TNG Data and Bashir (Birthright)

Data meets Julian Bashir

[@outsideredge]

Bashir: "I heard your evil brother almost killed everyone." Data: "I heard your evil clone almost killed everyone." Both: "Fascinating."

[@coppergolem9444]

Technically impersonator, but damm there still arn't enough likes

[@AndrewChapman]

Wait, which season and episode of DS9 was that with Bashir's evil clone?

[@AndrewChapman]

@Call Me Ninj Ah okay, thank you.

[@coppergolem9444]

@@AndrewChapman wasn't it was a changeling infiltrator. List of evil twins : riker, will and Thomas. lore and data, martok and changeling martok, bashir and changeling bashir. And basically every character in tos, ds9 and ent if you include the mirror universe.

[@Deadpool_64]

@@coppergolem9444 Tom Riker wasn't evil, he had a different sense of right and was so desperate to separate himself from Will Riker that he fell in with the Maquis and their vendetta against Cardassia. He eventually gave in and handed himself over to being in prison to save lives. I don't find that evil.

[@LastMumzy]

We have no idea what this device does. Let's try to activate it while standing right next to the Warp Core.

[@madman2u]

Well look at the bright side, if something did go wrong, it's unlikely they'd ever see it coming.

[@Innomen]

I could argue that they do have some idea of what it isn't at least, but all things considered, no, they really don't even if they totally would and should. The federation's biggest problem is that they've outlawed evolution and so they actually aren't very capable of using the technology around them, which is evolving, even if they aren't.

[@madman2u]

Brandon Sergent I believe they outlawed forced evolution in the sense that they didn't want people to mess with genetic enhancements.

[@Innomen]

madman2u Since "enhancement" is essentially synonymous with "evolution" that strongly bolsters my point. It's luddism pure and simple. It's a kind of purist bigotry or social pathology. The tool generally should never be to blame for the actions of a spesific hand that once wielded it. Star trek being a scifi show that is blatantly anti advancement and anti technology is extremely ironic. I would call it anti science even. How exactly is federation society going to crumble if they starting offering a memory upgrade? Even the people in the matrix had skill uploading. The federation would ban that. They prefer burning (intentionally finite) life span on archaic prussian education systems.

[@madman2u]

Brandon Sergent I never said I agreed with it. Though due to the fact that genetic enhancement were a product to be sold, it would give unfair advantage over the ones who couldn't pay. If it were free however, then you obviously would enhance whole societies. Then it was obviously the whole ethics thing of playing with natural evolution. The genetically enhanced in the Federation were also barred from serving in Starfleet. I believe the point that they were trying to make was; "for every Julian Bashir that can be created, there's a Khan Singh waiting in the wings".

[@JRGomez81]

Everyone else in Star Trek: Data, how are you so different from us? Dr Julian Bashir: Data, how are you so similar to us?

[@MozTS]

John DS9 is the anti-trek to TNG. What makes it so interesting and unique

[@halfbreed1426]

That's the point behind an awful lot of the stories in Trek and, by extension, good science fiction. Universal themes can be explored in the form of parables that remain relevant even decades after their release into the collective cannons of media and culture. Julian, an educated man, finds commonalities with an android that many were willing to reduce to parts because of his differences.

[@2Scribble]

That's the thing about Julian - he spent so much time trying to hold back his abilities and 'blend in' that the idea of someone like Data being able to easily EMBODY what he think's it is that's the BEST about humanity that it fascinates him

[@glitterboy2098]

@@2Scribble yeah, after Bashir got revealed as an enhanced person, many of these sorts of scenes with him take on a much deeper meaning.

[@sadface7457]

@@2Scribble The genius of Bashir is to recognize the lower functions of the human body are more complex then the higher functions. en.m.wikipedia.org/wiki/Moravec%27s_paradox

[@ClutterTrot]

Bashir: I found an unknown device. Data: What's it's do? Bashir: I don't know. Data: Let's plug it into the warp core, see what happens. Bashir: GREAT idea! These are supposed to be the 2 smartest men in star fleet...

