Lower Decks just debuted its own version of Data

Warning: Contains spoilers for “Go See Cal,” revealed in Star Trek #500!

Star Trek: Lower Decks Just introduced his impressive, but twisted version of Data. The Android Data is one of these Star Trek Franchise’s most compelling characters, but outside of his brothers Lore and B4, he’s one of a kind. But in the story “Go See Cal,” revealed in Star Trek #500, Rutherford, the engineering whiz of the Cerritos, Creates its own riff on Data, with some heavy implications.

“Go See Cal” is one of the many stories in the Star Trek #500 anthology. The story, written by Magdalene Visaggio and drawn by Megan Huang, opens with Tindy and Rutherford assembling their own Soong-type android, only to discover that every cyberneticist in the Federation is trying the same thing. Rutherford reveals that he uses a black market “bi-neural compensation” obtained from a Ferengi. As a result, this data variant seeks nothing but profit and advocates capitalism. After nearly auctioning off the ship and crew, Rutherford and Tendi reluctantly deactivate him.

Date is a quintessential Star Trek character

Data is one of a kind in these Star Trek Franchise

Data, played by Brent Spiner, was one of these Star Trek The most popular characters of the franchise. Fans respond to Data’s desire to better understand the human experience, and maybe even become one themselves eventually. Data was built by the brilliant, but reclusive cybernetist Doctor Noonian Song. Data was the third such model built: B4 was the first and Lore the second. Lore rebelled, and would become one of Star Trek Greatest evil, and will soon threaten all creation in the future Lore war. B4 is seen only once, in Star Trek: NemesisAnd have not been heard from since.

Star Trek Has repeatedly stressed Data’s highly unique nature – there is no one else in the galaxy quite like him, except for his brothers. Data’s creator, Noonian Soong, was one of the most refined scientific minds in the galaxy. Descended from a line of talented inventors and scientists, Noonian Soong was able to do the impossible: build a positronic brain. Data’s unique nature made him known throughout the Federation, and as seen in the sixth season Next generation Episode “The Chase,” the Klingon Empire too. Data has been coveted by enemy empires and overzealous collectors.

Data tried to duplicate itself once – it didn’t work

Datta’s attempt to “procreate” was one of his harshest lessons

As part of Data’s desire to better understand humanity, he created another Soong-model android, which he named “Lal.” As seen in the third season Next generation Episode “The Descent,” Data wanted to know what it was like to be a father, and Lal would be how he would do it. Lal became popular with the crew, but drew the ire of Starfleet Command. Exasperated that Data would create life without consulting anyone, Starfleet sent an expert in robotics and cybernetics to assess the situation. During his visit, Lal’s positronic matrix begins to break down, forcing Data to terminate her program.

The finale of “The Descent” is one of the most gut-wrenching moments in the history of Star Trek: The Next Generation. It represented a failure on Data’s part, and stressed just how cutting edge, and ahead of its time, Noonian Soong’s work was. None of the Federation’s best minds, up to this point, had been able to duplicate Soong’s magic. Song’s work was so far advanced that even his own “children” could not recreate it. Data came as close as anyone ever had in “The Offspring,” but even he met a dead end.

The Federation has a mixed attitude towards synthetic life

Song-style androids nearly brought the Federation to its knees

A seemingly throwaway reference to “Go See Cal” also sheds light on the state of cybernetics and robotics research in the Federation. Captain Freeman, Rutherford’s commanding officer, mentions an “all fleet robotics prize,” and that many in Starfleet are trying to build a Soong model android. The events of “Go See Cal” are set roughly a decade after the events of “The Descent,” meaning there have been significant advances in technology since Data built Lal. That Starfleet is holding a robotics contest in the first place speaks volumes about how the technology is viewed.

Soong-model Androids would play major roles in the latter half of the 24th century. Eventually, the Federation seemingly “cracked the code” of Soong, and created an army of Data-like androids, which were called “Synths.” On First Contact Day in 2385, a Synth turned out to be rogue, initiating an attack on Mars that killed close to 100,000 people and destroyed many starships. In the wake of the tragedy, an investigation concluded that a “programming error” in the synths led to the attack, and as a result a ban was placed on research in the area.

The synths are not to blame for the attack, however. It was revealed that a renegade faction from the Rumlan valley, which was called the Jat-Wash, started the attack. The Zat Vash believed that synthetic life was an existential threat to the galaxy, and were willing to kill not only thousands of Federation citizens, but their own people. Once this came to light, the ban was lifted and research began in the field again. The events of “Go See Cal” take place shortly before the attack on Mars, and the crew’s attitudes towards synthetic life reflect this.

The attack on Mars fundamentally changed both the Federation and Synths

Rutherford makes a name for himself in these Star Trek Universe

The attack on Mars would no doubt have impacted the All-Fleet Robotics prize. In pursuit of it, Rutherford built an android that almost equaled something Noonian Soong created. If Rutherford had not used an illegal part, he could have succeeded in duplicating Song’s achievements. Like Song, Rutherford himself is no stranger to creating technology that runs amuck: Badgey, the murderous AI, was built by Rutherford, a fact he alludes to in “Go See Cal.” After the attack on Mars, the prize, and all research, is more than likely mothballed.

“Go see Cal” adds a Star Trek: Lower Decks– type spin on episodes such as “The Offspring,” as well as the Federation’s evolving attitudes toward synthetic life. Doctor Song’s research in this field was light years ahead of the Federation’s best scientific minds. Others had trouble duplicating Soong’s results, but that didn’t stop the Federation and Starfleet from trying. Rutherford, one of Starfleet’s most promising young engineers, proved himself worthy of Noonian Soong, helping to create a new but darker version of Data.

Star Trek #500 is now on sale from IDW Publishing.