Data (Star Trek)

Data, played by Brent Spiner, is a character in the fictional Star Trek universe. He is the 2nd Officer and Operations Officer on the Enterprise D, He appeared throughout the Star Trek: The Next Generation television series, as well as in later movies.

Data is an android, an advanced form of artificial life, with a positronic brain. He is roughly the equivalent of Spock in the original series, in that he has a logical mind, finds humans hard to understand yet is drawn to the concept of humanity. This desire combined with his apparent innocence about the reality around him charmed viewers and made one of the most popular characters of the series.

Construction

Dr. Noonien Soong was Data's creator. The construction of Data followed Dr. Soong's previous, and less successful attempt at an artificial life form, Lore, who was later to become a recurring character on Star Trek: The Next Generation.

Relationships

Characterising his relationship with friends as based on a dependency that stems from a sense of familiarity that is caused by frequent contacts, physical and visual, Data explained that his "mental pathways have become accustomed to your sensory input patterns." These "mental pathways" had a brief intimate relationship with crewmate Tasha Yar. Data also has a pet-cat named Spot.

Miscellanea

Brent Spiner has released an album, Old Yellow Eyes is Back, performing as Data.