‘Star Trek: The Next Generation’ Retro Recap – ‘Datalore’

Written by John Edward Betancourt

Something that people hold near and dear to their hearts on a consistent basis, are thoughts of their family and understandably so. Because family is indeed important and the people that raise us do help to form the person we are today, by way of moments that should leave us smiling when we ponder upon them. But while rosy memories of our families are supposed to be the status quo, there are others out there who quite frankly, dread thinking about the people they grew up with. Because some people, didn’t grow up in a stable home with stable family members, or their family features a proverbial ‘black sheep’ that always causes trouble, and the trauma their flesh and blood creates or created, stays with them to the point where they make great efforts to avoid their family, so that no more heartache or trouble will come into their lives. 
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If anything, that darker aspect to family life is something that isn’t discussed in fiction or reality enough, since there is a concerted effort to truly treasure the brighter side of family life in modern society. Which is why it is so supremely refreshing to find stories that don’t shy away from the harsh reality that family can be a rotten thing to deal with from time to time, and it just so happens that the next episode of Star Trek: The Next Generation, takes the time to address that fact in a fascinating manner. Which makes ‘Datalore’ quite the surprising tale, since you really don’t think you’re going to find a storytelling element such as that in a show as uplifting as this one. But believe it or not, it is present within the framework of this story, and it is all brought to life by way of a return to the planet where Lieutenant Commander Data was discovered, twenty-six years ago.

For the Enterprise just so happens to be in the vicinity of Omicron Theta when we catch up with the crew in this tale, and that motivates the captain to swing by the planet and give it a closer look as a courtesy to Data, who seemingly hasn’t been home since the day he was picked up by Starfleet. Which leads to a fascinating away mission, wherein we see that his home world was left devastated by forces unknown and where his father, Dr. Noonien Soong, left behind quite the surprise. For hidden away in his lab is a perfect replica of Data, one that piques the curiosity of the entire ship. Because if this second android can be assembled properly aboard the 1701-D, then Data will no longer be alone in the universe and Starfleet may gain another fine and brilliant officer as well. And thanks to Data’s willingness to help the reassembly process along, he is eventually gifted with an actual brother, one who identifies himself as Lore.

But while this seems like cause for celebration and all kinds of unity, Lore is not what he seems. In fact, he is one jerk of an android, one who is a little too human since he is programmed with emotions that are jaded against humanity. And that leads to a twisted cat and mouse between artificial brothers as Lore works to replace Data so that he can he take over the ship and feed the crew to the alien entity that destroyed Omicron Theta, and the only person who seemingly has a clue that something is amiss with Lore (outside of Data) is young Wesley Crusher. Who eventually convinces his mother to follow his instincts and thank the stars that she does. Because she’s able to reactivate Data and since he can match his brother’s prowess both physically and mentally, he is able to conquer his twisted sibling and send him off into the depths of space. Saving the crew from one horrible fate.

But what matters more about this particular tale, is its significance for future episodes of The Next Generation. For the Crystalline Entity would show its sparkling face again down the line, and of course, the name Noonien Soong would come into play once again and most important of all, Lore would be quite the staple in future seasons and share in some significant and powerful storylines. But while it is wonderful to know this episode is foundational in nature, it has more to offer than excitement for tomorrow. Because it really is quite delightful to learn more about Data’s past, and you can never go wrong with having Brent Spiner do his thing acting wise, since he absolutely sells the evil within the character, especially in the final act when Lore just tears into Wesley. If anything, it is just nice to be treated to another quality episode, one filled to the brim with a juicy plot and important moments and a fine reminder that while family is indeed important, no one should ever put up with family members that mean to cause you harm. Until next time.  

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