The idea that Data never uses contractions – which is often portrayed in Star Trek – is not true and never has been.
Posted by Michileen Martin | Published
If you look hard enough Star Trek: The Next Generationthen you know that Data (Brent Spiner) does not use compression. You probably also know that this android feature has helped heroes in critical situations; especially if the other person is disguised as his positronic counterpart. The only problem is that Data has always he used abbreviations, including passages where the writers bend over backwards to let us know that he never uses abbreviations.
Season 1 Star Trek: The Next Generation the episode “Datalore” lays down the rule that Data cannot use compression. In other words, he will always say “I am” rather than “I am,” “I can’t” than “I can’t,” “I shouldn’t” than “I shouldn’t,” etc. It is the use of abbreviations that hints to Wesley (Wil Wheaton) that Data Lore’s twin has disabled him and replaced Data.
Likewise with Season 4 Star Trek: The Next Generation In the episode “Future Imperfect,” Will Riker (Jonathan Frakes) is able to see through the deception in part because of Data using a snapshot. Riker is led to believe he’s 15 years in the future and suffering from memory loss, and while he’s already getting ideas that someone is trying to trick him, the last straw is when Data says “can’t” instead of “can’t.”
In Season 3’s “The Offspring” Data and Guinan (Whoopi Goldberg) both pretend they’ve just seen Santa Claus dating the Tooth Fairy when Data’s daughter Lal (Hallie Todd) says “I’ve gone” instead of “I have,” leading her father to believe she overstepped his plans. Much later, in one of the last episodes of the Star Trek: PicardGeordi (LeVar Burton) is surprised to hear Data say, “we are” rather than “we are.”
The thing is that from the first series of Star Trek: The Next GenerationData use compression. When the elderly Leonard McCoy (DeForest Kelley) asks about his identity, Data tells him that “i am an android.” When Data is one of the team members transported to Q’s (John de Lancie) court, Data questions Picard (Patrick Stewart), “At least we are here familiar with the judge.
Now, to be fair, since “Datalore” is the Star Trek episode that establishes that Data doesn’t use contractions, some might argue that it’s unfair for the nitpick to be used before that episode. But even in “Datalore” you use them. After Lore’s deception is revealed, Picard asks Data if he is alive and the android replies, “Yes sir. i am good.”
And in “The Offspring,” another Star Trek episode that makes big money with Data not using contractions, Data uses contractions. When speaking to Admiral Haftel’s Picard, Data says, “i am he was forced to wonder how much knowledge he had as a parent when his first child was born.” And this is long past the establishment of law in “Datalore.”
What lesson can we learn here? Nothing, really. Except maybe sometimes it’s better to pay more attention to the shiny spaceships and ray beams than the conversation.
