Why was Data never promoted?

[Mojochi]

That being said, he does insist on why Picard didn't immediately give him a temporary captaincy in Redemption II...So he probably has ambition but just makes it a long term goal rather than a short term. He's supposed to be immortal after all, so no need to rush.

See? If it hadn't been for this one instance, I'd be totally willing to see Data as being deficient in ambition. It would certainly fit with his nature, but that scene suggests he is at least aware of his place in the rank & interested in pursuing the traditional path for it, ambition aside

There still may be 'synthephobic' pressure from Starfleet Command to slow his progression, though. Remember how Admiral Nakamura talked about Data in TMOAM and how Admiral Haftel considered him and his daughter in The Offspring...

I really do think there must be. Apart from those two admirals, Hobson's bias can't be an isolated case. Maddox would certainly have been backed by Nakamura, & had a whole department of people under him at Starbase 173. Clearly that whole group there had little respect for Data's rights, Haftel's people as well

Starfleet is flexible with promotions, not insisting on any particular type of career from its employees. So one won't be granted promotions unless one asks for them, but one won't be kicked out if one doesn't ask, either.

I hadn't really thought of that, but I suppose it is a possible explanation. I imagine you can turn down a promotion

But keeping Data somewhat subordinate was in keeping with his dramatic role as an Apprentice Human, and adding the twist of Troi speeding past him was a nice refinement to that. Data's ascent was a good theme, but the ascent could not be too steep lest he emerge on top and cut short the good thing going.

While I agree from a narrative point of view that having Data remain "Junior" in nature to the other command staff was an integral part of how to feature his character arc & growth, I didn't really care for how Troi passed him, nor would I have liked it if Worf or Geordi had passed him

It really was kind of odd, the Troi promotion. All she did was take a command exam, which until then she'd had almost no command experience at all. Data, OTOH, was already 3rd in command on board, for years. He is still 3rd in command even after she gets her promotion, & thereby still holds title over her. I mean by all reckoning, he is in command of that ship for a third of every single day, on night shift

Sure, she's a commander now, but so is Crusher. I'd be really annoyed to see him defer to either of them, in any command capacity. I'm sure she was just having a little fun, about Data calling her sir, but in a weird way it's correct. However, he never calls Crusher sir. He calls her doctor, & frankly, no matter what rank or qualifications Troi now has, Data would still almost certainly keep calling her counselor. It's Ludacris to think she outranks him in any meaningful way

 

[Twilight Phoenix]

^ Not really rank related, but since you're talking about how characters call each other on duty (that remark about calling Deanna 'counselor Troi' instead of 'commander Troi') am I the only one puzzled at Data being called 'commander Data' instead of 'commander Soong' ?? I mean, it's his name. Data Soong. I don't remember people calling Picard 'Captain Jean-Luc' ? ?
I can unserstand that he went just by 'Mr Data' or simply Data before they realized he was Noonien's son, but after ? It's not bothersome he's still called by his first name by bridge crew members, but...ensigns ? Visitors ? Other Starfleet members ? I sometimes wonder if they're calling him by his first name because they believe an android doesn't deserve the same courtesy protocols as humans...

 

[Timo]

It isn't. That is, we get no indication that Data would have changed his name once he learned that he was the "son" of Noonian Soong, relatively late in his life and adventures. He is listed as "NFN NMI Data" (no first name, no middle initial) in his records as per the relevant Okudagrams, suggesting that "Data" is treated as his surname if anything.

Of course, there could be cultural issues. It's atypical to address people from Iceland by their surnames, say, because often they have none - a news article on prominent financial figures might list other Europeans by their surnames, but Thor Björgólfsson would properly be called "Thor" rather than by his patronymic.

One wonders how that goes with Vulcans. Spock has "another name"; is this his surname, one he putatively shares with Sarek and the one his mother can only barely pronounce as the more proper alternative to "Mrs. Sarek"?

Timo Saloniemi

 

[Grendelsbayne]

See? If it hadn't been for this one instance, I'd be totally willing to see Data as being deficient in ambition. It would certainly fit with his nature, but that scene suggests he is at least aware of his place in the rank & interested in pursuing the traditional path for it, ambition aside
I really do think there must be. Apart from those two admirals, Hobson's bias can't be an isolated case. Maddox would certainly have been backed by Nakamura, & had a whole department of people under him at Starbase 173. Clearly that whole group there had little respect for Data's rights, Haftel's people as well
I hadn't really thought of that, but I suppose it is a possible explanation. I imagine you can turn down a promotion
While I agree from a narrative point of view that having Data remain "Junior" in nature to the other command staff was an integral part of how to feature his character arc & growth, I didn't really care for how Troi passed him, nor would I have liked it if Worf or Geordi had passed him

It really was kind of odd, the Troi promotion. All she did was take a command exam, which until then she'd had almost no command experience at all. Data, OTOH, was already 3rd in command on board, for years. He is still 3rd in command even after she gets her promotion, & thereby still holds title over her. I mean by all reckoning, he is in command of that ship for a third of every single day, on night shift

