Biography

What does it mean to be alive? Is being human tied to flesh and blood, or is it something deeper within a soul? What is a soul?Data was activated, awoken on Omicron Theta, the only apparent survivor of a mysterious disaster that wiped out the rest of the colony. He was taken aboard the Starfleet vessel the USS Tripoli, whose crew had found him, and the ship was the first home he remembers and the setting of his transition from basic programming to more complex subroutines - to sentience. Though this sentience was placed in question by a certain member of the admissions panel, Data eventually successfully petitioned to be allowed to join Starfleet Academy. What else could he do? Starfleet was all he had ever known.Both a subject of curiosity - cited in numerous bio-mechanical texts - and of social ostracization from his fellow classmates, Data nonetheless graduated the academy with honors. However, with his awkward manner dissettling other officers and willing to accept postings others would resent, he found himself shuffled from remote outpost to remote outpost, often unstimulated by the work, nearly always alone. However, while working as a researcher at a small Starfleet base, he was selected for a special research assignment by Picard, who pushed him to stand up for himself. As a result of the mission, and a weakness in Starfleet's security he noticed in the midst of it, and voiced despite objections, he was promoted to lt. commander and gained his first starship posting aboard the USS Trieste. A few years later, he was again contacted by Captain Picard, who offered him another opportunity - second officer aboard the fleet's flagship. He accepted.From his earliest moments aboard the Tripoli, he’d tried to emulate the humanity after which he was modeled, hindered by a lack of understanding of human social traditions, that all had to be learned, and an inability to process emotion. Then, posted aboard the Enterprise, Data found himself surrounded by people who saw in him the potential for humanity, who truly saw him as a being, who saw him as a friend.

Emotion Circuits

What Noonien Soong could never have anticipated when he designed Data not to have emotions was that he would have been able to develop them on his own, which is precisely what was occurring throughout Data’s time on the Enterprise and, to a lesser extent, before.Hampering this was that, at many times during his life, particularly early on, Data had been told that as an android he couldn’t have emotions. So convinced by this, while still on the Tripoli, he wrote a subroutine which sought to provide other explanations for emotional reactions and to repair circuits if reporting such blatant examples of malfunction. In essence, he dampened his own ability to feel, he internalized people’s prejudice towards him. This is why, when clearly demonstrating emotional responses, he will adamantly deny them.However, in the area of his positronic brain designated for emotional responses and meant to be dormant (essentially, Noonien hadn’t removed the section of his mind dedicated for that purpose, just deactivated it, not uploaded any emotional programs, and removed the connector nodes to it), Data’s own emotional programs began to form. This was particularly true after he uploaded Lal’s memories into his own, as this included the emotional programs she was developing. His automatic self-repair systems began to form connections to that isolated part of his mind, increasingly allowing emotional responses. However, they tended to be quiet and elicit no physiological responses, only behavioral ones.Given the opportunity to continue to develop those delicate circuits to his emotional center, Data begins to become aware of its presence. He eventually decides to delete the long-standing program of denial and, in doing so, reworks his responses from 'I cannot feel’ to 'I believe that I feel’. Unlike canon, where the emotion chip provides false physiological responses, the emotion circuits begin to connect emotions to his existing physical responses and sensors.While more muted, these responses are more integrated and, in many instances, easier for him to process. For instance, he has learned that fear is a sudden shift of all processors to vital systems and danger assessment programs, which can often result in slight overheating of these sections. Happiness and pleasure are a chorus of positive responses from all systems. Frustration is an overactivity of processors… and something he feels whenever attempting to achieve humor, for he has yet to realize that what he finds funny isn’t the same as what other people would. Some, alternatively, are almost entirely based in mental reactions and elicit no physical response at all… yet.

