Star Trek: Discovery Introduces Its Own Data

Warning: SPOILERS for Star Trek: Discovery Season 5, Episode 1 – “Red Directive”

Star Trek: Discovery season 5’s premiere introduced a Soong-type synth who looked a lot like Data (Brent Spiner) from Star Trek: The Next Generation. Throughout TNG, Data became one of Star Trek’s most popular characters, with his child-like curiosity and lifelong quest to explore his humanity. Created by cyberneticist Dr. Noonien Soong (Brent Spiner) in the 24th century, Data was the most advanced android of his time. With his enhanced strength and ability to process massive amounts of information in seconds, Data proved invaluable as a crewmember on the USS Enterprise-D.

Star Trek: Discovery season 5 begins with a bang, as Captain Michael Burnham (Sonequa Martin-Green) and the USS Discovery are thrown into a galactic treasure hunt hundreds of years in the making. In Discovery season 5, episode 1, “Red Directive,” Discovery sets out in pursuit of a mysterious Romulan artifact from 800 years ago. When their target is stolen by couriers Moll (Eve Harlow) and L’ak (Elias Toufexis), Michael reaches out to Cleveland Booker (David Ajala) for insight as to where the couriers might try to unload their haul. This leads Discovery to a fence named Fred (J. Adam Brown), a synthetic with the same distinctive pallor and yellow eyes as Data.

Star Trek: Discovery Has Its Own Data-Like Android Named Fred

In only one episode, Discovery season 5 has more connections to TNG than any previous season.

Moll and L’ak reach Fred first in Star Trek: Discovery season 5’s premiere with their prize of a Romulan puzzle box. When they present the Romulan artifact to Fred, he remarks that he has “not encountered one of these for 622.7 years,” revealing a clue about the android’s age. Fred makes quick work of the box, as well as the handwritten journal found inside. After reading the entire contents of the book in mere seconds (as Data often did on TNG), Fred makes an offer that’s too low for L’ak and Moll. Sensing Fred’s upcoming double-cross, L’ak remarks that “it’s been a while since we’ve seen a synth anxious.”

When Fred attempts to keep the book, Moll and L’ak attack, eventually killing the android fence. Michael and Book arrive too late to catch Moll and L’ak, but they beam Fred to Discovery to look through his memories. As Commander Paul Stamets (Anthony Rapp) examines Fred, he discovers the android’s serial number to be AS0572Y, remarking that AS must stand for Altan Soong (Brent Spiner), the son of Data’s creator, Noonien Soong. Introduced in Star Trek: Picard season 1, Dr. Altan Inigo Soong created a population of synths on the planet Coppelius, all using one of Data’s positronic neurons.

Discovery Already Has A Synthetic Like Picard

Jean-Luc Picard received a golem body in Star Trek: Picard, as did Gray in Star Trek: Discovery.

While it appears that Fred is dead (unless Stamets can find a way to revive him), Star Trek: Discovery already has another, more advanced synthetic in Gray (Ian Alexander). The partner of Ensign Adira Tal (Blu del Barrio), Gray was thought to be dead, but they were later revived when their consciousness was transferred to a synthetic golem body. Gray followed in the footsteps of Admiral Jean-Luc Picard (Patrick Stewart), who received the same kind of synthetic body in the final episode of Star Trek: Picard season 1, after succumbing to a terminal brain condition.

Even during the 25th century of Star Trek: Picard, synthetic and android technology improved significantly since the creation of Data, although very few beyond the Soong family understood the science behind it. Still, Picard’s golem body, like Gray’s, was indistinguishable from a human (or a Trill, in Gray’s case). It’s unclear why and how a synth resembling the earliest version of Soong’s androids would exist in the 32nd century, and Fred’s admission that he is over 600 years old certainly raises some interesting questions. Even if Fred remains dead, here’s hoping Star Trek: Discovery reveals more information about the intriguing android and his connection to Star Trek: The Next Generation’s Data.

New episodes of Star Trek: Discovery air Thursdays on Paramount+.

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  Star Trek: Discovery

  Cast

  Sonequa Martin-Green
  , Doug Jones
  , Anthony Rapp
  , Wilson Cruz
  , Mary Wiseman
  , Blu del Barrio
  , Callum Keith Rennie
  , Eve Harlow
  , Oded Fehr

  Writers

  Alex Kurtzman

  Where To Watch

  Paramount+

  Release Date

  
  September 24, 2017
  

  Seasons

  5

  Franchise(s)

  Star Trek

  Directors

  Olatunde Osunsanmi
  , Jonathan Frakes

  Showrunner

  Alex Kurtzman

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  Star Trek: The Next Generation

  Cast

  Patrick Stewart
  , Marina Sirtis
  , Brent Spiner
  , Jonathan Frakes
  , LeVar Burton
  , Wil Wheaton
  , Gates McFadden
  , Michael Dorn

  Writers

  Rick Berman
  , Michael Piller
  , Brannon Braga
  , Jeri Taylor
  , Ronald D. Moore

  Where To Watch

  Paramount+

  Release Date

  
  September 28, 1987
  

  Seasons

  7

  Franchise(s)

  Star Trek

  Directors

  David Carson

  Showrunner

  Rick Berman
  , Michael Piller
  , Jeri Taylor