I always wondered what was so outrageous about him.
Dropped storylines
- Thread starter Kor
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I always wondered what was so outrageous about him.
The first information about Data's past is when Riker meets him in "Encounter at Farpoint":
Therefore Data graduated and was commissioned in the year '78 of the Earth calendar in use at the time of "Encounter at Farpoint". Nobody knows how many digits were in the year number before 78, so the year could have been 78, 578, 1478, 46278, etc. And the year of "Encounter at Farpoint" would have been '78 plus X, X being the number of years since Data graduated Starfleet Academy. If X was 10 years, the year of "Datalore" would be '88, if X was 50 years, the year of "Datalore" would be '28 of the next century, etc.
In "Datalore" they examine the planet where Data had been found:
Data probably graduated in June, and thus about '78.45 to '78.50. Assuming that Data was instantly promoted to lieutenant commander upon graduation, the date of "Datalore" could be as early as about '78.45 to '78.50.
Assuming that Data instantly entered Starfleet Academy when he was discovered and instantly graduated, he might have been discovered sometime between '78.000 and '78.999. If "Datalore" was 26.000 to 26.999 years later, "Datalore" would happen between about '04.000 to '05.998 of the next century.
Later, when Data and Lore talk:
So if Data entered the Academy in '74, and thus was found in '74 or earlier, "Datalore" 26.000 to 26.999 years after Data was found must be in about '00.000 to 01.998 of the next century, or earlier.
If "Datalore" happens immediately after Data was promoted to lieutenant commander, "Datalore" should happen about '91 to '93 of the century that Data was found.
The year of "Datalore" should have been sometime between about '91.000 of one century to '01.998 of the next century.
So the first season of TNG should happen twenty six years after Data was found, and about thirteen to twenty two years after Data graduated from Starfleet Academy and was commissioned in Starfleet. So Data was found between zero and about nine years before he entered Starfleet Academy in '74. Data had between zero and nine years of life or functioning before entering Starfleet Academy, four years in Starfleet Academy, and between thirteen and twenty two years in Starfleet before the first season of TNG.
Considering how little familiar Data was with Humans at the beginning of TNG, he might have spend most of his time before entering Starfleet Academy being studied by scientists at the Daystrom Institute, or at the Vulcan Science Academy, or on Bynus. And perhaps most of Data's Starfleet duties were spent with Vulcans or Bynars or other Federation citizens with very nonhuman personalities. Or maybe Data spent most of those years alone, the sole occupant of some scientific, military, or other remote observation post since Data could be conscious for every work shift.
According to Data's biography in Memory Alpha, he was constructed on the Planet Omicron Theta about 2336 and deactivated sometime later, being found and reactivated by the crew of the USS Tripoli on February 2, 2338. Data entered Starfleet Academy in 2341 and graduated in 2345, 19 years before the first season of TNG. So Data should have been promoted to lieutenant junior grade about 2348, and to lieutenant commander about 2358 to 2360. https://memory-alpha.fandom.com/wiki/Data
Note that memory Alpha uses a different calendar than the one Data used in "Encounter at Farpoint".
In "Clues" the Enterprise passes through a wormhole which knocks out everyone aboard:
The second unstable wormhole would be Barzan Wormhole in the third season episode "The Price".
If Data was a lieutenant Junior grade or a lieutenant when assigned to the USS Trieste, and if that wormhole led to the past or the future, that could explain why Data said he was in the lieutenant grades from ten or twelve years, since such time travel could make both periods equally accurate.
And even though the USS Trieste has the same name as an Italian city, it could have been named after the famous bathyscaphe Trieste that dived to the Challenger Deep in 1960. That may make it slightly more probable that the Starfleet crew of the USS Trieste were aliens with nonhuman personalities and so dealing with them would not prepare Data well for dealing with humans.
My guess is eventually some government considered Okona to be so outrageous that they executed him.
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it was some crewman who couldn't get a date with Teri Hatcher's character. When he saw the results of the episode, he just kept muttering, "Outrageous!"
Yes, Data was lying, as he was ordered to do. It doesn't change the fact that he likely had two trips through unstable wormholes in the past, likely verifiable through a deep peek into his service record. He didn't need to explain the second trip, because Geordi was there and Picard and Riker witnessed it. The first was mentioned because Picard was likely unfamiliar with Data's wormhole voyage on the Trieste (or Data assumed he'd be unfamiliar, or Data was just trying to get Picard to shut him up by being inane).
You know, I loved TNG's "Lower Decks". A great idea and well executed. I think there should have been an episode like that for every ship based spinoff. DS9 already had so many wonderful and well rounded secondary characters that it wouldn't be feasible. But VOYAGER and ENTERPRISE could have done it.
The closest VOYAGER got was "GOOD SHEPHERD", but since it was also a Janeway focus, I don't count it.
The closest VOYAGER got was "GOOD SHEPHERD", but since it was also a Janeway focus, I don't count it.
Learning Curve?
