiner . Data is a sentient android who serves as the second officer and chief operations officer aboard the star ship USS Enterprise.

Though Data's strive for humanity and desire for human emotion is a significant plot point (and source for humor) throughout the series, he continually shows a nuanced sense of wisdom, sensitivity, and curiosity.

Data's positronic brain allows him impressive computational capabilities. Data experienced ongoing difficulties during the early years of his life with understanding various aspects of human behavior and was unable to feel emotion or understand certain human idiosyncrasies, inspiring him to strive for his own humanity. Data had a vast array of interests and hobbies - including painting, playing Sherlock Holmes on the holodeck, Shakespeare, music, and games of chance like poker.

In addition to his impressive computational abilities, Data was very strong due to his design. He was easily able to perform physical tasks that even individuals Worf and Riker would be unable to perform.

• 1.1 Countdown
• 1.2 The Autobiography of Jean-Luc Picard
• 3 Navigation

History [ ]

Data was designed and built by Doctors Noonien and Juliana Soong. He was the fifth android that the pair constructed. The first two prototypes died soon after creation due to unstable positronic matrices. The third android, named B4 was also believed to be a failure and deactivated, this third android eventually disappeared. The fourth android - named Lore - had a stable matrix but a warped, cruel personality. He was deactivated and dismantled, Soong intended to repair him.

Soong decided he wanted to try making one more android, convinced that he had found the answer that would allow the creation of a stable android that did not have an unstable matrix or personality. At first Juliana was opposed to this, fearing that Noonien would unintentionally create a second Lore or the new android would die from another cascade failure, but Noonien was able to talk her into trying one more time.

The couple then created Data. Data was programmed slightly differently, with a personality that did not include the complex emotions that had caused Lore to become mentally unstable. According to Juliana she and Noonien debated about whether Data should be male or female, Noonien solved that debate by building Data's head in his own image and walking into the lab with the head.

Soon Data was activated for the first time. Data was very much like an infant at first, struggling with motor control and sensory input. His personality required adjustment as Data was downright rude. The Soongs were also forced to write a modesty subroutine in order to convince Data to leave his clothes on - Data did not want to wear clothes as he was not affected by the elements, but colonists objected to an anatomically correct android running around naked.

The Soongs then wiped Data's memory and then programmed him with the memories and journals of various colonists.

Soon after Data's creation the Crystalline Entity attacked. Noonien and Juliana fled. At Juliana's insistence Data was left behind as she feared Data would become another Lore. Data was recovered by Starfleet when they responded to the distress call, and reactivated. His life was considered to have begun at that point.

The first few years after activation were difficult for Data as he achieved sentience, the evolution of his positronic brain was hard for him to handle. He briefly considered a form of suicide - shutting down and having his neural net wiped. He later decided to see his difficulties as challenges to be overcame.

Data applied to Starfleet Academy and was accepted in 2341. He graduated in 2345 and was commissioned as an Ensign in Starfleet. Assigned to the USS Trieste , he was promoted to Lieutenant four years later, and to Lieutenant Commander in 2360. Data was recruited for a mission by Captain Jean-Luc Picard , who encouraged him to be more assertive and to go above and beyond in his duties.

Upon the completion of the Enterprise-D in 2364 Data was assigned to the flagship as second officer and operations manager.

In 2371 Data installed an "emotion chip", that his father had created into his positronic net. This allowed him to experience basic emotions for the first time in his life. However an overload caused the chip to fuse in to his brain. Data encountered significant difficulties in integrating his newfound emotions into his program. A couple years later Data developed the ability to deactivate the chip at will if he felt emotions were interfering with his duties, and eventually was able to remove the chip if needed.

Data died in 2379, sacrificing himself to save the crew of the Enterprise-E from Picard's clone Shinzon of Remus. As he had backed up the contents of his matrix into his recently discovered brother B4 before his death, thus Data is "reborn" through his brother.

Countdown [ ]

Data was later resurrected in B-4's body, which allowed the memories and personality to take control of his brother's body. Realizing how important Data was to the Federation B-4 deleted himself so that Data could live again. Working with LaForge and the Daystrom Institute Data had his new body's brain upgraded and re-created the emotion chip.

Afterwards Data returned to active duty within Starfleet, becoming the commanding officer of the Enterprise-E after Picard's retirement from Starfleet.

The Autobiography of Jean-Luc Picard [ ]

Following the death of his physical body in 2379 Picard was meeting with B-4 in his ready room when Q decided to pay them a visit. Q then resurrected Data inside B-4's body, and Data returned to duty soon afterwards.

Following the death of his physical body in 2379 the Daystrom Institute attempted to recover Data's memories from B4's brain. However since his brother's brain was considerably less advanced than his had been, the efforts to retrieve Data largely failed and the Institute felt that much of Data's memories and personality were lost. B-4 was later disassembled and held in storage at the Institute, and was still there in 2399.

However Dr. Bruce Maddox was able to recover a positronic neuron from B-4 that contained Data's memories, and used them to construct a re-creation of Data inside a computer simulation. Data lived within the simulation until 2399, when he was able to talk to Picard one last time and request that his former Captain shut down the simulation, allowing Data to finally die.

However, Data, along with B-4 and Lore, were uploaded into a new body, the Daystrom Android M-5-10, but during when Vadic and her rouge Changelings were carrying out their part in the endgame of the Borg Queen, Lore took control to help them, but Data later reasserted control through using the same move he used when playing poker with the rest of the Enterprise command crew: his bluffing, merging with Lore, leaving Data the dominant mind in control of their shared body, and turned the tables on Vadic and her forces, telling them he was the USS Titan -A's "friendly positronic, pissed-off, security system" as he ensured their takeover of the Titan failed, and Vadic ended up being ejected from the bridge, freezing to death in the vacuum of space before shattering on the Shrike before it too was destroyed by the Titan . With the original command crew of the USS Enterprise -D and USS Enterprise -E reunited, they soon discovered Vadic's alliance with the Borg Queen, and how some of Picard's leftover Borg DNA in his deceased body from his time as Locutus has been uploaded into the Starfleet mainframe and transporter system, meaning that Starfleet, and many of their younger members under the age of 25, were now sleeper agents of the Borg Queen, and why Vadic and her forces were after Jack.

They immediately return to Earth and Sector 001 to warn Fleet Admiral Elizabeth Shelby aboard the USS Enterprise -F about the Borg threat as she is celebrating Frontier Day and activating the new Fleet Formation protocol, but though Shelby is immediately alarmed by the mention of the very threat she witnessed the aftermath of firsthand years ago after the Battle of Wolf 359, and the Borg's second attempt to attack and assimilate Earth in the Battle of Sector 001, it is too late to prevent it. The moment Jack surrenders to the Borg Queen and is assimilated as Vox, voice of the Borg Collective and successor to Locutus, the Queen's endgame is triggered, and many young Starfleet crew members are assimilated into loyal Borg Drones. Data is forced to restrain Geordi when his own daughters Sidney and Alandra are among the assimilated, reminding him he'll be no help to them if anything happens to him and they need a plan. Realizing Data's right, Geordi calms down, and with the help of Seven and Raffi, they escape alongside Picard, Riker, Beverly, Troi, and Worf to flee to the Fleet Museum as Shelby and many unassimilated senior Starfleet personnel are killed by their own younger crew members before the fleet turns its aim on Spacedock, knowing that taking out the fortified space station will take down Earth's planetary shield and leave it vulnerable to an orbital bombardment.

