Data's rank in All Good Things

[tim0122]

Just watched All Good Things for the first time in many years. I noticed in the past section Data was given Lt. JG pips instead of Lt. CMD pips even though he's the same rank from TNG to Nemesis and Picard still refers to him as commander in the past section. Why was this done? Was it a mistake by costuming? A slip of the memory? A Romulan ploy?

 

[BillJ]

Likely just a costuming error.

 

[Unicron]

Or Q dicking around.

 

[AntonyF]

Likely just a costuming error.

Yeah that seems to be it. Which is annoying as they got so much right.

You could try and spin he was promoted when Picard came on board and he didn't do that with everything going on in the alternate timeline but it's grasping at straws.

The only slight validation of this theory is Picard gives Yar the bridge instead of Data.

 

[Mage]

Likely just a costuming error.

Exactly this. I think it was in The Drumhead where, due to an error like this, Picard has three pips instead of four.

 

[AntonyF]

Exactly this. I think it was in The Drumhead where, due to an error like this, Picard has three pips instead of four.

There are many missing pip incidents but the entire two parter doing it feels more noticeable.

 

[BillJ]

There are many missing pip incidents but the entire two parter doing it feels more noticeable.

A lot was going on. They were filming “All Good Things…”, working on Deep Space Nine, Voyager and Generations. Surprised there weren’t a lot more errors.

 

[AntonyF]

I've been thinking more about this and I think we can retrocon it.

Encounter at Farpoint Data is Lieutenant Commander on the bridge as Q's wall hit.

But in All Good Things we know we go back a fair chunk of time before that point as Picard comes on board, triggers red alert, defies their missio orders and then goes off to find Q's wall.

What if Data was promoted as one of Picard's first actions. Troi recalls "There was a reception in Ten Forward. I introduced you to Worf and the other senior officers" and then either at that reception or shortly after Picard confirms with Data that he is to be second officer, he's now a Lieutenant Commander and he'll be second in command until they pick up Riker at Farpoint.

This never happened as Picard went straight to red alert.

Of course Data would likely be full Lieutenant, not Junior Grade... you'd think... but la la la.

 

[Tomalak]

I think it's easier to just go with the costume error explanation. Are we going to retcon why Worf's make-up looks so different?

 

[AntonyF]

I think it's easier to just go with the costume error explanation. Are we going to retcon why Worf's make-up looks so different?

These are two different topics.

What is the reason? 99% sure it's error.

Can we retrocon it - retrocon literally meaning retrospective canon? Yes we can for a bit of fun and self soothing.

If you want to take a stab at Worf's makeup, go for it!

 

[J.T.B.]

What if Data was promoted as one of Picard's first actions. Troi recalls "There was a reception in Ten Forward. I introduced you to Worf and the other senior officers" and then either at that reception or shortly after Picard confirms with Data that he is to be second officer, he's now a Lieutenant Commander and he'll be second in command until they pick up Riker at Farpoint.

It seems pretty unlikely that a ship captain could promote an officer two grades on his own authority without some kind of exigent circumstances and/or vacancies.

 

[CoveTom]

I've been thinking more about this and I think we can retrocon it.

Encounter at Farpoint Data is Lieutenant Commander on the bridge as Q's wall hit.

But in All Good Things we know we go back a fair chunk of time before that point as Picard comes on board, triggers red alert, defies their missio orders and then goes off to find Q's wall.

What if Data was promoted as one of Picard's first actions. Troi recalls "There was a reception in Ten Forward. I introduced you to Worf and the other senior officers" and then either at that reception or shortly after Picard confirms with Data that he is to be second officer, he's now a Lieutenant Commander and he'll be second in command until they pick up Riker at Farpoint.

This never happened as Picard went straight to red alert.

Of course Data would likely be full Lieutenant, not Junior Grade... you'd think... but la la la.

In the real life military, probably specifically the United States one, can someone be directly promoted two ranks rather than just one? I honestly don't know.

 

[F. King Daniel]

It was a piece of corn. Or missing corn. Or temporal corn.

Something to do with corn. It's canon.

 

[AntonyF]

It seems pretty unlikely that a ship captain could promote an officer two grades on his own authority without some kind of exigent circumstances and/or vacancies.

But there was a vacancy... every role was a vacancy. He came on board to take the second officer role.

But the two jumps is what undermines my attempt at retrocon. You'd think he'd be Lieutenant first.

 

[Sketcher]

The captain's chair being wrong in the past sequences bothers me more than anything going on with Data's pips.

 

[Kraig]

In the real life military, probably specifically the United States one, can someone be directly promoted two ranks rather than just one? I honestly don't know.

Yes, Chester Nimitz was promoted from Rear Admiral (2-star) as chief of the Bureau of Navigation to Admiral (4-star) when President Roosevelt selected him to be Commander-in-Chief Pacific Fleet in December 1941. He was also promoted from Ensign O-1 to Lieutenant O-3, and from Captain O-6 to Rear Admiral (2-star) O-8, because the USN didn't have the rank of Commodore and when he was promoted they didn't have a Rear Admiral Lower Half 1-star rank.

 

[Crewman6]

Likely just a costuming error.

Just an error, but it's bonkers that literally no one caught it. Not Brent Spiner, not the director, not the AD, not any of the other actors, not the script supervisor, not the multiple costumers. Literally dozens of people would have seen that in their face and NO ONE NOTICED or said anything?

Sure, mistakes like that happen in movies/TV all the time, but it's still inexcusable and dumb.

 

[Tomalak]

It's a very tiny error and it's very excusable.

 

[AntonyF]

It's a very tiny error and it's very excusable.

Just an error, but it's bonkers that literally no one caught it. Not Brent Spiner, not the director, not the AD, not any of the other actors, not the script supervisor, not the multiple costumers. Literally dozens of people would have seen that in their face and NO ONE NOTICED or said anything?

Sure, mistakes like that happen in movies/TV all the time, but it's still inexcusable and dumb.

I'm with Crewman6 on this. So many people should have spotted this. And remember he wore that rank for SEVEN YEARS.

It's very odd in an episode of so much attention to detail. You think they'd be more on guard than usual not less so.

And the fact that people are bringing it up decades later is evidence that it's an elephant in the room.

 

[Tomalak]

This is an episode with Chief O'Brien, the king of rank inconsistencies and costuming errors! Data's missing pip is small fry.

But yes, I guess someone should have been fired for this inexcusable, episode-ruining blunder.