Data's high-speed heroics

[Holdfast]

...perhaps it's just that Tasha Yar told him fast was bad and it stuck?

nice one.

 

[Mott the barber]

...perhaps it's just that Tasha Yar told him fast was bad and it stuck?

Which episode did she say that in? (I think I remember her saying it, I just forget the circumstances and would like to look it up)

Don't think you'll find exactly that in an episode.

 

[Tiberius]

For example, in "Starship Mine," he could have easily subdued the guy who shot Geordi with some high-speed maneuvers.

Ah, but that's not a matter of speed, it's a matter of leverage. Data probably could move his body fast enough to knock out the terrorists before they knew what was happening, but I doubt he'd be able to get enough traction on the carpet. And moving his arms fast could throw his body off balance too. he'd have to be bolted to the floor to prevent it.

Whenever we saw him doing things really fast, it was always small things. Moving his fingers really quickly so he could rapidly encode consoles, or shuffle cards. About the biggest thing we saw him move fast were his arms in "The Naked Now". And an arm is actually fairly heavy, so I doubt he'd be able to do it that fast without some bracing.

 

[Vanyel]

Shouldn't he have been able to catch the arrow that Deanna hit him with in Q-Pid? And shouldn't his accuracy with a phaser be perfect or near perfect? I would think his marksmanship should be something that he would never alter as lives may depend on him killing or stunning another. And if it is simply at target practice, again no need to alter his ability, you're not showing off if it is something you can do.

 

[Leviathan]

...perhaps it's just that Tasha Yar told him fast was bad and it stuck?

Which episode did she say that in? (I think I remember her saying it, I just forget the circumstances and would like to look it up)

Don't think you'll find exactly that in an episode.

...I'll try to explain. You see, when a mommy security officer and a daddy android are trapped in an episode called "The Naked Now" during sweeps week they get certain urges....

 

[Captain McBain]

Shouldn't he have been able to catch the arrow that Deanna hit him with in Q-Pid? And shouldn't his accuracy with a phaser be perfect or near perfect? I would think his marksmanship should be something that he would never alter as lives may depend on him killing or stunning another. And if it is simply at target practice, again no need to alter his ability, you're not showing off if it is something you can do.

I guess it's possible that Data didn't see the arrow coming.

Yes, Data's markmanship should be as close to perfect as possible. He should be much more accurate than Worf, Guinan, Yar, or any other humanoid in Star Trek.

 

[Timo]

This is assuming that accuracy depends on the user, rather than the gun.

But we witness the guns autonomously deciding where to aim, rather regardless of where the heroes point the guns - the beams erupt at weird angles to ensure a hit.

If aiming is already just 10% target selection by user and 90% target acquisition by the gun, then it doesn't make much of a difference whether Data or Guinan or Keiko O'Brien wields the gun. An experienced gunslinger (Guinan with her long actual experience, or Data with some downloaded experience) might have a shorter reaction time, though. And the phaser training range seen in TNG seems to be all about target selection and reaction time...

Timo Saloniemi

 

[Captain McBain]

But we witness the guns autonomously deciding where to aim, rather regardless of where the heroes point the guns - the beams erupt at weird angles to ensure a hit.

Timo Saloniemi

Could you name a particular episode where this is shown?

 

[Timo]

This is best seen when multiple heroes use their phasers side by side, and the angles differ. Say, in "Arsenal of Freedom" where Data, Riker and Yar aim at the same target:

http://tng.trekcore.com/gallery/albums/s1/1x21/arsenal158.jpg

(And this angle is particularly weird)

http://tng.trekcore.com/gallery/albums/s1/1x21/arsenal160.jpg

Or in "Too Short a Season" where Yar and Worf hold their weapons identically yet cut different parts of the wall:

http://tng.trekcore.com/gallery/albums/s1/1x12/tooshort169.jpg

It seems that the hand phaser typically is more like a whip than a gun in nature: one flings the beam to the target, and it sticks there, regardless of the orientation in which the weapon handle is thereafter held. Except that the hand phaser can do the flinging even before initiating the beam.