At the Fleet Museum, Data and the others are stunned to see that Geordi had recovered and been repairing the USS Enterprise -D for some time, replacing its destroyed stardrive section with that of its sister ship, USS Syracuse , but the saucer section still bears the scars from what happened at Veridian III. On the bridge, Data is nostalgic as he goes over to his old chair at the helm, before making sure from Geordi that the older Enterprise is not part of the Fleet Formation that the Enterprise -F and the current Starfleet were now linked to as part of the Borg Collective, and Geordi assures him it is safe from the Borg infection.

After the command crew all agree with Picard that they are his family and are with him to the end, and it was time to save the rest of their family as well in Jack, Sidney, and Alandra, Data mans the helm again as the Enterprise -D whirs to life, leaves the museum, and with Picard having Data lay in the course at maximum warp, the moment Data reports the course laid in and she's ready, Picard commands "Engage!" and the Enterprise -D, using the warp nacelles of her sister Syracuse , zips away from the museum to return to the Sol System.

As they approach, they receive a distress signal from UFP President Anton Chekov, requesting any ships hearing his message to avoid Earth at all costs as Spacedock is struggling to hold off the assimilated Starfleet as those assimilated on the space station try to break in to where he is as his aides urge him to evacuate in an escape pod. After the connection is lost, it is not long before Data detects a Borg signature coming from Jupiter. Redirecting course there, they find the Borg Queen's massive Super-Cube hiding in plain sight within the gases of Jupiter's Big Red Spot. Data remains behind as Picard, Riker, and Worf beam down to locate the beacon controlling Starfleet and find Jack. Once Riker and Worf send the schematics of the Cube to Data and Geordi, they find that the Queen was smart enough to place it in the heart of the Cube, where it would be impossible to reach. However, trusting his gut instinct, Data convinces Geordi, Troi, and Beverly to let him pilot the Enterprise -D in to find it and thanks to his positronic brain, he is able to easily navigate the Enterprise through the Cube and to the beacon, all the while with a smile on his face at the excitement of what he's pulling off.

When they find it, Data and Geordi realize that the beacon is tied to the whole Cube. If they destroy it, the whole Cube goes with it. This puts them in a prisoner's dilemma, but in the end, knowing any hesitation would spell doom for Earth and the Federation, after some indecision, with Riker and Worf's go-ahead, Geordi has Beverly destroy the beacon, setting off a chain reaction to destroy the whole Cube. They immediately set out to find Picard, Riker, and Worf, but Data has trouble finding them on his scanners. Luckily, Troi's telepathic bond with Riker allows her to help steer the Enterprise right to them, and they, along with Jack, are beamed to safety as the Enterprise escapes while the Borg Queen screams in fury as she is engulfed in flames and the Cube is destroyed, severing her control over Starfleet just as the surviving ships prepare to launch their orbital bombardment of Earth after subjugating Spacedock, freeing all of the younger crewmembers from their assimilation, but leaving them haunted by the atrocities they committed while under Borg control, with Sidney LaForge herself breaking down in guilt-ridden tears as Seven comforts her and assures her it is over.

As Data joins Geordi and Worf as everyone regroups on the bridge, he joins Geordi when Seven and Raffi contact the Enterprise to show that Geordi's daughters are alright, safe, alive, and grateful to their father for saving them from becoming Borg Drones forever. Shortly thereafter, Data and Geordi notice Worf having fallen asleep when they hear his snoring, much to their amusement.

A year later, Data joins the rest of the Enterprise command crew for one last toast and game of poker at Guinan's Ten Forward in Los Angeles, though when he tries to finish a lewd joke he once tried before, they quickly shoot it down as soon as he starts saying it.

• The late Kevin Peter Hall , Mark Lindsay Chapman , Eric Menyuk and Kelvin Han Yee were all considered for the role of Data before Spiner was cast. Menyuk was a finalist for the role, and was given the recurring guest role of The Traveler as a consolation prize.
• Data, along with Picard, Riker, and LaForge are the only four in the TNG main cast to wear the Voyager -style uniform in Star Trek: Generations .

Navigation [ ]

• 1 Mariko Toda
• 2 King Baldwin IV
• 3 Yoshi Toranaga

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• 1.1 Specifications
• 1.2 Ancestry and family
• 1.3 Discovery and early life
• 1.4 The Enterprise -D
• 1.5.1 Assignments away from the Enterprise
• 1.5.2 Turbulent times
• 2 Interests
• 3 Alternate realities
• 4 Starfleet service record
• 5.1 Connections
• 5.2 See also
• 5.4.1 Appearances
• 5.5 External links

Biography and specifications [ ]

Specifications [ ].

Internal components

Data was constructed by Doctor Noonien Soong and, like the majority of Dr. Soong's works, was modeled after Soong's own likeness and mimicked the human form in impressive detail. Data's design included an ability to grow hair and a pseudo- cardiovascular system which produced a pulse and breathing, but rather than pumping blood , distributed biochemical lubricants and regulated microhydraulic power and temperatures throughout his body. ( TNG episode : " Birthright ")

Data's chemical nutrients are also capable of contracting molecular pathogens undetectable to transporter filters and bleeding from his dermal surface when his skin is pierced or torn. ( TNG episode : " The Naked Now ")

Data was composed of 24.6 kilograms of tripolymer composites, 11.8 kilograms of molybdenum - cobalt alloys and 1.3 kilograms of bioplast sheeting . ( TNG episode : " The Most Toys ")

His upper, spinal support is a polyalloy designed to withstand extreme stress. His skull is composed of cortinide and duranium . This composition makes him resistant to most forms of stress and virtually bullet proof. ( TNG episodes : " The Chase ", " Thine Own Self "; TNG movie : Star Trek: First Contact )

Data was built with an ultimate storage capacity of eight hundred quadrillion bits (approximately 100 petabytes) and a total linear computational speed rated at sixty trillion operations per second. ( TNG episodes : " The Measure of a Man ", " The Offspring ")

Data's brain was outfitted (unlike Lore 's type L) with a type R phase discriminating amplifier . ( TNG episode : " Time's Arrow ")

As his neural net was composed of anti- electrons (positrons), and throughout the nervous system, his body gave off an aura on a wavelength only visible to a humanoid wearing a VISOR . ( TNG episode : " Heart of Glory ")

Data has an ability to "spacewalk", for a limited amount of time, outside the pressurized confines of a vessel's hull-without an environmental suit . He also has acrobatic skills necessary to perform tasks in zero- gravity . ( TNG comic : " A Piece of Reaction "; TNG movie : Star Trek: Nemesis )

Designed with a "fully functional", anatomically correct form, he could perform various techniques of interaction, including sexuality. However, he could not master the ability to whistle. ( TNG episodes : " Encounter at Farpoint ", " The Naked Now ", " Brothers ")

Although he is flawlessly capable of this human idiosyncrasy. ( TNG episode : " The Schizoid Man ")

Data's construction, at first, had no buoyancy-resulting in his sinking whenever submerged in water . ( TNG episode : " Descent ")

However, this was corrected in later years as a potential drowning risk in emergencies. ( TNG movie : Star Trek: Insurrection )

Data possessed a simple infrared vision in addition to normal sight. ( TNG novel : Survivors )

Despite his impressive abilities and specifications, Data always desired to become more human but often struggled to master various aspects of humanity, such as emotion , humor and contractions. As part of his quest to become more human Data kept a pet cat , Spot .

