... would smell as sweet no doubt. Well, took me a while to complete this one (other duties and the fact that there are a number of Datas out there), but here it is! For the uninitiated, an "-oid" is a somehow skewed version of a regular character, and these articles are devoted to them. Sort of a guessing game as to future Personnas and AU Personnel. I would also like to thank Captain Targ for posting them on his site! :-) So Data it is. Consider that I don't consider Lore or Dr. Soong to be Datoids even if they were played by Brent Spiner as well. It's lengthy without them, so take a deep breath and take the plunge:
DATOIDS
First, the ones we have (and I'm not counting the Data Laughing Interrupt):
1-Premiere Data (not an -oid)
2-FC Data (also not an -oid, well sorta)
3-Commander Data: The Barash non-android ('cuz he was too dumb) Data. Still no word on that icon!
4-Data' Body and Head: The Non-Aligned, seedable, two-become-one Data.
But that's only the tip of the iceberg...
5-1st Season Data: Part of my much-dreamed about 1st Season Premium Set, this Data could use contractions and was more emotive than the later (premiere) version. He might be recognized by his lower Cunning, and would be suceptible to disease-type dillemas (like in "The Naked Now") unlike other androids.
6-Data of Borg: The FC Data I WANTED to see, complete with Borg-given patch of skin. He represents the Data that was for .37 seconds with the Borg. Make him AU if you must, but make him. Borg affiliation, overrides Encryption Codes, Biological Distinctiveness: Android. All cool!
7-Yesterday's Enterprise Data: Once again, Alt-Data is much the same as his normal self except for the world he lives in. Of course, he might be able to Download Android Headlock and (oh yeah) be able to use it against Klingon warriors!
8-Jayden: From "Thine Own Self.". Now here's a completely different character (amnesia will do that to an android) Decipher could work with. He would be Non-Aligned, lose some skills, kill Personnel at same location without a Medical Kit (one per turn, no more) simulating the whole radioactive snaffu of the show.
9-Sherlock Holmes: Data's Holographic Personna (Holodeck Adventures, I miss you) wouldn't work without a Nemesis icon matching Moriarty's and maybe some sort of mystery solving ability (see Geordoids for more).
10-Western Datas: In "A Fistful of Datas", Data appears as no less than 5 holographic characters. As the bad guys (look for no more than the main villain to be made into a card), he could Download holographic handweapons like his Nemesis(?) Sheriff Worf. But the real card I wanna see is Data as a brothel madam (Madam Data?) Bwah-ha-ha-ha-ha! (For the record, Data turns up as Eli and Frank Hollander, a Mexican, another bad guy and Annie Meyers.)
11-Professor Data: Many people have come up with dream cards for the various AU personnel from "All Good Things..." and it's agood bet they'll eventually all be made. Prof. Data would trade OFFICER for either CIVILIAN or SCIENCE and, due to his many cats, be able to Download Spot, Tribbles and whatever other furry nonsense we could come up with. Just a thought, albeit a silly one.
12-Scrooge: Another of Data's Holographic Personnas, but not one we can expect to see. This is from the episode where he tries method acting as a way to experience emotions(fear). From "Devil's Due".
13-Prospero: Another experiment in acting. Not much here either. "Boatswain! Boatswain!..." From "Emergence".
14-Friar Tuck: Data's more resourceful than the rest of the crew in "Qpid" as he stops an arrow with his chest and uses some spare part to cause a diversion. The only special ability I can find for this character is that of a Dilemma magnet. If a Data could divert a Dilemma to himself only, many of them wouldn't have an effect.
15-Lore's Brother: The evil Data from "Descent". Well we can almost duplicate him with Lore's Fingernail, but, as his Intergrity remains the same, not quite. Maybe a partner for Lore will be made with similar Rogue Borg-related abilities. Or perhaps the much-dreamed-of (by others, not by me) Brothers Soong two-personnel card. And that one, ladies and gentleman, would just be too powerful.
16-Data the exhibit: Data plays the dummy for Kivas Fajo's pleasure in "The Most Toys". Who wouldn't want a totally unmoving android such as this. Palor Toff, that's who! And so Exhibit Data could have among his many abilities, the power to nullify the Alien Trader (and the Collector himself, and Acquisition, and Latinum Payoff...)
17-Romulan Data: A shoe-in. It's my belief that a Romulan android a la Major Rakal is going to be included in a future set. Skills would remain pretty much the same, I suppose. Anyone have any thoughts as to a possible restriction box just to make him more interesting?
