The Doctor Posted December 1, 2008 Share Posted December 1, 2008 If Endorenna doesn't mind, I'm gonna slip in with a Trek character thread of my own. Every one of the Star Trek series' has a character who, throughout the entirety of the show's run, strived to understand humanity in all its complexities and oddities. In the Original Series, it was Spock - particularly in the movies, after Search For Spock. In TNG, it was Data, who always yearned to be more human. In DS9, it was Odo, who as a shapeshifter never truly understood "solids". Voyager had two, really: the Doctor, who never stopped working as hard as he could to improve himself, and Seven of Nine, who had her humanity stolen as a child and spent her tenure on the show fighting to find it again. My question is: which of these characters, with their quest for betterment and understanding, is your own personal favourite? My favourite would have to be Data. His quest for his own humanity and place in life was simply better written than any of the others, and he was the only one, in my opinion, who ever achieved his goal. It's been said that the greatest thing a man can do is give his own life to save that of someone he cares about, and that's exactly what Data did for Picard - for everyone on the Enterprise. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Adavardes Posted December 1, 2008 Share Posted December 1, 2008 Do I really have to say? Data. That character is simply amazing to me. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Endorenna Posted December 1, 2008 Share Posted December 1, 2008 (indignantly) You posted a Star Trek thread! I--I'm crushed! Ooo, tough question...I haven't met Seven yet, but so far...I'd have to say Data. Spock cried like a little girl half the time, Odo just went to la-la land when the Dominion took DS9, and the holo-doc, while being one of my favorite characters, just went evil on me in Darkling!!!!!!!!!!!! I'll come back to this question once I get over all my favorite characters turning evil... Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Lynk Former Posted December 1, 2008 Share Posted December 1, 2008 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Titanius Anglesmith Posted December 1, 2008 Share Posted December 1, 2008 I like Spock and all that, but Data does it for me. He's always been my favorite character of any Trek series. It helps that Brent Spiner is a beast, too. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Chevron 7 locke Posted December 1, 2008 Share Posted December 1, 2008 I choose Odo.I just feel really sorry for him, with his people leading the war against the Alpha Quadrent and all Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Astor Posted December 1, 2008 Share Posted December 1, 2008 They're all very good, with the exception of Seven and The Doctor. Spock The first Vulcan in Starfleet - who struggles to come to terms with both his own emotions, his relationship with his father, and being on a ship filled with illogical beings. Data An Android, with the sole aspiration of becoming human. A pinocchio concept, if you will, but one that was executed brilliantly. The emotions were an interesting aspect, but I think they could have been handled better. His fight for recognition as a sentient being was great. Odo I quite like Odo. A solitary figure, the only one of his kind, until he discovers that his race are the godlike leaders of an empire bent on Dominating the galaxy, forcing him to choose between his friends, and his life, or his desire to discover more about his own people, and perhaps, himself. I don't dislike Seven and The Doctor... but The Doctor's stories are very similar to Data's (a court hearing to determine if he has any rights, for instance) He was an intriguing character, and one of my favourite on Voyager, but not in the same category as Data, Spock or Odo. And Seven, well, it was... interesting... I can't think of anything else to say about her. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
SW01 Posted December 1, 2008 Share Posted December 1, 2008 Hmmm...I actually liked most of these characters - particularly Spock, Data, The Doctor, and Odo. But of the four, I would probably have to say that Data was the best in terms of trying to understand and emulate humanity. Spock always seemed to be curious about humanity, but mostly appeared to reject it in favour of pure logic, though , at times, using human expressions to great effect. ("If I were human, I believe my response would be 'Go to Hell.' If I were human.") The Doctor I really liked because of his constant sarcasm! He had the desire to 'expand his programming', but it didn't seem to be with as much passion as Data. Odo, a favourite character of mine, again for his sarcasm and general demeanor, but he didn't strike me as much as Data did as one seeking an understanding of humanity. Data's entire premise was so much more humanity based than the rest, in my opinion, so I vote for him. Throughout TNG and Generations to Nemesis, it has been the main drive behind the character. And, as The Doctor said, it is only he that seemed to attain 'humanity'. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Endorenna Posted December 1, 2008 Share Posted December 1, 2008 Spock The first Vulcan in Starfleet Quick question--wasn't T'pol the first Vulcan in Starfleet? Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
The Doctor Posted December 1, 2008 Author Share Posted December 1, 2008 T'Pol was never actually a Starfleet Officer. She was a liason between Starfleet and the Vulcan High Command, and later a scientific consultant after she resigned from the High Command. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Astor Posted December 1, 2008 Share Posted December 1, 2008 Quick question--wasn't T'pol the first Vulcan in Starfleet? T'who? I don't count Enterprise as part of the other Star Trek anyway... I liked the last season, but the rest was grade-a rubbish. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Endorenna Posted December 1, 2008 Share Posted December 1, 2008 T'Pol was never actually a Starfleet Officer. She was a liason between Starfleet and the Vulcan High Command, and later a scientific consultant after she resigned from the High Command. Oh, okay. From that episode where Archer woke up twelve years after the parasites had grabbed his brain, I thought T'pol had actually joined Starfleet, since she resigned her commision to take care of Archer. My bad. Thanks for clarifying, Doc. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
stingerhs Posted December 2, 2008 Share Posted December 2, 2008 i still think you could include T'Pol in this poll. although she was never actively trying to understand humans or humanity, she still ended up a changed woman over the course of the show because of her interactions with humans. even the Vulcans said that she had become more like a human. to me, that shows a clear evolution of a character which fits the definition of a "journeyman" character. as for the ones mentioned in the poll, Data easily takes the cake. Spock comes close, but come on, how can you not vote for the one who will push someone overboard to determine if something is funny?? Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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