Data did finally gain emotions when he installed an emotion chip created by Dr. Soong. He is most well known for using these emotions in Season 6 and 7 of TNG. ( TNG movie , novelization & comic adaptation : Generations )

Upon their first meeting, Commander Riker referred to him with the pet name of Pinocchio . Years later, his comparison to the antiquated children's tale came up again, while Will Riker considered Data's search for the "human condition." ( TNG episode : " Encounter at Farpoint "; TNG novel : The Eyes of the Beholders )

Ancestry and family [ ]

The dream of creating an android like Data dates back to as early as the 22nd century when Dr. Arik Soong , having failed in improving humanity by means of genetic modification, decided to begin development of a cybernetic lifeform . ( ENT episode : " The Augments ")

He had fully expected that he would not be the one to see the completion of this task; indeed, it was not until Arik Soong's descendant: Noonien Soong, under the tutelage of Ira Graves (Data's " grandfather ") and with the assistance of Juliana Tainer (Data's " mother "), that a fully-formed android was created. ( TNG episodes : " The Schizoid Man ", " Inheritance ")

Prior to Data, Dr. Soong created at least two other androids, Data's brothers Lore and B-4 . Both were considered faulty and were deactivated in favor of the more advanced Data. ( TNG episode : " Datalore "; TNG movie : Star Trek Nemesis )

Data, after the death of his daughter Lal

Despite his quite extensive ancestry Data may consider his crewmates aboard the starships Enterprise -D and -E more of a family and had a particularly strong bond with his friend Geordi La Forge .

In 2366 Data created a new android, his daughter Lal , in her short life Lal successfully achieved a far greater level of human emotion than Data had yet managed and she remained in his thoughts for many years following her death. Appearing in Star Trek: Picard, he also had another daughter called Dahj and also one called Soji.( TNG episode : " The Offspring ")

Discovery and early life [ ]

Data was constructed by Dr. Noonien Soong , and first activated in 2335 at the Omicron Theta colony on planet Kiron III . Unlike his "older brother" Lore , he was not given emotions, and at first was very childlike. In 2336 , his early memories were wiped and replaced with the logs and journals of the colonists. Shortly after, the colony was attacked by a Crystalline Entity and Data was left deactivated on a rock shelf. ( TNG episode : " Inheritance "; ST video game : Star Trek: Starship Creator ; TNG novelization : Encounter at Farpoint )

He was discovered in 2338 by the crew of the USS Tripoli , and reactivated, becoming familiar with Starfleet . Data entered Starfleet Academy in 2341 . ( TNG episode : " Datalore ")

Rear Admiral Alynna Nechayev met with Data while he was hoping to join Starfleet. Nechayev allowed Data to skip the entrance exams and to move to an accelerated track with credit for individual study. ( TNG novel : A Time to Be Born )

Data took the first-year course Ethics and Moral Principles , in which cadets debate the topic that life everywhere was sacred. However, Data was unable to form an argument against the hypothesis, as it was against his programming, and failed the course. ( TNG novel : Survivors )

In 2343 , Data completed an engineering honorarium at Utopia Planitia . A year later, he piloted the shuttle Curie from Earth to Utopia Planitia, ferrying a number of Starfleet officers and one civilian, the nine-year-old Kathryn Janeway . After arriving, he took Janeway on a tour of the facility. ( VOY novel : Mosaic )

At Starfleet Academy, he undertook the Priam IV test as part of admission to the graduating class. Although the test required cadets to be hypnotized into believing the test was real, Data could not be fooled and could even the see the holodeck walls. Therefore, he allowed computer experts to program the experience directly into his mind, an experience that he found disturbing due to the loss of mental control and later sudden return. It took him several days to reconcile the conflicting memories, and finally resolved the paradox by denying access to the real events. ( TNG novel : Survivors )

While in Starfleet Academy, Data had been instrumental in doing some updating and redesigning of the computer system used aboard starships, including greater sophistication in its communication skills and expansion of its already formidable memory. ( TNG novel : Strike Zone )

The year 2345 saw Data graduate with honors in exobiology and probability mechanics from Starfleet Academy as its first android graduate. ( TNG episode : " Encounter at Farpoint "; Last Unicorn RPG module : All Our Yesterdays: The Time Travel Sourcebook )

One of Data's first assignments was as a Starfleet Education Representative , where he visited schools across the Sol system , before he was assigned to a starship. ( TNG novel : Survivors )

He remained an ensign for three years and spent ten-to-twelve years as a lieutenant before he was recruited for a survey mission by Captain Jean-Luc Picard aboard the USS Portia . ( TNG novel : The Buried Age ) During this mission, Picard encouraged Data to assert himself and work beyond what his superiors request of him; prior to meeting Picard, Data had shown a lack of career advancement because he always did the job in front of him simply because it didn't occur to him to push himself further or ask for particular assignments over others, adhering to the chain of command without thinking of going beyond the rules. Inspired by Picard's advice, Data was not only able to determine the true abilities and motives of the Manraloth , Ariel , but expose and thwart her plans to sabotage the Galaxy -class starships with a quantum virus that would have added various minor faults to their designs while rendering Starfleet computers unable to detect these flaws. As a result of his efforts, Data was promoted to Lieutenant Commander in 2360 after the conclusion of the mission ( TNG episodes : " Datalore ", " Clues ") (A meeting of Starfleet Command had to specially approve the promotion. ( TNG novel : Survivors ) He subsequently served aboard the USS Trieste ( TNG novel : The Buried Age ), although he was assured that there was a place for him on a Galaxy-class starship when he wanted it for his role in saving them.

By 2365 , Data had earned the Starfleet Command Decoration for Gallantry , Medal of Honor with clusters, Legion of Honor , and the Star Cross . ( TNG episode : " The Measure of a Man ")

By the late 24th century , Data's collected letters were required reading by cadets taking the Introduction to Artificial Intelligence course at Starfleet Academy. ( Last Unicorn RPG module : Starfleet Academy Handbook )

The Enterprise -D [ ]

Data in dress uniform at Chief O'Brien 's wedding aboard the Enterprise -D

In 2364 , Data joined the crew of the USS Enterprise -D as operations manager , chief science officer , and second officer . ( TNG episode & novelization : Encounter at Farpoint ; WizKids module : Attack Wing )

Data also accompanied the Enterprise -D's First Officer , Commander Riker and away teams on various missions and first contacts with species such as the Theluvians . He also took part in various celebrations aboard the Enterprise -D such as Christmas .

