Commander Data of the U.S.S. Enterprise NCC 1701-D

Commander Data of the U.S.S. Enterprise NCC 1701-D in Star Trek TNG is a sentient android. This synthetic re-creation of an advanced human being was modelled on one of cybernetics greatest minds. Doctor Noonien Soong and built around 2336. The androids collection of sophisticated neural nets and heuristic algorithms elevated him beyond the mere status of a machine.
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Data was the fifth successful android devoid of emotions and cruelty exhibited by his "evil, emotional" brother Lore. Data has superior construction, is stronger, more intelligent and is designed to live an indefinite lifespan.

His extraordinary abilities include mental and physical tasks, governed by an ethical subroutine which has excelled him in Starfleet to Operations Manager aboard the U.S.S. Enterprise-D. Data has a distinguished record of service in Starfleet. His impressive array of medals and awards include decorations for honor, commendations for gallantry, the Star Cross, Starfleet Medal of Honor (with Clusters) and the Legion of Honour.

Captain Picard of the Enterprise-D depended heavily on his immortal androids advice and help in starship operations, however its a hoot to hear Data's precise calculations annoying Picard, who more or less tells him to shut up. Dr Soong is Data's creator and father. Data has a pulse and a circulatory system that distributes biochemical lubricants and regulates microhydraulic power. His respiration system is responsible for thermal regulation.

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Data is brilliant and resembles a real, living, breathing, talking, humanoid, however in Star trek Nemisis he survived the vacuum of space in a successful attempt to rescue his captain Jean Luc Picard from the evil Shinzon.

He is also capable of operating in an environment hazardous to organic carbon life forms such as the one in the movie "First Contact" when a coolant leak snuffed out the Borg Queen and melted all organic life within main engineering. Luckily Captain Picard climbed to safety! Yay! Shame about the Queen.

Our immortal heroes life ended in 2379, when in a bid to save the Enterprise-E from thalaron radiation, the Operations Manager blew the Scimitar and himself to bits. Everyone was saddened by the loss. Our heroic android, Data is sensationally played by Brent Spiner and unequalled in the world of science fiction. Brent Spiner is popular, has a huge fanbase as confirmed by the BBC and is loved by the fans. (Please come back and do another Star Trek movie Brent!)

Data is constructed out of approximately 24.6kg of tripolymer composites and 11.8kg of molybdenum-cobalt alloys, with a polyalloy upper spine support and a skull of cortenide and duranium, all covered by 1.3kg of skin bioplast sheeting. Thats 37.7kg!

Our metal friend is one heavy dude and tough guy who can beat Klingons and Borgs hands-down in combat. He is far faster and stronger than any living being in history. Even Lt Commander Worf is no match for Starfleet's superior being. He is strong enough to lift Worf over his head. Believe it, nor does he require food or need sleep. Data never feels tired or gets angry with people.

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Rust doesnt affect Dr Soong's creation however people do. Starfleets exclusive android strives to be more than what he is, and human relationships are an emotional problem for him. The reason he gives to Geordi is logical.
"I will never exceed the sum of my programming, will you help me Geordi?"

Im 2371, Data has been equipped with an emotion chip which later malfunctions and becomes fused. He experiences a whole host of human emotions from happiness to sadness, remorse, anger, hate and fear. When fear is near data can turn off his emotion . Captain Picard has confessed
"Data, there are times when I envy you" - Picard.

Data can control his body so precisely and has mastered superior mental techniques such as surgery, dancing, sign language, the Vulcan Nerve Pinch, starship operations, isolinear chip replacement, poker, romantic multiple techniques, master painting, superb musical ability, k-lling and superior computational ability.

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Dr Noonien Soong's most impressive feat of engineering is the creation of a stable positronic brain which allows his ethical son the memory capacity of 800 quadrillion bits and a total linear computational speed rate of 60 trillion operations per second. Data has far exceeded his human friends with his superior abilities but he'd gladly give it up to be human.

