All Good Things question about Data

[TroiFan4ever]

In the flashback scenes, Data seems to have rank pips of a Junior Grade Lieutenant. He's really a Lieutenant Commander.

Could it be that Data was a Junior Grade Lieutenant prior to "Encounter at Farpoint"? These past scene had to have taken place prior to the premiere episode because from what I notice;

- Farpoint station seems to be their goalpost
- Troi is wearing the blue skank uniform
- and Tasha Yar is there

So... what are your takes on this? Did they make a mistake or... was this intetional? Unless Spiner's pip fell off on cam and he or no one noticed lol.

[Mage]

Mistake. It takes place shortly before Encounter at Farpoint, although some sources suggest that the E-D was in launched a year before that mission, in the episode it's clear that the ship has been in space for a short amount of time.

Data couldn't have been promoted twice so quickly. Little mistakes like that happen. In one episode, Geordi is seen with one gold pip and two black ones. I remember seeing Picard with only three pips once. Things happen.

[Tomalak]

Just a goof. If you want to rationalise it, it wasn't "real", it was created by Q.

[SchwEnt]

I always though it was a good thing for Data.

The android has been a Lt. Cmdr FOREVER.
By showing those Lt. pips just prior to the Farpoint mission,
maybe it's an indication Data did receive a promotion.

He was a Lt. just before Farpoint as he came aboard, and by the time we see him in the pilot he's gotten his promotion to Lt. Cmdr. At least it's *something*.

However... I don't recall if they were Lt.j.g. pips or just Lt.
Jumping two ranks would be stretching it, although Geordi hopped ranks fairly quickly as well.

[Green Shirt]

TroiFan4ever wrote:

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- Troi is wearing the blue skank uniform

Love it!!!

She got a new skank. If she had pockets, she could put brass in them.

[Captain Martin]

I just think it's funny to watch them wear the tighter uniforms again 7 years later when most of them are more out of shape than when the show first started. Maybe the screwed up the pips on purpose to draw attention away from that fact

[Trekker4747]

A goof. If we want to rationalize Data's request for promotion in the original timeline went thorough and kicked in enroute to Farpoint and he got the upgraded pip.

[Tomalak]

Captain Martin wrote:

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I just think it's funny to watch them wear the tighter uniforms again 7 years later when most of them are more out of shape than when the show first started. Maybe the screwed up the pips on purpose to draw attention away from that fact

That's the real reason they couldn't show Riker in the past, except via stock footage.

[Alrik]

Tomalak wrote:

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That's the real reason they couldn't show Riker in the past, except via stock footage.

Well, that and the beard.

[Tomalak]

Compared with losing 50 pounds, shaving is a doddle.

[Trekker4747]

And, yeaaahhhhh. Denise didn't quite "fit" the younger Tasha Yar either. Yikes!

[od0_ital]

Alrik wrote:

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Well, that and the beard.

Not to mention the fact that Riker wasn't onboard the Enterprise-D before it arrived at Farpoint Station, and the flashbacks to the past take place before the ship reached the outpost.

[King Daniel]

Picard's chair, Tasha's hair and Worf's forehead were also "wrong" for the Farpoint era.

Didn't bother me.

[TroiFan4ever]

Tomalak wrote:

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That's the real reason they couldn't show Riker in the past, except via stock footage.

I was wondering why we didn't see much of the past Riker.

Mage wrote:

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Mistake. It takes place shortly before Encounter at Farpoint, although some sources suggest that the E-D was in launched a year before that mission, in the episode it's clear that the ship has been in space for a short amount of time.

So, Data's j.g Lieutenant rank was a mistake and he never was. Got it.

Mage wrote:

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Data couldn't have been promoted twice so quickly. Little mistakes like that happen. In one episode, Geordi is seen with one gold pip and two black ones. I remember seeing Picard with only three pips once. Things happen.

Such as this?




Now that... is a captain I want on my ship!

[Red Ranger]

As indicated, it was a costuming error. For us continuity geeks, it's glaring, as Data was a lieutenant commander during his entire run on TNG, show and movies. It's too bad he didn't start at lieutenant and get at least one promotion.

I always thought Data should have been a full commander from the get-go, as he was second officer. It also appeals to me that the top three officers at commander rank represent the three branches. So, I would've made Data an operations commander, along with Riker and Dr. Crusher, command commander and medical commander.

Now, the character who had the most inconistent rank costuming has got to be O'Brien. Check out his entry on Memory Alpha. It was only at some point on Deep Space Nine that he finally got a rank pin indicating his actual rank, chief petty officer.