Lieutenant Commander Data (Brent Spiner) and Lieutenant Commander Geordi La Forge (LeVar Burton) were best friends in Star Trek: The Next Generationand they regularly teamed up to solve problems on the USS Enterprise-D. As a unique and incredibly advanced android, Data has saved the Enterprise-D many times, and his friendship with Geordi never fails to bring out his humanity. Geordi served as the Enterprise’s chief engineer and never treated Data as less than human. Between the two of them, Data and Geordi could solve almost any engineering-related problem that arose on the Enterprise.
Data and Geordi were friends since the beginning of Star Trek: The Next Generation, and they quickly became one of the best duos on the show. Because of your VISOR, Geordi literally saw Data differently than everyone else and proved invaluable in the android’s journey to discover his humanity. Not only did Geordi help repair Data’s mechanical elements when they needed maintenance, but he also spent much of his free time with the android. TNGThe science brothers regularly participated in holodeck adventures and accompanied each other on missions away from home.
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Data and Geordi embrace their inner Sherlock Holmes in TNG’s “Elementary, Dear Data”
Star Trek: The Next Generation Season 2, Episode 3 – “Elementary, Dear Data”
While the USS Enterprise-D awaits its rendezvous with the USS Victory, Geordi invites Data on a Sherlock Holmes-inspired adventure on the holodeck. However, Data has memorized all of the Holmes stories, so he already knows the solution to every mystery created by the holodeck. In an attempt to confuse your android friend, Geordi asks the computer to create an enemy capable of defeating Data. To carry out this command, the computer makes the holodeck character, Professor James Moriarty (Daniel Davis), self-aware, which causes understandable alarm among the Enterprise crew.
In your heart, Star Trek: The Next Generation’“Elementary, Dear Data” is a story about Geordi and Data’s friendship. Geordi creates the holodeck program for Data and then works to adapt it to give the android a true Sherlock Holmes experience without thinking about the possible consequences. Before the situation becomes serious, Data and Geordi are clearly having fun pretending to be Holmes and Watson, and it’s nice to see how they spend their downtime. As Data adopts his Holmes persona, he experiences what it’s like to be human, if only for a brief time.
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Data and Geordi almost get trapped in the Delta quadrant in TNG’s “The Price”
Star Trek: The Next Generation Season 3, Episode 8 – “The Price”
Star Trek: The Next Generation“The Price” may focus on counselor Deanna Troi (Marina Sirtis), but the episode also has some good Data and Geordi moments. After a supposedly stable wormhole in the Delta Quadrant is discovered, the Enterprise hosts several dignitaries as they negotiate the rights to the wormhole. Before the Federation commits to a contract for control of the wormhole, Captain Jean-Luc Picard (Patrick Stewart) sends Data and La Forge to investigate in a shuttlecraft. Upon entering the wormhole, Data and Geordi meet in the Delta Quadrant and discovers that the other side of the wormhole is unstable.
As they prepare to enter the wormhole, Geordi comments that he hopes everything goes well, as he doesn’t want to spend the rest of his life trapped on the other side. The data responds, “There is a bright side, Geordi. You’ll have me to talk to.” While Geordi doesn’t seem too happy about this prospect either, the exchange is a nice reminder of the friendship the two share. Data and Geordi work well together, making a quick and accurate assessment of the wormhole and trying to alert the Ferengi who were also investigating.
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Geordi teaches Dice to trust his intuition in TNG’s “The Defector”
Star Trek: The Next Generation Season 3, Episode 10 – “The Deserter”
When the USS Enterprise-D rescues a suspected Romulan defector named Jarok (James Sloyan), Captain Picard and his crew are fed up with the Romulans’ claims. Geordi tells Data that “your gut” is telling him that they should listen to Jarok, as he explains to the android that humans sometimes use intuition to fill in missing pieces when they don’t have all the facts. Later, Data watches Jarok, trying to determine what his gut tells him about the Romulan. Data and La Forge work together to investigate Jarok’s allegations, and, as always, Geordi teaches Data something about humanity in the process.
Data treats Jarok with more compassion than anyone else on the ship. Although many of the Enterprise’s crew are clouded by distrust of the Romulans, Data sees Jarok as the tragic figure he is. In the end, Captain Picard and his crew discover that Jarok actually believed everything he told them, but was deceived by the Romulans. Between Geordi’s instincts and Data’s reasoning, combined with their engineering knowledge, they validate some of Jarok’s claims and help convince the Romulan to tell Picard the whole truth.