On TNG, Picard sort of lived in an ivory tower. He was mostly unapproachable and liked it that way. He was only comfortable around around his A-Team, so getting to see that other point of view is more interesting. It's also a huge ship with lots of people and endless corridors. You rarely ever see the same face twice.
On Voyager, everyone is basically a junior officer or crewman, and there isn't a big divide between anyone. Janeway is also much more hands on. They had several recurring lower ranks people around, and many recurring names frequently mentioned or seen on screen. It feels like a small ship where everyone knows everyone.
Enterprise was basically a lower decks show, with tons of recurring people showing up all the time, sometimes with dialogue, sometimes you just see them. The crew feels even smaller. The same crewmembers are frequently named dialogue or seen to an even greater extent than Voyager.
On DS9, they had a lot of great recurring characters, but they were all civilians. It was extremely rare to see Starfleet or Bajoran officers/crewmen that weren't extras. The times any show up with actual lines to read, it's to kill them off. It would have been welcome to see a lower decks episode on DS9. It probably would've been really good.
On TNG, Picard sort of lived in an ivory tower. He was mostly unapproachable and liked it that way. He was only comfortable around around his A-Team, so getting to see that other point of view is more interesting. It's also a huge ship with lots of people and endless corridors. You rarely ever see the same face twice.
On Voyager, everyone is basically a junior officer or crewman, and there isn't a big divide between anyone. Janeway is also much more hands on. They had several recurring lower ranks people around, and many recurring names frequently mentioned or seen on screen. It feels like a small ship where everyone knows everyone.
Enterprise was basically a lower decks show, with tons of recurring people showing up all the time, sometimes with dialogue, sometimes you just see them. The crew feels even smaller. The same crewmembers are frequently named dialogue or seen to an even greater extent than Voyager.
On DS9, they had a lot of great recurring characters, but they were all civilians. It was extremely rare to see Starfleet or Bajoran officers/crewmen that weren't extras. The times any show up with actual lines to read, it's to kill them off. It would have been welcome to see a lower decks episode on DS9. It probably would've been really good.
NX-01 had half the crew of Voyager, and was a smaller ship, so of course it will feel even smaller. Plus, the producers designed the ship to feel smaller, almost submarine-like. I always did think that was a very smart move, and a nice touch.
I don't really count "LEARNING CURVE" because it didn't really feel like enough of it was their perspective. TNG's succeeded because it was almost entirely from the lower ranks' perspective.
I don't really count "LEARNING CURVE" because it didn't really feel like enough of it was their perspective. TNG's succeeded because it was almost entirely from the lower ranks' perspective.
I felt it was a really wasted VOY opportunity that they didn't have more recurring crewmen with any sort of significant development, especially since it wasn't as though anyone was going to be transferring off the ship.
Maybe a cheap shot, but it seems especially silly given what a rich recurring cast DS9 managed to build by comparison.
Maybe a cheap shot, but it seems especially silly given what a rich recurring cast DS9 managed to build by comparison.
Yes, but DS9 did almost nothing with the lower ranks, Bajorans or Starfleet. I remember that engineer guy that had a nickname for O'Brien. He showed up once or twice(3 times?) and died in "The Ship." I'm sure there were others, but I don't remember much else. They were mostly seen handing Padds around, and rarely had a speaking role(unless they were scheduled to die)
DS9's recurring characters were either villains, love interests, Ferengi, or a couple semi-neutral parties, like Garak and Ziyal.
Voyager did have a bunch of recurring character, but have after season 4, they are not seen much. They are still referred to throughout the series.
DS9's recurring characters were either villains, love interests, Ferengi, or a couple semi-neutral parties, like Garak and Ziyal.
Voyager did have a bunch of recurring character, but have after season 4, they are not seen much. They are still referred to throughout the series.
The "Class of '78" line was because the show was operating on the Spaceflight Chronology timeline at that point.
As much as I liked Lower Decks and Good Shepherd, they both could have benefitted if their characters were recurring rather than one-off guests. Well, okay, Lower Decks did have Ogawa who was a recurring character, and Sito Jaxa had appeared previously. Also, Tal Celes from Good Shepherd made another appearance later on. But still, it would have helped if the others in those episodes had a recurring presence.
Similarly, Disco probably could do the story in that manner if they ever did an episode that focused on Detmer, Owo, Rhys and Bryce.
Similarly, Disco probably could do the story in that manner if they ever did an episode that focused on Detmer, Owo, Rhys and Bryce.
How he ripped off Han Solo so blatantly and got away with it.
Maybe his Space Puffy Shirt.
Chris Pratt and/or Jennifer Lawrence.
Whatever became of Gomtuu and Tam Elbrun?
Maybe not a dropped storyline as such, but still tantalising.
ETA: Who was responsible for the decimated outposts seen in TNG's season 1 finale The Neutral Zone, before it was retconned (a little clumsily, if you ask me) to be the Borg in BOBW?
Maybe not a dropped storyline as such, but still tantalising.
ETA: Who was responsible for the decimated outposts seen in TNG's season 1 finale The Neutral Zone, before it was retconned (a little clumsily, if you ask me) to be the Borg in BOBW?
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