[@AustinJFerret]

I think this is the difference between intelligence and wisdom. Intelligence lets you figure out that you can plug an unknown device into a warp core to power it up. Wisdom lets you figure out that this is probably a bad idea.

[@2Scribble]

Data: We shouldn't do this in sick bay - we could endanger a few people... Bashir: Oh, that's a good point... Data: We should do it in Engineering and endanger EVERYONE!!!! Bashir: ... ... ... are you sure you're NOT the evil brother?

[@jamieSp69]

Yeah, im guessing they are smart enough tp determine if it is a threat to the ship before the plug-in.

[@Owl_Space]

And LaForge let them plug it into the core, so he's also in the smart column.

[@TheGreatPower365]

@@jamieSp69 I would suggest they know the ships computer is going to be keeping a close eye on it, so to speak. People always forget that the Enterprise itself is easily as smart as a human being, if not many times smarter, it just doesn't have a sense of self or locus of identity to make it sentient.

[@TMBGTransformer]

the way julian’s eyes widen and light up when he realizes who he’s talking to is adorable

[@nancyomalley6286]

IKR? Like a kid on Christmas morning seeing a new bike by the Christmas tree

[@tablescissors67]

Apparently, Bashir could have been another Geordi Laforge to him.

[@Consu-juristNl]

It's because of sexual interest.

[@danieldickson8591]

@@Consu-juristNl Nope, it's because Data is a synthetic life form, the first Julian has ever encountered. As a doctor, being able to speak with what for him is a new class of sapient being, with unique physiology and psychology, has to be a thrill. But Siddig's eyes widening when he heard who he was talking to was a fine acting moment.

[@RhinoBarbarian]

@@danieldickson8591 Might also be in part because of the fact that Bashir is - in a manner of speaking - a synthetic lifeform himself.

[@dickmarx1298]

"no one has ever asked me if my hair will grow or noticed that I can breath" So Bashir is the first to truly treat data like a person and not a tool. Right in the feels

[@michaelgreenwood3413]

Well, apart from Geordi, who was his first friend. After being a Starfleet officer for 19 years.

[@rockyscarlet]

Bashir was more of a friend to Data than Geordi ever was

[@ophello]

*breathe

[@PenneySounds]

Data knows lots of people that treat him like a person, but it usually took time. Most people, upon meeting him, immediately notice how he's different. But Bashir immediately noticed their commonalities

[@jimmypatton4982]

Hmm, if I study frogs, opening up their insides, to see their breathing and heart beating. And then stitch them up again, did I treat them more human or less human then the pet frog where I never paid attention to the breathing or heart beat? Matter of perspective and motive, both not given in the scene.

[@tyranusfan]

They missed an opportunity not having the TNG cast interact with DS9 more. They play well off each other. (imagine Picard and Garak verbally sparring...)

[@LokiDaHyena0427]

Agree, but not doing so allowed DS9 to stand on its own feet and define itself, which given how the series progressed would have been at odds with TNG's "cleaner" atmosphere. Still, would have been nice for Sisko and Picard to work through their unfortunate history, moreso than at the end of the pilot. I'd imagine Picard might have a few words to say to the Emissary about the Prime Directive.

[@AndrewChapman]

Perhaps it would've cost too much to have done so many crossover episodes between TNG and DS9. Plus TNG ended by the end of DS9's second season. Then Worf later joined the DS9 crew in the show's fourth season sometime after the Enterprise-D was destroyed in Generations.

[@partlyironic]

Jared have Sisko and Picard ever met?

[@AndrewChapman]

@@partlyironic Yeah, Picard made a guest appearance in the first DS9 episode "Emissary".

[@Eddie42023]

@Call Me Ninj That would make a great confab at the bar.

