Star Trek

"Shut up, Wesley!"

- Captain Picard and Dr. Crusher



Brother, brother, oh so fair, why is there blood all over your hair?

I can't help but shake the feeling that "Datalore" was written and marketed for children.  It's not a particularly thoughtful or well written episode but it is dramatic and exciting.  And for once, we get a showdown of sorts at the end of an episode.  On the original series, I recall many episodes where Captain Kirk would fight the villain of the week in hand to hand combat.  Finally, on TNG we get to see a fight.  In that sense, "Datalore" is a little old-fashioned.

Star Trek had already done a doppelganger story with "The Enemy Within" where Kirk was split into good and evil halves as a result of a transporter accident.  "Datalore" is in that tradition but it has the additional nuance of being a sibling rivalry.  There's something about this kind of story that works at a very basic level, I believe.  Just think of Cain and Abel, one of the oldest stories of them all.  Lore is jealous of the fact that Data was the android the colonists all wanted, one they were comfortable with.  And Data lacks certain abilities that his brother possesses.

I enjoyed watching this episode again because it was interesting to see how the whole Data backstory was created.  Up until this episode, we had no idea what his background was.  "Datalore" gave him an interesting story involving a destroyed colony, a strange crystalline creature, a twin brother, and a mysterious doctor named Noonien Soong.  Of course, many of the details of this backstory would be filled in with later (and better) episodes like "Brothers" and "Silicon Avatar."  Isn't it great how TNG actually follows up on the stories it starts?  Love that continuity!

Brent Spiner also really shines in this episode.  I'm of the belief that the more screen time and roles given to him, the better the episode.  As Lore, Spiner clearly seems to be enjoying himself.  When the character fools Riker into believing he's Data at a crucial moment, for instance, Spiner gives a really devilish smirk that's irresistable.  It's just fun to watch him on screen.

"Datalore" does indulge in some bad habits that have already become apparent this season.  Two cliches stood out to me.  The first involves Worf getting his ass kicked and falling down.  I mean, he's supposed to be this tough guy but you sure wouldn't know it by some of these early episodes.  This is the third time we've seen him fall on his ass and become incapacitated.  How cruel of the writers!  The second cliche involves Wesley having everything figured out before everyone else.  This was a problem in season one.  Because the writers had to justify his presence in any given episode, they resorted to using his character as a plot device.  Wesley saves the day again!  This is what I mean by the episode seemed to be written and marketed for children.

There are some plot contrivances too like the fact that the Crystalline Entity just happens to be nearby for Lore to contact it.  And then there's the issue of Data's contractions and Lore's facial ticks.  This was done for the convenience of the plot in order to have characters identify who's who at important moments.  According to Wil Wheaton, this was something that was debated endlessly on set.  The idea that Lore has a facial tick seems kind of silly.  Apparently, it's a trait all evil people share.  They just aren't wired right or something.  But Data's inability to use contractions already contradicts previous episodes where he's used them (that is, if you were paying attention).  According to "The Trekker's Guide to the Next Generation" by Hal Schuster, Data used a contraction in eight different episodes including this one.  In "Encounter at Farpoint," for instance, Data said "at least we're acquainted with the judge, captain" during the trial scene.  So, the establishment of this inability on the part of Data already contradicts previous episodes.  I know, I know.  Who cares, right?  Brent Spiner denies all this, however.  He claims he only ever used a contraction once and that was on purpose in this episode to see if the cast and crew would notice.  They didn't.  But he did use them in other episodes.

Ultimately, the drama in "Datalore" worked and made for an exciting episode.  Don't you just love the ultra dramatic music when Lore punches Worf in the turbolift?  That music could wake the dead!

My score:  4/5

One of my favorite episodes of TNG.

Spiner had a clutch on the good brother/bad brother role. Superb!!

This one was neither very good nor very bad. It really disappointed me when I first saw it. Since I'm not a huge Data fan, that probably doesn't help any. I didn't really appreciate any of the "Lore" plots except for "Brothers," which I thought was a vastly superior episode. The introduction of the crystaline entity was also a noted element here...and I think the series missed a huge opportunity to explore this unique nemesis by not bringing it back until it was destroyed in "Silicon Avatar." The other thing never explored was the nature of Lore's communication and relationship with this unique being.

I think the "twitchy cheek" bit was a massively lazy plot device.

2/5

I consider this one of my favorite NG episodes as well, and remember that Brent once told an interviewer that he had "more in common" with Lore than with Data  

As far as I'm concerned, Wesley getting told to "shut up!" twice was icing on the proverbial cake.

I liked this one as well, minus the facial tick thing Lore did.

Spiner should have played Lore in Nemesis instead of B-4. I could see Lore defecting to the Romulans and they could have easily come up with some explanation, like Romulan spies stole the dismantled android and put him back together to study it. And he would be all about revenge. He would have made a great partner to a Shinzon played by Patrick Stewart instead of Tom Hardy.

Anyway, I'm glad we got to see him again in the season cliffhanger "Descent" (1 & 2). Thread is sure to follow.

I think of all of the Data/Lore episodes I enjoyed the one where they both met Dr. Soong.  Descent seemed to portray Lore more like a militia man with all of those Borgs, and it also seemed like the story died there.  Wouldn't it have been interesting to find our what happened to those Borgs?  Did they get reassimulated?  Did they just die, or did they start picking up tennis rackets?

Quote (RedShirtGuyNumber1001 @ Feb. 27 2010, 1:40 pm)

Wouldn't it have been interesting to find our what happened to those Borgs? ¿Did they get reassimulated? ¿Did they just die, or did they start picking up tennis rackets?

This Borg picked up a tennis racket-the rest died

lol

I watched this earlier.

I think it's interesting to note that a lot of the early Next Gen episodes suffer from "rehash syndrome". There are parts of plots that hark back to TOS. You mentioned that this one is like The Enemy Within. Tasha and Yareena's fight in Code of Honour is kinda like Kirk and Spock's in Amok Time. The Selay and Antigan B-Story in Lonely Among Us could easily take place in Journey to Babel. Riker become an ass in Hide & Q is like when Gary Mitchell goes all Godlike on Kirk.

But hey, it's early days. Maybe they wanted TNG to fell like TOS? Sadly, it feels like the canibalised a couple of TOS stories to do it. Datalore is a boost when it comes, thanks to a cracking performance from Brent Spiner.

In spite of the whole 'Whining Wesley' thing, this episode made me wonder why he was made an acting-ensign.

He tries to pass along Vital Information, but everyone is 'you're only a kid, shut up!'