SPECIFICATIONS | SERVICE RECORD | PERSONAL INTERESTS | RELATIONSHIPS | APPENDICES

Lieutenant Commander Data was a Soong-type android, the first and only such being to ever enter Starfleet. Data was created sometime during the 2330s and destroyed in 2379, sacrificing his own life for the eight hundred men and women aboard the Enterprise.

SPECIFICATIONS: 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: "The Most Toys") Data's upper spinal support was a polyalloy designed for extreme stress. His skull was composed of cortenide and duranium. (TNG: "The Chase") Data was built with the ultimate storage capacity of eight hundred quadrillion bits (approximately 88 petabytes) and a total linear computational speed rated at sixty trillion operations per second. (TNG: "The Measure of a Man")

In 2368, Dr. Julian Bashir expressed his fascination for all the trouble Dr. Soong took to make Data seem "human". He was especially surprised on how "personable" Data was, and among other things, questioned Data about whether his hair grew, and observed that Data was "breathing" and had a "pulse". During their investigation of the computer's bio-imaging systems, the device emitted a plasma shock that overloaded Data's positronic net, activating a series of previously dormant circuits that subsequently allowed Data the ability to dream. (TNG: "Birthright")

Data always seeked to become more human in his behaviour, often with unfortunate results. His attempts at humour were not succesful, nor were his attempts at romance and love. He maintained a relationship with Jenna D'Sora, but it did not last long. (TNG: "In Theory") During his stay aboard the Enterprise-D, Data kept the cat Spot as his pet. Spot was quite fickle in her relationships -- besides Data she only enjoyed the company of Reginald Barclay. In 2371, Spot survived the destruction of the Enterprise. Data, newly with emotions due to his emotion chip, cried tears of joy over Spot's survival. ("Star Trek: Generations")

Data began using the emotion chip in 2371, one year after he had acquired it from his brother Lore. (TNG: "Brothers" and "Descent") At first, he experienced difficulties adjusting to the onslaught of emotions, as simple things as scanning for lifeforms on a planet caused him great pleasure. He eventually learned to control his emotions and after the initial adjustment period, he was able to turn the chip on and off, and later to remove it completely. ("Star Trek: First Contact")

Data was a major influence in the quest to grant androids sentience. In 2365, Data was ordered by Commander Bruce Maddox to submit to an untested procedure that Maddox believed would grant him a greater understanding of the technology behind Data's positronic brain. Data studied Maddox's proposal and found it to be flawed, prompting Maddox to assert his authority and order Data to submit. Data refused and resigned from Starfleet, but Maddox challenged his right to do so, claiming that Data was property, not a sentient lifeform, a position supported by the Captain Phillipa Louvois of the Judge Advocate General's office. Captain Picard challenged this position, stating that Data currently represented an entire race and duplicating him for the purposes of enforced labour constituted slavery. Louvois agreed with Picard's standpoint and ruled that Data was a sentient being with full rights under Federation law. (TNG: "The Measure of a Man") Data, however, continued to communicate with Commander Maddox, assisting him in his work. (TNG: "Data's Day")

SERVICE RECORD: Data was the third known android creation by Dr. Soong, built on the planet of Omicron Theta in ca. 2336, after Lore had been deactivated and over the protest of Soong's wife Juliana. In his earliest existence, Data was much like a baby, struggling with motor control and sensory input. Over time, he learned about himself and his world, and his programming was refined by the Dr. Soong, who attempted to eliminate certain undesirable behaviors. Problems included a disregard for social niceties (courtesies like "please" and "thank you"), and a lack of appreciation for clothing (Data did not see any neccessity since he "didn't suffer from the elements"). In regards to the latter issue, the Soongs had to write a "modesty subroutine", because the colonists objected to an anatomically accurate android being unclothed.

