Posted in: Movies, Paramount Pictures, Star Trek, TV | Tagged: star trek, Star Trek: The Next Generation

Star Trek: Nemesis Writer Logan Denies Killing Data in Final TNG Film

During Jonathan Frakes & Brent Spiner's podcast, Star Trek: Nemesis writer John Logan disputed the idea that he killed Data during the film.

There's a little absolution regarding John Logan, one of the three writers of the maligned Star Trek: Nemesis, alongside lead Next Generation writer Rick Berman and Brent Spiner, who plays Data. Originally, the unintended swan song for the TNG crew that saw the Android fan favorite sacrifice himself to save his captain's (Patrick Stewart) life, taking out the Reman ship, Scimitar, with his hand-held phaser firing at its core after he transports Jean-Luc Picard back to the Enterprise-E. At the end, it's revealed before he went to the Scimitar that he copied his memories to the prototype B-4 (Spiner), who starts singing "Blue Skies," which Data performed at Riker's (Jonathan Frakes) and Troi's (Marina Sirtis) wedding at the beginning of the film. The three-time Oscar nominee and writer of hits like Skyfall (2012), The Aviator (2004), and Gladiator (2000) appeared on Frakes and Spiner's podcast Dropping Names with Brent and Jonny to clear the air once and for all.

Star Trek: Nemesis Writer John Logan Disputes Killing Data

When Frakes asked Logan if he thought Data died in Nemesis, the director answered emphatically, "No," as the two responded in relief, "I never thought so," Spiner said. To affirm Logan's response, Data's essence was transferred to B-4, and we tragically discover in the Paramount+ sequel series Picard that he could never overcome his programming issues and was disassembled, but the core of his programming remained with Dr. Alton Soong (Spiner) in season one. That doesn't even go into the potential continuity issue regarding Lore's remains following the two-part TNG episode "Descent," in which Data tells Picard at the end of the episode that Lore was disassembled, which suggests his body wasn't destroyed and could be restored.  As Picard reunites with Data digitally, Jean-Luc is effectively in a coma while his body is being transferred into a golem, the two have a long discussion about mortality and how it's the one thing that eluded the android/synth existence was his wish to experience death, to which his former captain helped oblige.

Alas, it still wasn't the last we heard of Data because we found out the third and final season of the Star Trek series, after Alton's initial plans to transfer his conscience into a golem went to Picard, his remaining life's work was to restore his ancestor, Dr. Noonien Soong's (Spiner) work into a final model that contained the essence of all of his work from Data, his evil twin Lore, and B-4, combining their programming, experience and personalities into a single vessel. As the most dominant personalities, Data and Lore duke it out in his brain as Lore is initially dominating the battle of the minds before Data's strategy of non-resistance, by willfully giving Lore all his memories, makes him victorious. By the series' end, Data has a renewed sense of purpose and is happy to be reunited with his Enterprise-D crewmates. For more, including how Spiner had doubts about continuing to play the character past the film, and how it factored into him doing the film, and how his experience in Nemesis led to Judi Dench's swan song in Skyfall, you can check out the full interview.

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