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Data risks his career to help Geordi on TNG’s “Interface”
Star Trek: The Next Generation Season 7, Episode 3 – “Interface”
“Interface” is one of the only Star Trek: The Next Generation episodes that explore everything about Geordi La Forge’s family. As Geordi and Data experiment with an interface for Geordi’s VISOR that allows him to remotely control a probe, he discovers that his mother’s ship has disappeared. As Geordi uses this new interface to explore a ship trapped in a gas giant, he sees a life form that he believes is his mother. When he begins to experience negative side effects, Captain Picard and Dr. Beverly Crusher (Gates McFadden) order Geordi to stop using the interface.
Data proves his friendship with Geordi numerous times in this episode.
Despite these orders, Geordi returns to using the interface, but Data anticipates his actions. Instead of handing over La Forge or trying to stop him, Data understands that Geordi needs to know if his mother is still alive. Data monitors Geordi as he uses the interface, ensuring he does everything as safely as possible. In the end, Geordi discovers that the being contacting him is not his mother, but a species native to the gas giant. Data proves his friendship with Geordi countless times in this episode, as the android goes against logic and reason to support his friend.
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Geordi Accidentally Sends Data To The Wild West In TNG’s “A Fistful Of Datas”
Star Trek: The Next Generation Season 6, Episode 8 – “A Fistful of Datas”
In Star Trek: The Next GenerationIn “A Fistful of Datas”, Geordi La Forge and Data work together to integrate Data’s positronic brain into the USS Enterprise-D’s computer system. This would allow Data to control some of the ship’s most important systems. in case of computer failure. When an energy wave passes through the Enterprise, it affects Data’s systems, matching his programming with a Western-themed holodeck program that Lieutenant Worf (Michael Dorn) and his son were running. Data, without knowing it, begins acting strangely and using phrases from a stereotypical Old West.
Meanwhile, on the holodeck, Worf, counselor Troi, and Worf’s son Alexander Rozhenko (Brian Bonsall) face a western city inhabited by duplicates of Data. Data and Geordi work to figure out what went wrong and wipe the computer system’s memories to restore the holodeck and Data to normal. “A Fistful of Datas” shows Data and La Forge efficiently responding to a problem and find a solution, but it also has several hilarious moments as Data randomly embraces his inner cowboy.
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Geordi helps data install its emotional chip into Star Trek generations
Geordi stays by Data’s side as he works through his new emotions
All over Star Trek: The Next Generation, Geordi La Forge helped Data on his journey to become human more than any other member of the Enterprise crew. When Data recovered the damaged emotional chip that Dr. Noonien Soong (Brent Spiner) created for him, La Forge convinced his android friend to keep the chip in storage instead of destroying it. Data finally decided to install the emotional chip in Star Trek Generations, and he sought help from his best friend in the process. After Geordi helped install the emotion chip, he and Data visit Ten Forward and later go on an away mission together.
Unfortunately, Data’s newfound emotions get the better of him when the chip malfunctions on the mission away from home. Geordi is captured by the villainous Dr. Tolian Soran (Malcolm McDowell), leading Data to feel guilt later. The plot of Data’s emotional chip in Generations it doesn’t work as well as it could, but it makes sense that Geordi would help Data on this journey. Even with the flaws in Data’s emotional chip, Geordi is happy to see his friend acting more human and Data finally has the chance to experience emotions such as humor, fear and triumph.
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Data and Geordi reunite in Star Trek: Picard season 3
Data finally achieves his ultimate goal of being (almost) human
The original cast of Star Trek: The Next Generation gathered in Star Trek: Picard season 3 for another galaxy-saving adventure aboard the USS Enterprise-D. After commanding the USS Titan-A, Admiral Picard and Captain Will Riker (Jonathan Frakes) sought out Commodore Geordi La Forgenow chief curator of the Fleet Museum on Athan Prime. La Forge revealed that he spent the last twenty years meticulously rebuilding the Enterprise-D. Meanwhile, a visiting team at Daystrom Station discovers the new synthetic body housing the memories of Data, Lore, B-4, and Data’s daughter Lal (Hallie Todd).
Geordi and Data’s reunion in Star Trek: Picard serves as a wonderful conclusion to your journey.
As Data and Lore fight for control of this new body, Geordi encourages Data to keep fighting. Data’s personality eventually wins out and he tells Geordi how grateful he is for their friendship. Later, La Forge commands the Enterprise-D on Frontier Day, while Data assumes his former commanding position. The two work together to pilot the Enterprise through the Borg cube and, with the help of Counselor Troi, rescue their crewmates. If this is the last time viewers see them, Geordi and Data’s reunion in Star Trek: Picard serves as a wonderful conclusion to their journey, cementing them as one of the Star Trek best friendships.