Too Much Data Saving The Day?

[Discofan]

Who saves the day in Conundrum? Is it Doctor Crusher, since she eventually finds the cure (although being the doctor it was up to her to try to discover it or is it Worf when he refuses to be manipulated by the alien (sorry I don't remember his name)?

 

[tomalak301]

Who saves the day in Conundrum? Is it Doctor Crusher, since she eventually finds the cure (although being the doctor it was up to her to try to discover it or is it Worf when he refuses to be manipulated by the alien (sorry I don't remember his name)?

I thought it was Picard for refusing to fire on a defenseless ship.

 

[at Quark's]

Data is a machine that is in many respects superior to a human (greater processing speed, stronger, faster, less vulnerable to any number of outside factors, needs no life support, etc). So it would only be logical (from an 'in-universe' perspective) that he would be more often in a position to save the day than most other crewmembers.

Therefore an episode would have to either get Data away from the main stage (for example he is at a conference when the crisis hits the ship) or come up with a reason why he can't save the day in this instance (hacked, crisis specifically exploits his weak areas), and while that can happen a few times, too many of such instances would very quickly start to feel tired and clichéd as well, or they would just have to make him more incapable than he really should be in that situation and hope that nobody really notices

 

[Mojochi]

Data saving the day makes sense in the way that like the Enterprise he is a machine. He can be plugged in and fix a problem.
If Data wasn't there to do "the plugging in", maybe the crew might use other machines or programs to fix a problem.

Few examples
'The Best of Both Worlds' - Was Data the only way to get into Locutus' head? Maybe a computer could have been used for it, only the whole process might have been slower.
'Genesis' - Maybe Data wasn't the only immune creature on the ship? There might have been others too, they just didn't understand the problem or were injured or killed by the crew.
'Ship in a Bottle' - Perhaps some other officer might have figured it out that they were in a simulation if that person was trapped in the holodeck instead of Data.

But you're guessing. Nothing is ever said about any of that. Data being Data is the solution. Data is also the only machine like Data, & thereby as far as events display, the only one that ends up capable of doing it. I have to assume that the potential danger to Data in linking himself with Locutus would've been bypassed if they could've just done it with some other ship tech.

Wesley doesn't actually save the day that often, and mostly in season one. The Naked Now, Where No One Has Gone Before, Datalore, The Game, Menage a Troi, Final Mission. Gets an assist in The Enemy and Peak Performance.

In the Game, Wes is of use, but that day doesn't get saved by anyone other than Data. Getting Data back was the deciding factor. Final mission is a tough call, because it's really only himself & Picard he saves lol. I guess it can still count as saving the day.

Datalore is kind of a Wes/Data tag team. The Naked Now is more a group effort too. Only Data can put back the chips. Only Wes could pull off the repulse that bought them enough time, & I guess Bev should get some credit for curing them. lol

Menage a Trois is about as much Wes saving the day as The Enemy is, & I'll give you Where No One Has Gone Before. That special bond with the Traveler seemed like a deciding factor in saving the day, but all in all, I think Wes gets a bum wrap on saving the ship too much. People don't like that he's done it, only about as much as anyone else, because he's an annoying kid, & in being so, it stretches believability a bit more

In Disaster, Data is one of many ship savers. If O'Brien hadn't found the problem rerouted the power to that engineering console, if Riker hadn't been there to wire up his head, if Geordi and Bev hadn't stopped the fire.

But Data is the only one who could've possibly did what he did, & it saved the ship. What Riker, Ro, & O'Brien did, would've/could've & should've been done by any other person there, had they not been there, & anybody else were. They're really just doing their jobs. Geordi & Bev get some credit, because no one else was there. So only they could've done that, & it needed to be done to save the ship. So that's 2 different ship savings, in one episode imho. Ship blows up from hazardous chemical reaction, vs ship blows up from containment failure

Data was able to hack the collective, but it was Riker and Picard's idea what to do, I think giving him credit there is like if you gave credit for Night Terrors for whatever Ensign pushed the button to release hydrogen.

No, because any person would've/could've done that. Not anyone could've hacked into Locutus. Without that Data had that special ability, they all die. Just having that android on board is why they aren't dead. Without it, none of what anybody else did matters. With it, everybody else's plans & actions revolve around using it. That's a day saved by the one guy they couldn't have saved it without

For Ensigns of Command Data may not have saved the ship but he saved thousands of lives.

True, but that was the mission, & they have those kinds of missions all the time... save a planet full of people. Whether they send the Enterprise, or the Excelsior, someone gets sent out there to do it, one way or the other. I'm just talking about times when their being out there meant they were going to die

 

[Discofan]

Data doesn't protect himself or avoid being dismantled by some insane (pseudo) scientist because, like any of us he's afraid of suffering or dying, he does it because his programs tell him to. That's the only motivation behind any of Data's deeds. That's why at the turn of a switch, he can become evil and do terrible things like torture Jeordi for example. That's also the reason why he's more often than the rest of the crew he's capable of keeping a cooler head, he has no ego to assuage, no childhood trauma to overcome.