Eventually they decided to program Data with the logs and journals of the colonists, while simultaneously wiping his memory of his early existence. Unfortunately, the Crystalline Entity attacked before Data was reactivated. Juliana had come to view Data as her beloved son, but always feared that he would fail like the early androids, or become dangerous, like Lore, and would have to be dismantled. This fear motivated her to lie to her husband when they fled, forcing him to leave Data behind, inactive. (TNG: "Inheritance")

Data was found on Omicron Theta by the USS Tripoli in 2338, after the Crystalline Entity had destroyed the entire colony on the planet. (TNG: "Datalore") His connection with Starfleet resulted in his choice to enter Starfleet Academy. (TNG: "Brothers") He was permitted to enter the Academy in 2341, and spent four years there, graduating with honours in exobiology and probability mechanics. (TNG: "Encounter at Farpoint" and "The Measure of a Man")

One of Data's first assignments out of the Academy was aboard the USS Trieste. (TNG: "Clues") He spent three years as an ensign and twelve as a lieutenant before being promoted to lieutenant commander in 2360. (TNG: "Brothers") In 2364 he was assigned to the USS Enterprise-D under the command of Captain Jean-Luc Picard as the vessel's second officer.

By 2365, Data would have earned the Starfleet Command Decoration for Gallantry, Medal of Honour with clusters, Legion of Honour, and the Star Cross. (TNG: "The Measure of a Man") By early-2368 Data had encountered 1754 non-human races during his tenure with Starfleet. (TNG: "Darmok")

Data served as operations manager, chief science officer and second officer on board the USS Enterprise-D from 2364 until the vessel's destruction in 2371. He frequently participated in many of the away missions undertaken. His speed of thought and great strength made him an important asset to the ship, and the fact that he was unaffected by disease, radiation or mind control was vital on more than one occasion.

Shortly following the Farpont mission, the Enterprise crew was infected with a polywater intoxication which caused the crewmembers and even Data to act irrationally, as if mentally unstable. Fortunately, Dr. Crusher found an antidote, and with Data's help the cured crew was able to retain control of the ship. (TNG:"The Naked Now") During the Enterprise's first year of active service, it passed along the former colony of Omicron Theta, and stopped to investigate the site's Data's discovery. The crew of the Enterprise encountered another android in an underground facility which named itself Lore upon assembly and activation about the ship. Pretending to be Data, Lore attempted to take control of the ship but was preventing in doing so by Data. Lore was transported of the ship, into space. (TNG: "Datalore")

Later that year, Data took overall command of the Enterprise when a holodeck virus incapacitated the entire crew while in orbit around Angel I. Although the ship had been ordered to the Romulan Neutral Zone, Data's interpretation of the orders allowed the Enterprise to remain in orbit long enough to rescue the away team members stranded on the planet. (TNG: "Angel One")

In late-2366 Data was captured by one Kivas Fajo who added him to his collection of rare items, which, now besides Data, included a Lapling, a Roger Maris Basecall card, the Mona Lisa and a Varon-T disruptor. Fortunately, Data, with the assitance of Fajo's spouse Varria, was able to escape the Jovis upon which Fajo was arrested. (TNG: "The Most Toys") When later that year Captain Picard was captured and assimlated as Locutus by the Borg, Data was instrumental in not only rescueing Picard from the Borg but also in finding a way to destroy the Earth-approaching Borg cube. (TNG: "The Best of Both Worlds")

One year later, in early-2367, Data, under the control of Dr. Soong, took command of the Enterprise and commandeered it to the planet of Terlina III. Unfortunately, the same programme had activated in Lore's brain and brought him to Soong's lab as well. Soong explained he had brought Data because he had created an emotion chip for him, and that he had thought Lore to be dead. Lore incapacitated Data, and Soong mistakingly implanted the chip in him instead. After Soong found out, Lore attacked him and escaped. Soong died shortly afterwards. (TNG: "Brothers")

Data again took command of the ship later that year. With the Enterprise trapped in the Tyken's Rift, the crew began to suffer from lack of REM sleep, causing loss of concentration and hallucinations. The brainwaves of the crew were being affected by a ship trapped on the other side of the rift, whose crew was attempting to communicate with the Enterprise. Along with Counselor Troi, Data freed the ship by releasing hydrogen which when combined with a substance carried by the other ship released enough energy to collapse the rift. (TNG: "Night Terrors")

