Data's Sexuality

[DroleData]

I guess he would be asexual and "semi"-romantic?

Perhaps the true question is did he just "love" Yar or was he "in love" with Yar. Was she "special" to him because they were crewmates who often worked together and he had his first exposure to sexuality because of her (like friends with A benefit ), or did he also feel romantic desire towards her? I'm leaning towards the former because of "In Theory" and because he never began to pursue a romantic relationship with her (or anyone else, for that matter), but I'm not sure. We'll probably never know for sure, but I love these conversations!

 

[Mr. Laser Beam]

I honestly do believe Data had romantic feelings for Tasha. He may not have believed himself capable of it, but I think he did feel love for her.

 

[DroleData]

Hold on, just found this:

"As designed he...has super-human strength, dexterity, voice duplication, self-diagnostics, and "fully functional" male sexual abilities without the emotional attraction." - See more at: http://www.startrek.com/database_article/data#sthash.5R3H1x8j.dpuf

So I guess it confirms he was in fact aromantic?

 

[Phoenix219]

Except that Date dated and had sex with women. He definitely exhibits some level of sexuality, even if he's pretty much just going thru the motions in an imitation of sexuality. He does seem to be affected by his intimacy with Yar - which I always found to be pretty creepy. He's very innocent in that aspect, and after she uses him, she warns him not to talk about it. There's a real bad touch vibe to the whole thing.

I never took it like that - although with Tasha's background its possible - it seemed more like an embarassment issue, like she didn't want everyone else to know what she had done... just her dirty little secret.

 

[Six of Twelve]

Data's sexually is on a clinical, rational level only. He's simply curious about sex, just as he is about any other human activity. There's no emotion or biological urges involved in it at all for him.

Curiosity begets experimentation, so having sex for him is a research quest. I can imagine him in the middle of having sex analyzing their hormonal fluctuations, noting how they react to certain actions, etc. He would be mentally composing statistics, comparing the current partner's hormone levels, atc, to that of previous partners, then later adding the new information gained to his spreadsheets of previous encounters as part of his ongoing research project on human sexuality.

 

[DroleData]

Data's sexually is on a clinical, rational level only. He's simply curious about sex, just as he is about any other human activity. There's no emotion or biological urges involved in it at all for him.

Curiosity begets experimentation, so having sex for him is a research quest. I can imagine him in the middle of having sex analyzing their hormonal fluctuations, noting how they react to certain actions, etc. He would be mentally composing statistics, comparing the current partner's hormone levels, atc, to that of previous partners, then later adding the new information gained to his spreadsheets of previous encounters as part of his ongoing research project on human sexuality.

So by that logic, his fondness for Tasha was not romantic attraction but strictly platonic, possibly enhanced by the fact that she gave him his first sexual...erm, experiment....? :/

 

[Six of Twelve]

So by that logic, his fondness for Tasha was not romantic attraction but strictly platonic, possibly enhanced by the fact that she gave him his first sexual...erm, experiment....? :/

Yes, why not? He wasn't human, nor had human sensibilities. Emotion isn't strictly necessary for humans, either, to make us want to have sex, though most humans are socialized to prefer it that way.

Data's friendship with Tasha had nothing to do with sex or emotions. He'd have been just as happy to share any sort of activity with her.

 

[Phoenix219]

Heh. "nothing to do with emotions" but "he'd have been just as happy" - an emotion. Just found that ironically funny.

 

[Six of Twelve]

How about satisfied, then. That's a word he actually used. He was accustomed to Tasha's presence is another phrase. It is difficult to talk about a being incapable of emotions without a special chip.

At any rate, Data was more clueless in the first season about the emotions the humans and those of other races around him felt than he would be in later seasons.

 

[TheSubCommander]

Data is incapable of feeling emotions, which is very different than Spock cultural rejection of them. I like the character of Data, but I have never thought of him as a mirror in any way.

Data even comments on that, when Spock says to Data in Unification, that Data is given by design, what Vulcans spend a lifte time to try to attain. Data's answer is basically Spock is abandoning his humanity, which is what Data is trying to attain.

 

[DroleData]

I honestly do believe Data had romantic feelings for Tasha. He may not have believed himself capable of it, but I think he did feel love for her.

Why do you feel that, Mr. Laser Beam? I asked Six of Twelve more about their opinion and want to hear more about your opposing view!

 

[Mr. Laser Beam]

Because as I said, all sentient beings have desires. Data is sentient, therefore he must be capable of it.

 

[JesterFace]

^ Please don't take this the wrong way, but...you can't reduce everything Data says, does or feels to "his programming". Remember, Data is a sentient being, and so he should be accorded all the respect and consideration that any other life form would.

Besides, as I said before, you can't prove Data is solely controlled by programming any more than WE would be. If you want proof that Data's thoughts and desires don't arise from programming? Prove that YOURS don't.

True, I haven't chosen my sexuality for example, I'm straight and it could be called some kind of programming that I find the opposite sex appealing.

 

[DroleData]

Because as I said, all sentient beings have desires. Data is sentient, therefore he must be capable of it.

"Capable" MAYBE but not necessarily so. Tread carefully. There are many sentient beings (humans) who naturally feel no romantic or sexual desires. Romantic and sexual desires are certainly not requirements for sentience.