Sure, she's a commander now, but so is Crusher. I'd be really annoyed to see him defer to either of them, in any command capacity. I'm sure she was just having a little fun, about Data calling her sir, but in a weird way it's correct. However, he never calls Crusher sir. He calls her doctor, & frankly, no matter what rank or qualifications Troi now has, Data would still almost certainly keep calling her counselor. It's Ludacris to think she outranks him in any meaningful way

LaForge makes it adundantly clear way back in the first season that post trumps both rank and position. Lt. Logan outranks him and is one of the of the senior officers of the ship, which LaForge at that time is not, but Picard left Geordi in command of the bridge so the ship is his. Troi would never realistically be put in command unless Picard, Riker and Data were all unavailable. Arguably Geordi, as well. But if she were put in command for some reason, she would command him as well until the situation changed.

 

[Farscape One]

Data not getting promoted always bothered me, too. I think I mentioned in a thread somewhere.

He more than earned it during his tenure on the Enterprise-D, never mind his service on the Enterprise-E. I still think he could have been made a full Commander and still be Second Officer, particularly since the ship had over 1,000 people. The man was doing THREE jobs... Second Officer, Operations Officer, and he seemed to be the Science Officer most of the time, though I don't think that was ever stated directly.

I do think there was a deleted scene (or scripted or was maybe on the novelization) of NEMESIS where Picard tells Riker he can bring anyone he wants with him to the Titan except Data, as Picard felt he earned his spot as XO.

Even still, we're talking 15 years as a Lt. Commander, assuming he got the promotion when he came aboard the Enterprise-D. He may have been one before coming aboard.

LaForge got promoted TWICE in about a year. (Becoming full Lt. by the first episode of season 2, and clearly got Lt. Commander by the first episode of season 3.)

Worf got promoted twice in about 5 years and change. (To Lt. by the beginning of season 3, and again in the middle of 2371 in GENERATIONS.)

Granted, both went TO the rank of Lt. Commander, and both became department heads... Worf after Yar was killed, LaForge because they just couldn't keep a Chief Engineer around long enough.

But it just doesn't ring right.

(A side note... I always thought it was a nice touch that Sisko brought everyone along with him on his promotion ride. Bashir became a full Lt., Dax a Lt. Commander. I think O'Brien got one, though his is much more difficult for me to figure out as I am not well versed in the non-officer ranks. His pips certainly were different at the time the others got promoted.)

You know, now that I think about it, Data not getting promoted is even more egregious when you consider all the shows.

TOS - EVERYONE got promoted at some point.

TNG - Riker gets Titan.
Troi to Commander.
Worf and Geordi, already mentioned.
Crusher got to be Captain in an alternate future.
Even Wesley got promoted... TWICE.
Only Picard didn't get promoted, but I think that was completely his choice, as he turned down at least one offer to the Admiralty.

DS9 - the ones I listed above, and Kira.

VGR - Chakotay, from Maquis to Commander... or Lt. Commander, if you believe the shaded pip.
Torres, from Maquis to Lt.
Paris, from convict to Lt. jg, then Ensign, then Lt. jg again.
Tuvok, to Lt. Commander.
Even Harry Kim got to be Captain in an alternate future.
Janeway became Admiral by NEMESIS.

ENT - This is the only one where no one got promoted, except in that alternate future in "TWILIGHT". Even the "finale" didn't show anyone with a higher rank than they were before. (So Travis and Hoshi spent at least TEN years as Ensigns? Harry Kim shouldn't feel that bad... though I chalk that one up to a holodeck glitch regarding their ranks.)

I do think some of them might have gotten a promotion if it went to a 5th season.

 

[Sophie74656]

Data was alreadt a lt commander. The next step is full commander which requires taking the command test as we saw Deanna do. Perhaps Data just didn't want to. He had no desire for command.

 

[Artoo Atari]

That's obviously not the case since Troi was promoted to Commander while remaining in her current post.

Yeah, that's right. I forgot about that "command test" thing. Doesn't make sense. If passing the test promotes one to cmdr with command privileges, why would both the ship's CMO and the counselor be given this rank and privilege but not the ship's second officer?

 

[Farscape One]

Exactly. It just didn't make sense.

I do remember, though, that is was a 'Bridge Officer's' exam, if memory serves me right. Crusher and Troi were not trained in that, since their respective fields didn't really require being on the bridge.

Data was already a bridge officer and Second Officer of the ship.

 

[Doc Mugatu]

I got to thinking about this recently: Data was the only character in the Next Generation main cast who never received, was never even *offered* a promotion during the entire series run, from Farpoint to Nemesis.

Intriguing point. Begs the question, even in the future, at what point would organic life become too uncomfortable to commanded by an artificial lifeform?

Also, Data was THE first android in Starfleet (if I remember correctly) therefore one could argue that it was prudent to study his progression and not be too quick to move him up the ladder. Whose to say, if he had lived, that he wouldn't eventually have been promoted? Whose to say that his successor, Rain-Man Data, wouldn't at some point work his way up the chain of command?

