Fabula
S1E14 · Datalore
S1E14
· Datalore

Unearthing Data's Doppelgängers: The Android Parts Discovery

Within the deserted laboratory of Data's home colony, the away team led by Riker uncovers a chilling cache of android components indistinguishable from Data himself. This discovery profoundly unsettles the crew, as Data grapples with the possibility of a brother or alternate self created by Doctor Soong. The event deepens the mystery of Data’s origin, revealing a hidden legacy of synthetic life and setting the stage for the assembly of a potentially autonomous android. The discovery acts as a pivotal narrative turning point, expanding the story from exploration to confrontation with the unknown facets of Data’s identity.

Plot Beats

The narrative micro-steps within this event

2

Geordi discovers a storage area containing multiple lifelike Data arms, torsos, and heads, revealing the existence of several Data-like android parts, unsettling the team.

shock to grave concern

Data questions if the discovered parts represent another version of himself or a brother; Riker admits uncertainty but agrees to take the parts back to the ship for further examination.

curiosity to cautious resolve

Who Was There

Characters present in this moment

5

Calm and attentive, maintaining operational readiness amid unfolding mysteries.

Lieutenant Natasha Yar leads part of the away team with professionalism and vigilance, providing sensor data and communicating situational updates to Riker. Although physically distant from the laboratory core during the discovery, her role supports the team’s operational security and situational awareness.

Goals in this moment
  • To secure the area and gather comprehensive sensor data
  • To keep command informed of environmental conditions and ensure team safety
Active beliefs
  • The colony remains dangerous and possibly unstable
  • Situational awareness and communication are essential for mission success
Character traits
professional alert dutiful vigilant
Follow Tasha Yar's journey

A blend of intellectual fascination and quiet emotional turmoil as he confronts new possibilities about his existence and kinship.

Data actively engages with the laboratory environment, analyzing children’s drawings, the epidermal mold, and the duplicate android components with a mixture of scientific curiosity and personal vulnerability. He contemplates the possibility of another like himself—perhaps a brother—expressing deep unsettlement at this potential expansion of his identity.

Goals in this moment
  • To uncover the truth about his origins
  • To understand whether the duplicate parts represent a sibling or alternate self
Active beliefs
  • His identity is linked to the legacy of Doctor Soong
  • There may be others like him yet to be discovered or assembled
Character traits
curious thoughtful introspective unsettled
Follow Data's journey

Alert and focused, embodying disciplined readiness to respond to any threat.

Worf secures the rear position at the laboratory entrance, vigilant in guarding the team from potential threats while allowing the others to investigate the lab. His steady presence provides tactical security and reassurance amidst the eerie silence.

Goals in this moment
  • To safeguard the team from unexpected dangers
  • To maintain perimeter security during the exploration
Active beliefs
  • The environment may conceal dangers
  • Security is paramount to mission integrity
Character traits
vigilant disciplined loyal protective
Follow Worf's journey

Measured curiosity intertwined with cautious concern, balancing command responsibility with empathetic support for Data’s existential questions.

Commander Riker leads the away team’s investigation of the colony laboratory with cautious curiosity, scanning the lab, engaging Data about his memories, and later examining the Soong workbench and epidermal mold. He reacts thoughtfully to the discovery of duplicate android parts, facilitating dialogue that pushes the team to consider the implications of this revelation.

Goals in this moment
  • To understand the origins of Data and the extent of Doctor Soong’s work
  • To ensure the team gathers critical evidence while maintaining operational security
Active beliefs
  • The laboratory holds crucial clues to Data's origins
  • Data’s identity may be more complex than previously assumed
Character traits
curious cautious empathetic analytical
Follow William Riker's journey

Alert and intrigued, with a professional sense of urgency to analyze and report findings accurately.

Geordi La Forge inspects the laboratory with technical acuity, assists Data in identifying key artifacts, and discovers the concealed storage area filled with Data-like android parts. His surprise is tempered by professional focus as he communicates the significance of the find to the team.

Goals in this moment
  • To locate and identify significant technological artifacts related to Data's creation
  • To support Data and the team by providing technical assessments of the discoveries
Active beliefs
  • The storage area contains crucial evidence about synthetic life forms
  • Doctor Soong’s work may have extended beyond what is commonly known
Character traits
focused surprised analytical supportive
Follow Geordi La …'s journey

Objects Involved

Significant items in this scene

3
Children's Drawings of Colossal Crystal Formations

Children’s drawings pinned on the laboratory wall depict huge crystalline formations evoking a sense of danger and mystery. Data studies these drawings, noting their symbolic resonance though lacking concrete understanding. These naive illustrations foreshadow the colony’s fate and underscore the themes of lost innocence and looming threat.

Before: Displayed openly on the laboratory wall, accessible and …
After: Remains on the wall, serving as a haunting …
Before: Displayed openly on the laboratory wall, accessible and visible to the away team.
After: Remains on the wall, serving as a haunting backdrop to the scientific discoveries.
Human-Shaped Epidermal Mold of Data

The human-shaped epidermal mold is revealed when Riker opens the large laboratory table. Data handles the mold, pressing it against himself to confirm a perfect fit, which concretely links it to his synthetic exterior. This mold serves as tangible proof of the craftsmanship behind Data’s creation and symbolizes the physical bridge between artificial and biological form.

