The Dark Legacy of Data's Family: Unveiling Star Trek's Most Sinister Crimes
The Soongs, a family of brilliant scientists in the Star Trek universe, brazenly flouted laws in pursuit of their ambitions From Dr Noonian Soong to Lore, their crimes and transgressions have left an indelible mark on the galaxy
Summary
The Soong family in Star Trek consists of brilliant scientists who prioritize their research above all else, committing crimes to achieve their goals.
Dr. Noonian Soong revolutionized positronic technology and brought about the existence of Data and Lore. However, his unwavering dedication to his work led him to overlook the needs of those around him.
Continuing the legacy, Dr. Arik Soong, Dr. Adam Soong, and Dr. Altan Inigo Soong carried forward their ancestor's pioneering spirit, delving into the fields of genetics and robotics. In their relentless pursuit of enhancing synthetic life, they chose to disregard legal boundaries.
The Soong dynasty in Star Trek was filled with brilliant scientists who, despite their pursuit of advancing humanity and creating artificial life, engaged in numerous criminal activities. Introduced in Star Trek: The Next Generation season 1, episode 13, the Soong family first came to light when Captain Jean-Luc Picard and the USS Enterprise-D visited Omicron Theta, the planet where Lt. Commander Data was brought into existence. Dr. Noonian Soong, initially regarded as a disgraced robotics scientist, was revealed to be responsible for creating Data and his malevolent brother, Lore. Since Dr. Noonian Soong's introduction, various ancestors and descendants played by Brent Spiner have appeared in different Star Trek series.
Apart from Noonian Soong in TNG, other notable members of the Soong family include Dr. Arik Soong in Star Trek: Enterprise season 4, Dr. Adam Soong in Star Trek: Picard season 2, and Dr. Altan Inigo Soong in Star Trek: Picard seasons 1 and 3. All these individuals were exceptional scientists specializing in genetics and/or robotics, and they disregarded legal boundaries in their relentless pursuit of their objectives. While they should have heeded the adage that being capable doesn't necessarily warrant taking action, their research eventually culminated in the creation of Data. Data stands apart from the rest as a testament to superior technology and human innovation, despite the many years and morally questionable methods that went into his development.
5 Dr. Noonian Soong - Star Trek: The Next Generation
Dr. Noonian Soong was the first of the Soongs to be introduced in Star Trek: The Next Generation and considered by many to be the best. He pioneered positronic technology, which allowed him to create sentient beings like Data and Lore. Although deeply invested in his creations and viewing them as his sons, Noonian neglected those around him in pursuit of his goals. After failing to achieve what he had promised as a Federation scientist, he moved to the planet Omicron Theta where he continued his research in relative obscurity. It was there that he met and fell in love with Juliana O'Donnell, whom he later married.
When the Crystalline Entity attacked Omicron Theta, Juliana suffered a fatal injury, prompting Noonian to transfer her consciousness into an advanced android body. Despite remaining married to the artificial Juliana, their relationship eventually fell apart due to Noonian prioritizing his work above all else. While Noonian closely followed Data's Starfleet journey and continued to work on updates for him, he believed that Lore remained deactivated. This led him to overlook Lore's emotional instability, resulting in Lore stealing the emotion chip intended for Data. Undoubtedly a brilliant scientist, Noonian's creation of Data partially compensates for his flaws, but his unwavering dedication to his work often had negative consequences for those around him.
4 Dr. Arik Soong - Star Trek: Enterprise
Arik Soong, a brilliant geneticist, believed that humanity made a mistake by abandoning genetic engineering after the devastating Eugenics Wars in Star Trek history. While working as a doctor, Soong secretly stole Augment embryos from a highly classified research facility called Cold Station 12. He raised these Augment "children" until his arrest in 2144. Later, Captain Jonathan Archer recruited Soong from prison to assist in finding his Augment children, who had killed the crew of a Klingon Bird-of-Prey.
Once the Augments were aboard the NX-01 Enterprise, they aided Soong in escaping, allowing him to continue his work with them. However, despite his attempts to encourage non-violence, the Augments became increasingly aggressive. Soong decided to part ways with them and assisted Captain Archer in preventing his children from committing mass murder. As a result, Soong returned to prison and resolved to shift his focus from genetics to researching artificial intelligence. This decision eventually led to the creation of future generations of Soongs who dedicated themselves to synthetic life, culminating in the development of Data and Lore.
