Bringing back Data

[JayTheTrekkie]

I think it would be impossible for Starfleet to bring Data back by using B4's body since it was 1 of the 3 prototypes that failed before Lore and Data was created.

Having B4 as Data might not understand what its doing and all that even though it had most of Data's memories and it would take a long time for him to get adjusted to all the memories and it probably won't function properply.

 

[S'kai]

Data was standing next to fhe weapon(I don't know what it was called!)when it exploded, he was vaporized in an instant.
Sorry!

JDW

Data can move way faster than you can see. Remember him re-installing the isolinear chips in engineering in the 2nd or 3rd TNG episode.

He curled himself into a ball with his head inside. Most of his body was vaporized, but his head survived.

I can make this stuff up as fast as the writers. . .

 

[Saxman1]

Data is as dead as TNG. The film series made sure of that.

 

[Timo]

I think it would be impossible for Starfleet to bring Data back by using B4's body since it was 1 of the 3 prototypes that failed before Lore and Data was created.

Was it?

"B-4" would not really suggest "one out of three" to me... Also, one would assume Data had extensive conversations with the Juliana Tainer android who recalled the early prototypes, and would be familiar with all three by now. Even if the whereabouts of those three weren't known, Data would probably have recognized B-4 for one of them, had that been the case.

We can't be sure B-4 is a Soong android at all, really. Remember that the Romulans had this devious plan of replacing key Starfleet personnel with evil copies. They would also have had a keen interest in Data as such, ever since the android was found on Omicron Theta (which coincidentally is much the same time as when Picard's DNA was sampled to create Shinzon). B-4 could well be an inferior copy of Soongian technology cobbled together by the Romulans, then dusted off for Shinzon's pet project.

Certainly Data and LaForge had a degree of confidence that dumping Data's brain contents into B-4 would do good. That probably would require B-4's brain to be more or less as sophisticated as Data's, despite inferior programming. Indeed, our heroes are surprised and disappointed that B-4 doesn't immediately become a second Data... Perhaps B-4 simply plays dumb, as part of Shinzon's plan, and in an evil Catch-22 is too dumb to stop playing even after Shinzon is thwarted.

Timo Saloniemi

 

[Newspaper Taxi]

Maybe Soong was counting by two's? B-2, B-4, B-6? He might have had some sort of superstition about odd numbered robots...

 

[Anika Hanson]

I know data is just an android, but I dont want them to turn B-4 into data. It wont be the same to me Data was an individual and can't be replaced with B4 even if he does possess all of Data's memories. He may look the same but he isn't Data. There can only be one Data and I want the real Data back.

 

[Therin of Andor]

Data as played by Brent Spiner was absolutely the best thing about the show, imo, brilliantly acted and scripted always...
I also fail to see why so much negativity surrounds NEMESIS, a terrific Trek film, again imo.

Well, I agree re Data: my favourite character and favourite actor in all of ST. So why wasn't I affected by his death in "Nemesis"?

I wonder if, under a different director, I'd feel differently?

 

[Nedersong]

If we bring back Data we should bring back McCoy. And Kirk. And Sarek. And the original Number one. And Christopher Pike. And FRAKKING GENE RODDENBERRY.

 

[Sector 7]

Data is as dead as TNG. The film series made sure of that.

Do you mean Data or TNG. I think both, in this case.

Maybe Soong was counting by two's? B-2, B-4, B-6? He might have had some sort of superstition about odd numbered robots...

I always assumed there was a reason for the term 'B-4'. Like B-4=Before

 

[Brolan]

Data as played by Brent Spiner was absolutely the best thing about the show, imo, brilliantly acted and scripted always...
I also fail to see why so much negativity surrounds NEMESIS, a terrific Trek film, again imo.

Well, I agree re Data: my favourite character and favourite actor in all of ST. So why wasn't I affected by his death in "Nemesis"?

I wonder if, under a different director, I'd feel differently?

