Does anyone else feel a connection to Data from Star Trek?

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01 Jan 2009, 1:28 pm

I always felt I fundamentally related more to Data than I did to Spock. Spock's character captured a notion of "logic" fighting "human emotion" that I'm not sure accurately depicts humanity. Data on the other hand aspired to be human, whatever that meant, which I can relate to in that I aspire to fit in just as well with people as I would if I didn't have AS.

Barclay I can relate to, but in another sense. I feel as if he was pretty dead on in capturing the darker and more flawed sides of my character - my needless obsessions with things and people, hypochondria, phobias, nervousness. The TNG episodes where he is the central character are painful for me to watch. I suspect though that this was the intention of the creators of these episodes, to create a character that hit a lot of Star Trek viewers a bit too close to home. Of course they demonstrate Barclay overcoming his difficulties and eventually becoming a high-ranked Starfleet officer, to make people like me feel better about ourselves.

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01 Jan 2009, 2:36 pm

Even if you don't identify with Data directly it is worthwhile to approach the world as he does. He wants to be more like his peers in terms of being more human (improve where he lacks skills) but he also doesn't want a complete change. It is like the mantra of people in the trek universe: The goal of humanity is improving ones self. That is something I think is lacking in general these days.

ruveyn
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01 Jan 2009, 2:38 pm

KiraOdo wrote:

or any other characters. When Star Trek: The Next Generation originally came on I obsessed over that character. Same thing with Odo from Star Trek: DS9. I am drawn to the outsider, loner characters. Has anyone else experienced that?

My strongest affinities were to Spock and to Andrew the positronic robot in -Bicentennial Man-. I preferred Data before he got his emotion chip.

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03 Jan 2009, 1:37 am

Definately Data. Not so much Odo. I also identify with Seven and the borg kids. It's the way they innocently overanalize, not in a I'm so much smarter than you way, but a genuine searching for the truth by naively speaking their all unfiltered thoughts outloud, obliviously honest and thorough.

Troi, however... I don't know what it is. She's just too girly, and I don't get "girly".

Pithlet
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03 Jan 2009, 1:37 am

double post

Last edited by Pithlet on 03 Jan 2009, 1:40 am, edited 1 time in total.

Pithlet
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03 Jan 2009, 1:37 am

triple post

Greyhound
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07 Jan 2009, 1:44 pm

I love Data. He's great. In some ways I wish I was more like him I don't feel much of a connection to him though.

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07 Jan 2009, 1:46 pm

Definately

The husband has been watching old episodes of Next Generation lately and I see myself in Data in every episode that features him. It's amazing.
The guy that plays him is a great actor.

mitharatowen
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07 Jan 2009, 1:51 pm

Even in the movie where he got the emotion chip I can identify with him because he is constantly acting inappropriately and all the other crew members roll their eyes at him.

Actually, I notice that they roll their eyes at him a lot (I often ask my husband why) and interupt him when he's spouting data like it's annoying. I happen to greatly appreciate how much information he gives on situations and I hate it when they interrupt him lol.

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07 Jan 2009, 2:45 pm

mitharatowen wrote:

Aww no you just spoiled an episode I haven't yet watched

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07 Jan 2009, 2:58 pm

Spock was one of my two role models as a kid (the other one being Phileas Fogg). I also admired Seven of Nine a lot, and took my user name from the Borg kid Icheb (who was a classic grind). I particularly liked "Deep Space Nine" since a lot of the main characters were outsiders - Odo, Quark, Nog, Garak, Worf... The episode with Nog and the hologram Vic Fontaine is one of my favourite.

The Data episode "Elementary, Dear Data" awakened my interest in Sherlock Holmes, as well as in actor Daniel Davis (who was a hoot as Niles in "The Nanny").

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13 Sep 2011, 12:10 pm

On 12 September 2011, WPIX Channel 11 in New York City, stopped airing Star Trek Next Generation. I am not pleased. This channel by the way is a channel it aired on when it first aired originally.

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13 Sep 2011, 12:16 pm

No. The only fictional characters I've ever really idenified with were Ramona Quimby, Prince Zuko, Tails the fox and Sallie the chipmunk.

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04 Aug 2024, 11:32 am

“I probably would have encouraged the writers to lean into it”: Star Trek Legend Brent Spiner Revealed One Aspect of Data Was How He Gained Thousands of Fans With Asperger’s Syndrome

Quote:

Brent Spiner’s Lt. Commander Data is one of the most fan-favorite characters from Star Trek: The Next Generation. A successor to Leonard Nimoy’s iconic Spock, Data was a self-aware android in the show whose ultimate goal was to experience human emotions. While Data’s character had numerous traits to be a universal favorite, he became a significant figure among people having Asperger’s Syndrome or autism.

People with Asperger’s Syndrome or Autism resonated more with Data’s character. They connected deeply with Data’s struggles and according to Brent Spiner, he felt very overwhelmed by this side of the fanbase.

Gene Roddenberry’s Star Trek has been always lauded for its representation of different characters through the diverse cast. Data is also known for his unique representation of people who regularly face difficulties in understanding human emotions and blending in a society that looks too different to them.

Similar to Data, patients of Asperger’s also face tremendous problems in catching and showing human emotions, and having proper social interaction. According to Vanity Fair, Brent Spiner, the man behind Data was overwhelmed to see his character having such a positive impact on so many uncountable people. He urged that if he had known about it then, he would have encouraged the writers to explore it further.

“At conventions I’ve had so many people say they had Asperger’s Syndrome, or autism, and that when they were kids Data was the only character they could relate to. His struggle to understand emotion, and his dealings with society and people. I am overwhelmed by that. Of course, I had nothing to do with it. If I had known at the time this was happening, I probably would have encouraged the writers to lean into it, and I might have blown the whole thing.”

Episodes like The Measure of a Man, The Offspring, and In Theory have beautifully represented Data’s repeated attempts to form relationships and experience complex human problems. Across many other episodes, he is also shown trying different hobbies and struggling to understand his crewmates’ words beyond their literary sense.

Data’s character beautifully portrays how even a hardcore science-fiction character can reflect such a problem and be relatable to so many people. Nevertheless, as per a report by Screen Rant, the book Autism in Film and Television has presented how Data did not have any emotions but he deeply cared for the people around him.

According to the author Dr. Ina Rae Hark, Data felt the loss of his loved ones, had some affection for his pet cat, and never thought twice before sacrificing himself for his crew. He might have been technically unsuccessful in ever fulfilling his desire but certain acts prove that he also had some emotional traits like humans.

Editors Note:
I have never necrobumped a thread remotely this old before but the article is completely on topic.

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Last edited by ASPartOfMe on 04 Aug 2024, 11:46 am, edited 1 time in total.

Edna3362
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04 Aug 2024, 11:43 am

No.

Due to a clear mismatch between his emotional (rational, alexithymic), social (wanting to be human, be with humans) and cognitive (logical, external) types from mine.

Instead, I'd rather be like him than what I have. Minus the social type (programmed onto him) of course.

But hell sure, if I interacted with someone like him, I will voluntarily explain the subtle processes of emotion and socialization to them in ways most humans cannot explain themselves.

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04 Aug 2024, 12:07 pm

Data is like me. I am like Data.

Info-dumping.

Wanting to be “a real live boy”.

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