Poll: Without the Emotion Chip, Does Data Have Emotions?

[Zameaze]

Without the emotion chip, does Data have emotions?

When Data says that he doesn’t have feelings, often the crew will look at one other as if to say, “We all know you do.”

 

[Alidar Jarok]

I picked I don't know. They hint that he might be developing them, but it's always intentionally left vague.

 

[Geckothan]

I doubt he's capable of emotions at all without the chip. After all, he's limited by his programming, and he's not programmed to have emotions. He might be capable of things that some people might consider pseudo-emotions such as forming bonds and friendships (his neural pathways become accustomed to sensory input patterns), but he can't even comprehend real emotions (he didn't even know how to recognise anger) let alone have them without the chip unless there's external influence, e.g. Q making him laugh and Lore using the chip to give Data the emotions remotely.

 

[SilentP]

I think it's a tad ambiguous, in a way. He wouldn't be capable of emotions aswe're aware of them, but he was programmed with the ability to expand beyond his original programming, as evidenced by his ability to dream (even though that was set off by accident). I reckon however his emotions wouln't manifest in ways that we would recognise as exact analogues to human emotions.

Remember when he was going to kill Fajo just before he was transported? It wasn't exactly logical, and it broke his programming about harming sentient creatures (wonder how he deals with fighting the Borg? Bit of a dilemna as to whether he considers them sentient anymore or not) so why would he attempt it? Perhaps it's a result of a primitive form of the need for vengeance. That's certainly something that might require some form of emotional backing...

 

[RyuRoots]

It's odd, because it goes back and forth a bit through TNG. Certain times, like at the end of "The Most Toys", it seems like Data is capable of becoming much more than the sum of his parts. Other times, it seems that it is indeed impossible without the chip. And what's weird to me is that he activates the chip in GEN and he's all screwy sorting things out through that movie. In FC, he reacts more to stuff but is mostly good ol' TNG Data. And in the last two movies, you'd never know the emotion chip was mentioned in the first two. I voted "I don't really know"

 

[Zameaze]

It's odd, because it goes back and forth a bit through TNG. Certain times, like at the end of "The Most Toys", it seems like Data is capable of becoming much more than the sum of his parts. Other times, it seems that it is indeed impossible without the chip. And what's weird to me is that he activates the chip in GEN and he's all screwy sorting things out through that movie. In FC, he reacts more to stuff but is mostly good ol' TNG Data. And in the last two movies, you'd never know the emotion chip was mentioned in the first two. I voted "I don't really know"

Yes, I hated that emotion chip. It made everything too simplistic.