[@EditDeath]

Bashir's questions for Data make even more sense to me after his childhood genetic modifications are revealed. In his own way, Bashir was designed to be extraordinary but strove to be seen as alike to his fellow man. In Data, he sees a mirror, just designed in a different manner, so naturally he looks for ways that they are alike, since it's what Bashir wants others to notice about himself

[@tablescissors67]

Totally agree and it's crazy that we now know augments also have their roots in the Soong family.

[@m-w-y7325]

@@tablescissors67 both are tragic as heck, and not to mention they both end up being used by another power for their own gains (Section 31 & Lore) which ended up hurting their own families.

[@SwankyKitteh82]

I just love this scene still for how utterly polite Data is, lol. He's sent down the to stop and potentially apprehend someone. Stops in the doorway until urged to enter. Then immediately begins to help perpetrator when asked for assistance until thinking twice.

[@LeaveDenbyAlone]

The best part is when Data is about to help Bashir, takes a second, and then remembered why he was sent there. It's a nice little view into how Data is capable of curiosity. 0:18

[@Elly3981]

@@LeaveDenbyAlone Data is capable of a lot. That's why I think he had emotions all along but didn't recognize them for what they were until he got his emotion chip.

[@evilcouchpotato6875]

I know Data joined Starfleet because that is who rescued him after the Crystal Entity attack...but I feel like it's his curiosity that has kept him there@@LeaveDenbyAlone

[@gregquinn7817]

By modern standards reaching to take his pulse without asking could be problematic. Lol

[@jamessm4401]

They just did the space equivalent to finding a random USB drive in a sketchy parking lot and then plugging it into their computer.

[@leonkernan]

He’s a doctor, not an IT security person!

[@laurenjcoates]

“Your creator went to a lot of trouble to make you seem human” spoken by the man who spent decades hiding his genetic enhancements from starfleet

[@Paulafan5]

Maybe that line was intentionally ironic. I wonder if that was already on the story board as an idea (that Bashir was enhanced).

[@PenneySounds]

@@Paulafan5 I think that was years off, but it sure works in retrospect

[@tablescissors67]

@@Paulafan5 agree -- these two characters play well off one another and I hadn't considered it before it happened

[@PenneySounds]

What also works in retrospect is how Data's creator got started on his quest to develop artificial life inspired by his grandfather, who had been obsessed with genetic engineering.

[@heisdeadjim]

Was Bashir's status public by this point? I do not remember.

[@magicstix0r]

Bashir feels a connection with Data, one engineered lifeform to another...

[@mabs9503]

No one knew Bashir was engineered until a week before they filmed that episode. None of the writers, actors, anyone. It was decided on the spot and out of nowhere.

[@philipplyanguzov9090]

@@mabs9503 But retroactively it makes a lot of scenes that much better

[@Dagoroth55]

@@mabs9503 It's a retcon?

[@Amar7605]

Bashir was very sincere in his fascination with Data.

[@Paulafan5]

"I'm genetically enhanced so I know what it's like to be different". Although, it's not until a few seasons later that is revealed. Not sure if that was planned in advanced or they just decided that week to make him genetically enhanced.

[@scrappybristol2011]

Bashir was interested in Data’s more human capabilities because Bashir knows what it’s like to have extraordinary abilities that leave ordinary abilities unnoticed.

[@tablescissors67]

Good point.

[@Fargo622]

I love this scene not just because it's a great crossover, but because this seems like such a small and insignificant scene, yet it says so much about these two characters.

[@hagamapama]

It's interesting, because Data is an android mechanically engineered to be as human as possible and Bashir is a human genetically engineered to be as much like an android as possible.

[@tablescissors67]

@@hagamapama LOL! And now we know they both have their origins, technically/technology speaking... connected to the Soongs.

[@Mandalorianof501st]

I guess it also goes to show how Bashir was a product of the steps it took to make data. Being an augmented human and data being a synthetic life form and both made by a Soong

[@Hatsuharu1987]

Could not have said it better myself, Wavertazer from 5 years ago.