During the blockade of the Klingon-Romulan border during the Klingon Civil War in 2368, Data was placed in command of the USS Sutherland. Despite the first officer being hostile to his android nature, the Sutherland managed to detect the cloacked Romulan ships attempting to supply the forces of Duras. Data himself recommended he be disciplined for disobeying an order to fall back, but was instead praised by Captain Picard. (TNG: "Redemption")

Later that year, alien entities took over the minds of Data, Deanna Troi and Miles O'Brien. The three insisted the Enterprise conducted a systematic survey of the polar region of a moon -- a notion Captain Picard, Commander Riker and the rest of the crew considered absurd. When Riker questioned their reasons, the three staged a violent revolt and took command of the ship. It was later found out the three were controlled by the spirits of deceased criminals from Ux-Mal, and eventually the spirits left the Enterprise for their banishment on the moon. (TNG: "Power Play")

In early-2369, the Enterprise crew was summoned to San Francisco to evaluate a discovery of extra-terrestrial life on Earth that dated back to the late-19th century. They were shocked to find out Data's head, old, dusty and dead, had been found among the ruins of some 19th century artifacts. When Geordi La Forge concluded that the only species capable of time travel and of assuming human form existed solely on the planet Devidia II, the Enterprise set course for the planetoid.

Arriving at Devidia II, Troi sensed lifeforms, but none was physically present. Since Data was the only hope for manipulating the distortion in timing, he beamed down and soon disappeared, reappearing in the San Francisco of the late-1800s. He quickly adapted to his surroundings and set out to build a communication device to get back in touch with the Enterprise. Shortly thereafter, he incidentally met Guinan, who was hiding out from her father on Earth at the time.

Hoping to save Data's life, the senior staff transported to 19th century San Francisco to find him. In a local morgue, Riker and Crusher realized the aliens from Devidia II, disguised as humans, were slowly killing off the population by stealing their neural energy and sending it to the 24th century to feed their own people. They were soon able to find and stop the Devidia II aliens. (TNG: "Time's Arrow")

Later that year, Geordi and Data proposed to connect Data to the ship's systems so he might act as an emergency backup system in case of a ship-wide systems failure. Due to the experiment, however, Lieutenant Worf, his son Alexander and Counselor Troi were trapped in an Old West holodeck program where all characters looked like Data. (TNG: "A Fistful of Datas")

In early-2370, Data was among the away team that beamed down to the Ohniaka III outpost to whose distress call the Enterprise had responded. On the surface, Data experienced his first emotion while fighting off a Borg drone, violently beating the drone against the wall. With the captured drone Crosis, Data took a shuttlecraft and left the Enterprise. Picard and an away team tracked Data down and were shocked to find him under the influence of his brother Lore. With the help of the drone Hugh, who had spent time aboard the Enterprise earlier that year, Picard and his team were able to reactivate Data's ethical program, and Data subsequently shot Lore. (TNG: "Descent")

With Captain Picard presumed dead and Commander Riker missing in action later that year, Data assumed command of the Enterprise once more in an effort to find those responsible for Picard's apparent death and Riker's capture. Although he was lower in rank, Lieutenant Worf was appointed as acting first officer instead of Lieutenant Commander La Forge but he and Data came into a confrontation when Worf questioned his orders openly in front of the crew on several occasions. (TNG: "Gambit")

Later that year, after investigating a crashed probe, Data lost his memory and sought refuge with primitive villagers nearby. The radioactive material he was transporting, however, was a danger to them, and without his memory Data could not save them from it. Data would later be retrieved by Captain Picard and Dr. Crusher and his memory was restored aboard the Enterprise. (TNG: "Thine Own Self") Shortly after the incident, Geordi found behaviour nodes in Data's positronic net and thought that an alien "archive" was using Data to create different people and that this transformation was still going on. Counselor Troi added that Data had the android equivalent of multiple personalities and that there was no telling how many would emerge. Picard later confronted Data, through whom now the person of "Masaka" spoke, wearing the mask of "Gorgano". Gorgano convinced Masaka, who was getting tired to brighten the sky forever, to leave. When Picard asked Data whether he was alright, Data answered he was not entirely certain what happened and wondered if he had been dreaming again. (TNG: Masks")

