Movies - TV
Data’s Emotion Chip Created A Rift Between Brent Spiner & Star Trek’s Writers
By WITNEY SEIBOLD
Throughout "Star Trek: The Next Generation," the android Data had no emotions. However, things changed when he obtained an emotion chip in "Star Trek: Generations."
Data originally stated that the emotion chip couldn't be extracted, but by "Star Trek: Insurrection," he could remove it entirely and went back to being emotionless and childlike.
Producer and screenwriter Michael Piller stated that this was for the sake of audiences who didn’t watch the films, but actor Brent Spiner didn’t like the decision.
"Brent had a very strong feeling when he read the script that I was treating his character as though the last two movies didn't exist. To be honest, he was right," Piller said.
When he was quoted in "The Fifty-Year Mission," Spiner seemed to have changed his mind somewhat, saying that the feeling around Data’s emotion chip was "enough is enough."
Data’s longing was a vital part of the character, and the emotion chip sullied that. Instead, "Insurrection" saw him grappling with his inner child without the aid of the chip.