Prior to a encounter with Q , Data was, unknowingly, pre-programmed by Starfleet Command to have the Enterprise -D find the planet Faltos . Data was given authority to command the ship on the orders of Admiral Thivov . Data was successful in finding Faltos. Data was also instrumental in escaping Faltos's orbit. Chief Engineer Michael Argyle and Dr. Beverly Crusher were able to help Data find Dr. Soong's research on the Crystalline Entity . Using this information, Data was able to create an escape plan by joining transporter and warp technology in a unorthodox way. However, as the ship was leaving Faltos's orbit, Data's file on this was taken away by Bensley to protect Faltos , thus making sure the planet remains lost. ( TNG comics : " ... Where No One Has Gone Before! ", " Spirit in the Sky! ", " Q Affects! ")

On stardate 41590.8, Data was part of an away team to the planet Tigan . After discovering a planetary conspiracy, the team were attacked by Tigan security forces. Tasha Yar and Will Riker were taken into captivity while Data was taken to a Tigan facility where one of the Tigan conspirators, Edic , attempted to reprogram Data's positronic brain to erase his findings and report back to the Enterprise with only a positive experience of the planet. Fortunately Data's mind proved too resilient for this tampering and the attempt was unsuccessful. Data was freed from the Tigans when Edic rebelled against his fellow conspirator Kadec after seeing the error of his ways. The experience left Data contemplative, his memory so perfect, maybe that could be the key to him learning to be Human . ( TNG comic : " History Lesson ")

He later went on an investigative mission to the planet Treva with Lieutenant Tasha Yar . They met with President Nalavia , with whom he attempted to flirt on Yar's suggestion. After Yar disappeared, Data was forced to carry on alone, and was taken on tours of the city to meet with survivors of the terrorist attacks and visiting schools. Meanwhile, he infiltrated the Presidential Palace , explored its computers , analyzed the data he found, and searched for Yar. Finally he escaped the palace and headed to the castle of Warrior's Rest in a stolen flyer to rescue Yar, but he was captured by a quoghart net he did not notice. There, Data shared what he'd learned about Nalavia’s Riatine water treatments and fake terrorists . Though conflicted by their duty to the Prime Directive , he and Yar participated in planning for the liberation of Treva, and in the defense of the rebel stronghold. He also began a relationship with Pris Shenkley , a mercenary working for fugitive ex–Starfleet officer Darryl Adin . Data later discovered information exposing Nalavia's schemes.

Following the mission, Data remotely accessed the Starbase 36 computer in order to find and examine files related to Adin's conviction in 2359 . Delving deeper, he interfaced with and finally merged completely with the computer to recover deleted files from the Standard Unlimited Virtual memory system, something that could only be done by an android. He virtually drowned in conflicting information from the starbase and was left unconscious, but was fortunately discovered and restored by Lieutenant Geordi La Forge . He discovered that the files had been tampered with and exosed the Orion plot that had framed Adin, exonerating him. ( TNG novel : Survivors )

At some point during the year 2364 , Data also served in the position of navigator aboard the USS Enterprise -D . ( TNG video game : The Transinium Challenge )

In 2366 , Data was taken by the Mezartine crew of the warship Conqueror . There he was used as a new body for the Pilot 's personality to continue his existence. As the pilot, Data ordered Captain Picard to give supplies or he would destroy the Enterprise . ( TNG - The Battle Within comics : " The Pilot ", " The Battle Within ")

In late 2368 , Data traveled through a Devidian portal to 1893 . An away team from the Enterprise followed him and brought him back to his own time . However, he left his head behind, which stayed in San Francisco for nearly five hundred years before being reconnected to his body shortly after his recovery by his crewmates. ( TNG episode : " Time's Arrow ")

In 2371 , Data was forced to play a deadly game with the entity Redjac when he took over Enterprise -D 's computer as part of his revenge. Redjac used the Enterprise -D 's holodeck to recreate Victorian London using Data's Sherlock Holmes program. Redjac tried to make Data feel fear. At first, Data was not able to stop Redjac from killing officers such as Ensign McKenzie . Data was able to save Counselor Troi from Redjac. Data and LaForge were then able to devise away to stop Redjac. Data was then able to find Redjac in a warehoused named " Montgomery & Sons" on Scott street, which Data saw as reference to Redjac's time on the original Enterprise . Data and La Forge were able to seal Redjac within a photon torpedo . ( TNG comic : " Embrace the Wolf ")

The Enterprise -E [ ]

Following the Enterprise -D's destruction, Data alongside the majority of Captain Picard's crew transferred to the new Sovereign -class USS Enterprise -E . ( TNG movie : Star Trek First Contact )

In the months following the infusion of the emotion chip into his neural net, Data had dificulties mastering his new emotions. He was prone to get angry or agitated over trivial matters, and found himself unable to produce art as before. In the latter matter, he enlisted the help of Lieutenant Padraig Daniels who came aboard for a temorary assignment. The two spent much time in the Enterprise ' art center painting, and eventually Data managed to express himself again using his emotions. ( TNG - Slings and Arrows eBook : The Oppressor's Wrong )

In 2374 during the Dominion War , Data and the crew of Enterprise-E were then sent to the Gorn homeworld to try and form an alliance between the Federation and the Gorn Empire. Data was left in command of the Enterprise after a coup occurred on the surface and Capt. Picard, Counselor Troi and Dr. Crusher went down to the surface. Data then held the Enterprise's fire against the one of the Gorn warships. Data then destroyed the Gorn warship. Data then informed Starfleet command and Adm. Connolly of the situation with the Gorn. Connolly told him that Starfleet could not send any reinforcements to him. Data was then contacted by the coup leader, Slessshh , who wanted the Enterprise to surrender or he would kill Capt. Picard, Dr. Crusher, Counselor Troi and the rest of the away team. Data however refused to do so saying that Slessshh was underestimating the human's strength. Data then decided to beam down, unarmed to the Gorn council chamber to demonstrate his point. Data then called Slessshh and the gorn weak. Data, at the behest of Capt. Picard, then challenged Slessshh to fight him. Data was able to defeat him and force the gorn war fleet to stand down.( TNG comic : " The Gorn Crisis ")

In 2376 , Data was part of an away team to investigate the Cardassian freighter Kamal , which the Enterprise had discovered in the Badlands . The freighter contained the Orb of Memory which caused the away team , including Data, to suffer flashbacks to people and events in their lives. ( DS9 novel : Avatar, Book One )

Assignments away from the Enterprise [ ]

Given Data's impressive abilities and usefulness to Starfleet, it was not uncommon for him to be called to serve on other missions away from the Enterprise from time to time .( TNG episode : " We'll Always Have Paris ", TNG episode : " The Ensigns of Command ", TNG episode : " Time's Arrow ", TNG episode : " Thine Own Self ")

In 2375 Data joined a duck-blind mission on the planet Ba'ku and was largely responsible for revealing a Starfleet/ Son'a plot to remove the Ba'ku from their planet. ( TNG movie : Star Trek: Insurrection )

In 2377 Data served as technical advisor during the development of the highly experimental USS Incursion . He joined the Incursion 's crew in the shakedown cruise testing the Incursion's holographic systems and subsequently found himself in the midst of the Warden plot to take over the galaxy . During the crisis he was recalled to Earth to help decode warden transmissions and was almost assassinated by Warden agents, fortunately he was rescued by the Incursion 's crew and rejoined the vessel to help bring down the Wardens. ( TNG video game : Away Team )

In 2378 Data was assigned to the USS Sovereign to assist in the investigation of the Vesuvi Event. It was discovered that a rogue Cardassian faction was responsible. Data received orders from Vice Admiral Liu to track down the device that the Cardassians were using to destroy star systems . A device was located on Alioth VI, but unfortunately, the Sovereign was discovered and attacked by a Cardassian fleet, forcing the crew to leave Data behind on the hostile planet for several months. He was recovered by the crew of the Sovereign and later was able to establish a dialogue with the Kessok after the Sovereign 's captain initiated a peaceful first contact. After the conflict in the Maelstrom region was resolved, he returned to the Enterprise . ( TNG video game : Bridge Commander )

Turbulent times [ ]

In 2378 , Data had his emotion chip forcibly removed following an incident at the Rashanar Battle site . ( TNG novels : A Time to Be Born , A Time to Die )