[@clydesight]

These guys are so charming - they are both so innocent.

[@bogustoast22none25]

And so deadly.

[@themonopolyguy4365]

Laforge at the end - hey this is my bff, get your own android

[@zrcjhf]

You’re nut lol

[@necessaryvolitio]

La forge already gave him O'Brien as a second-hand friend.

[@rodbyrules914]

I love Bashirs smile when Data brings up how no one has asked him about his hair. Data is such a charming guy he wins over anyone.

[@Elly3981]

Sometimes I wonder if Mr. Spiner wore a wig when playing Data or if that was his real hair since it looks considerably darker than when you see him in other films and TV shows.

[@Hagunemnon]

Can't help but imagine an alternate universe where Data got a temporary assignment to DS9. I feel like he'd have played pretty damn well off everyone there; a kindred spirit in Odo and Bashir, Dax would've found him infinitely interesting, and he'd have a chance to learn about several different cultures from Quark, Garak, and Kira, amongst others. Not to mention all the socialization he'd get on a space station with so many people rotating thru it every day.

[@churroscuro8624]

For real. I wouldve loved to see Data gambling at quarks or having interactions with dax about their identity.

[@michaelgreenwood3413]

@@churroscuro8624 That and he would have wrecked Jem'Hadar in hand-to-hand.

[@seansnyder2855]

Odo and Dax are blatant attempts at replacing the magic of Data. I'm sure Gene has rolled himself into a powder by now.

[@PenneySounds]

Data and Odo have some shared experiences they might bond over. Having been discovered by scientists and raised in a lab, having to work out what exactly they were.

[@redpyramid9697]

@@michaelgreenwood3413 Data is strong and powerful enough to do so, considering he's an android. He already killed a Borg drone with his bare hands in anger and self-defense.

[@lazyperfectionist1]

"Most people are interested in my _extraordinary_ abilities: how fast I can compute, my memory capacity, how long I will live. No one has ever asked me if my hair will grow or noticed that I can breathe." Some would call these abilities pretty extraordinary. 🤷

[@Elly3981]

Funny because the one thing I find most eye-catching about Data asides from his attractive face are his hands. Maybe it's the white makeup, but I always thought Mr. Spiner has such smooth and beautiful hands for a guy. Even his fingernails look perfect like he gets them done regularly.

[@Smeginator]

The pulse of the engine is extremely soothing

[@Inthatgoodway]

dwarfer?

[@Furzkampfbomber]

When I was babysitting my little niece when she was still a baby, I used to play a one hour version of the sound of the Enterprise warp core. Never failed me in letting her fall asleep. :D

[@adamdemgar2798]

Smeggy Ben And I’m sure that every other ambient starship noise is soothing too. There’s videos of ambient starship sounds on KZbin that are close to ten hours long, some shorter, some longer. Here, I wanna see if I can find one...I found one called Star Trek TNG HD ambient engine noise, for twelve hours long. But it says that the warp core is only idling

[@adamdemgar2798]

Furzkampfbomber Did your niece grow up liking Star Trek, because of that?

[@hardwirecars]

the first asmr.

[@lazyperfectionist1]

"I'm sorry, but use of Sickbay is restricted to ship's medical personnel." Where _are_ the ship's medical personnel? Shouldn't a few of them be on duty?

[@addman]

good question, but the ship is 90547.9 m^2, theres got to be some areas unattended sometimes

[@davecrupel2817]

@@addman with ~2000 souls onboard? Not counting non-crewmen?

[@mulberryman1305]

never mind that, why wasn't security dispatched instead of sending Data to "check it out" it was an "unauthorized access" for god sake, surely something security is there FOR

[@naturelass]

@@mulberryman1305 the ship was docked at DS9 so for someone to get past both DS9 station and airlock security and the security systems on the entrprise means they would probaly be either a starfleet crew member who would be on record or a federation citizen who has autharization to come and go as they please, so the security threat was a low one for all they knew it could just have been a maintenance worker who forgot to log authorization before doing some basic maitenance or even a faulty plasma relay causing a glitch in the security system, either way they are in a low security risk situation and data is more than capable of handling most threats on his own.