Before: Concealed within a covered worktable in the colony …
After: Removed from its concealment and physically examined by …
Before: Concealed within a covered worktable in the colony laboratory, undisturbed and hidden from view.
After: Removed from its concealment and physically examined by Data and Riker, remaining in the laboratory.
Unassembled Android From Data's Homeworld

A hidden storage area is discovered by Geordi, containing multiple lifelike android components resembling Data including heads, torsos, and arms. These parts are startling in their realism and quantity, suggesting the existence of another android or prototype. Their presence raises profound questions about Data’s origins and Doctor Soong’s broader experiments with synthetic life.

Before: Stored concealed within a restricted storage area in …
After: Exposed to the away team’s inspection, prompting intense …
Before: Stored concealed within a restricted storage area in the colony laboratory, undisturbed and unknown to the away team.
After: Exposed to the away team’s inspection, prompting intense speculation and concern about the potential for assembly.

Location Details

Places and their significance in this event

1
Colony Laboratory

The larger colony laboratory serves as the primary setting for the team’s investigation, housing sophisticated scientific equipment, children’s drawings, and the concealed storage area. This environment provides a stark contrast between advanced technology and the desolate emptiness of the colony, encapsulating the episode’s themes of loss and the quest for identity.

Atmosphere Quiet, clinical, and eerie with a lingering sense of abandonment.
Function Key exploration site and scientific investigation hub.
Symbolism Embodies the intersection of human creativity and technological ambition, shadowed by tragedy.
Access Restricted to the away team; secured by security personnel.
Highly sophisticated twenty-fourth century instruments and workbenches Children’s colorful drawings pinned on walls amid sterile equipment

Narrative Connections

How this event relates to others in the story

What led here 7
Causal

"Data’s fragmented memory of a sudden danger connects directly to the discovery of children’s drawings depicting a massive crystal, foreshadowing the colony's destruction by the crystalline entity."

Return to a Silent Homeworld
S1E14 · Datalore
Causal

"Data’s fragmented memory of a sudden danger connects directly to the discovery of children’s drawings depicting a massive crystal, foreshadowing the colony's destruction by the crystalline entity."

Data Reveals Fragmented Memories of Lost Colony
S1E14 · Datalore
Causal

"Data’s fragmented memory of a sudden danger connects directly to the discovery of children’s drawings depicting a massive crystal, foreshadowing the colony's destruction by the crystalline entity."

Orbiting Data's Lost Home: The Away Team Assembles
S1E14 · Datalore
Causal

"Data’s fragmented memory of a sudden danger connects directly to the discovery of children’s drawings depicting a massive crystal, foreshadowing the colony's destruction by the crystalline entity."

Data’s Ambivalent Homecoming and Orbit Insertion
S1E14 · Datalore
Causal

"The away team's discovery of barren, lifeless soil leads Geordi to find the hidden storage of android parts, revealing the backstory of the colony and Data’s origins."

The Barren Truth of Data’s Origins
S1E14 · Datalore
Causal

"The away team's discovery of barren, lifeless soil leads Geordi to find the hidden storage of android parts, revealing the backstory of the colony and Data’s origins."

Discovery of Data’s Birthplace and Hidden Legacy
S1E14 · Datalore
Causal

"The away team's discovery of barren, lifeless soil leads Geordi to find the hidden storage of android parts, revealing the backstory of the colony and Data’s origins."

Geordi Reveals Hidden Entrance to Colonists’ Sanctuary
S1E14 · Datalore
What this causes 5
Causal

"Discovery of multiple android parts in the colony leads to attempts to assemble the new android onboard, setting up the critical plot of Lore's emergence."

Starfleet Orders Immediate Computer Upgrade, Halting Data's Homeworld Inquiry
S1E14 · Datalore
Causal

"Discovery of multiple android parts in the colony leads to attempts to assemble the new android onboard, setting up the critical plot of Lore's emergence."

Discovery and Doubt: The Unassembled Android and the Question of Identity
S1E14 · Datalore
NARRATIVELY_FOLLOWS medium

"After finding the android parts, the narrative moves to the medical team preparing the new android, showing continuous progression of the assembly plotline."

Data’s Concealed Off-Switch Unveiled and Lore’s Awakening
S1E14 · Datalore
NARRATIVELY_FOLLOWS medium

"After finding the android parts, the narrative moves to the medical team preparing the new android, showing continuous progression of the assembly plotline."

Picard, Riker, and the Awakening of Lore in Sickbay
S1E14 · Datalore
NARRATIVELY_FOLLOWS medium

"After finding the android parts, the narrative moves to the medical team preparing the new android, showing continuous progression of the assembly plotline."

Lore Awakens and Declares Rivalry with Data
S1E14 · Datalore

Key Dialogue

"GEORDI: Data... it's you."
"DATA: Commander, can this be another me? Or perhaps my brother?"
"RIKER: I honestly don't know, Data."