Data and the episode Family

[tim0122]

Season four's Family is the only episode Data doesn't appear in. For those who know more of the behind-the-scenes information, was that down to the writers having nothing for him to do, and/or him having a lot to do in the following episode Brothers?

Admittedly, I have no idea where Family and Brothers fell in the production order. They could've been shot weeks apart with other episodes in-between.

But both the reasons I mentioned seemed like good reasons not to include him, but I didn't know if it had been explained by Spiner or the crew before.

 

[Tosk]

Family was actually filmed after Brothers, so it's very easy to imagine that Data is absent specifically to aid in the complicated production of that episode (or at the very least to give Spiner a short break) ...though I don't have a quote to back up that assumption.

 

[Mojochi]

Riker is barely in Family as well, and I'd always wished Riker's scene with Worf had reflected a bit more of what his own perspective would be. Worf is here trying to duck his human family, like he's embarrassed by them, or his own situation, & it's coming up with Riker, who of all people is back at his home world with nobody to visit at all. It's a bit sad honestly, & you could understand him being a bit off-put by Worf's behavior. It might've been a good time for Riker to remind him that not everybody has the good fortune to be able to see family.

 

[DonIago]

Riker is barely in Family as well, and I'd always wished Riker's scene with Worf had reflected a bit more of what his own perspective would be. Worf is here trying to duck his human family, like he's embarrassed by them, or his own situation, & it's coming up with Riker, who of all people is back at his home world with nobody to visit at all. It's a bit sad honestly, & you could understand him being a bit off-put by Worf's behavior. It might've been a good time for Riker to remind him that not everybody has the good fortune to be able to see family.

OTOH, given Riker's relationship with his dad, he might understand that sometimes seeing any family at all is more uncomfortable than seeing no family.

 

[Mojochi]

OTOH, given Riker's relationship with his dad, he might understand that sometimes seeing any family at all is more uncomfortable than seeing no family.

He still seems like a guy who'd want some familial connection

 

[Alexander Corrino]

I think we would have heard about the reasons by now if there had been a big important behind the scenes thing going on. It's probably simply due to Data not having much to do when visiting Earth AND the fact that the Enterprise isn't in any danger either for once. Isn't "Family" also the only episode that doesn't have a scene on the bridge? I seem to vaguely remember something like that. This might also be why Data is absent.