I actually think, based on how they always portrayed rosy futures for the characters, that he would have at least attained a captaincy of a starship at some point.

 

[XCV330]

There is absolutely no precedent for a captain to serve under another captain as a first officer. That's as silly as an admiral taking over a ship and acting as its captain and then forcing the actual captain to be his first officer for the rest of the mission. There certainly aren't two instances of that happening, either.

It happens all the time

 

[DonIago]

There is of course the possibility that Data was offered a promotion off-screen and rejected it.

 

[Doc Mugatu]

Yeah, that's right. I forgot about that "command test" thing. Doesn't make sense. If passing the test promotes one to cmdr with command privileges, why would both the ship's CMO and the counselor be given this rank and privilege but not the ship's second officer?

Well, the Enterprise-D's "chain of command" was always one of its more farcical elements as it often defied reason and rationality. It did not follow any modern protocol (naval or otherwise). It was so blatantly absurd at times that its nonsensicality was, I believe, intentional on the part of the writers.

 

[Bry_Sinclair]

The curse of Operations Officers? Neither Data nor Kim were promoted up except in simulations or alternate timelines

Or maybe there was an element of bigotry--concerns over an artificial lifeform as Captain.

 

[Farscape One]

"You don't get to be Captain wearing a gold uniform."
Lt. Commander Michael Eddington, "THE ADVERSARY"

 

[Qonundrum]

To get promoted one must use contractions.

In which case, Data would be a 128-star Fleet Admiral by the end of season one, instead of the mere Commodore-64D that he remained throughout...

 

[suarezguy]

It feels a little weird to me that a ship would have a lot of full commanders when the First Officer, the second in command, is one, from that it would seem to be a rare rank even on a big ship (CMO is the only other officer for whom it does makes sense). Especially with the show having chief engineer at Lieutenant Commander and chief of security at Lieutenant, OK that operations would also stay at Lt. Commander at least for the length of the series.

And yeah, Data broke orders often enough, particularly "Pen Pals" and "The Quality of Life", that it would believably cause him further obstacles to advancement.

It may have made a little more sense storywise if he had been a Lieutenant the first two or three seasons before then being promoted to Lieutenant Commander.

 

[BillJ]

Career stalled out when he got caught behind a barn with an Admiral's replicator.

 

[Doc Mugatu]

And yeah, Data broke orders often enough, particularly "Pen Pals" and "The Quality of Life", that it would believably cause him further obstacles to advancement.

On the flip, his "breaking orders" could be seen as "initiative" and a sign that was more than just a machine. Several instances within Star Trek where individuals were rewarded for breaking orders and thinking outside the box.

 

[The Wormhole]

^ Not really rank related, but since you're talking about how characters call each other on duty (that remark about calling Deanna 'counselor Troi' instead of 'commander Troi') am I the only one puzzled at Data being called 'commander Data' instead of 'commander Soong' ?? I mean, it's his name. Data Soong. I don't remember people calling Picard 'Captain Jean-Luc' ? ?
I can unserstand that he went just by 'Mr Data' or simply Data before they realized he was Noonien's son, but after ? It's not bothersome he's still called by his first name by bridge crew members, but...ensigns ? Visitors ? Other Starfleet members ? I sometimes wonder if they're calling him by his first name because they believe an android doesn't deserve the same courtesy protocols as humans...

If you want to go there, Worf's name should have been Worf Rozhenko, meaning everyone would refer to him as "Lt. Rozhenko/Mr. Rozhenko" as opposed to "Lt. Worf/Mr. Worf." After all, Alexander's name is Alexander Rozhenko, a name he even goes by when he enlists in the Klingon military.

And yeah, Data broke orders often enough,

So does everyone else in Starfleet. Sisko actually got promoted because he violated orders.

 

[Mojochi]

Data was alreadt a lt commander. The next step is full commander which requires taking the command test as we saw Deanna do. Perhaps Data just didn't want to. He had no desire for command.

Then we would never see him in command at all. He's the ships 2nd officer & commands the bridge presumably almost every single overnight shift

am I the only one puzzled at Data being called 'commander Data' instead of 'commander Soong' ??

Data never took Soong as a name, & too my knowledge, neither did Lore & nor was it assigned to Lal

They seem to be pretty specific about it all, even being sure to call Ro Laren, Ensign Ro, as per her culture's practice of placing family name first. I don't see any reason to think they'd be missing the mark with Data. He must have chosen to keep his name as it's always been

If you want to go there, Worf's name should have been Worf Rozhenko, meaning everyone would refer to him as "Lt. Rozhenko/Mr. Rozhenko" as opposed to "Lt. Worf/Mr. Worf." After all, Alexander's name is Alexander Rozhenko, a name he even goes by when he enlists in the Klingon military.

But there's no knowing that Worf ever took his adoptive name. Even K'Ehleyr, who was actually half human, just like B'Elanna Torres, was always addressed as Ambassador K'ehleyr.