Data transferred to the new USS Enterprise-E in 2372, along with most of the senior staff of the Enterprise-D. In 2373, the Enterprise took part in the Battle of Sector 001 against Starfleet orders. Thanks to the ship's intervention, the Borg cube was destroyed, but not before it launched a sphere which generated a temporal vortex and travelled to the year 2063. The Enterprise pursued, and destroyed the sphere before it was able to prevent the first flight of Zefram Cochrane aboard his Phoenix warp ship. The Borg, however, had transported aboard the Enterprise before their vessel had been destroyed. While fighting off the Borg near Main Engineering, Data was captured and brought before the Borg Queen. Instead of attempting to assimilate the android, she had him made more human by attaching human skin onto his android skeleton.

When it appeared impossible to hold off the Borg any longer, Picard was convinced to initiate the autodestruct of the Enterprise and ordered all remaining crew to evacuate. He himself went on to Engineering to find Data and to convince the Queen, whom he had encountered several years previously, to let Data go. Picard was even prepared to take Data's place at the Queen's site, willingly, becoming her even. Data, however, claimed he did not wish to go, even after the Queen ordered him away. Thus, the Queen ordered Picard's assimilation, but not before he could witness the destruction of the Phoenix by Data.

The quantum torpedoes fired by Data missed by the smallest of margins, and quickly thereafter he burst a plasma coolant tank, releasing plasma coolant which would neutralize organic material on contact. The Queen was killed, but Picard managed to survive. Helping Data standing up, Picard asked him if he was ever tempted to join the Borg's cause. Data replied that, for a fraction of a second, hinting at his kiss with the Queen, he was. He added that, for an android, that was almost like an eternity. ("Star Trek: First Contact")

Two years later, in 2375, Data, along with the rest of the Enterprise senior staff, defied Federation orders and rebelled against the plan to relocate the Ba'ku from their homeworld in order to harvest the metaphasic radiation from their planet's ring system. The senior staff, save for Riker and La Forge, defended the Ba'ku on the surface from violent Son'a and Starfleet attempts to relocate them, but eventually most were transported aboard Son'a vessels. Fortunately, the Enterprise had managed to get word to the Federation Council in time for it to intervene, and so the relocation plan was abandoned. ("Star Trek: Insurrection")

By 2379, Data was expected to replace Commander Riker as first officer following his promotion to Captain of the USS Titan. But before Data could take the role, the Enterprise was ordered to Romulus where a new praetor had come to power. Shinzon's good intentions, however, were soon uncovered to be false. In reality, he was found out to be a clone of Captain Picard, and due to genetic degenerations, he was in need of the captain's DNA in order to restore his own. After Shinzon's vessel, the Scimitar, had almost destroyed the Enterprise, Picard was able to eliminate Shinzon on board the Reman warbird. Data beamed aboard the Scimitar just in time to prevent activation of its thalaron radiation weapon and the death of Picard. Firing at the weapon with a handphaser, he sacrificed his own life to save the Enterprise from destruction. ("Star Trek: Nemesis")

PERSONAL INTERESTS: Data was very fond of art and tried several forms, including painting, acting, playing and singing. He played the violin and performed on several occasions. He also sang the classic "Blue Skies" at the wedding of William Riker and Deanna Troi. (TNG: "Tin Man" and "Star Trek: Nemesis") When Picard first entered the world of private detective Dixon Hill in 2364, Data, historian Whalen and Dr. Crusher accompanied him in the adventures of the two-firsted gumshoe hero. (TNG: "The Big Goodbye")