[@AndrewChapman]

Yeah, Beverly was checking out the holosuites on DS9, but where were the other Enterprise-D medical personnel, like Nurse Ogawa?

[@KossolaxtheForesworn]

"I hope its a medical scanner." looks like a bomb to me.

[@crucisnh]

I think that the writers missed a great opportunity here at the end of the video where Data asked why Bashir was interested in his hair growth rate, etc. rather than his extraordinary abilities. I think that it would have been funny if Bashir had replied, "Well, I'm a doctor, not an engineer."

[@Icha74]

LOL! But, speaking of which, has Bashir ever said a line of "I'm a doctor not a..." somewhere in DS9? I've gone only up to Season 4 midway, so I can't tell... (or I might have missed it!)

[@williamcostigan91]

@@Icha74 Trials and Tribble-ations Bashir says "I'm a doctor, not an historian."

[@Icha74]

@@williamcostigan91 Thanks! I found out about it a few days later when I watched that Trials & Tribble-ations ep. Then I also realised that Bashir also said "I'm a doctor, not a botanist" in S2E22 (The Wire). But thanks anyway! ^_^

[@williamcostigan91]

@@Icha74 You're just not a self respecting graduate of starfleet medical if you don't keep reminding your peers of that fact.

[@guyledouche7939]

Julian's classic line is "I DONT CARE ABOUT (insert objectively more important thing here) I CARE ABOUT MY PATIENT."

[@dugrik]

There's unauthorized activity in sickbay. Don't bother Security about it; just send the Operations Officer down from his bridge station.

[@jeffarnold9497]

Well seeing as Data is damn near indestructible why risk many lives when Data can handle anything alone.

[@GhostLink92]

@@jeffarnold9497 by extension, you could have your entire security division staffed by Androids. Hell, dumb them down to the ones we see in Picard, and you have a disposable army.

[@krioni86sa]

and all of the security personnel are quark's holosuite having sex with worf

[@redzeppelin6]

@John Doe Nether are the movies as far as I'm concerned.

[@floppydisksareop]

@@redzeppelin6 Luckily nobody is asking your personal opinion about it, and it is not up to you.

[@giovannacampara9626]

love how they took a device that they knew nothing about and plugged it into the warp core of the most important starship of the fleet god they're stupid I love them

[@fjakjcwjcjjwjcch]

high intelligence/low wisdom gay science nerds my beloved

[@myaccount__7269]

I’m sure data checked out bashir in the system and saw he was legit. He would have no reason not to trust

[@ThatElfNerd]

Counter-Proposal: The Enterprise Warp Core has a multitude of safety features in place (when the ship isn't bombarded with torpedoes, that is) that using it as a charger with the right people monitoring the experiment is perfectly safe.

[@alexistaylor969]

@@ThatElfNerd Counter-counter proposal. The Warp Core is the Enterprise was fitted with a specific plot port for the sole purpose of plot advancement is situations similar to this.

[@jaimebabb9968]

My favourite was in "The Mind's Eye" when they tested a *phaser rifle* next to the warp core

[@partlyironic]

Julian inviting Data into a room that isn’t his is just...so funny. What an arse, I love him.

[@robtierney5653]

His creator went to a lot of trouble to make him seem human... He Breathes, grows hair, drinks Tequila... Got to the paint job, and botched it.

[@rikosaikawa9024]

He channeled his inner Gowron with those eyes

[@schwarzerritter5724]

So they have found a device they have no idea what it does and they hook it up directly to an antimatter reactor.

[@danh3165]

***** Actually, Roddenberry was not involved with the writing of DS9, according to Rick Berman. Roddenberry died in '91, and DS9 didn't air until '93. According to Berman, he had received Roddenberry's blessing to begin developing it as a successor to TNG, but he "never had the opportunity to discuss any ideas with Gene" (his exact quote from an interview), due to Roddenberry's ill health near the end of his life.