Timo Saloniemi

 

[T'Girl]

^ Actually in quite a few. It's pretty obvious that hand phasers are not bore sighted, but instead usually emit at some angle off center.

 

[Vanyel]

I wouldn't think the phaser would be allowed to pick its own target, but that it has a swivel emitter that can be moved by the person holding the gun. If it chose its own target how would it discern friend from foe?

Example, Data and Lore both wearing the same uniform. Neither is armed but in a struggle, they break apart, but only by a foot or less. The one with the phaser has determined which is Lore, but the phaser chooses Data instead.

Swivel emitter good, auto target, not always. Especially in close quarters, or trying to pick off one person out of many.

 

[Holdfast]

Maybe the phaser can detect its user's eye movement and can autorotate its emitter to lock on to whatever target the user is looking at?

(just don't get distracted by an ally running across the scene while pressing down the fire button! )

 

[Leviathan]

I wouldn't think the phaser would be allowed to pick its own target, but that it has a swivel emitter that can be moved by the person holding the gun. If it chose its own target how would it discern friend from foe?

Example, Data and Lore both wearing the same uniform. Neither is armed but in a struggle, they break apart, but only by a foot or less. The one with the phaser has determined which is Lore, but the phaser chooses Data instead.

Swivel emitter good, auto target, not always. Especially in close quarters, or trying to pick off one person out of many.

I believe such a swivel-and-auto-target device is correctly referred to as a plot seeking guidance system.

 

[Dream]

Soong didn't create Data to be some kind of killing machine. Data certainly could be dangerous with his his enhanced abilities as shown by Lore, but that doesn't mean he never misses with a phaser or can kill a room full of people in seconds.

Data can move his fingers and arms very quickly, but he can only run at normal speeds.

 

[Timo]

Maybe the phaser can detect its user's eye movement and can autorotate its emitter to lock on to whatever target the user is looking at?

Or the user might point the gun at a group of targets, and the gun gently "buzzes" the user's hand at each potential target. The user then confirms with a keypress which target he wants to lock on to - and thereafter the beam will hit that target regardless of where the gun is pointing.

Is Data known to have missed with a hand phaser?

Timo Saloniemi

 

[Vanyel]

Maybe the phaser can detect its user's eye movement and can autorotate its emitter to lock on to whatever target the user is looking at?

Or the user might point the gun at a group of targets, and the gun gently "buzzes" the user's hand at each potential target. The user then confirms with a keypress which target he wants to lock on to - and thereafter the beam will hit that target regardless of where the gun is pointing.

Is Data known to have missed with a hand phaser?

Timo Saloniemi

I believe he has, Too Short a Season comes to mind as does Descent Part I. In both cases the opponents had cover.

He's not a made killing machine, but his specs, his hand eye coordination, his ability to gauge distance, and his speed and strength and resilience do make him a formidable opponent. If his life depended on it, or the lives of others, he could probably kill a room full of people easily and quickly too.

 

[Dream]

Lore beat Worf down in seconds in Datalore.

Data would be able to do the same. But of course Data is a pretty nice guy and would rather restrain than kill someone.

 

[Mott the barber]

Lore beat Worf down in seconds in Datalore.

Data would be able to do the same. But of course Data is a pretty nice guy and would rather restrain than kill someone.

Except at the end of "The Most Toys"... or did he? I love the debate on that one.

 

[Tiberius]

Lore beat Worf down in seconds in Datalore.

Data would be able to do the same. But of course Data is a pretty nice guy and would rather restrain than kill someone.

Except at the end of "The Most Toys"... or did he? I love the debate on that one.

That was just bad writing that had Data acting out of character.

 

[Captain McBain]

I hate the 'bad writing' argument. It did happen. Why Data acted that way is the question.