Data

Data is a Soong-type android in the 24th century who served as second officer aboard the USS Enterprise (NCC-1701-D) and the USS Enterprise (NCC-1701-E) and eventually captained the latter vessel.

Specification
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. 

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. 

Data was composed of 24.6 kilograms of tripolymer composites, 11.8 kilograms of molybdenum-cobalt alloys and 1.3 kilograms of bioplast sheeting. 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", ) 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. Data's brain was outfitted (unlike Lore's type L) with a type R phase discriminating amplifier. 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. 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. 

Designed with a "fully functional", anatomically correct form, he could perform various techniques. Except mastering the ability to whistle (, "Brothers"). Although he is flawlessly capable of this human idiosyncrasy. Data's construction, at first, had no buoyancy-resulting in his sinking whenever submerged in water. However, this was corrected in later years as a potential drowning risk in emergencies 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. Upon their first meeting, Commander Riker referred to him with the pet name of Pinoccio. Years later, his comparison to the antiquated children's tale came up again, while Will Riker considered Data's search for the "human condition." 

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. 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.

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. 

Despite his quite extensive ancestry Data may consider his crewmates aboard the starships Enterprise D &amp; 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. 

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. . He was discovered in 2338, by the crew of the USS Tripoli (NCC-19386), and reactivated, becoming familiar with Starfleet. Data entered Starfleet Academy in 2341. 

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. Almost thirty years later in the Delta Quadrant, Janeway's chief engineer told Pralor Automated Personnel Unit 3947 about Data in 2372. The year 2345 saw Data graduate with honors from Starfleet Academy as the first android graduate. 

After graduating with honors in exobiology and probability mechanics, Data served at various outposts in seclusion. He remained an ensign for three years and twelve years as a lieutenant before being promoted to Lieutenant Commander in 2360, after a mission with Captain Jean-Luc Picard, aboard the USS Portia. He subsequently served aboard the USS Trieste (NCC-37124). By 2365, Data had earned the Starfleet Command Decoration for Gallantry, Medal of Honor with clusters, Legion of Honor, and the Star Cross

The Enterprise-D
In 2364 Data joined the crew of the USS Enterprise (NCC-1701-D) as operations manager, chief science officer and second officer.

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 whilst Data was taken to 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 on 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, 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. 

At some point during the year 2364, Data also served in the position of navigator aboard the Enterprise NCC-1701-D. 

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. 

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 (NCC-1701-E).

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. 

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. 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. 

In 2377 Data served as technical adviser 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. 

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. 

Turbulent Times
In 2378, Data had his emotion chip forcibly removed following an incident at the Rashanar Battle site. 

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. 

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. 

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. 

Return
After an extensive study at the Soong Foundation by a dedicated science team and Geordi La Forge, the group manage to unravel the Data matrix allowing for all of Data's memories, personality and experiences to override B-4. When the restored Data first gained consciousness, he objected to the fact that his restoration was at B-4's expense, and immediately attempted to destroy his own consciousness to preserve B-4. However, B-4 sacrificed himself to prevent Data from dying. Through this, the android was able to help the Soong Foundation in upgrading the positronic brain and help in the recreation of the emotion chip originally developed by Doctor Soong. Ambassador Spock likened it to his resurrection a hundred and two years previously, though Data likened it more to a return. 

By 2387, Data was active in Starfleet and had risen to the rank of Captain. Data assumed command of the Enterprise-E, after the retirement of Captain Picard from Starfleet. 

In 2390, Jake Sisko came aboard the Enterprise for an interview with Data. Data gave his thoughts regarding future Borg attacks and whether Species 8472 had reached Federation space; the captain refused to discuss the events of his "recovery." It should be noted that in the transcript of the interview, Data uses a verbal contraction, whatever it may mean. 

Interests
One of Data's hobbies/interests was "classical chamber music." 

Alternate realities
In an alternate timeline, he ascended to the rank of commodore and was the commanding officer of the USS Enterprise (NCC-1701-F)'s 2,023 crewmembers. 

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 a planet (Iconia) and began to explore the abilities. Following the reactivation of Lore, 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 Data feared was prevented. In the mid-2400s, Data was offered a posting as Ambassador to the Dominion. (SS TNG (Brave New World))


 * Data is one of few prominent Star Trek characters to not have an established mirror universe counterpart, although his absence is usually at least partially explained through accounts of the mirror counterpart of $𝜇$. In the parallel universe of Q & A, Lore replaces Data.

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