In 2379 , he commanded the Bravo team mission to infiltrate the nadion-pulse cannon firebase located in the Solasook Peninsula on Tezwa . The mission was successful after Data was able to interface with the base computers allowing him to send false signals forcing the crew to abandon the base. It was on this mission that Commander Riker was kidnapped and held captive for one month. During Riker's captivity, Data served as acting first officer of the Enterprise . It was Lieutenant Vale's belief that Data went without any rest for this entire one-month period. ( TNG novels : A Time to Kill , A Time to Heal )

After Riker's return, he approached Captain Picard about taking crew of the Enterprise with him to the USS Titan . Picard was fine with this except that Riker was not allowed to take Data as Picard felt that he had earned his chance to become first officer of the Enterprise . ( TNG novel : A Time for War, A Time for Peace )

Data in 2379

Towards the end of the year, Data sacrificed himself to rescue Captain Picard and destroy the Reman warbird Scimitar thereby preventing the deaths of the Enterprise -E's crew. ( TNG movie : Star Trek Nemesis )

Following his death, the copy of his neural net he uploaded to B-4 failed to take hold and Data, including his memories, were lost. ( PIC episode : " Remembrance ")

A reconstruction of Data's consciousness created by Altan Soong existed in a complex simulation. At his request, this version of Data's consciousness was terminated by Jean-Luc Picard. ( PIC episode : " Et in Arcadia Ego, Part 2 ")

The personality and memories of Data, along as Lore, B-4, Lal and Soong himself were contained within the Daystrom Android M-5-10 golem , created by Altan Soong at Daystrom Station . ( PIC episode : " The Bounty ") When the android was recovered in 2401 , personalities of Data and Lore were at odds with each other within the golem, but when Lore appeared to be victorious and took over Data's memories, he actually became Data in the process, although now Data also included elements of Lore's personality. ( PIC episode : " Surrender ")

Interests [ ]

One of Data's hobbies/interests was "classical chamber music ." ( TNG video game : Echoes from the Past ; TNG episode : " A Matter of Time ")

Alternate realities [ ]

In an alternate timeline created when the USS Enterprise -C was accidentally sent through a temporal rift from 2344 to 2366 , the Federation had been at war with the Klingon Empire for almost 20 years as the Enterprise -C's disappearance resulted in the destruction of the Klingon colony Narendra III . In this timeline, Data was still the ship's operations officer. ( TNG episode : " Yesterday's Enterprise ")

In an alternate timeline, a group of advanced aliens on Elysia worshiped as gods by the natives transformed Data into a human male. Data spent the next several months adjusting to his new body, and found among other things that he was left handed. Meanwhile the Konor conquered the Samdian Sector setting off a chain of events that led to a major war that decimated all the major galactic powers. The timeline was averted when Data was transformed back into an android and sent back in time to before he encountered Elysia's "gods." Not being transformed into a human allowed Data to uncover a critical clue in the Samdian crisis that led to the peaceful resolution of that crisis. ( TNG novel : Metamorphosis )

Commodore Data

In another alternate timeline, he ascended to the rank of commodore . In 2408 , he was the commanding officer of the USS Enterprise -F with 2,023 crewmembers. ( TNG novel : Imzadi )

In an alternate timeline, Doctor Soong's dream became a reality and hundreds of Soong-type androids were operational within the Federation. Data fought for android rights and, after winning them, he and a group of others separated from the Federation to establish their own society. They settled on Iconia and began to explore their abilities.

Following the reactivation of Lore in 2378 , Data contacted the Enterprise -D and requested Captain Picard's assistance to avert a war. After successful negotiations utilizing Iconian gateway technology as a bargaining chip, the war that Data feared was prevented. In the mid- 2400s , he was offered a posting as Ambassador to the Dominion . ( TNG - Myriad Universes novella : Brave New World )

In an alternate timeline in which the Cardassian Union did not withdraw from Bajor in 2369 , Data became the captain of the USS Sutherland in 2373 , shortly after the outbreak of the Romulan War . ( TNG - Myriad Universes novel : A Gutted World )

Data with blue eyes in an alternate reality

In several alternate realities visited by Lieutenant Worf in 2370 , Data likewise served as the Enterprise -D's chief operations officer. In five of these realities, he attended Worf's surprise birthday party and gave him an expressionist painting of the Battle of HarOs . In two others, the painting depicted a Klingon Vor'cha -class battle cruiser .

In one reality, Data's eyes were blue instead of yellow. In another reality in which Jean-Luc Picard was killed during the Borg Incursion of 2366-2367 , Data was still the second officer of the Enterprise in 2370, which was under the command of William T. Riker . Worf was the first officer . ( TNG episode : " Parallels ")

In another reality, Data was the first officer of the FSS Enterprise in 2380 .

In another reality, Data served as the first officer of the US Enterprise , under the command of Wesley Crusher , prior to his death at the hands of the Reman usurper Vkruk in 2379. He was succeeded by Jean-Luc Picard, who had previously been the second officer.

In another reality, Data served aboard the United Earth Space Probe Agency vessel Enterprise before it was captured by the Klingon Empire and became the IKS Qu' . He was disassembled by the Klingons . By 2380, Captain Picard was the only surviving member of the original crew.

In another reality, Data was the first officer of the USS Enterprise -E , which was under the command of Thomas Halloway in 2380.

In another reality, Data was the captain of the ESS Enterprise in 2380. ( TNG novel : Q & A )

Shortly after the return of the USS Enterprise to Earth following the battle with Shinzon , Picard and B-4 were paid a visit by Q . Over the objections of Picard, Q restored Data to life in B-4's body. ( TNG novel : The Autobiography of Jean-Luc Picard )

Sometime in the 29th century when the Borg assimilated the entire galaxy, Data's positronic matrix was stored in the Borg hive mind when they assimilated the Daystrom Institute . Data was then rebuilt by Locutus and helped Locutus defeat the Borg Queen 's sentinel, Seven of Nine . After Locutus and the Queen killed each other, Data was then sent back to USS Enterprise -E in 2381 to help Captain Picard defeat the Borg. ( TNG - Hive comics : " Hive, Issue 1 ", " Hive, Issue 3 ")

Starfleet service record [ ]

Appendices [ ], connections [ ], see also [ ].

• Children of Soong

Appearances and references [ ]

Appearances [ ], external links [ ].

• Data article at Memory Alpha , the wiki for canon Star Trek .
• Data (Star Trek) article at Wikipedia , the free encyclopedia.
• Data (Assimilation²) article at Tardis Data Core , the Doctor Who wiki
• Data article at the Star Trek Timelines Wiki .
• 1 Ferengi Rules of Acquisition
• 2 The Chase
• 3 Preserver (race)

Data's Entire Backstory Explained

Star Trek: The Next Generation gave Trekkies a whole host of new and incredible characters, from Captain Jean-Luc Picard and Geordi La Forge to William Riker and Deanna Troi. But perhaps the most memorable of the bunch was Data, everybody's favorite android.

With his super intelligent brain, Data was definitely an asset to the Enterprise crew, and his razor-sharp mind saved the day on more than one occasion. But due to his inability to feel emotions, he encountered all sorts of difficulties and challenges while boldly going where no android had gone before. But perhaps most importantly, Data allowed fans to ask some pretty big questions about the meaning of humanity and what counts as sentient life.

In other words, the saga of Data is absolutely fascinating, and today, we're taking a look at his tale. From his creation to his death and everything in between, here's Data's entire backstory explained.

