Friday, December 13, 2019

Star Trek: Datalore

Episode: "Datalore"
Series: Star Trek: The Next Generation
Season 1, Episode 13
Original Air Date: January 18, 1988
Image result for datalore
via Memory Alpha
Data gets an origin story and a brother.  The Enterprise visits Omicron Theta, the planet where Data was first found by Starfleet.  In a hidden lab, the away team discovers a disassembled android essentially identical to our friend.  They bring him back to the ship and put him together.  He is just like Data, except evil...

The idea of an evil twin was actually Brent Spiner's.  The initial plan was a female android who would become his love interest, an idea which would be reworked as Data's child in "Offspring,"  The Lore concept is fun, sort of a "Mirror, Mirror" story for a single character.  However, much as with Q and Lwaxanna Troi, I find the character grating - a bit of a theme with Season 1 and recurring characters thus far.  It's fun to watch Spiner switch back and forth between the two brothers and the camera and editing work are effective in generating a believable double.  The scene where Data finds his own face mold is genuinely goosebump-inducing.  Even so, I can't help wishing Lore was permanently removed from the saga as promised.  Future Lore stories will be better.  I know that.

We've gotta talk about the contraction thing.  Much is made in both this episode and Season 3's "Offspring" of the fact that Data cannot use contractions such as you're, we'll, I'm, etc.  Both Lore and Lal (from "Offspring") can which is meant to establish them as more advanced androids.  The thing is, Data uses contractions all the time.  He even does so in this episode.  It's the sort of character wrinkle that could have been really cool if they'd been consistent with it.  But they weren't.  Writing staff fail.


Acting Notes

Image result for young biff yeager
via Memory Alpha

Biff Yeager makes the second of two TNG appearances in "Datalore" as Lt. Cmdr. Argyle, the chief engineer who oversees the reassembly of Lore.  Other television appearances include The Wonder Years, Scrubs, Seinfeld and Gilmore Girls.  Film credits include Repo Man, Girls Just Wanna Have Fun and Edward Scissorhands.

24 comments:

  1. I didn't remember this episode being so early.

    I'm not sure that's a writing staff fail, at least not specifically. It's hard, really hard, not to use contractions in speech. It's not quite so difficult to not use them when you're writing. It's also very hard to notice someone else using them. It was probably an across the board fail. Writers, Spiner, editors, directors, other actors... I'm sure there are more people who failed to notice.

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    1. Fine. Group fail. It's just a shame. It would have been cool if they'd stayed true to the concept.

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    2. I agree.
      I don't actually remember the issue, but it's been a LONG time since I watched any Trek other than the new movies.

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    3. Little did they know the day would come when fans would nitpick these details for sport.

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    4. Though I suppose if any franchise saw the Fan Boys coming, it was Trek!

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  2. Shouldn't we just enjoy the movies and let it rest...

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  3. Replies
    1. I know...

      In all seriousness, maybe we could collaborate on a screen makeup post sometime. I realize it's a completely different realm from the consumer products you review on your blog but I'm sure you still know more than I do in light of your work in film.

      Makeup has long been a particularly important factor for Star Trek. The evolution of the Klingons, alone...

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    2. i like read about movies :) but i more like horrors or thillers:)

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  4. I enjoy the lack on contractions. It has more personality. We like to watch Longmire and Lou Diamond Phillips has a main role as a Native American. He also uses that speech form, and it defines his character.

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    1. The concept is fantastic! I was completely charmed when I first learned of it regarding Data. I just wish they'd executed it more faithfully.

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  5. Sounds interesting. I never watched the newer Star trek, but I might have to find a YouTube channel.

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  6. Lore's first and last appearances were not great moments. The whole concept behind "Descent" was contrived, and ruined not only Lore but the Borg, at least temporarily. Thankfully, Data's emotion chip got a big upgrade in Generations. I even like B4 more than Lore.

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    1. I didn't care for "Descent," which is too bad because I really like the Hugh story in the beginning.

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  7. Lore was annoyingly evil imo, whereas, Q became increasingly more interesting though also evil in some ways.

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    1. I concur, on both points. I'm not sure I ever got to the point of actually liking Q but he does improve over time.

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