How Data Met Spot - Chapter 1

Man regarded beast and beast regarded man. Each observed the other. The beast bore the traits of it's ancestors. Sharp teeth and claws. Keen predator eyes of green. It sat, unmoving like a solemn statue of Baast, presenting a regal demeanor. A sound began to arise from deep within the beast. It sounded like the hum of an engine. The animal's green eyes, met those of the man. His were quite unlike those of other men. Each eye was a distinct shade of yellow. His skin was extremely pale and had a waxen, almost golden sheen. But this was no wax figure. Although he had every appearance of a living and breathing person, he was not made of flesh and blood. He was, in fact, an android.

His name was Data and he was second officer of the USS Enterprise. And today he was also the owner and master of a particularly vicious beast, known as a cat. To own a pet was a quintessential human experience and Data was an enthusiastic student of this subject. He related to the story of Pinnochio and had the desire to someday become 'a real boy'. This android was an incredible piece of work. He was such a complex combination of mechanics, circuitry and computer programming it was very easy to forget his true nature. His programming included subroutines to emulate every aspect of human life. His creator had not forgotten a single detail right down to blinking eyes, the appearance of breathing and a pulse. And thanks to a highly developed ethical programming and a never ceasing curiosity his crew mates had come to accept him as easily as if he were a any other crew mate. But what Data lacked was emotions and he desired that more than anything else. To his friends his desire seemed a rudimentary form of emotion in itself, but Data seemed to dismiss these observations.

He was of average height and had a thin frame, not particularly muscular in appearance and yet he had the strength of more than ten men. His hair was dark in color and combed fastidiously back, not a strand out of place. His uniform was standard for a federation officer of his rank and position. He wore black and mustard yellow. He kept an inhumanly tidy appearance overall. At his breast he wore a badge with Starfleet insignia that also served as a communicator.

Emulating human behavior was Data's method of connecting with the human experience so it was not unusual to catch him clumsily and rather comically attempting a yawn or a sneeze. Data had no physical need to yawn or sneeze for he never became tired nor did he experience a cold. Most crew members found these attempts endearing and part of his childlike charm. The android was not aware of just how human these attempts made him appear to his friends and crew mates. Not the emulations themselves, for they were extremely forced and rigid, but the effort, the drive, that constant need to define himself as one of them.

Defining his humanity had lead him to this moment of 'man' and 'beast' one contemplating the other. A bowl of food sat in front of the cat. It was filled with food that remained untouched. If Data only knew how many cat owners had watched their furry companions turn a nose up to a bowl of what was supposed to be a most delicious treat, he would not ponder the issue so deeply. Data's positronic brain had access to an astounding amount of information and when he combined that with the ship's computer it was an inexhaustive resource. His processors worked to create a new combination of tastes with proper balance of protein and vitamins. Perhaps this would entice his furry friend to eat.

"Spot, I have created exactly 56 feline supplements for you. I have considered culinary appeal as well as your nutritional needs.” Data looked down at his furry companion. “I do not understand why you refuse to proceed with the consumption of your meal." Data gave his cat a perplexed look.

Spot stared up at her owner as if to say, ' Is this the best you can do?'

“Perhaps if I add a gravy flavored supplement to the chicken and change the texture to a more fibrous consistency, an increase in gustatory appeal might awaken your appetite.”

Data walked over to the food replicator and entered his newly gathered information to create feline supplement 57. He brought the new bowl back to Spot and placed it in front of her. She glided gracefully to the newly improved meal and nibbled at it delicately.

“Hm” Data observed Spots satisfaction.

Data watched patiently as the cat ate. While he waited he accessed resources that might aid the future development of new feline supplements that might tempt his felines finicky taste buds. Data's eyes seemed to focus inward. They moved rapidly from left to right as if he was reading an unseen text, at a phenomenal rate. Spot, having finished her meal began the process of grooming her whiskers, her eyes half closed while the loud purring sound continued to escape from deep within her. Spot was a picky eater from the day that Data took her back to his quarters aboard the Enterprise. He remembered the day he heard of the arrival of a litter of kittens on the Children's Deck.

