Data - South American or French?

[Ragitsu]

Good afternoon.

In "The Big Goodbye", Picard hastily describes Data as being from South America; in "Time's Arrow", Data declares himself to be a Frenchman. Between those two possible origins, which seems more likely to be true for the Enterprise-D's resident android? Does he appear more South American or French?

 

[Mage]

No.

 

[Orphalesion]

People from both South America, and France can look, sound, and act very differently from each other.
However neither are very likely to have pearlescent skin and bright yellow eyes.

 

[carcinoGeneticist]

I, for one, think he looks like an android.

 

[Ragitsu]

No.

"No" to "what", exactly?

People from both South America, and France can look, sound, and act very differently from each other.
However neither are very likely to have pearlescent skin and bright yellow eyes.

France seems closer - though perhaps not by much - given that it receives less overall sunlight and is cooler. The eyes, though...those are a tougher sell.

 

[Mage]

"No" to "what", exactly?

Just....... no.

 

[Sketcher]

That's the joke - take a strange looking character and say he looks like someone from a far-off foreign country, even though in reality he doesn't.

 

[Nerys Myk]

"No" to "what", exactly?



France seems closer - though perhaps not by much - given that it receives less overall sunlight and is cooler. The eyes, though...those are a tougher sell.

Two words: Mediterranean Coast

 

[knightgrace]

The real question is just how worldly was the typical American in the 1880s?
Probably not very.

After here be dragons...

By the way take a look at the 1895 eighth grade graduation test.

The standards were much higher than now.

It is online.

The writers were being 'not' totally ignorant. But sufficiently ignorant, which shows their overall education level.

None of us has an excuse.


To read deeper on this topic, I highly recommend the novel ' Blood, Tears, and Folly, the Origins of the Second World' Len Deighton.

Going still further into Star Trek, a proper eighth grade education versus, let's say a proper twelfth grade education. Earth versus Vulcan...

In the same time frame.

 

[Timofnine]

Data is from neither South America or France, he is from Omicron Theta.

 

[Mojochi]

It depends on how likely the surrounding people are going to be familiar with it

The real question is just how worldly was the typical American in the 1880s?
Probably not very.

Aware of the existence of places like France & South America? Very likely. Likely to have ever seen someone native to one of those places? Somewhat unlikely.

Ironically however, Mark Twain was not in San Francisco, for the episode's August 13th, 1893 date. He may have attended the Chicago Worlds fair that year, but most accounts have him & his family moving to Europe, specifically Germany, Italy & France, by 1891, because of worsening financial issues. Only a year later, he'd file for bankruptcy, due to failed business ventures. Surely HE'D know what a Frenchman looks like

Neither was Jack London likely to be in San Francisco at this time. He was more probably finishing up his 7 month stint, sailing on a sea vessel near Japan & The Bering Sea. Afterward, he'd settle in Oakland CA. to take up work in a jute mill for a time. Both these guys are very likely to have known that someone who looks like Data was NOT normal for any of these places lol

 

[Oddish]

With his linguistic abilities and memory capacity, he could pass for either. He certainly fooled human-Dukat with his French.

 

[scotpens]

That's the joke - take a strange looking character and say he looks like someone from a far-off foreign country, even though in reality he doesn't.

I've never seen either of those episodes, but the joke sounds like a callback to Kirk's attempt at explaining Spock's appearance to the cop in "City on the Edge of Forever." I mean, would anyone, even in 1930, think Spock looked "obviously Chinese"?

 

[Laura Cynthia Chambers]

Nimoy played characters of ethnicities other than his own, just as other actors did.

 

[Nerys Myk]

Nimoy played characters of ethnicities other than his own, just as other actors did.

Yeah, that doesn't make it any better.

 

[Laura Cynthia Chambers]

I just meant that could be what it was referring to.

 

[Nerys Myk]

I just meant that could be what it was referring to.

No, it's not a reference to Nimoy having played Asian, Native American and Hispanic characters.

 

[Ragitsu]

In "Manhunt", Data refers to himself as "Carlos".
Way later, in "Thine Own Self", Data is temporarily theorized to be an "ice man"; Eskimo or super-Scandinavian, perhaps?

 

[Nerys Myk]

In "Manhunt", Data refers to himself as "Carlos".
Way later, in "Thine Own Self", Data is temporarily theorized to be an "ice man"; Eskimo or super-Scandinavian, perhaps?

Data is adopting a pseudonym for the holonovel. no need to read anything more than than into it. Part of a callback to "The Big Good Bye"
I doubt there are any Scandinavians or Eskimos on Barkon IV

 

[Shawnster]

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One of the running gags from the SNL Coneheads skits from the 70s is that they were from France.

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