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Commander Riker: "Do you consider yourself superior to us?"
Lt. Cmdr. Data: "I am superior, sir, in many ways. But I would gladly give it up to be human."
-Season 1, episode 1

Important physical characteristics: As an android, Data can hardly pass for a normal human being. His skin is pale-- almost completely white except for a slight, opalescent gold sheen-- and his eyes are yellow. His movements are not clumsy, like one would expect an android’s to be, but they are not always quite natural, either. Overall, he performs as well as any human, and (as he often informs people) “in many ways, better.”

Lieutenant Commander Data, 2nd Officer of the U.S.S. Enterprise-D, is an android. He was created by a Dr. Noonien Soong, and found abandoned on the planet Omicron Theta in 2336. His positronic brain is capable of a total linear computation speed rated at sixty trillion operations per second, and has a total storage capacity of eight hundred quadrillion bits (approximately fifty times the identifiable storage capacity of the human brain). He is prone to certain technological hazards, such as computer viruses, and can even be shut down manually—though the location of the switch is a carefully-kept secret of his. He is immune to practically every biological disease, and does not require food, sleep, or oxygen*. He is significantly stronger than humans, and more intelligent, at least in terms of memory and calculations…

…But he is quite lacking in his understanding of human behavior.

Data is known for his ongoing attempts to act more human. He’s tried learning many human activities, such as whistling, playing the violin, dancing, acting, and has even tried growing a beard. He is learning, but often he still has difficulties understanding human slang and expressions, as well as their humor. Also, he is completely incapable of feeling emotion.

…Or is he? Data makes his own choices, showing evidence of his own wants and desires. He chose to enroll in Starfleet and become an officer—a decision that was clearly not part of his programming. He knows loss and emptiness, and what it’s like to miss someone. He knows doubt and regret, and is acutely aware of his own faults. His thoughts even occasionally become preoccupied, much like someone who is strongly affected by something on an emotional level.

Still, for the most part, Data looks at things from a logical, objective perspective. This, along with his intelligence and other capabilities, makes him a valuable officer to Captain Jean-Luc Picard, the commander of the Enterprise-D.


*though he breathes as a means of systems regulation, and occasionally ingests a silicon-based liquid to lubricate his biofunctions.


Disclaimer: The character Data is from Star Trek: The Next Generation and is the property of Gene Roddenberry/ Paramount Pictures. He appears here solely for the purpose of role-playing in milliways_bar,from which no profit whatsoever is being made.

Some links (if you're interested):
-Wikipedia Page
-Memory Alpha Page (ST Wiki)
-Chinese Finger Trap (video clip)
-Pwning Klingons (video clip)
-Data's cat, Spot (video clip)

Added 3/24/10! An extended bio about Data's systems. (Otherwise known as, The Things I Do For RP...)

Additional Notes:
-You know what’s great about Data? You can’t hurt his feelings! Feel free to verbally abuse him/ be rude/ whatever, if it's IC for you. He’s weird; you can tell him so. He won’t be offended. Neither will I. :)
-This is my first Milliways character. Feel free to tell me if I’m doing anything wrong. XD
-Poke me whenever! Especially if you have questions. ^_^

Mun's journal: spinelstar