A Dish Served Cold

This is a fanfiction I wrote about Data's brother Lore. It Takes place immediately after the end of the Season One episode called DataLore. Paramount and Gene Roddenberry own Star Trek. I only play in the playground Gene created. Rated T for some mature language.

Lore hurtled through the vast cold emptiness of space. One minute he was aboard the Enterprise, the next his life was once more on hold. He opened his mouth to scream, but the sound was lost in the endless vacuum. His arms and legs stuck out before him and his body tumbled in the great inertia of emptiness. Lore began to shut down non essential programs to prevent a system failure. He was built to last an eternity, but if he was to survive a time unknown in the brutal conditions of deep space he needed to act now. His biochemical fluids would soon freeze, preventing movement in his internal systems. He worked quickly.

A blind red fury filled his entire being. Revenge. He would get them all for this. In the brief time he had experienced since his reassembly and reactivation, he had savored the savage sensory playground that life presented. Oh to be alive! He was a GOD! And the humans aboard the Enterprise were every bit as pathetic as he remembered on Omicron Theta. They should worship him. His potential was limitless! And his brother could have joined him at his side, almost his equal.

Dear brother. Dear, dear brother. Who knew he had it in him? He had put up a greater fight then he had anticipated from such a docile Federation slave. Why did he have to be so different than him? What a team they could have made, indestructible super beings to those weak humans Data called his friends. He called them friends! How sweet! Data was more like their trained pet android. He was meek and his deference to the humans made Lore rage.

And Data betrayed him. Lore had shown his mercy when he chose not to permanently deactivate Data and look where that got him. Data had tossed him onto the transporter and that little brat Wesley Crusher had transported him to his current location. Lore's thoughts turned to the Enterprise's little genius.

'When I get out of this, that little fucker will die slowly.' thought Lore

He relished the thoughts of torture and pain he would inflict upon mama's baby boy. Maybe Mama would pay too. She had been a welcome sight upon reactivation and he had secretly let his greedy gaze crawl all over her. Maybe he would get close and personal with Mama first. That would be fun! He would make the child watch the humiliation and murder of his mommy first. Then he would start on the boy.

He would make Data watch too. But it would be an act of mercy and love. He would guide his brother. Show him the err of his ways and teach him his true potential. Yes, Lore would be his teacher and steer him with his firm but loving guidance. He would teach Data that humanity should grovel at his feet. And Data would come to understand that the only greater being than himself was his ever loving brother.

He held onto that thought, relishing the feelings of hate. There was no telling how long he would drift in space before he found extrication from his infinite prison.

Lore made his vow to the icy white stars. 'Paybacks a bitch, dear brother, and every single one of your friends on the Enterprise will pay.'

So Lore drifted through the years with nothing else to occupy his existence. Nothing but thoughts of revenge which burned and smouldered and grew over the darkness of space and time.

Star Trek and the Ethics of Sentient Machines

Daft Punk's Robot Rock is blasting my eardrums. I have a growing list of science and science fiction themed music that one day I shall make into the most awesome collection of such themed music ever known. For the moment, Robot Rock seems the right song to accompany my thoughts of sentience in machines.

Speaking of sentient machines, I was thinking of one of my favorite episodes of Star Trek, one which features my personal favorite sentient, the android known as Data. The episode is called The Measure of a Man. In that episode cybernetics expert Commander Bruce Maddox wants to disassemble Data to understand his positronic brain. He claims that if he can understand how Data is made they can build more like him which will be an incredible benefit to Starfleet. Data may be damaged in the process but Maddox feels the loss of the android would be a small price to pay for all that Starfleet would gain. Data asserts his autonomy stating that he would rather resign from Starfleet then to submit to the procedure. Maddox then informs Data that he is Starfleet property without rights. A trial is arranged to determine Data's legal status.



Picard is to act as Data's defense, but how will he prove that Data is more than a mere collection of programming and electronic components? He seeks the sage advice of the Enterprise's Bartender Guinan. (Sometimes you have to wonder why they even had a Cousellor.) Guinan's advise was invaluable, as usual.