3 Dr. Adam Soong - Star Trek: Picard
Dr. Adam Soong, a devoted scientist, dedicated his life to the pursuit of creating artificial human life and using genetics to enhance the quality of humanity. Despite numerous attempts, none of the genetically engineered "daughters" he created lived beyond four years, until Kore Soong - played by Isa Briones - emerged as an exception. However, Kore's existence was limited, as she had to live in isolation, unable to breathe unfiltered air or experience sunlight. In an attempt to provide Kore with a background, Adam fabricated a history, claiming that she had a mother.
Desperate to find a cure for Kore's condition, Soong resorted to collaborating with organizations engaged in illegal human experimentation. This unethical alliance eventually led to the revocation of his license and loss of funding. Q, portrayed by John de Lancie, and the Borg Queen, played by Anne Wersching, approached Soong, tempting him with promises of power and recognition. In an effort to secure his own legacy, Soong plotted to kill Renée Picard, portrayed by Penelope Mitchell. While his attempt on Renée's life failed, he did succeed in killing Tallinn - a Traveler tasked with safeguarding Renée. Fortunately, thanks to the efforts of Picard and his crew, their envisioned future remained intact. As a final act, Kore deleted all of Adam's files, leaving him with only a 1996 Project Khan report.
2 Dr. Altan Inigo Soong - Star Trek: Picard
Altan Soong, the son of Dr. Noonian Soong, followed in his father's footsteps and dedicated his life to the advancement of artificial intelligence and synthetic life. Following a synth attack on Mars in 2385, the Federation implemented a ban on synthetic life, resulting in the dismantling of all androids, including Data's brother, B-4. However, Altan Soong defied the ban and continued his research, establishing a laboratory on the planet Coppelius in collaboration with Dr. Bruce Maddox. On Coppelius, Soong acted as a nurturing figure to the androids he and Maddox had created, working alongside them to develop a beacon that would establish communication with a synthetic life alliance, willing to prioritize synthetic life over organic life.
Over time, Soong came to realize that his supposed children were not inherently superior to their adversaries. Consequently, he provided assistance to Admiral Picard and his companions. Furthermore, Soong played a critical role in transferring Picard's consciousness into a synthetic golem body, permitting the Admiral to overcome his terminal illness. Recognizing the flaws in his earlier methods, Soong then constructed a new organic golem body, incorporating fragments of his own consciousness, as well as those of Data, Lore, B-4, and Data's daughter, Lal. Ultimately, Picard and the reassembled crew of the Enterprise-D embarked on a mission to rescue this golem, resulting in the emergence of a new, enhanced version of Data.
1 Lore - Star Trek: The Next Generation, Star Trek: Picard
Being the first creation of Noonian Soong with a fully functional positronic brain, Lore was expected to be a remarkable success. However, despite his advanced abilities and capacity to experience emotions, these very emotions became his downfall. Soon after his creation, Lore began to exhibit emotional instability, causing unease and fear among the colonists of Omicron Theta. Lore was eventually taken apart, but was later reactivated by the crew of the Enterprise-D, and wasted no time in turning towards villainy. He started by deceiving others with a false claim that he was created before Data, and quickly made contact with the crystalline entity responsible for eradicating the colony on Omicron Theta, offering them the crew of the Enterprise.
Lore frequently pretended to be Data in order to deceive those around him, even successfully using this tactic to steal the emotion chip intended for Data from Dr. Noonian Soong. He later assumed leadership over a group of Borg who had disconnected from the collective and attempted to manipulate Data into joining him. Lore's ultimate objective was to destroy the Federation, and although Data temporarily aligned with him, it was solely due to Lore's manipulation of Data's emotions. Throughout his existence in Star Trek, Lore flagrantly violated numerous laws and norms. Eventually, Lore was permanently deactivated, but his consciousness was later incorporated into the upgraded Data known as the Daystrom Android M-5-10 in Star Trek: Picard season 3.