The creation of Data

Star Trek: The Next Generation operated as a sort of space-based procedural, but that doesn't mean there was zero development over the series. As Jean-Luc Picard and the rest of the Enterprise crew fought conundrums of the week, the characters were built up throughout the show as stand-ins for concepts worth exploring. For example, we learned about conservatism and tradition through Worf, leadership through Picard, and empathy through Troi. As Data's entire life built toward the question of sentience and what makes a person a person, then we should probably start his story at the very beginning.

Data was created in the year 2336 by Dr. Noonian Soong. Soong was an incredibly well-regarded scientist, working for the Federation of Planets on issues of artificial intelligence. In particular, Soong wanted to create a powerful new android brain that could learn in the same ways that men could. Unfortunately, his first several attempts at creating a better android brain were flops, and he fled the Earth in shame. 

He ended up living on Omicron Theta under an assumed name. The far-out outpost gave him the space to study androids without fear of being discovered or ridiculed, and he built six androids during his time on the planet. This included Data, his fifth attempt. Data was built for Soong to test solutions to problems from his previous android Lore. Lore was built with the capacity to feel emotions, which led to feelings of superiority. Data had this ability removed in the hopes that Soong could figure out how to upgrade Lore and apply the solution before reactivating him.   

Adjusting to life among humans

Data's early life was difficult, to say the least. He was immediately eyed with suspicion by his neighbors, both because he was an unsocialized android with little grasp on how to act in the world and because his brother Lore was deactivated for harboring anti-human ideas.

To get an idea of Data's years on Omicron Theta, just picture the clearly middle-aged android known throughout the series, with the motor functions and reasoning skills of an infant. His differences from Lore made the adjustment to living in the colony all the more difficult. Unlike Lore, he had no ability to process human emotions, which left him unable to understand the need to be polite. His gruff demeanor with the other Omicron Thetans would've been enough to make him an outsider, but his lack of modesty made it difficult to convince the android to wear clothes. Because Data was largely anatomically identical on the outside to a human, this caused a bit of scandal in the small village.  

Data was saved by Juliana

Data made few friends among the people who lived on Omicron Theta, including his own creator. Data's older brother, Lore, was made in the exact image of Dr. Soong and was treated as a son by the inventor. Data, as his name suggests, was an experiment, a way to collect and troubleshoot problems to perfect Lore. But Lore eventually came to be impressed by Data, who learned at a much faster clip than his older brother. Free of the distractions of emotion, Data became a reservoir of knowledge and advanced to heights that Lore never reached. 

However, Soong's decision to imbue Lore with human emotions couldn't be swept under the rug with a simple deactivation. Knowing that he was to be turned off, Lore called in an alien intelligence to destroy the planet before his creator could flip the switch. The Crystalline Entity attacked the planet, and Data was only saved by Soong's wife, Juliana, who felt protective of all of the androids she helped create alongside her husband. But ultimately, the decision that shaped the rest of Data's life was actually made to save the pride of Juliana's husband.

See, Juliana feared that Data would fail, sending Soong into another tailspin like the one that led to him fleeing from Earth. Rather than allow that, she told her husband that Data was destroyed in the initial attack. Soong fled, leaving his two most successful androids behind on a dead planet.  

He was found by Starfleet

Data was found shortly after the attack, when an exploratory party from the USS Tripoli beamed down to the ruined planet. They rebooted Data, which cast him into a deep existential confusion. In an attempt to store all the knowledge of the colony in Data's young brain, Soong deleted all of Data's memories of his own parents. He had no understanding of who he was or where he came from, and he felt entirely unmoored from humanity. 

His neural networks in his artificially intelligent brain had to rebuild themselves, as he was cast back to square one. Unfortunately, he lacked the mentorship of his parents, who were much more forgiving of Data's lack of emotion and knowledge because they created him as a blank slate. Absent their leadership, Data briefly lost the will to live when he realized that he could fail in his ability to gain full sentience. His neural processes became more and more complex, and with each new layer of processes, Data ran the risk of making an error and causing a domino effect of machine failures. Faced with the terror of accidentally frying his own brain, Data considered deactivating himself and likened it to suicide in a heart-to-servos with the Enterprise 's Geordi La Forge. 

Ultimately, Data's innate love of solving puzzles pressed him forward. He treated rebuilding his own mind as a unique challenge that was only suited for someone with a complex computer for a brain, and as a result, he was able to push through.  

Data had to learn the ropes

Once Data was fully rebooted and no longer in danger of collapsing his brain, he decided to put his advanced learning powers to good use. As Starfleet was the group that rescued him from permanent stasis on an empty planet, he signed up for the Starfleet Academy. But one member of the Academy's selection board, Dr. Bruce Maddox, objected to allowing Data to attend. After all, Data would be the first-ever android admitted to the Academy that trained cadets for the Federation's exploratory and military wing. As all prior androids on Earth had nowhere near the intelligence and reasoning capabilities of Data, Maddox viewed Data as nothing more than a machine. However, he was overruled. Data excelled at the Academy, quickly becoming an expert in alien biology and the mechanics of probability. 

While he was a model student, as you might expect given his superhuman grasp of reasoning and problem-solving, Data still had trouble interacting with people. He came to be incredibly knowledgeable in several fields and graduated with honors, but his built-in limitations in areas like empathy and emotion made him an outcast. He was frequently the butt of jokes that were easy to make, as he had no grasp of humor and an entirely black-and-white view of the information he was given. Data was able to hone his book smarts, but he would struggle with the emotional side of things for the rest of his life.

Serving Starfleet

Data graduated with honors and was assigned to work on the USS Trieste . As The Next Generation featured many of the main players already well up the Starfleet ladder, it's difficult to imagine Ensign Data (and his existence as a repository for inhuman amounts of knowledge makes it even harder), but he served in that lowly rank for three years before being promoted to lieutenant. He earned his spot on the bridge 12 years later, with a promotion to lieutenant commander. It was at that point that Starfleet reassigned him to the Enterprise under the command of Jean-Luc Picard . 

Data's time aboard the Trieste  was mentioned only in passing throughout the series, but it was clear that Data took part in many important missions before ever taking a seat on the Enterprise . He shared that his ship had passed through an unstable wormhole in one particularly terrifying trip, and the Enterprise 's young ensign Wesley Crusher was cowed by Data's long list of Starfleet commendations.

When Data finally met his brother

The universe of Star Trek: The Next Generation  was big in theory but small in practice. In spite of the many light-years that Starfleet's advanced ships could travel with ease, every character on the Enterprise  was eventually tracked down by characters from their past. So it went with Data, though his troubles were explicitly sought out by the crew of the Enterprise .

Data was entirely unique in the universe, the only android with anywhere near his abilities. So it would make since that the explorers in the Enterprise would want to know more about where he came from. So they traveled to Omicron Theta to figure out Data's confusing origins, as they'd been deleted from his memory. Unfortunately, they found Lore. Data's long-lost brother was reassembled and reactivated by the clueless Enterprise crew, who knew nothing of his disdain for humanity. 

Lore lied to Data, saying that he was deactivated because he made the humans of Omicron jealous. He correctly pointed out that he was better at being a human than Data, and he rubbed his ability to comprehend emotion in his younger brother's face. When Data threatened to tell Picard more information about Lore, the new android subdued his brother and impersonated Data in an attempt to take control of the Enterprise .

Lore called in the Crystalline Entity yet again in an attempt to destroy the ship, but he was stopped when Data tossed him into the transporter, and Wesley Crusher beamed him out into space. However, it wouldn't be his last battle with Lore or the last uncomfortable appearance of his android roots. 

