Star Trek: Generations Drops The Best Swearing In The Franchise
Swearing isn’t the first word that comes to mind when you think of Star Trek, but believe it or not, curses have been a part of Starfleet since day one. From the adult versions of “Darn” and “Heck” sprinkled throughout the original series to the f-bombs NuTrek drops every other word, Star Trek has always been willing to go where everyone whose ever stubbed a toe has gone before. The best use of a cuss word in the entire franchise, though, goes to Star Trek: Generations when Data says “Oh sh*t” on the bridge of the Enterprise.
First You Say It, Then You Do It
In the tensest scene in Star Trek: Generations, the saucer section of Enterprise D loses power and begins to crash into the planet below. As the planet looms larger than life in the main view screen, the camera cuts back to Data as the normally stoic android says the franchise’s first S-bomb. Staring at impending doom, Data utters the very human response, “Oh sh*t!”
Star Trek Swearing Hits Different
When Federation members swear, it’s usually for the same reason everyone else does. Sometimes, a strong adjective is the only way to properly express your emotions.
Occasionally, as in Star Trek IV: The Voyage Home, curses are used for humorous effect. Kirk yelling, “And a double dumb*ss on you!” to an angry cab driver is easily the funniest line in all of Star Trek.
Star Trek: Generations, however, uses its one curse word to both emotional and humorous effects. Early on in the film, Geordi installs an emotion chip into Data’s brain at the android’s request.
The chip allows Data to experience the same emotions as humans, even the negative ones.
Data’s New Emotions
At first, the new chip seemed like a blessing. Data suddenly understands jokes and is elated when Guinan serves him a drink he utterly despises.
Star Trek: Generations doesn’t stop there, though. Eventually, Data experiences emotions like fear and cowardice as his new blessing turns into a curse.
All of Data’s new experiences with emotions culminate in the crashlanding scene. What better way to illustrate Data’s newfound humanity than having him swear in a time of despair?
With one two-word phrase, Star Trek: Generations perfectly captures the human condition.
Data’s Struggles
Various Star Trek: The Next Generation episodes deal with Data’s desire to become more human. While he may have been created as Next Gen‘s answer to Spock, Data is a far more tragic character.
Spock chooses to suppress his emotions to better represent his Vulcan half, while Data doesn’t have a choice.
Until Star Trek: Generations, that is. While Data isn’t the main character of the film, he does have the most interesting character arc. He starts out enjoying his new feelings but wants to take the chip out after he finds he can’t yet control all of them.
Upon finding out that the chip has fused to his neural network, the android finally accepts that the emotions—positive and negative—are now just a part of him.
The Swearing Completes The Picture
Star Trek: Generations features many great instances of Data experiencing emotions for the first time, but none match that one scene on the bridge. Somehow, Data doesn’t feel fully human until he responds to danger with profanity.
There’s just something about the flawed nature associated with choosing profanity over a word deemed acceptable by polite society that screams humanity.
Tears and laughter are great, but if you want a character audiences can really relate to, give ’em a mouth that’s dirty as @$%*&! Works every time.
