Lieutenant Commander Data was a Soong-type android, the first and only such being to ever enter Starfleet.
Career
He was found on the planet Omicron Theta by the USS Trieste in (year?), after the Crystalline entity destroyed the entire colony on the planet.
He served as operations/science officer and second officer onbaord the USS Enterprise (NCC-1701-D) from 2364 until that ship's destruction in 2371. He served onbaord the USS Enterprise (NCC-1701-E) from the ship's launch in 2372 until his death in 2379 while saving the Enterprise from the Scimitar, a Reman superweapon.
Family
Although he is an android, Data considers himself to have a family, including:
- Father: Noonien Soong
- Mother: Juliana Soong
- Brother: Lore
- Brother: B-4
Androidal Development
Data was a major influence in the quest to grant androids sentience. (TNG: "The Measure of a Man")
He began using an emotion chip in 2370, several years after he acquired it from his creator. (TNG: "Brothers") At first, he had some difficulty adjusting to the onslaught of emotions, but he eventually learned to control them. After the initial adjustment period, he was able to turn the chip on and off, and later to remove it completely.
References
- Star Trek: Nemesis
- Star Trek: Insurrection
- Star Trek: First Contact
- Star Trek: Generations
- TNG: "Brothers"
Inconsistancies
In "Encounter at Farpoint," Data said that he graduated in the Starfleet Academy Class of '76. Some fans have used this as evidence for different dating schemes for Star Trek: The Next Generation, however, it is more likely an error of ignorence, as the exact setting had not been firmly nailed down when the script was written.