Did Data actually need to die?

[Timo]

There's also something unintentionally amusing about Picard and Data competing for the privilege of committing suicide in a silly way.

Picard raids the enemy fortress single-handed. Data then barges to the rescue, showing that bringing in reinforcements is eminently possible. Yet Data doesn't bring in reinforcements, either. Both seem to insist on dying for the good cause, chiefly for the sake of dying and only secondarily for the sake of achieving the tactical aims.

All the scene is missing is LaForge beaming in at the last second, shoving Data into his New and Improved Rescue Transporter Beam, and perparing to take the lethal blast himself, only to be displaced by Riker who crashes in with a shuttlecraft, pulls LaForge in, locks the throttle to maximum and leaps out just so that he can be the one to catch the glorious blast...

Timo Saloniemi

 

[SPCTRE]

Of course, no death in Trek comes close to Trip's meaningless demise at the end of Enterprise.

oh but you see, in the books

(I'm sorry I can't continue with a straight face)

on a more serious note, I'd say Tasha Yar's death at least comes close in terms of meaningless-ness/randomness (it was basically a Red Shirt death tbh)

 

[somebuddyX]

I'm torn about Tasha's death. I kind of like that she dies so inconsequentially. It seems more realistic than a cliche heroic death but maybe not as satisfying.

 

[SPCTRE]

I kind of like that she dies so inconsequentially.

yup, same here. it's refereshing in a way, especially in the context of TNG era Trek

 

[Stephen!]

They state on the DVD extras, that it was either killing off Data, or killing off Picard.

 

[JasonJ]

They state on the DVD extras, that it was either killing off Data, or killing off Picard.

I would love to hear the rationale for that either/or scenario. How did they come to THAT conclusion?!

Honestly, if the Enterprise had just carried some red matter on board.. creating a small black hole to suck the Scimitar into at the last minute... the whole theleron radiation threat could have been eliminated. Really, people... lol

 

[Commishsleer]

I don't think Data needed to die. It wasn't like Picard needed to learn some sort of lesson like Kirk did in TWOK

 

[Bry_Sinclair]

He showed himself to be truly human, sacrificing himself for those that he loved.

But it was then immediately cheapened by having B-4 show signs of retaining Data's memories, thus hinting at Data 2.0.

 

[galad2003]

Except that it's already mentioned in "Inheritance" (season 7) that Data has an aging program. Which is fine, and I guess that means the Romulans/Remans in Nemesis would have had to make sure B-4 aged at the same amount. So, I guess it was just that Brent Spiner didn't want to do it anymore.

They could have also just replaced Spiner with a new actor and added a line, " I decided to go with a new appearance."

 

[Sophie74656]

As others have said it was Brent Spiner who wanted it. But without Data dying, if there happened to be another TNG story that took place after there would have to be an explination for Data's absense.

But....it appears that B4 was set up to be the "new" Data

 

[Sophie74656]

They could have also just replaced Spiner with a new actor and added a line, " I decided to go with a new appearance."

Or as he did in an episode, he could make himself appear to look older.

 

[Galileo7]

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[Leviathan]

I am a leaf on the wind....

 

[Bry_Sinclair]

I am a leaf on the wind....

She's torn up plenty, but she'll fly true.

 

[CommanderTrip]

Might have been interesting if the movie was changed around a little bit, and Picard died and Shinzon lived. Eventually serving on the bridge crew in a sequel under Captain Riker of the Enterprise E.

 

[Timo]

...Especially if the maturing routine finally kicks in and Shinzon becomes Patrick Stewart, meaning nobody in the crew even notices the swap. A perfect repeat of Loganic Victory from Gladiator - Picard dies and wins at the same time, converting Shinzon to the light side.

Timo Saloniemi

 

[DS9ers]

I love the character Data but I believed it was a fitting end for his character. To make it even better I would have preferred that B4 wasn't even around. He was a poor character thrown in so that Brent Spiner could come back in the next movie.

 

[Dukhat]

Except that it's already mentioned in "Inheritance" (season 7) that Data has an aging program.

Except that has been contradicted on numerous occasions. Other than that one line (which came out of nowhere), there has never been any other evidence that Data can age, nor any other mention of said aging program.

 

[FormerLurker]

Well, Data's "mother" had an aging program. I don't think it too much of a stretch that Data had one as well. Perhaps he could turn it on and off, as unfortunately became the case with the emotion chip.

 

[Timo]

Data can grow a beard at will. Or a big butt to act as a flotation device. He has every excuse for making wrinkles if he wants to. But only if he wants to - in the "All Good Things.." future, he has clearly opted for just that badger streak in the hair instead.

Whether he could reverse his aging is the one bit to be debated. Supposedly the very purpose of the subroutine would be to force Data deeper down the human path, again possibly in order to fight the Frankenstein complex (too human an android is bad, but once you accept him in his disarmingly silly pale clown makeup, then the next hurdle is him staying eternally young). Or then just to test the techniques Soong needed for creating the perfect wife, or perhaps the perfect vessel for eternal life for himself. Reversibility wouldn't feature high up the list of priorities on such plans.

Timo Saloniemi