One year later, Dr. Pulaski questioned Data's methodical way of looking at situations and claimed he could never solve a traditional Sherlock Holmes mystery. Data accepted the challenge, and accompanied by Dr. Pulaski and Geordi La Forge, entered the world of the great detective. The program, however, had brought about a sentient Professor Moriarty, able to challenge Data. (TNG: "Elementary, Dear Data") Data had become quite fond of the detective, and accessed the program several more times. In 2369, Moriarty returned once more, gaining control over the Enterprise. Eventually, Picard managed to encapsulate Moriarty in a small computerized cube. (TNG: "Ship in a Bottle")

PERSONAL RELATIONSHIPS: Data maintained a good relationship with most of the Enterprise senior staff. When Dr. Katherine Pulaski came aboard the Enterprise in 2365, however, she was not very kind toward Data, due to her discomfort with technology. She saw him as no more than a machine, pronouncing his name "DAT-a" rather than "DAY-ta," and did not understand that he had a preference. (TNG: "The Child") She would also condescend towards Data and often spoke to him through other crewmembers. (TNG: "Where Silence Has Leace")

Later that year, however, she began to value Data and look upon him as an equal and as a sentient individual. The major turning point was during the crisis surrounding the Darwin Station children. Data stayed to support Pulaski for a long period of time after she had become infected, something for which she was very grateful. (TNG: "Unnatural Selection") Pulaski even challenged master Zakdorn strategist Sirna Kolrami to a game of strategema, believing that Data could win. When Data was unsuccessful, he interpreted it as a possible weakness and relieved himself of duty. Dr. Pulaski talked to Data and made him realize that one letdown does not necessarily mean total failure, and encouraged him to return to duty, but with no success. Finally Captain Picard told Data that a loss can be had with no mistakes made and convinced him to return to duty. Data later forced Kolrami to a stalemate, much to Kolrami's chagrin. (TNG: "Peak Performance")

Data was programmed with several pleasing techniques and was "fully functional". Data had a sexual relationship with Natasha Yar during the influence of polywater intoxication (TNG: "The Naked Now") and attempted a romantic relationship with Jenna D'Sora in late-2367. In 2373, the Borg Queen seduced him in order to convince Data to join the Borg's cause. ("Star Trek: First Contact")

JEAN-LUC PICARD: Data looked up to Captain Picard as something of a father figure throughout his service on the Enterprise, asking for his advice on numerous ocassions in his quest to become more human. Picard always gave Data advice whenever he could. Following Natasha Yar's death in 2364, Data was puzzled about her death thinking not about Tasha but rather how he would feel in her absence, thinking that he missed the purpose of her memorial but Picard assured him that he understood the purpose of the memorial perfectly. (TNG: "Skin of Evil")

In 3265, Data's existence was threatened when Commander Bruce Maddox wished to disassemble and study Data to gain a better understanding of how his positronic brain functioned. Data refused to submit to Maddox's procedure, finding his research flawed but Maddox claimed that Data was property of Starfleet and therefore not a sentient being and as a result had no choice other to submit to the procedure. When a court procedure followed, Picard challanged Maddox' claim, saying Data was indeed sentient and served the freedom to make his own decisions. Picard added that Data represented an entire race and that deciding him to be Starfleet property was tantamount to slavery. Ultimately, it was decided that, android or not, Data was indeed sentient and entitled to the same rights as any other Starfleet officer. (TNG: "The Measure of a Man")

In 2367, Picard's seemingly unbreakable trust in Data was tested when Data refused to fully co-operate in an investigation into a number of events that happened within a 24-hour timespan although Data claimed that the timespan was only thirty seconds. Data's intransigence threatened to end his Starfleet career and even his own existence but it was later revealed that Captain Picard was himself responsible for Data's unusual behaviour after an encounter with the Paxans. (TNG: "Clues") Later that year, when Data engaged in a romantic relationship with Jenna D'Sora, Picard was unable to give Data any advice on romantic relationships. (TNG: "In Theory")