After the Enterprise

Nothing was quite the same after Commander Riker, or rather Captain Riker, and Counselor Troi left the ship. Geordi followed shortly after, taking some time off to explore a new relationship. Within a year, Picard was promoted to admiral and the command of the Enterprise was transferred to a new captain. Data was not offered the post. He experienced, for the first time, dread, not sure of whether the new captain would even want an android for a first officer. Fortunately, he was spared finding out as he was offered the position of first officer of the Titan. Although hesitant to leave Enterprise, he realized the ship was now little more than a name, and accepted.He was left on Earth when the Enterprise was nearby and had to wait several months in the winter of 2380 for the Titan to undergo repairs before taking on his post there. It was a winter of unwelcome firsts. It was the first time in his life that he'd ever known true 'down time'. It was also the first time in his life that he understood the term 'stir-crazy', and so he filled his time with work and attended as many conferences and symposiums as he could fit into his schedule. One of these was an annual cybernetics conference - he was invited as a featured guest, though for the first time in his life, he was not asked to be the keynote speaker.Data understood why when he took his place in the audience. That year's keynote speaker was none other than Bruce Maddox, who took that opportunity to introduce the universe to his new creations - the A500s. Data recorded two primary observations as the androids were led out onto the stage - the first that he was no longer unique and indeed, was possibly obsolete, and the second that nothing good would come of what he was witnessing. He left the conference before the end and before his panel.A few weeks later, he was on the Titan, amongst the familiarity of space and familiar faces. Soon he and Spot were settled into their new quarters and new life, although he didn't have the human luxury of being able to put thoughts of the featureless, factory-made new androids from his mind. On the edges of the galaxy, however, with new worlds to discover, he was spared learning just how bad things were getting for his kind.His time as first officer on the Titan was a time of great growth - Data wasn't sure if it was Riker's differing brand of encouragement (less Picard's fatherly wisdom and more shoving Data unceremoniously out of the comfort zone of his existing programming) or a simple development coming out of his decision to delete those programs which had so long sought to explain away what he had so long sought to find, but either way he welcomed it. It was during this time that he began experimenting with personal appearance, finally composed a violin concerto that didn't seem to him just a collection of fragments of others' work, and even considered trying dating again. Maybe it would just be easier to get another cat?However, despite the good that came of those years, a darkness loomed. Increasing public distrust of synthetic life and the growing use of other androids as worker drones - basically as slaves - made Data more and more uneasy about remaining with Starfleet. Although personally somewhat sheltered by the legal decision made regarding his status as a being years before, the attack on Mars in 2385 prompted his resignation from Starfleet, and he redirected his focus to becoming an advocate for synthetic rights.With the help of allies within Starfleet, particularly Admiral Picard, he was able to successfully lobby for the proposed ban on synthetics not to be passed. After leaving Starfleet, Data started to officially go by Data Soong, as he finds that a more human-like name encouraged other people to see him as a being with an identity instead of a machine with a designation.

Details

⋆ As he still retains his original body, it has only aged slightly in keeping with the aging program, but has not followed the same timeline as human aging. By the turn of the century, he therefore looks to be the equivalent of about 50 (in 24th century terms, which is still quite youthful).
⋆ Data's experiments in personal appearance include starting to wear civilian clothes when off duty, altering his hair, and updating his bio-plast to one more sensitive to touch.
⋆ Data does get a second cat, after leaving Starfleet, and then another...
⋆ While currently traveling between worlds and holding lectures on synthetic rights and his experience as an android, Data has considered applying for a professorship. The obvious would be something in the field of mathematics, his specialty of probability mechanics, or science, but instead he's found himself drawn to the humanities. After all, who better to teach them than a lifelong outside observer. (Note: This differs from the version of him in "All Good Things" who became the Lucasian Professor of Mathematics at Cambridge University.)

Life is Finite - Canon

This verse follows the canon of the films, centering around Data receiving the emotion chip.
As a result of which, he sacrifices himself for his friends. However, not entirely lost, Data's programming is used as a living security system at Daystrom Station, only partially conscious, and later he is resurrected in a body shared with aspects of his siblings. Resenting his treatment and what he was forced to do while at Daystrom, Data attempts to understand what his life looks like outside of Starfleet.Notes on Portrayal: In this verse, Data’s emotions are experienced suddenly, almost overwhelmingly.
Though linked to previous experiences, there are also instances where they take him by surprise. He often reacts more strongly or in unexpected ways to stimuli, due to excitement or surprise regarding his own reaction to it. Also, please forgive any inaccuracies, it’s been a long time since I saw the movies and I have only seen Picard season 3.