Once information has been asimilated into the androids mind, he never forgets it. When he played the self important Sirna Kolrami, Master Strategist at his game Strategema, second time round, Data was able to rely on his fast recall and experiences from the first game and logically computed the best course of action to wipe that smug smile off Kolrami's face. Data wiped the floor with Kolrami. Yessss! Yee-ha! You won Data, Yay! everyone was delighted.

His ability to process a large number of thoughts at once is extremely valuable. Kolrami of course had never been defeated (even though it was a stalemate) and felt humiliated. The fact the Master Strategist could'nt beat Data meant he'd lost in his mind.
"You've made a mockery of me" he said and stormed off.

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Data's impressive positronic brain allows him to interface with other computer systems. He is able to connect directly to the U.S.S. Enterprise NCC-1701-D and control ship systems from main engineering. The Enterprise's android has also interfaced with a partially mechanical Locutus of Borg and learnt how to defeat the Borg by communicating with Picard. He sends a signal telling the collective to go to sleep, saving the Enterprise-D from total destruction with the Borg.

Measure of a Man is a very special turning point for Data. His civil rights as a sentient being are called into question but thanks to Captain Picard's defense and the presiding officer Captain Phillipa Louvois' ruling that Data is a sentient being, a precedant is set for all artifical lifeforms entitling them to civil rights granted under the United Federation of Planets.

Live Long and Prosper! Enjoy Your Star Trekking!

Starfleet Command Insignias

Starfleet Command forms the paramilitary, defense, research, diplomacy and exploration arm of the United Federation of Planets. (U.F.P.) This vast organization oversees thousands of starships and starbases throughout the galaxy. Starships can be recalled at a moments notice to defend the Federation. Starfleet headquarters are located in the Presido of San Francisco, California on planet earth.

Over the years several insignias have been used to represent Starfleet Command. Here are a few: the simpler version is a golden flower emblem, with 10 symmetrical petals on a red background. This is worn on uniforms in the 23rd century.








The second insignia features Starfleet's typical delta symbol against a starry background.

The delta design "Combadge" which is a communicator is also worn on the breast of Starfleet crews. The star in the middle represents command.

Live Long and prosper Trekkers! Enjoy Your Star Trekking!

Sci-Fi Readers.

Celebrated Science Fiction author, Orson Scott Card made this gripping statement of appreciation about readers of Science Fiction.

This is the best audience in the world to write for. They're open minded and intelligent. They want to think as well as feel, understand as well as dream. Above all, they want to be led into places that no one has ever visited before. It's a privilege to tell stories to these readers, and an honor when they applaud the tales you tell.

"Ender's Game" is one of Orson Scott Card's best books. Here are some reviews.

Live Long and Prosper! Enjoy Your Star Trekking.

Starship Dangers In Space

Star Trek's TNG "Disaster" episode stardate 45156.1 marked an alarming encounter with a formidable celestial object for Captain Picards crew aboard the U.S.S Enterprise which reduced the ship to a defective, terminal hulk in galactic space. Two dangerous quantum filaments slammed into the Enterprise rendering many of the ship systems and the main computer inoperable.

The federation starship was now crippled and faced a crises situation. Counsellor Deanna Troi, Senior Starfleet Officer on bridge duty implemented Emergency Alpha 2 protocol thus disengaging all shipboard computer control and placing the ship systems on manual overdrive.

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So what are the consequences of dangerous space travel with the Enterprise's-D communications, engineering interfaces, weapons and defence, main viewing screen, main computer, navigation, sensor arrays, food replicators, turbo lifts, all internal doors, environmental controls, transporter machinery, auxiliary systems, outer hatch doors and escape pods offline?

Communications frequencies are vital for every starship, without the ability to send and receive through subspace, the Enterprise is cut off from the rest of the federation nor can it send out a mayday asking for help. Worf's Weapons and Defence Systems are crucial for launching a counter attack against a hostile force intent on taking over the ship.

The main viewing screen allows the bridge staff to navigate the ship safely and alerts the crew to any space perils not accounted for by the Enterprise's computer. Sensor arrays, science stations, environmental controls, turbo lifts, food replicators, navigation systems, internal doors all tie in with the main computer core.

