Stardate 41242.4
The
Enterprise visits the planet Omicron Theta, the locale where Lt. Commander Data
(Brent Spiner) was discovered by the starship Tripoli twenty-six years earlier.
The
planet is largely sterile, at this point, but for reasons unknown. Now, the
Enterprise is hoping to solve many of the mysteries from Data’s background,
including the planet’s unusual fate.
Upon
exploring the planet, Data and an away team discover the secret laboratory of
Dr. Noonien Soong, Data’s “father.” The team also finds the pieces of a
disassembled second android. That android is brought to the Enterprise,
re-assembled, and activated.
A
physical duplicate of Data, Lore is a wily individual, one with ulterior
motives. In fact, he plans to seamlessly replace Data, and then summon the
alien that destroyed Omicron Theta -- The Silicon Entity -- to kill the
Enterprise crew.
Apparently
“Datalore” is not a well-regarded series entry by fans today, and so I’ll just
go out on a limb to state that I loved it when it first aired, and still enjoy
the episode tremendously.
I
understand there are reasons to dislike the story, and I’ll cover those first.
To
start with, there’s the whole “Data can’t
use contractions” problem. This limitation is reiterated in “Datalore,” but
then, at the very end of the episode, he uses a contraction effortlessly (“I’m
fine.”)
So,
either Data was trolling us and his shipmates all along, or he has suddenly learned
to use contractions, and is -- again -- trolling his friends. Either way, his sudden ability to use
contractions goes unexplained and unexplored. In truth, this is simply sloppy
editing or storytelling.
Also,
obviously, the premise of “the evil twin” is incredibly hackneyed. We have seen
it so many times, on series from Knight Rider to Alias, to the original Star Trek.
I would argue, however, that the trope is more plausible in this case,
given that Lore and Data are in essence, the same model of android (with some
interesting differences). Basically, it
doesn’t stretch credibility that they look identical.
And,
of course, this episode once more has Wesley saving the day, while the adults --
all Starfleet graduates -- are too dense to notice that Lore has replaced Data.
But
hear me out, please.
Sometimes,
a work of art can, via expert execution, escape the particular failings of a
narrative. Sometimes, visual style
carries the day.
I
therefore submit that “Datalore” is one of the most stylish and well-directed of
the early TNG episodes, thanks to Rob Bowman.
The entire episode feels cinematic, from Brent Spiner’s tour-de-force
double performance, to the creepy and atmospheric discovery of the laboratory
on a dead world. The action in the
finale is well-choreographed, and all the characters -- even the Crystalline
Entity -- are underscored by the expressive, even pulse-pounding music of Ron
Jones.
As
montage, as film art, “Datalore” works brilliantly.
The
final scene in the transporter room is an example of this effective style. It
showcases the kind of brutal, fast-paced action that the series has, heretofore,
shied away from. Lore threatens to “torch” Wesley with a phaser! He then shoots
Dr. Crusher in the arm, and her lab coat actually catches fire as she flees.
Finally, Data and Lore engage in hand-to-hand combat, and -- at the last minute
-- Data literally pitches Lore onto the transporter platform.
Why
do I love this sequence, and this episode so much?
Up
until now, the Enterprise-D crew has not faced a powerful, truly malicious
enemy. “Q” is playful, and not really out to destroy the crew. The Ferengi are
humorous, but largely inept. The Jarada -- never seen -- are easily appeased. The
aliens of “Code of Honor” are played as primitives. The virus of “The Naked Now”
is played for laughs. The dueling supplicants headed to Parliament in “Lonely
Among Us” are seen as both primitive and funny.
So
for all intents and purposes, Lore is the
first villain in the series who feels like a genuine challenge for the crew.
He
is an operatic nemesis who nearly carries the day, and relishes his own evil.
He is Loki to Data’s Thor, and his sadism, at points, is actually
terrifying. There is one moment in the
episode when he viciously kicks an unconscious Data, and another in which he
threatens Wesley, “the troublesome little
man-child” with a fate worse than death.
“Are you prepared for the kind of
death of you’ve earned?” he asks.