[@xlerosx]

+Andy Wilderness Sure you do. You don't know what you might be facing. Doomsday Machines, Romulans, Sentient planets, Armadas.

[@Calzaki]

+Dan H Gene didn't really have any input on TNG either after season 2. There's been several articles and a book published recently which don't exactly trample on the man's grave or anything but follow the lines that he himself was sabotaging his own show. He was a big presence on season 1 TNG which under performed. Then in season 2 there was a big feeling from staff and the studio that they needed to change direction but Roddenberry was against it and was submitting weirder and weirder demands. Including keeping on a Producer who'd sexually harassed Gated McFadden (the reason she wasn't in season 2). However when people claim 'Roddenberry Demanded' no-one is really sure as by that point the man was old and all his notes and 'demands' came through his lawyer who a lot of people say was manipulating Roddenberry. Either way by the end of Season 2 they kinda kicked Gene of the scene and there's even one claim of a restraining order keeping him off set. Season 3 is when you saw TNG change a lot and become the show it was famous for. As for DS9. Rick Bermon was the 'studio guy' he ran day to day operations on TNG until that show finished. TNG and DS9 overlapped by 2 years so for those 2 years all he did was check the numbers so to speak. Then he moved directly from TNG to Voyager. DS9 is much more credited to the late Michael Piller and writers like Ronald D Moore... Incidentally those writers had such little contact with Berman that when DS9 ended and some writers (like Moore) moved to the Voyager writing room they quit after a few episodes because they just couldn't work with the guy.

[@blockmasterscott]

+Schwarzer Ritter And the transporter on DS9 goes directly to to OPs, the most security sensitive place on the station.

[@betarakhmadi554]

+Callum Armour Amazing info. do you have any references or link about this? Thanks a lot.

[@avenuePad]

I wish the DS9 and TNG crews had more opportunities to mingle. I loved the back and forth between Bashir and Data.

[@Paulafan5]

TNG was hesitant to have TOS characters come back. Leonard Nimoy wasn't against coming back to TNG but he was never asked.

[@markselby9352]

@@Paulafan5 what? He did come back though

[@TheFiddleFaddle]

@@markselby9352 I think they mean he was never asked to come back AFTER Reunification.

[@zt1053]

@@Paulafan5 It was kind of hard because most of the characters would be dead. The show took place 80 years after the original Star Trek. When Scotty made a guest appearance, it seemed like the cast was happy to have him there in the segment entertainment tonight on it

[@TheGrayman1234]

Brent Spiner MADE this character.

[@cristian-ionutapostol8018]

The second scene is far far more impactful when you remember Bashir is a GMO and probably sees a lot of kinship in another 'engineered' being like Data.

[@elovejapan7818]

I think this scene made me really recognize the genius of Dr. Soong. Stories of robots having or developing their own personalities are pretty common, but the fact that Dr. Soong constructed Data to have a body that has human-like functions that also serve an important purpose is pretty incredible.

[@Paulafan5]

I kind of want a backstory on Soong. His early days, the creation of Lore and what mischief Lore got up to.

[@fuckel98]

we really needed more Data and Bashir, two engineered lifeforms just finding their way.

[@johnnydepressio3785]

Yea his creator went through a lot trouble to make him seem human... ...but to get the skin color right was beyond his abilitys.

[@R33Racer]

I think that was deliberate, just so that it can still be differentiated.

[@blahanddar4673]

R33Racer i think it was a joke but.. yeah good logic there

[@Djarra]

R33Racer Although Data did seemed surprised at how lifelike Crusher was able to make him look when disguised as a Romulan.

[@DelcoRanz93]

I think it was done to make sure there isn't any confusion between Data and Dr. Soong

[@daniels7907]

Johnny Depressio Data was able to provide more human-like skin and eye color to his "daughter". I would suspect that Dr. