“Datalore” is episode thirteen of season one of Star Trek: The Next Generation.
The Enterprise is in the Omicron Theta star system, the home of Data. They will visit Data’s home planet in a few hours and might unravel some of the mysteries of his beginnings. Data himself is not on the bridge; apparently, he wanted to be alone. However, what Data is doing when Wesley enters his quarters is trying to sneeze. No, he doesn’t have a cold – when Wesley explains what one is. Humans sneeze for other reasons and Data can’t seem to get it right. Wesley asks if Data is interested in his home planet. He’s fascinated. He also finds sneezing interesting. Wesley tells him that the captain wants Data on the bridge.
According to Tasha, there are no signs of life, not even vegetation. The ship that found Data reported farmlands. Data and Wesley arrive and Data says that yes, the colony had farmlands, but its principal interest was science. He holds the memories of 411 colonists; only their knowledge, though, not their everyday life. Data is therefore deficient in some things. Such as sneezing. Picard would beam down himself, if he didn’t know that Commander Riker would object. After all, an entire colony did disappear.
The planet is completely dead; Tasha, Geordi, Data, Worf and Riker beam down to the exact spot mentioned in the Tripoli‘s log. Data says that they are in the topographically right area and indicates where he was found. According to Geordi, it looks like everything was already dead or dying when Data was found.
Data thinks he was given the colonists’ memories hurriedly. He was found lying on a slab, covered in dust. His first memories were opening his eyes and seeing the landing party. Geordi says the hollow where Data was found is not natural. It looks like it was constructed in a hurry to hide something, which sparks memories for Data. The colonists had a fear of being discovered.
Geordi finds a hidden door leading into an underground complex. There’s a lab, and Data has vague memories of his functions being tested there. There are children’s pictures on the wall, depicting something. Data says what is depicted seems familiar and dangerous, but he has no idea as to what it represents. He recognises something as being Dr. Soong’s work area. Yes, Dr. Noonian Soong, who used to be a foremost scientist who tried to bring Asimov’s dream of a positronic brain to life. When he failed, he disappeared. There’s also a storage area in the lab, in which there are lots of bits of an android identical to Data in pieces.
They are going to attempt to reassemble the duplicate android. It may answer lots of questions. Riker has been trying to identify what’s depicted in the children’s drawing, with no luck. Dr. Crusher needs Data’s help to assemble the other android. He tells her about an off switch he has. The doctor promises not to mention it to anyone else. She can understand why Data would not want to tell people he has an off switch.
The other android is assembled, but doesn’t immediately come to life. Then, when Captain Picard wonders which was made first, does. He says Data was made first, but was imperfect so he, Lore, was made to replace him. Lore smiles as he does this. Later, Data says to the captain the imperfect may simply mean he lacks certain abilities that Lore has. Otherwise, they have approximately the same capabilities.
Lore is on the bridge being instructed; during the conversation he starts indicating more knowledge than he is claiming. Afterwards, Data mentions that Riker tricked him into doing this.
Wesley is rather suspicious of Lore and, despite actually being asked to check him out, no-one listens to his fears. Because this is essentially an Evil Twin episode. Brent Spiner plays both Data and Lore most of the time, and both are clearly different. Lore is rather creepier. Much is made of Lore being able to use contractions whilst Data is not – something that was untrue until now, because Data has used contractions in previous episodes.