During the Klingon Civl War from 2367-8, the Federation made an indirect intervention with a blockade of Starfleet vessels placed in formation to use the pioneering tachyon detection grid in an effort to expose Romulan support for the House of Duras. Picard assigned all of his senior officers positions on board other ships except for Data. Data questioned Picard about why he was not assigned command of a vessel considering that there was a severe lack of senior officers available for the mission, wondering if he felt that his being an android made him unsuitable for command. Picard, slightly embarrassed by Data's question, assigned Data command of the USS Sutherland. During the blockade Data disobeyed direct orders from Picard and was able to expose the Romulan's involvement in the civil war. Data wished to submit himself for disciplinary action for disobeying a direct order from his superior officer but Picard praised Data for not following his orders as he believed that doing so was appropriate under the circumstances. (TNG: "Redemption")

In 2369, Data refused to allow a group of exocomps to be sacrificed in order to save the lives of Captain Picard and Geordi La Forge, who were trapped onboard the Particle Fountain Project space station, believing that they were sentient and therefore capable of making their own decisions. After agreeing to a compromise suggested by Commander Riker, the exocomps were released and able to save the lives of Picard and La Forge. Picard understood the predicament that Data was faced with as he had defended Data's sentience just a few years previously but this time the exocomps had no advocate and Data felt compelled to act on their behalf. Picard considered Data's actions to be the most "human" decision that he had ever made. (TNG: "The Quality of Life")

Later that year, following an accident in Main Engineering that activated a dormant program in his positronic brain, Data sought advice from several officers, including Captain Picard, on his "visions". Picard was curious why Data was studying thousands of different cultures to interpret his visions. Data said that he had no culture of his own but Picard told Data that he did have a culture -- a culture of one and that its validity is no less than that of a billion. Picard suggested that Data should consider what the visions meant to him instead of what they mean to other people. (TNG: "Birthright")

After a malfunctioning emotion chip fused with Data's positronic net in 2371, Data felt guilty for not saving La Forge from capture by Dr. Tolian Soran on board the Amargosa observatory. Data was overwhelmed by emotions and requested being shut down until the chip could be removed. Although Picard felt sympathy for Data, he told him that part of having emotions is integrating them into your life and learning to live with them and denied Data his request. ("Star Trek: Generations")

In 2373 (when the Enterprise-E travelled back to the year 2063 on Earth), Picard and Data initially went down to the planet to observe the damage the Borg had done to Zefram Cochrane's missile complex in Montana. Down in the missile silo of the Phoenix, Picard, upon touching the missile that would make history by becoming the first human starship travelling at warp, explained to Data that sometimes a touch can make objects more "real".

After having initiated the autodestruct of the Enterprise, Picard went to look for Data, who had been captured by the Borg. He attempted to convince the Borg Queen to let Data go, even prepared to take Data's place at her side. Data, however, claimed he did not wish to go, even after the Queen ordered him away. Data's allegiance with the Borg, however, had been staged, allowing him to eliminate the Borg by bursting a plasma coolant in Engineering. ("Star Trek: First Contact")

Following the wedding of William Riker and Deanna Troi in 2379, Data was confused by Captain Picard's mixed feelings for the couple -- although the captain was happy that Riker was due to accept promotion to the rank of captain and take command of the Titan and that Troi was to transfer with him, Picard was somewhat saddened by their departure and tried to explain to Data that experiencing feelings of both happiness and sadness at the same time are common in these situations.

At the climax of the Battle of the Bassen Rift, Data jumped across the void of space from the Enterprise-E to the Scimitar, saving Picard by using a prototype emergency transport unit. He sacrificed his own life to save the crew of the Enterprise by firing at the thalaron radiation generator and so destroying the Scimitar. Following the battle, Captain Picard held a toast with the Enterprise-E's senior officers as a tribute to their fallen comrade. ("Star Trek: Nemesis")

WILLIAM T. RIKER: Riker first met Data on the Enterprise holodeck in 2364. Data was trying to whistle "Pop Goes The Weasel," but could not finish the last few notes. Riker helped him finish, later giving Data the nickname "Pinocchio", in reference to Data's wish to become human. At first, Riker was skeptical and even about Data's abilities as a machine, assuming that his rank of lieutenant commander was merely honorary although Data had earned the rank as well as every other Starfleet officer of the same rank and above. (TNG: "Encounter at Farpoint")

In 3265, Data's status as a sentient individual came into question. A trial was set on Starbase 173, but the base lacked a complete legal staff. As Enterprise first officer, Riker was forced to act as attorney for Bruce Maddox and was given the difficult task of convincing Judge Phillipa Louvois that as an android, Data was not sentient. He very nearly proved that Data was a simple machine by deactivating him, but Picard's defense later made Louvois grant Data complete rights as a sentient being. Riker was distressed over the incident, and felt terrible that he nearly cost Data his rights. Data did not hold any ill-will towards Riker, and was actually grateful that Riker participated, as if he did not, the ruling would have been default in Maddox's favour. (TNG: "The Measure of a Man")

Data has sought Riker's help and advice on several occasions. One instance was when he asked for Riker's advice on friendship and betrayal following a mission involving Ishara Yar in 2367. (TNG: "Legacy") Data also asked for Riker's help when Keiko Ishikawa temporarily called off her wedding to Miles O'Brien in 2367. (TNG: "Data's Day") He came to Riker once more for advice when he started to date Jenna D'Sora. (TNG: "In Theory")

GEORDI LA FORGE: Data's closest friend during his time aboard the Enterprise was Geordi La Forge. Their long-term friendship dates back to 2364, when both were assigned as bridge officers aboard the vessel. La Forge's promotion to chief engineer the next year reflected his expertise with machinery, though he experienced difficulties in establishing relationships with other people, especially women. These personality traits may have accounted for Geordi's ability to so easily maintain a relationship with a sentient machine as Data.

In 2371, following an incident on the holodeck in which Data pushed Dr. Crusher off a sailboat in the water, Data decided to finally have the emotion chip Dr. Soong gave him years earlier installed in his neural net. La Forge assisted Data by installing the chip after the latter made this life-changing decision, though La Forge would later react negatively to his friend's erratic behaviour that accompanied the initial acquisition of emotions. When La Forge was later threatened by Dr. Tolian Soran aboard the Amargosa observatory, Data was afraid to intervene, but he later learned to live with his newly-acquired emotions. ("Star Trek: Generations")

BEVERLY C. CRUSHER: Dr. Crusher and Data had a special relationship, with Data seeking advice from Beverly on subjects ranging from parenting (TNG: "The Offspring") to dancing. She taught Data to tap dance, not knowing that he had intended to learn how to dance for the wedding of Miles O'Brien and Keiko Ishikawa. (TNG: "Data's Day") Data also came to her for advice on whether or not to consider the exocomps alive, and she was present when Data learned they were indeed sentient. (TNG: "The Quality of Life")

In 2369, Data incorporated a subroutine for small talk. At the recommendation of Captain Picard, he studied Commander Hutchinson while the Enterprise underwent a baryon sweep at Arkaria Base. Beverly was the first person Data tried to engage in small talk using his observations of Hutchinson, to her astonishment and delight. (TNG: "Starship Mine")

During Worf's promotion ceremony in 2371, Dr. Crusher tried to explain to Data the humour behind Worf being dunked after walking the plank on the holodeck recreation of the sailing ship Enterprise. Data did not completely understand and then pushed Crusher into the water, as an attempt at the same type of humour. However, Beverly and the rest of the senior staff did not find it nearly as amusing. Geordi later recommended that Data stay out of sickbay for a few days following the ceremony. ("Star Trek: Generations") In 2379, Beverly thought Data had nicer eyes than his predecessor, B-E. ("Star Trek: Nemesis")

NATASHA YAR: Data had a short sexual relationship with Yar in 2364. Yar was at least slightly attracted to Data and had sex with him while under the influence of polywater intoxication. She later told him that the incident "never happened". (TNG: "The Naked Now") Data still felt a special connection to Tasha and kept a holographic image of the lieutenant to remember her. When Data's rights as a sentient being were called into question, his romantic encounter with Tasha was a strong influence for Judge Phillipa Louvois to rule that Data was in fact a sentient lifeform. (TNG: "The Measure of a Man") Geordi and Wesley Crusher found the holoimage when they visited Data's quarters after his apparent death in 2366. (TNG: "The Most Toys")

