Mark Twain and Data

- Mark Twain in the lab of Nikola Tesla, spring of 1894

Happy birthday to Mark Twain. When I think of Twain, I always see the Star Trek version of him in the episode Time's Arrow :) ...



I especially liked this episode - Data had so many moments that made me laugh, like when he was in San Francisco at the time of Mark Twain and kept explaining his oddness to the locals as a consequence of his Frenchness :) Some of the moments were touching too, like when he realized that he was going to cease to exist sometime in the future - he was actually relieved. He and Geordi talked about it in Ten Forward ....

LAFORGE: So, do you want to talk about it?

DATA: Are you referring to the foreknowledge of my death?

LAFORGE: Yeah.

DATA: I have no particular desire to discuss the matter. Do you need to talk about it?

LAFORGE: Yeah.

DATA: Why?

LAFORGE: Data, this has got to bother you a little.

DATA: On the contrary. I find it rather comforting.

LAFORGE: Comforting?

DATA: I have often wondered about my own mortality as I have seen others around me age. Until now it has been theoretically possible that I would live an unlimited period of time. And although some might find this attractive, to me it only reinforces the fact that I am artificial.

LAFORGE: I never knew how tough this must be for you.

DATA: Tough? As in difficult?

LAFORGE: Knowing that you would outlive all your friends.

DATA: I expected to make new friends.

LAFORGE: True.

DATA: And then to outlive them as well.

LAFORGE: Now that you know that you might not?

DATA: It provides a sense of completion to my future. In a way, I am not that different from anyone else. I can now look forward to death.


- Data, Geordi, Counselor Troi, Mark Twain