Uncovering Star Trek: Insurrection's Forgotten Marvel - Data's Most Peculiar Capability

Article Overview

Star Trek: Insurrection introduces a new ability for Lt. Commander Data – he can act as a flotation device.

In Star Trek Generations, Data's emotion chip played a crucial role in shaping his character. However, in Insurrection, this significant aspect is largely overlooked. The subsequent movies in the TNG series veer away from exploring Data's emotional development, and specifically in Insurrection, his emotion chip is completely disregarded.

Star Trek: Insurrection introduced a peculiar new power for Lt. Commander Data (played by Brent Spiner) that Star Trek wisely chose to forget. Data, who had become one of the most adored characters from Star Trek: The Next Generation, had his significance amplified in the TNG films, where he played a prominent role in each movie's storyline. In Star Trek: First Contact, Data's encounter with the tempting Borg Queen (portrayed by Alice Krige) almost led him astray. However, in Insurrection, Data embarks on an undercover mission to observe the Ba'ku people, but encounters a malfunction along the way. Captain Jean-Luc Picard (played by Patrick Stewart) brings the USS Enterprise-E and its crew to rescue Data and uncover the purpose of his mission.

As Captain Picard and his crew from Star Trek: The Next Generation gradually acquaint themselves with the Ba'ku people, they stumble upon a conspiracy orchestrated by Starfleet. The plan involves relocating the Ba'ku without their knowledge, aiming to exploit the rejuvenating properties of the Briar Patch—the region of space where the Baku planet resides. Starfleet Admiral Dougherty (portrayed by Anthony Zerbe) collaborates with the Ba'ku's adversaries, the Son'a, with the intention of harnessing the healing abilities of the Briar Patch. During their investigation, Picard, Data, and Ba'ku villager Anij (played by Donna Murphy) discover a submerged Federation ship in a lake on the planet, equipped with a holographic replica of the Ba'ku village.

Data Can Be Used As A Floatation Device In Star Trek: Insurrection

Data Is Fully Functional In A Different Way.

Before delving deeper into their investigation of the holodeck ship, Picard, Data, and Anij find themselves under attack by a Son'a operative. In a bid to evade the assailant, Anij courageously leaps into the nearby lake, despite her inability to swim. Reacting swiftly, Picard and Data follow suit. It is during this moment that Data unveils a new safety feature, announcing, "In the event of a water landing, I have been programmed to function as a flotation device." Although this line is intended to provide some lightheartedness, depicting Data as a flotation device seems farcical and diminishes his character to mere comic relief.

Brent Spiner, feeling that he was getting too old for the role, requested that Data be written off in Star Trek: Insurrection. However, his wish was not granted until the next film, Star Trek: Nemesis.

In the second part of the seventh episode of TNG season 7, titled "Descent, Part II," Lt. Commander Geordi La Forge (played by LeVar Burton) fondly recalls an incident when he and Data went sailing on Devala Lake. Surprisingly, Data decided to take a swim but ended up sinking to the lake's bottom. He had to walk along the bottom to reach the shore, and it took nearly two weeks to fully remove the water from Data's servos. It is possible that Data later addressed this issue by upgrading himself and adding a flotation device, but this is not explored in Star Trek: Insurrection. Fortunately, the fact that Data can serve as a flotation device is never mentioned again.

Data Had One More Thing Star Trek: Insurrection Ignored

The Star Trek: TNG Movie Sequels Dropped Data's Emotion Chip.

In Star Trek Generations, Data's emotion chip became a significant aspect of his character, but Insurrection dismisses its importance with a single casual remark. The emotion chip was initially introduced in "Brothers," an episode from season 4 of TNG. During this episode, Data and his brother Lore were summoned to the laboratory of their creator, Dr. Noonian Soong (played by Brent Spiner). Unaware that Lore had been reactivated, Soong created a chip specifically for Data, enabling him to experience human emotions. Soong intended to implant the chip into Data's positronic brain, but Lore tricked him by assuming Data's identity and taking the chip for himself. Following Lore's deactivation in "Descent, Part II," Data retained possession of the emotion chip but refrained from installing it.

In Star Trek Generations, Data approaches Geordi for assistance in installing the emotion chip. However, what should have been a momentous occasion for Data is once again played for comedic effect. Throughout TNG's seven seasons, Data had gradually acquired his own form of humanity, but Generations undermines this journey by trivializing the significance of the emotion chip. Fortunately, both First Contact and Insurrection divert attention away from Data's emotional development, treating the emotion chip as a relic of the past. Although Data sacrifices himself in Star Trek: Nemesis, his arc in the Star Trek universe finds a satisfying conclusion in Star Trek: Picard. In this series, Data is resurrected with a new body and possesses more lifelike, organic emotions, offering a much-needed resolution to his story.

Editor's P/S

1. In Star Trek: Insurrection, Data's peculiar new ability to function as a flotation device is introduced. While this moment is intended to provide comic relief, it seems farcical and diminishes Data's character to mere comic relief. It is understandable that Brent Spiner, the actor portraying Data, felt that he was getting too old for the role and requested that Data be written off in Star Trek: Insurrection. However, his wish was not granted until the next film, Star Trek: Nemesis.

2. The fact that Data can serve as a flotation device is never mentioned again in the Star Trek universe, which is a wise choice. Data's character is complex and multifaceted, and reducing him to a mere comic relief character does not do him justice. His emotional development, particularly the exploration of his emotion chip, is a significant aspect of his character that should have been given more attention in the TNG movies.