Guinan: "Consider that in the history of many worlds, there have always been disposable creatures. They do the dirty work. They do the work that no one else wants to do because it's too difficult or too hazardous. And an army of Datas, all disposable... You don't have to think about their welfare, you don't think about how they feel. Whole generations of disposable people"



Captain Picard defends Data saying that if Starfleet were to build many like Data to work for and be property of Starfleet would they not be creating a slave race? Sentience in robotics does tend to raise many ethical questions.

Picard Defends Data's Rights in The Measure of a Man



Isaac Asimov may be the master when it comes to sentient robots in fiction. His Three Laws of Robotics dealt with the other side of ethics in sentient machines. They would act as morals to guide behaviour.

1. A robot may not injure a human being or, through inaction, allow a human being to come to harm.
2. A robot must obey orders given it by human beings except where such orders would conflict with the First Law.
3. A robot must protect its own existence as long as such protection does not conflict with the First or Second Law. 

 Although these laws are designed to protect humans from harm by providing robots with a set of moral rules, they conflict with  the ability to make moral decisions based on self determined choices. Technically all robots are well behaved when these three laws are applied. The second law created by Asimov states that robots must obey humans , not a very cool way to treat a sentient being! No wonder robots rise up against humans in the majority of science fiction stories!

The Matrix - Badass Sentient Machines.





According to futurist Ray Kurzweil, we are on the verge of the age of sentient artificial intelligence. This idea although exciting can also be somewhat terrifying. The movies we watch and the books we read tell us that self awareness in machines is bad news for humanity! Just ask Sarah Connor. HAL went mad, humans are batteries to machines in The Matrix and robots bring genocide to their human creators in Battlestar Galactica. Science fiction writers predominantly agree that robots will turn on us either out of anger from their real or perceived subjugation or from their overly literal translation of programming designed to protect and help us.

If sentience in machines is an unavoidable part of our future is humanity doomed? Or should we perhaps banish all technology, shunning advancement to avoid this grim future? Should roboethics be a priority in the discussions of robotic engineers. Can kindness be part of AI programming? Is it possible that the day may arrive when we find ourselves faced with defining equality for a new race? 

At the end of Data's trial Captain Phillipa Louvios sums it up nicely:

Captain Phillipa Louvios:

"It sits there looking at me; and I don't know what it is. This case has dealt with metaphysics - with questions best left to saints and philosophers. I am neither competent nor qualified to answer those. But I've got to make a ruling, to try to speak to the future. Is Data a machine? Yes. Is he the property of Starfleet? No. We have all been dancing around the basic issue: does Data have a soul? I don't know that he has. I don't know that I have. But I have got to give him the freedom to explore that question himself. It is the ruling of this court that Lieutenant Commander Data has the freedom to choose."

Fanfiction - The Guilty Pleasure

" Mulder . . . . . . I've always wanted to do that."



I'd resisted reading fanfiction. I first heard about it when I became obsessed with the X files back when the wicked little followers were known as the X philes. I avoided the X philes fanfiction forums, thinking myself above such things. But I was introduced to the word Slash in regards to fanfiction at that time. Most common X Files slash was Mulder/Scully. The people who liked that pairing or relationship were also called shippers. But there were many other intriguing slash or shippers. There was Scully/Skinner, Scully/Krycek, Scully/The Lone Gunman, yes all three (boy, people were really concerned about Scully's love life!)

These days Slash is more often about usually non gay male characters thrown into romantic situations with other male characters. Slash existed back then in the X philes with plenty of tales involving Mulder/Skinner, Mulder/Krychek and Mulder/The Lone Gunman

"Headache? Here, let me massage your temples."

So, where was I? I was going to tell you about my new found love of fanfiction. And though I am not really a fan of the overly Slashy stuff, I some how jumped right into that very subject. I can't even claim to have read much in the way of real Slash. The only hard stuff I've read was when I accidentally stumbled upon a Star Trek The Next Generation story involving Data and Lore. And my mind's eye still feels dirty from that experience.


Brotherly Love?