Star Trek's Data often struggled to fit in among his human crewmates, making him a relatable hero to many autistic and neurodivergent people.
Lt. Commander Data from Star Trek: The Next Generation is a beloved character for many reasons, and he has become a particularly important figure for people with autism and other forms of neurodivergence. The Cleveland Clinic defines neurodivergent as a term describing "people whose brain differences affect how their brain works." Similarly, Data was different from many of his peers among the USS Enterprise-D crew.
SCREENRANT VIDEO OF THE DAY SCROLL TO CONTINUE WITH CONTENT Though the crew did not usually treat Data differently, outsiders sometimes treated him as something "other." The most notable example comes in the TNG season 2 episode "The Measure of a Man," when Data's identity as an individual is put on trial. Throughout the episode, Dr. Bruce Maddox refers to Data as an "it" and insists that he is the property of Starfleet rather than his own person.
Why People With Autism Find Data Relatable Data wished more than anything to be human, and over the course of Star Trek: The Next Generation, he searched for his humanity. The android tried out various human hobbies, such as painting and playing the violin. Like many people with autism or other forms of neurodivergence, Data sometimes became fixated on these hobbies. Data often missed social cues that were obvious to others or misunderstood the meaning of idioms.
Why Data's Picard Season 3 Upgrade Works In Star Trek: Picard season 3, Data receives the ultimate upgrade. His consciousness is combined with that of his brothers Lore and B-4, as well as that of his daughter, Lal . Not only does he now have the ability to experience more organic emotions, he also receives a more human-like, synthetic body.
While there was nothing wrong with Data before this upgrade, he clearly felt like he was lacking something. Much like someone with neurodivergence may use medicine or therapy to improve their quality of life, this upgrade does not change who Data is as a person, but just helps him to feel more like himself. Data's journey on Star Trek: The Next Generation and beyond made him a hero to many autistic and neurodivergent viewers.
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