It's because he didn't really die. You could see they were setting up B4 as a fallback plan for Data early in the movie. All they succeeded in doing is making Data's so called death meaningless.

 

[jealousblues]

Dear Gods, no... Leave him DEAD.

He was a boring, knock-off of Spock character from the word 'Go'... That would be one of the few redeeming features of watching NEM for me -- watching him go up in smithereens.

Cheers,
-CM-

Wasnt he shown as an old man (ie: fake grey hair) in the last episode of TNG) wouldnt that mean he would somehow have to survive, or something like him?

unless that was just some alternate thing. I dont remember its been a long time

 

[Alidar Jarok]

Alternate timeline. It still had the Enterprise D in it, if you remember.

 

[All Seeing Eye]

I rewatched Nemesis for the umpteenth time last night (an "umpteen" is defined as ten to the many) and, for some reason, I never noticed before: they make a big deal out of defining thaleron radiation as something that only destroys organic matter. In other words, it would destroy people, but not machines ... more to the point, not androids. So, that wouldn't have killed Data. What would have done him in would be the explosion of the Scimitar, except that you clearly see large chunks of debris being thrown off. So, Data's head could easily be floating around in that nebula or rift or whatever it was. B-4 has a perfect body but a malfunctioning brain, Data's head could be retrieved and attached to B-4's body ... and there you go. I don't know why I never noticed any of that in previous viewings of the movie.

I LIKE IT!!

 

[Cut]

It's because he didn't really die. You could see they were setting up B4 as a fallback plan for Data early in the movie.

That is exactly how I see it. And that is my main critisicm with 'Nemesis'. That movie wasn't good, but definately had it's moments. But the unecessary way Data sacrificed himself was just a plot device building up a cliffhanger for a new TNG movie that never came to be due to the bad box office results 'Nemesis' managed.

It is such a sad way to see one of TNG most beloved characters go with so many possibilities open to bring him back (B-4 being the most obvious one, but there are many, many more).

I was very sorry to read that in the TNG relaunch series and the other new Star Trek novels there would be no resurrection of any previoulsy killed character. I have had problems with the new storyline (didn't like the first 4 books in the 'A Time to...' series) and some of the new characters. And a charismatic character like Data, that embodies as much what is TNG as Picard on our bold captain's side, would have been a very nice move to bring some old time TNG fans (it felt curious to write this line) into the new era of Star Trek fiction.

In my eyes, keeping Data dead was a move of the authors to show, that tey can pull of their own Trek. But I'd like to have seen a new Trek with more parts and pieces of my Star Trek.

Especially now, that Brent Spiners main argument for Data's death ('I simply can't play a not-aging android anymore') is not a point anymore, as we have no more movies but just books to contend with.

So let's start a petition to the writers:
Please bring back Data, as we all know him, but in a manner that we just couldn't think of our selves

 

[captcalhoun]

they spent the whole movie explaining B4 was a pathetic child-like version of Data who had no way of becoming Data. by the film's own storyline, it wouldn't work. and just because B4's got Data's memories that don't mean he'd come back. Data had LAL'S memories and those of the Omicron whatsit colonists. you don't see Data becoming them, do you?

Data's dead and long may he stay that way.

 

[jamestyler]

Data was standing next to fhe weapon(I don't know what it was called!)when it exploded, he was vaporized in an instant.
Sorry!

JDW

That was my first thought reading the initial post. Standing at the heart of a massive explosion... it's way too much of a stretch to assume he could survive that.

Besides... on the extremely unlikely chance Jonathon Frakes got his wish and there was another TNG era movie, they'd be better off doing the honorable thing and leaving Data dead - as for B4, I posted on the Future forum that I think he's worth kept to a small cameo, similar to Holly in Red Dwarf's 'White Hole', he can't be switched on fo too long as his neaural net is overloading - but with Datas memories he might have some vital information worth the risk of having him online for a few minutes.

Alot of people seem to view B4 as a 'Get Data back free' card, but I just saw it as the Great Escape ending. Something bad happened, so end with a smile.