Data fought for android rights

Yet another figure from Data's past factored into one of the best episodes of The Next Generation . In "The Measure of a Man," Bruce Maddox reappeared in Data's life for the first time since voting against his Starfleet admittance. When Maddox appeared on the Enterprise , seeking to study Data's internal circuitry in an attempt to recreate his still unique brain, Data objected and refused to submit to a procedure he believed would kill him. 

Maddox countered that Data wasn't a sentient being and was the property of Starfleet, meaning that he had no rights to his own body. Maddox repeatedly referred to Data as "it" throughout the ordeal, refusing to give him pronouns reserved for humans. Eventually, Maddox forced a transfer of Data to under his own command, while Picard looked for a way out for Data. The android resigned rather than be subject to Maddox's commands, but Maddox countered before a Federation judge that Data had no rights to resign. As property of Starfleet, he had no rights to refuse orders or leave of his own volition.  

Ultimately, a trial was convened with members of the Enterprise serving as counsel. Picard defended Data while Riker represented Starfleet's position. Riker expertly laid out the case that Data wasn't a human, and a spooked Picard revealed that he was worried Maddox would be successful in creating new Datas with no rights — a race of superpowered slaves beholden to the Federation.

To prevent this, Picard laid out an incredible case for Data's humanity . He showed that Data could feel sentimentality and ultimately tore down Maddox in a cross-examination. As a result, the judge ruled that Data was officially a machine, but he was the property of no one.

The story of Data's daughter

At a certain point in life, a lot of people will feel like they're missing something — a child. And the same was true for Data, who was unable to have kids. However, the android was able to get around this by building himself a daughter named Lal. But given her incredibly advanced processing abilities and her rapid gleaning of knowledge, Starfleet yet again demanded the right to experiment on Lal in order to determine how she ticked. 

Data asserted his desire to protect his child and noted that he had parental rights over his young daughter, even as she moved beyond him. She gained the ability to experience emotions, but this eventually caused her neural network to short out and crash. Data experienced the entire span of having a child in a very brief time, and she died in his arms after telling Data that she loved him (something that Data couldn't share).

Almost human

As you might expect, Data did eventually gain the ability to feel emotions. See, Data's father had been hiding out and working on an emotional chip upgrade for his android son. He then sent out a homing beacon that overrode all of Data's other processes, forcing him to take control of the Enterprise and fly it to Soong's location. Unfortunately, Lore was also pulled in by the beacon. 

Data's ne'er-do-well brother stole the chip for himself and fatally wounded Soong. Dying, Soong warned that Lore couldn't function with a chip that wasn't built for him, but the bad guy was in no mood to listen, as Lore resented his father for deactivating him all those years ago. Sadly, Data got to yet again spend time with a family member in their final moments, though he told his father he wouldn't be able to grieve. 

Fortunately, Data was able to recreate Soong's chip and implanted it in himself. He was initially very unstable and unable to register the appropriate reactions, and the chip overloaded his neural network in a similar manner to his late daughter. However, he did eventually get himself under control, and when he found himself crying with joy after being reunited with a friend, Deanna Troi explained that his emotional chip was functioning perfectly.

Data was a soldier to the last

Though Data gained the ability to feel fear, he never stopped being an incredibly brave soldier for Starfleet. Much like another logically inclined Enterprise crew member — we're looking at you, Mr. Spock  — Data ultimately sacrificed himself to save the rest of his compatriots. 

Captain Picard was captured in a battle with the Romulan ship Scimitar , and knowing that he had to save Picard from death, Data jumped through a hole in the Enterprise , across the void of space, to gain access to the rival ship. When he found Picard in distress, he teleported his commander back to the Enterprise over Picard's protests. In one final act in service of Starfleet, Data fired upon the core of the of the enemy ship from the inside, detonating it in a massive blast. This killed everyone aboard, including Data, and allowed the rest of the Enterprise to escape. 

In Picard , the recent sequel to TNG , Data appears regularly but only in visions. The man who argued hardest for Data's humanity is deeply haunted by the fact that Data gave his life for him. But even though Data sacrificed himself while having the ability to feel emotions, he'd likely argue that trading his life for the rest of the crew was the logical solution.

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Data is a Soong-type android , and former captain of the U.S.S. Enterprise -E .

• 2 Missions involved
• 4 References
• 5 External link

History [ | ]

• 2338 : Built by Noonien Soong , Data is activated after the Crystalline Entity destroys his home colony on Omicron Theta .
• 2344: Data joins Starfleet , and serves as Operations Officer aboard the starships U.S.S. Enterprise -D and U.S.S. Enterprise -E beginning in 2364.
• 2379: The Enterprise recovers another Soong-type android, called B-4. In an effort to teach his "brother," Data uploads his entire library of internal files to B-4. Later, Data sacrifices himself in order to rescue Captain Jean-Luc Picard and destroy the I.R.W. Scimitar .
• 2384 : Starfleet transfers B-4 to the custody of the Soong Foundation .
• 2385 : Data's personality is restored in B-4's body, thanks to the efforts of the Soong Foundation and Geordi La Forge . Data initially resists the restoration, and attempts to purge himself in an effort to save his "brother," but B-4 thwarts the attempt, sacrificing himself so Data can assist Starfleet against the Undine threat. ( The Needs of the Many )
• 2386 : Data attends the wedding of Worf and Grilka. He later requests that his Starfleet commission be reactivated, which Starfleet Command agrees to after Ambassador Picard, William Riker, and other former Enterprise crew members testify on his behalf. Data is given the rank of Captain.
• 2387 : Data assumes command of the Enterprise, which has undergone an extensive refit. He is able to perform the advanced calculations required to seal a rift to Fluidic space the size of a small moon. The Enterprise also assists Ambassador Picard and Spock's attempts to save the Romulan homeworld from destruction.
• 2390 : The Enterprise surveys the McAllister C-5 Nebula; Data reports that they had discovered multiple quantum singularities in the area of the nebula that corresponded to those used by the Undine to cross from fluidic space.
• 2408 : The Enterprise is lost to the Undine at Starbase 236 , though Data and his crew escape.
• 2409 : When Va'Kel Shon is offered command of the U.S.S. Enterprise-F , he visits Data in Oxford, stating that he feels Data should assume the command. Data advises Shon to accept the command, saying Shon is an ideal candidate for the position. Data works with the Daystrom Institute in some capacity, and is working on an android he refers to as "brother," in his home. [1]
• 2410 : Data has returned to Starfleet, and serves as a captain, though it is currently unknown what his assignment is.

Missions involved [ | ]

• Data and B-4's story after Star Trek: Nemesis is outlined in the official Path to 2409 , the Star Trek Online tie-in novel The Needs of the Many , and Star Trek Magazine's Original Fiction .
• While we don't see Data's face in his appearance in the ending cutscene of "Survivor", his possession of the Tasha Yar hologram and Sela's request that he tell her about Tasha strongly imply that this is in fact Data. His uniform may also suggest he is still in active service with Starfleet.
• There are a number of inconsistencies between the fates of B-4 and Data as shown in the Star Trek Online timeline , and the events presented in Star Trek: Picard , which are yet to be addressed in-game.