18-French Data: Poker-playing Data in 19th century San Fran. I'm not sure there's anything to be done with this.
19-South American Data: Data's other nationality from the Dixon Hill stories. If they're gonna make Dixon Hill related cards (like the Business Card and Dix himself), this one's as good as any. Just have to find a way to incorporate Data's encyclopedic knowledge of the 20th century (his only contribution to those particular Holodeck Adventures) into the card.
20-Masaka transformed Datas: Data becomes four different people - Eehat, Masaka, a young boy, and an old man - because of the alien Archive found in the Rogue Comet. Now that we have plenty of androids, borg, etc., I'd love to see the Archive made into a Space Artifact (perhaps only seedable at Rogue Comet). Androids (and other computer-compatible Personnel) would be able to incarnate a number of archival characters (which could also include Korgano). Cards would have to be created for this purpose, but those archival Personnas (universal Personnas in a sense) would have really interesting skills, making the collecting of these cards fun and profitable without unbalancing the game.
21-Possessed Datas (Ira Graves, Power Play, Nanites): It happens to Data a bit too often, doesn't it? (plus by Masaka, Lore and Dr. Soong). Dilemmas can simulate this, but Personnas they will never be.
22-QData: More a Q-oid than a Datoid really. It's Q made-up as an android in "Hide and Q". Since he takes Data's place at one point, confusing other crewmembers, I thought I would fit him in with other Personnas. Would make a fun card, but I hardly know what he could do.
23-Data the fop: From Barclay's holodeck fantasies, another useless version of the good Lt. Commander.
24-Omicron Theta Colonists: Since Data has all the memories and journals of the colony's now-dead inhabitants, he can incarnate any of them at will (see "Silicon Avatar"). This would account for skills we don't normally associate with Data. Maybe a Datoid with a completely different skill selection? Like say, CIVILIAN, Honor, Geology, Barbering, MEDICAL and Cybernetics? Don't hold your breath.
25-Timothy (of Soong): Not Data, but he WANTED to be Data. A tiny Youth-ful Data without the usual skills and attributes wouldn't be very useful I'll admit...
26-Doctor in Frame of Mind: Data plays a shrink in Bev's play (and Riker's nightmare). As with most of Data's acting jobs, there's really nothing to be done with him. (A Personnel or Interrupt that cures Frame of Mind and other psychological defects? Sounds like Plexing to me.)
27-Parallel Datas: Again, "Parallels" yields a number of versions of a character, and again, they aren't very different from the usual. Maybe Data is 1st officer in one world, etc. Skip.
28-Data the Bartender: One of the characters who goes through a real change in "Conundrum", Data takes Guinan's place behind the bar. Another CIVILIAN android is not something we really need... and until Decipher's found a use for Bartending (with the coming of Quark), this Datoid won't be made.
29-Henry V: From "The Defector". Yet another holodeck personna/acting experiment of Data's. Its usefulness is not immediately apparent. "Once more unto the breach, dear friends! Once more!"
30-"Hutch" Data: I'm only relating this one for comleteness's sake. Remember in "Starship Mine" when Data started imitating Hutchinson, the talkative starbase commander? I thought you did.
31-Data the stand-up comic: From "The Outrageous Okona". Data gets lessons in comedy from Joe Piscopo (really went to the source there didn't he?). Now, Data with cigar in hand may not be an ideal Personnel but, like Data Laughing or his medals, he might make an interesting Interrupt or Event. I've often thought of a Comic Relief event that would boost the stats (somehow) of Personnel who had jokes in their lore ("proved Data fully functional", "Left his head in San Francisco", etc.) or were jokes themselves (ahhhh Mot). It's much too ambiguous a requisite ("that's not a joke, it's not even funny" -BAM! Parallax Arguers.) to be workable however, but this Data might offer a picture for such a (dream) event.
32-Generations Data: In the advent that Decipher gets the rights to this film and makes some cards (though the less than stellar popularity of the movie probably wouldn't engender a complete expansion) with the bridge crew (again), this Data would have to be made. Totally out of control emotionally, his Integrity and Cunning would plummet or else he would only participate in missions half-assed. Downloads Mister Tricorder.
Well, that's what I've come up with. It's as lengthy an article as you're likely to see from me (until Picard that is), but if I've missed any, I'm sure you'll let me know.
