Data and other androids

[Farscape One]

What makes Odo and the Changelings unique to other shapeshifters is that they are the only ones we've seen turn into inanimate objects or reflective surfaces.

The chameloid that Kirk encountered and the creature from "The Dauphin" turned into bipedal species, but not an object.

I think that the true hallmark of being a shapeshifter is to be able to shift into pretty much ANYTHING, not just a humanoid or bipedal creature. Ones like all the others besides the Founders are more akin to being masters of disguise.

Now, they may eventually evolve into beings like the Changelings, since I think they mentioned they were once monoforms LONG ago.

I do like the idea of species ultimately evolving into something other than a noncorporeal energy-like being. It makes the universe feel larger, as it should.

 

[Methuselah Flint]

I agree. Essentially the Founders are goo that changes shape, whereas the prior shapeshifters are humanoids - solids - that change shape. Odo's people don't live as solid unless required to do so, except for Odo.

 

[Finn]

^Except we never learn of the nature of their biology and the composition of their bodies. They may not be goo, but I'd go as far as saying that they aren't truly humanoid...

 

[MAGolding]

What makes Odo and the Changelings unique to other shapeshifters is that they are the only ones we've seen turn into inanimate objects or reflective surfaces.

The chameloid that Kirk encountered and the creature from "The Dauphin" turned into bipedal species, but not an object.

I think that the true hallmark of being a shapeshifter is to be able to shift into pretty much ANYTHING, not just a humanoid or bipedal creature. Ones like all the others besides the Founders are more akin to being masters of disguise.

Now, they may eventually evolve into beings like the Changelings, since I think they mentioned they were once monoforms LONG ago.

I do like the idea of species ultimately evolving into something other than a noncorporeal energy-like being. It makes the universe feel larger, as it should.

In TAS "The Survivor" the Vendorian shapeshifter turned into inanimate objects including a high energy working machine.

 

[WildManWizard]

Are we ever expected to accept any of TOS' androids as being entirely sentient? It's not the android tech that makes Data unique. It's the AI that so perfectly achieved humanoid cognizance that did it. At least that's how I always took it

thats how my head canon always justified it. Data's positronic brain wasn't so much AI as much as it was a fully functioning brain made by artificial means.

 

[Timo]

The official, that is, onscreen definition of Data's uniqueness is "the only sentient artificial lifeform in the [UFP] society" (VOY "Prototype"). When Torres tells the alien robots this, she has ulterior motivations all right, but we don't need to assume she's outright lying about the facts of the matter.

In the context of the phrasing, "in the society" is highly significant - Data is said to be a member of the human(oid) society as opposed to being a clever servant. The UFP is said to be full of clever servants, too, but those either aren't part of the society, or aren't sentient, or aren't lifeforms. And being clever sort of rules out the middle option, as any truly sapient machine can also fake being fully sentient, and would do exactly that if it were the thing that opened the doors to the society.

So it's actually likely that sapient starships and other such machines are specifically and carefully barred from becoming "lifeforms" so that they don't need to be allowed into the society. The definition of lifeform may be completely arbitrary there, as long as it is practical. That Data has a positronic brain inside his head (and, as per ST:NEM, his arms and legs and torso!) while the EMH has an optronic one outside his head need not be a criterion - but it might be one, helping the society rule out holograms as eligible members until the appropriate rules and mores are in place.

In terms of behavior, Data doesn't stand out as more sentient than, say, the Enterprise. Both may express things ranging from self-preservation to compassion in stilted patterns of speech. It's just that a starship generally does less of that, except through its holodecks; the potential seems to be there all the time nevertheless.

As for shapeshifters, Odo's kind have never been singled out as unique or special, except of course in the same sense that humans or Klingons are unique or special. Most shapeshifters in Trek occasionally express abilities going beyond the physically possible, for obvious dramatic reasons (becoming lighter or heavier on demand, say); those that do not probably simply don't get the chance to do so, for having too few appearances. In a universe with antigravity and lots of floating organisms or ones capable of propulsion in vacuum, becoming as light as a glass on a tray or as heavy as the humanoid carrying it is unlikely to be all that demanding, though. But we could just as well argue that the Changelings are the only known species to shunt their mass into otherspace while Changing, or whatnot. It's just that while this pretty impressive, it's never stated to make them unique.

...Telling Odo to go mingle with other shapeshifters to find common ground is an extension of the trope where the foreigner in the group is told to go speak to the other foreigner. Might work well if they find a common language and then a topic of mutual interest. But Odo probably wouldn't.

Timo Saloniemi

 

[arch101]

I don't think I'm giving anything away when I say I'll be interested to see where Discovery takes android tech (if any, but there should be) I still think Data could be the Daneel Olivaw of Trek. I think Trek needs such a character like that as the tapestry of its story expands.

 

[Timo]

May well be - but then again, we also have memorable holographic characters who could similarly span centuries and millennia (and the EMH already has). And some of those were recentish, with the actors still available in what could pass for the original form.

Although actually I think our Daneel will be Harry Mudd, popping up in the unlikeliest of contexts.

Timo Saloniemi

 

[gakelly]

TOS androids exploded if you confused them.

Data would have blown up in some of the season 1 episodes when someone said some figure of speech that he didn't understand. He should have blown up in at least half of the episodes he was in. It could have been a running gag...he would need to be fixed in half the episodes by Chief Engineer Argyle.

 

[JirinPanthosa]

Data would have blown up in some of the season 1 episodes when someone said some figure of speech that he didn't understand. He should have blown up in at least half of the episodes he was in. It could have been a running gag...he would need to be fixed in half the episodes by Chief Engineer Argyle.

Nah, he wouldn't have blown up, he would have stood there confused and asked a followup question.