That's the reason why he's able to save the day more often than other members of the crew even the most important ones.

 

[Farscape One]

"Where Silence Has Lease" - Picard gets the win. Setting the auto-destruct and nit falling for fake Troi and fake Data got them out of that cloud.

"Contagion" - This one goes to Data and Geordi. Data, because his positronic brain did it, and Geordi for figuring out how to do it for the ship.

"Time Squared" - Picard for the win. He figured out not only why his counterpart did what he did, but how to get out of the vortex.

"Q Who" - Picard again. If he hadn't asked Q for help, Q wouldn't have saved the ship.

"The Emissary" - Worf gets it here. His plan was not only a great third option, but he was quite effective while doing it. His actions saved multiple colonies from attacks by the Klingon ship.

"Peak Performance" - Two people were the most essential for this win. Worf, with his altering Ferengi sensor codes, and Wesley, for giving the Hathaway the ability to do the warp jump.

That finishes season 2.

 

[Farscape One]

"The Ensigns of Command" - Data and Picard share the win. Data, for convincing the colonists to leave. Picard, for finding the right legal jargon to give them the time needed to get the colonists.

"Evolution" - Picard and Data share the win. Data, for being the conduit for the nanites. Picard, for his diplomacy.

"Booby Trap" - Geordi and Picard for the win. Geordi for coming up with the solution, Picard for his ingenious piloting.

"The Defector" - Picard gets the win. He planned ahead by getting the Klingons be backup, and he matched wits well with Tomalak.

"Transfigurations" - Crusher gets the win. Her compassion and good nature to John helped him not only better physically, but also got him to be able to save the ship from that 'breathe attack'.

So ends season 3.

 

[Farscape One]

"The Best of Both Worlds Part II" - Victory goes to Picard and Data. Data for being the bridge to Picard and putting thr Borg to sleep, and Picard for giving that suggestion, which saved the ship and Earth. And the Federation, in all likelihood.

"The Wounded" - O'Brien actually gets the save here. His beaming over to Maxwell and convincing him to stop prevented a new war with the Cardassians. At least, until the Dominion enters the picture.

"Devil's Due" - Sort of a team effort here. Picard, for being the legal team against Ardra. His crew for finding her ship and giving him what he needed to prevent that planet from being seized.

"Clues" - Data, the second time around, because he was able to convince Picard it was a bad wormhole and be on their way.

"Galaxy's Child" - Geordi and Dr. Brahms for the win.

"Night Terrors" - Troi and Data for the win. Data because he doesn't need sleep. Troi because she got the information across so they can get out of the rift.

"In Theory" - Picard, because he piloted the shuttle that helped chart their course out. And why not? He DID direct the episode.

So ends season 4.

 

[Farscape One]

"Redemption II" - Data for the win. His exposing the Romulans helped stop the Klingon civil war.

"Disaster" - Except for Worf and Picard, who saved the day in their small areas, it was a team effort. Data, for using his head. Riker, for using Data's head. Troi, for her decisions in helping Data. Crusher and Geordi, for stopping those canisyers from blowing everything up.

"The Game" - Wesley and Data. Wesley for fixing Data and buying him time to allow Data to save everyone.

"Hero Worship" - Data, for figuring out the nebula's effects.

"Cause And Effect" - Data and Riker. Data, for getting that clue from the last loop, and Riker for that idea that moved the ship out of the way.

"Imaginary Friend" - Picard for his diplomacy.

"The Next Phase" - Geordi and Ro. They were the ones out of phase and got the information needed to save the ship from blowing up.

So ends season 5.

 

[Spot261]

Data should be the one saving the day, he's the superhuman android with a beyond genius IQ.

Surely it would be more noteworthy if he wasn't the star player

 

[Ghrakh]

There are instances where the writers made an effort to not make Data save the day when logically he should have. Power Play or Conundrum come to mind; it was a stretch he was affected exactly like the others.

 

[Mojochi]

There are instances where the writers made an effort to not make Data save the day when logically he should have. Power Play or Conundrum come to mind; it was a stretch he was affected exactly like the others.

I'd say The Naked Now falls into that category too. Their explanation, while comical, really falls short imho. Power Play is a stretch too, but if these entities can control bodies, why not his? We're not given any specifics on how they did it. Much of Conundrum stretches believability. That they, an inferiorly developed race, can delete records from the ship's computers AND erase the memories of how many ever different species are on board, then is it really that much more of a stretch that they could do it to Data too? It's all equally thin imho lol

 

[JirinPanthosa]

Cause and Effect is the fun case where Data destroys the ship 20 times then saves it once.