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Starship interplanetary travel is often fraught with hazards so ships like the Enterprise NCC 1701-D are often armed to the teeth to protect themselves against dangerous natural phenomena and aggressive alien races. The main deflector and shields are an impressive field of science developed as a first line of defense for ship and crew.

Unfortunately quantum filaments which has subatomic properties, hundreds of meters long with almost no mass can penetrate the shields. Starfleet Officers gave their lives in the course of their duty and many other crew members were injured on stardate 45156.1 The bridge staff realized that once the antimatter containment field reached 14%, critical failure was on the way with a countdown of two hours for the Enterprise.

Hull ruptures are unnerving because this compromises the health and safety of the crew. Leaking air causes a loss of cabin pressure, loss of heat, loss of oxygen and with a compromised hull and no forcefield to keep out the vacuum of space, the Enterprise's structural integrity is at stake. Without air, trapped starfleet crew members will suffer from boiling blood, radiation poisoning, loss of consciousness and asphyxiation.

Temperatures aboard the ship depends on many things. Its location in space, condition of ship systems e.g. environmental control and the shields. The shields are all that stand between the life of the crew and the inhospitable void of space. Theoretically , if Captain Picard's crippled U.S.S. Enterprise is stranded too close to a star, the heat will boil up the crew and snuff them out. On the other hand stranded in the dark depts of space with no sunlight will just turn their ship into a freezing titanium nightmare.

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Another challenge for the hampered Enterprise crew involves food replicators and the need for water. Theoretically lets imagine the crew have patched the hull and environmental control has been restored. However the food replicators are still offline and the galley is burnt out.
Environmental Controls
Space is a very dry place. Planets like Mercury which is nearest to earth's sun is too hot for water, so the Enterprise is dependant on its technology and ships stores. Until the starship can navigate herself to the nearest starbase or raise help from one of the nearest United Federation of Planets she remains a frustrated hulk in galactic space.

Under normal circumstances the Enterprise-D can extinguish fires herself by creating a vacuum and eliminating all oxygen from the fires place of origin. However for an incapacitated Federation Galaxy Class Flagship this is highly unlikely. Uncontrolled fires are extremely life threatening aboard any kind of space vessel and its surprising how fast smoke can spread throughout a starship if swift action, forcefields and emergency procedures are not acted upon.

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Starfleet Officers are highly trained professionals with one weakness in common. Emotionalism. Except for Mr Spock and his home world of computer loving, minded vulcans of course. One of the greatest Klingon villains of all time, Commander Kruge has described earthlings as "human weaklings" a reputation earth's ball of beings have earned owing to our kind endeavours in space and emotional nature.

Still even spacewalks make Mr Worf our hero klingon (in Star Trek's First Contact,) sick to his stomach. Spacewalks are often necessary to carry out repairs and in the construction of starships. Intergalactic space really is an exciting and scary place.

Live Long and Prosper Trekkers! Enjoy Your Star Trekking.

3D Klingon Bird of Prey Wallpaper

Here is a Klingon B'rel Class Bird of Prey, Kruge's technological cosmic beast, with supreme detailing in this Wallpaper 3D Image of the renamed intergalactic "HMS Bounty" now under the victorious command of Captain James T. Kirk.....


















This wallpaper image of the HMS Bounty is so famous, I felt compelled to share this discovery with you. The HMS Bounty so aptly named by Leonard H. McCoy, had all the toys of the 23rd century, including a brillant cloaking device that enabled Kruge to sneak up on Kirk's U.S.S. Enterprise NCC 1701-A and attack.

In this wallpaper 3D image detailed creation, we see a Klingon Bird of Prey which has trounced two Federation Legendary Starships : U.S.S. Enterprise NCC 1701-A (rigged for running and over 25 years old) in Star Trek IV and the U.S.S. Enterprise NCC 1701-D (Galaxy Class and in pristine condition) in Star Trek Generations.

Commander William Riker who was left in charge just slammed this beautiful Federation flagship (Picard's ship) into a planet because he could'nt control a little warpcore overload! The Duras Sisters kicked Riker's butt and he wrecked the Enterprise! If Kirk was Riker's boss, he would have fired him!

Live Long and Prosper Trekkers! Enjoy Your Star Trekking.