After
so many episodes in which aliens are impressed by humanity’s nobility, this
episode showcases a villain who doesn’t care for humans at all, let alone
children.
I
have read some reviews complaining about the photo/stunt double for Brent
Spiner, but I’ll just make an opposite point. At the time that it aired, “Datalore”
featured the best, most complex split screen shots ever filmed for television.
These scenes are beautifully-composed and acted. Brent Spiner’s performance “against”
himself is riveting. This is likely the first episode of the series that
reveals fully how Spiner is a brilliant technical
actor. Lore comes across as a wholly
separate and unique individual in this story.
I
understand that “Datalore” has its problems. For one thing, Worf -- the great
warrior -- gets beat-up in hand-to-hand combat once more (he is also defeated
in “Hide and Q” and “Conspiracy.”) But
by the same token, “Datalore” is one of the few early first season episodes,
beyond “The Big Goodbye” that is confident enough to have fun with its premise
and just really go for broke.
“Datalore”
features that big, bold score, fun action scenes, and introduces Lore to the
same series, at the same time that it provides much-needed information about
Data’s history. Even the Silicon Entity proves to be a great addition to canon
(and an addition that returns in “Silicon Avatar.”)
Yes, so many of the dramatic flaws that we see abundantly in the
series’ first season are present here, and yet “Datalore” glides effortlessly
from moment to moment, audaciously making the most of each opportunity to wow.
In
a way, the episode is even intriguing as an homage to “The Enemy Within,” the Star Trek
episode that concerned an evil duplicate of Captain Kirk. There, the “impostor”
of the captain had to hide the scratches on his face. Here, Lore uses a device
to wipe out a facial tic. The moment is
derivative, and yet fascinating in another way. In the 23rd century,
Kirk had to contend with an expression of his Id; his dark side. The
Next Generation suggests that androids can have an Id too; as “Lore”
represent the dark side of artificial intelligence.
This
duality is even spelled out in the character names. “Data” means “things assumed as fact based on reason and
calculations.” “Lore” means “mythology,” a story of possibly
hyperbolic origin. You can trust a
person of reason, like Data. You can’t trust “Lore,” because his stories are
only half-true interpretations of historical events.
This
episode is pretty hyperbolic itself. It’s over-the-top and energetic.
“Datalore”
is also, frankly, one of the few first season episodes that is at all
entertaining on multiple re-watches. At this point, I would put it second or
third in the roster, behind “The Big Goodbye,” but ahead of just about every
other episode aired thus far.
Next
week: “Angel One.”
Data was the show... besides Picard. -T.S.
ReplyDeleteStand by your man, John. Brent Spiner is allowed to shine in this one. I've not seen "Datalore" in years but I remember liking it since it had an edge; not the walk-through of episodes to that point.
ReplyDeleteRon Jones' score is good in this one but his scoring for the series was generally bland, as was the work of other composers. From what I've read Exec Rick Berman did not like ballsy scoring. Try humming a tune from TNG and I'm guessing you'll come up empty -- not counting phrasing of Courage and Goldsmith, of course.
Keep up the fine analytical work, John. Your episode reviews must be required reading at the academy.
John,
ReplyDeleteIt seems fairly obvious to me that none of the crew of the Enterprise ever saw "War of the Robots" on Lost In Space. Otherwise, they would have known better than to activate the other toaster they find on Omicron Theta.
Also, this may be a spoiler for people who have not seen the entire series, but in the Star Trek - The Next Generation films, it always struck me that once Data installs his emotion chip, he acts a lot like Lore, sans the violent tendencies. I do not know how much of this is a Brent Spiner acting choice, and how much of it was the material that he had to work with.
As for the error you pointed out at the end of the episode, I would say that the editors may have had only one take to work with, or nobody caught the error. It happens often; many television directors always bemoan the lack of time they had to shoot coverage shots or multiple takes. This was probably one of those times that a technical omission was jumped on by fans as some kind of proof that Data chose not to use contractions (the same way I did not use them in this blog post).
I am a Data troll!
Steve