References [ | ]

• ↑ Original Fiction Unexpected Honor

External link [ | ]

• Data at Memory Alpha , the Star Trek Wiki.
• B-4 at Memory Alpha , the Star Trek Wiki.
• Data at Memory Beta , the non-canon Star Trek Wiki.
• 1 Playable starship
• 3 Infinity Prize Pack - T6 Ship

Data is a 24th century Android Starfleet officer, best known for serving as Operations Officer aboard the U.S.S. Enterprise NCC-1701-D and U.S.S. Enterprise NCC-1701-E under Captain Jean-Luc Picard .

The presence of Data in Star Trek Timelines was first revealed in the PAX East 2015 Demo , where he is described as a great engineer. In this video he is shown as having Skills in Security, Science and Engineering, and the Android, Federation and Starfleet Traits .

• 3 References
• 4 Related Dev Blogs
• 5 External Links

• Prospero's character page is redirected here because he is a version of Data. Disruptor Beam gave him a different base name in-game, but does not present him as a separate character.
• Data Q is included here as Disruptor Beam announced that he would be treated as a variant of both Q and Data. [1]
• ↑ https://forum.disruptorbeam.com/stt/discussion/comment/174888/#Comment_174888

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Data was an android and Starfleet officer. He died in 2379. Six years later in 2385, he was "Reborn" in B4's body and became the Captain of the Enterprise-E.

• 2385 Reborn in the Body of B4, assists Daystrom institute in improving Dr. Soong's Emotion Chip.
• 2387 Reinstated into starfleet with the rank of Captain and assumes Command of the Enterprise-E after the retirement of Captain Picard.

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History [ ]

Originally, Star Trek was a product of Desilu Studios as created by Gene Roddenberry in a first draft series proposal " Star Trek is... ", dated 11 March 1964 .

Beginning with a single pilot episode, " The Cage ", filmed in 1964, Star Trek was not placed on the schedule of the NBC network until a second pilot episode, " Where No Man Has Gone Before ", was produced in 1965 .

Star Trek officially went into production on April 21, 1966 and ran for three seasons until it was canceled in 1969 . Four years later, the series returned to NBC as a Saturday morning animated series which ran from 1973 to 1974 .

No new production of Star Trek took place until 1979 , when Star Trek: The Motion Picture took the franchise into feature films , which have continued to be produced periodically since. Star Trek did not return to television until 1987 with the debut of Star Trek: The Next Generation .

Following three more spin-off productions, the 2005 – 2006 TV season was the first since 1987 without a new Star Trek series being broadcast, though all series remain in syndication.

As a result of a 2005 split between the former Viacom and CBS , Star Trek television productions fell under the umbrella of CBS Studios . During this period, films continued to be produced and distributed by Paramount Pictures under a licensing agreement. A thirteenth film was released in 2016 . CBS and Viacom were reunited and merged under the name ViacomCBS in late 2019 , reuniting the film and television branches of Star Trek . In 2022 ViacomCBS rebranded itself as Paramount Global , or simply Paramount.

After 12 years off the air, the franchise returned to the airwaves with its first streaming series, Star Trek: Discovery , which premiered in the fall of 2017 . This also saw the franchise expand into companion series, like the aftershow After Trek , which premiered right after the Discovery .

Currently, licensees of Star Trek products ( reference works , novels and collectibles ) include Art Asylum toys, Pocket Books , and IDW Publishing . Older licenses for previously produced material belong to numerous companies.

Conception and setting [ ]

"Star Trek was an attempt to say that humanity will reach maturity and wisdom on the day that it begins not just to tolerate, but take a special delight in differences in ideas and differences in life forms."

"We believed that the often ridiculed mass audience is sick of this world's petty nationalism and all its old ways and old hatreds... and that people are not only willing but anxious to think beyond those petty beliefs that have for so long have kept mankind divided."

– Gene Roddenberry

The stories in Star Trek mostly revolve around the experiences and adventures of the Humans and aliens who serve under Starfleet Command , the space-borne peacekeeping, exploratory, and humanitarian armada of the United Federation of Planets .

Many of the conflicts and political dimensions of Star Trek are allegories of contemporary cultural realities. Star Trek: The Original Series addressed social-political issues of the 1960s, just as later spin-offs have confronted issues of their respective decades. [1] Issues depicted in the various series include war and peace , personal loyalty, authoritarianism, imperialism, economics, racism , religion , human rights , sexism , and the role of technology . [2]

Roddenberry intended the show to have a progressive political agenda reflective of the emerging counter-culture and the civil rights movement of the 1960s, [3] though he was not fully forthcoming to the networks about this. He wanted Star Trek to show a future of what humanity might evolve to become, if it would learn from the lessons of the past, most specifically by ending violence. An extreme example is the alien race known as the Vulcans , who suffered a violent history but learned to finally achieve peace by suppressing their emotions and by adopting the guiding principles of logic . Roddenberry also placed great emphasis on an anti-war message in Star Trek , depicting the United Federation of Planets, a vast interstellar alliance founded on the enlightened principles of liberty , equality , justice, progress, and peaceful co-existence, as an idealistic version of the United Nations . [4] (X) His efforts were opposed by the network because of concerns over marketability; as they opposed Roddenberry's insistence that the USS Enterprise have a racially diverse crew.

Production history [ ]

The original series [ ], spin-off series [ ].

Star Trek films

• Paramount, 1979–1991
• Producers: Gene Roddenberry, Robert Sallin , Harve Bennett , Steven-Charles Jaffe , Ralph Winter
• Directors: Robert Wise , Nicholas Meyer , Leonard Nimoy , William Shatner
• Paramount, 1994–2002
• Producers: Rick Berman
• Directors: David Carson , Jonathan Frakes , Stuart Baird
• Paramount, 2009–2016
• Producers: J.J. Abrams , Damon Lindelof
• Directors: J.J. Abrams, Justin Lin
• CBS Television Studios/Paramount+

Aftershows [ ]

• CBS Television Studios/CBS All Access, 2017–2018

The Ready Room

• CBS Television Studios/ Facebook Live , 2019–

Podcasts [ ]

Engage: The Official Star Trek Podcast

• CBS Television Studios, 2016–2018

Star Trek: The Pod Directive

• CBS Television Studios, 2020–

Unproduced projects [ ]

• See: Undeveloped Star Trek projects

Overseas adaptations [ ]

Star Trek has been aired around the world throughout its run of television and film series. Most often, it has been dubbed into the native language of the larger population countries in question, while other, smaller population countries subtitled the productions and kept the original language tracks. During this time, the titles, characters, and so forth have been changed as they move from language to language.

Licensed media [ ]

Floor tile in the NBC gift shop at 30 Rock

• Blu-ray Discs
• Collectibles
• Reference works

Related topics [ ]

See also [ ].

• Star Trek parodies and pop culture references
• Star Trek documentaries and specials
• Star Trek corporate history
• Star Trek birthdays
• Star Trek deaths
• TOS directors
• TAS directors
• TNG directors
• DS9 directors
• VOY directors
• ENT directors
• DIS directors
• ST directors
• PIC directors
• LD directors
• PRO directors
• Film directors
• Cast members who directed
• Guest performers
• Regular cast
• Performers considered for roles
• Performers whose scenes were cut
• Recurring characters
• Star Trek auctions
• Star Trek fonts

Other topics [ ]

• Bottle show
• Design patents filed for the Star Trek franchise
• I'm a doctor, not a...
• Shakespeare and Star Trek

External links [ ]

• StarTrek.com , the official Star Trek website
• The official Star Trek YouTube channel  at YouTube
• Star Trek at Wikipedia
• Star Trek spin-off fiction at Wikipedia
• Star Trek at BBC.co.uk