Star Trek’s Best Character Makes No Sense
While the franchise is full of awesome characters, the android Data may be the best character in all of Star Trek, a character so popular that he can’t stay dead. However, this character, being a member of Starfleet, never made much sense, and later, the spinoff series made that abundantly clear. You see, Starfleet has had so many problems with evil AIs over the years that it seems impossible to believe that the Federation would want an artificially intelligent android to serve at all, much less on the flagship of the fleet.
Data Should Not Be In Starfleet
Unlike the Romulans, the Federation has never had a hardcore hatred of artificial life or anything. For that reason, Data serving in Starfleet may not seem like much of a problem to your average Star Trek fan. However, once you review the Federation’s series of sketchy misadventures with artificially intelligent beings, you’ll realize how improbable Data’s Starfleet service is.
The Original Series Delt With Artificial Intelligence
Years before Data was even a twinkle in Gene Roddenberry’s eye, Star Trek: The Original Series explored just how dangerous artificial intelligence could be. In “The Ultimate Computer,” the Enterprise is outfitted with the M-5 Multitronic System to automate all ship functions and generally remove the need for humans (or Vulcans, for that matter) to keep the ship running.
Any sci-fi fan can guess what happens next: the AI goes rogue, takes over the ship, and uses the Enterprise to kill more than an entire ship’s worth of Starfleet personnel in other vessels before Kirk manages to talk the M-5 into shutting itself down.
The Experience Of Harry Mudd
While they weren’t as intelligent or strong as Data, Kirk’s crew also encountered androids in Star Trek: The Original Series. For example, “I, Mudd” was an adventure where Harry Mudd was surrounded by an army of androids. We discover Harry Mudd is not so much their ruler as their captive and, more disturbingly, these androids want to enslave everyone and rule the galaxy, though Kirk and crew were able to once more outwit their artificial foes.
Take Control
Speaking of evil AIs, Discovery revealed an even earlier encounter with a system called Control that was designed to make better decisions than organic Starfleet personnel. As always, this AI went evil, took (ahem) control, and tried to wipe out all life in the galaxy. Burnham and crew managed to avert this disaster, but that leaves us with a lingering question: why the heck would Starfleet suddenly be cool with an AI officer years later?
Multiple AI Incidents
Data may be the golden boy (or golden-uniformed wannabe boy) for Star Trek fans, but any admiral who paid attention during history class at the Academy would instantly refuse the android’s request to join Starfleet.
By the time Data made that request, the Federation had faced no less than three evil AI incidents, with two of them involving artificial beings who wanted to either enslave or murder all life in the galaxy. Why in Spot’s name would that same Federation suddenly be cool with having an android officer?
Data’s Personhood
Before you yell at me, yes, I’m aware that Data’s personhood was legally defined in the classic episode “Measure of a Man.” I’m not disputing that Data is a sentient being who fully deserves to be a Federation citizen. But given Starfleet’s many run-ins with evil AIs, it makes no sense to give him the keys to the Federation flagship…a ship, I might add, that he has demonstrated he can singlehandedly take over on multiple occasions.
The More Brent Spiner The Better
I love Data as much as the next geek and always love seeing Brent Spiner pop up again in Star Trek. But the more this franchise explores Starfleet’s run-ins with evil androids and malevolent computers, the less likely it seems that he should ever be put on a ship in the first place.
Besides, let’s be honest…wouldn’t a character who so fervently wants to be a human be more content chilling on Earth than trying to take control of the alien-seeking Enterprise every other week?