JENNA D'SORA: In late-2367, Ensign Jenna D'Sora found herself in love with Data. After having kissed him on the lips, Data asked his friends for advice on what to do, and decided to pursue the relationship. Since he had no real emotions or feelings, Data created a special program to guide him through the intricacies of love. However, as his relationship with Jenna progressed, Data discovered that in romance, the logical course is not always the most appropriate. Later that year, they decided to end their relationship. D'Sora explained that her previous boyfriend had been unemotional, and felt that her choice of Data, an android completely incapable of emotion, indicated a pattern. Without a second thought, Data, seeing the validity of her point, agreed to discontinue his program. (TNG: "In Theory")

MISCELLANEOUS INFORMATION & CHRONOLOGY: Guinan's quarters aboard the Enterprise-D were located on Deck 2, Room 3653.

ca. 2336: Data was built by Dr. Noonian Soong and his wife Juliana on Omicron Theta. (TNG: "Inheritance")
2338: Data was discovered by the crew of the USS Tripoli. (TNG: "Datalore")
2341: Data was permitted to enter Starfleet Academy. (TNG: "Brothers")
2345: Data graduated from Starfleet Academy.
2350s: Data served aboard the USS Trieste. (TNG: "Clues")
2363: Data was assigned as operations manager aboard the USS Enterprise-D. (TNG: "Encounter at Farpoint")
2364: Data discovered his first brother, Lore, on Omicron Theta. (TNG: "Datalore")
2366: Data constructed his own daughter, Lala, aboard the Enterprise. (TNG: "The Offspring")
2372: Data was reassigned as operations manager aboard the Enterprise-E. ("Star Trek: First Contact")
2379: Data discovered his second brother, B-4, on Kolarus III and was later lost in the destruction of the Reman warbird Scimitar. ("Star Trek: Nemesis")

ALTERNATE TIMELINES: In an alternate version of 2366 created when the USS Enterprise-C disappeared from the year 2344, Data was still the Enterprise's operations manager, but was killed while protecting the Enterprise-C from Klingon attack. (TNG: "Yesterday's Enterprise")

In 2370, Lieutenant Worf encountered a quantum fissure which caused him to begin shifting between quantum realities. In several universes, Data was still the Enterprise's operations manager, and attended a surprise birthday party for Worf. All the events following Worf's encounter were erased from the timeline once the fissure was sealed. (TNG: "Parallels")

In an alternate timeline created by Q, by the year 2395, Data was a professor (the Lucasian professor of mathematics) at Cambridge University and lived at Isaac Newton's house with a housekeeper and several cats. He had dyed part of his hair grey, as he thought it made him look older. (TNG: "All Good Things...")

BACKGROUND INFORMATION: Data's character was inspired by a movie created for television by Gene Roddenberry. The movie, which he wrote in the 1970s, would have been entitled The Questor Tapes and were to be the pilot for a series which would have detailed the adventures for an android. In the movie, Questor was to have experimented with sexuality, making love to a female character. Network censors did not allow this scene to be used in the film, but a decade later, more relaxed standards allowed an "intimate relationship" to occur between Data and Natasha Yar.

INCONSISTENCIES: In "Encounter at Farpoint", Data said that he graduated in the Starfleet Academy class of '76. Some fans have used this as evidence for different dating schemes for Star Trek: The Next Generation, however, it is more likely an error, as the exact setting had not been firmly nailed down when the script was written.

Data was often seen playing many musical instruments, such as the oboe, and particularly the violin. In these scenes, he played the violin right-handed, as do all violinists, regardless of right or left hand strength. However, in "Time's Arrow", he used a pen to write a delivery note with his left-hand. It is, though, extremely feasible that Data, as an android, is ambidextrous.