Riker: "The only way we knew we'd come out of warp was by looking out a window." Lore: "Where's Data? You didn't fill Data with substandard parts, did you, old man? No. All he needed to do was remove the unneeded bits." Soong: "You know what Michelangelo used to say? That the sculptures he made were already there before he started, hidden in the marble. I admit I, uh, I wouldn't have guessed I'd be running from a giant snowflake."ĭr. I'm not entirely sure if it was implied that Soong died at the end of the episode, but he didn't die on screen.ĭr. I bet the Enterprise computer could have done it in time, but since Data locked most of the computer functions, the crew was basically screwed. With current technology it would be impossible to crack. The security code that Data implemented was so long that even though it was alpha numerical, it was still a 269-bit encryption. The cascading force fields were a really neat way to show how the ship could be manipulated by someone with the right skills. It did at least give us a few really nice Beverly scenes, and Riker had some fun lines. The whole situation with the dying kid did give a countdown-like aspect to the story, but I didn't once believe the child was going to die, so that tension was basically artificial. On the other side of the coin, watching the crew try to circumvent Data's escape and then their futile attempts to retake the Enterprise were at least fun. When you step back and think about it, it makes Lore one of the more terrifying villains the show has established. That kind of realization makes Lore all the more unsettling he's a perfectly identical version of Data, without his morality to keep him in check. Without Data's innate goodness, he could be very dangerous to everyone around him. Without any real challenge, Data took over the Enterprise, sealed off all functions of the ship, and locked even Picard out of the computer. Picard was upset, but the frightening implications of what Data did were not even partially addressed. Soong's homing signal will have no real consequences. Even Data's actions while under the spell of Dr. We got a glimpse at a real character moment, only to have it yanked away by the need to keep things the same. Lore will be different with the chip, perhaps, but the idea that Data could have been fundamentally changed by this episode is a bitter pill. That is what makes this episode worthwhile, even though it is mostly just an episode with no changes to the status quo. It speaks to the ongoing question of whether Data, despite his limitations, is truly alive. Does Lore have emotions? Did he even need the chip, and were his motivations purely selfish, as in depriving his brother of something he already has? Or does Lore just have more complex programming, designed to mimic emotions but without true feeling? Either way him stealing the chip was the kind of act that fits the dynamic he has with Data.ĭata on the other hand is such a pure soul, both kind and compassionate despite the fact that he has no real 'emotions.' In the past he has grieved for a lost friend (Tasha), and now he has a father that he will probably never see again. The question of emotions was an interesting one. Speaking of Lore, I love the subtle ways he was totally different from Data. It made Lore's anger and feelings of betrayal work, despite the fact that he was evil and deserved what happened to him. His love for both Data and Lore was well established, thinking of them both as his actual progeny. Data's creator was an interesting guy, clearly a genius but also a bit of an enigma. This was generally a solid episode, with some nice world building and the reveal that Doctor Noonian Soong was alive, at least for a little longer. After the massive events of the "Best of Both Worlds," and the intimate exploration of the fallout of those events in "Family," Next Gen hits the reset button to give us a standalone episode centering around Data.
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