 

[Mojochi]

Cause and Effect is the fun case where Data destroys the ship 20 times then saves it once.

lol I don't know. He suggests the destructive choice, but it's Picard making that call. In the last loop, the tractor beam is functioning when they decompress the shuttle bay. It's possible both suggestions needed to happen to escape

BTW, the loop duration seems to last from poker night until just after morning briefing. So it's most likely an 8 -10 hour long loop. At the end, their chronometer is off by 17 days. So they probably blew up the ship more like 35-40 times

 

[Nakita Akita]

Phantasms - Data subconsciously detects peptide sucking lifeforms
Genesis - Data is immune to the synthetic T-Cell effect, develops cure
Ship In A Bottle - Data figures out they're trapped in the holodeck
Time's Arrow - Data's head is used to save Earth
The Game - Data is immune to the game, cures everyone
Disaster - Data's head is used to prevent containment collapse
Cause & Effect - Data sends & translates the life saving message
The Next Phase - Data persistently sweeps the ship with anyons
Redemption II - Data detects & exposes the Romulan fleet
The Mind's Eye - Data discovers Geordi is being influenced
Clues - Data saves everyone by covering up the alien's existence
The Best of Both Worlds II - Data hacks the Borg Collective thru Locutus

I'm probably leaving some out, but I think the point is made. Was it too much?

But it's believable. I mean who would you rather bet your life on? Troi?
Riker?

 

[Farscape One]

"Time's Arrow, Part II" - I think Picard shares the win with Data. Picard sent the information into Data's head, which Data interpreted in the future and allowed them to seal that rift.

"Relics" - Scotty and Geordi for the win. Engineers united!

"Schisms" - Riker gets the save here. His volunteering for that homing beacon allowed the crew to find the right subspace domain and stop the incursions and abductions.

"True Q" - I think Crusher gets the save here. At the very least, an assist, since her mentoring Amanda allowed her to take those actions that saved the planet's atmosphere.

"Rascals" - Picard, Ro, Guinan, Keiko, and, believe it or not, Alexander gets the win here. I think of this episode as CHILD DIE HARD.

"Chain Of Command, Part II" - Jellicho gets the win here, actually. His dealings with the Cardassians made it so he got things in place to stop the Cardassian invasion, but brought Picard back from Gul Madred.

"Ship In A Bottle" - Data and Barclay for the win. They got Moriarty into that little cube, basically, and it restored control of the ship so they can get out of the way of the colliding of the planets.

"Starship Mine" - Picard gets the John McClane award, and win, here.

"Timescape" - Picard, Troi, and Data for the group win.

So ends season 6.

 

[Herbert]

lol I don't know. He suggests the destructive choice, but it's Picard making that call. In the last loop, the tractor beam is functioning when they decompress the shuttle bay. It's possible both suggestions needed to happen to escape

BTW, the loop duration seems to last from poker night until just after morning briefing. So it's most likely an 8 -10 hour long loop. At the end, their chronometer is off by 17 days. So they probably blew up the ship more like 35-40 times

That episode would have been better as a two parter. Part one ends with them coming out of the temporal causality loop 300 years in the future. Part two is them dealing with that.

 

[Farscape One]

"Descent, Part II" - Crusher gets the save here. She showed some good leadership, I think, in this episode. And it was a nice callback to her situation in "Suspicions".

"Phantasms" - Data definitely gets the win. He not only saw the creatures coming, but found the solution before the crew were eaten. With mint frosting.

"The Pegasus" - Riker wins here, though the whole situation could have been avoided if he came clean earlier. However, I can understand his dilemma.

"Homeward" - This one is tricky, so I might go with Worf and Geordi on this one. He kept the illusion going, while Geordi kept the illusion going. It allowed those people to be safely beamed down to a new world.

"Masks" - Picard, for sure. His archaeology and mythology knowledge saved the day.

"Genesis" - Data wins here. Since he was unaffected, and because he connected all the dots and made the cure.

"Emergence" - Actually, I firmly believe the Enterprise herself saved the day. She gave all the clues and things needed to not only help the crew, but to create that new life. I find it appropriate, and a credit to her name, that the ship herself is the final save before the finale.

"All Good Things..." - I suppose the real question here is... did any of it actually happen? If not, then no one saved the day. But if it did happen, then Picard, rightly, gets the win for humanity. Thank you, sir.

This concludes the series.

My analysis... Data gets his share, but a lot of them are because of his abilities and artificial nature.

I think Picard actually gets the most saves. But that is appropriate... he IS the star, and it's why he got to sit in that chair in the first place. Kirk was quite the day saver, too... I think it is likely a product of the times. From DS9 onward, I think the saves were a little more spread out. But I guess that can be a new thread, if anyone wants to do it.

 

[Twilight Phoenix]

There is no such a thing as "too much Data" ! Especially Data saving the day :B

...what do you mean by "You're not being objective, TauCygna" ? >.>

 

[BillJ]

Don't hate the player, hate the game.

Data rocked. Rick Berman, for all of his accomplishments, will be remembered for three things by me: killing Kirk, destroying the Enterprise-D and killing Data.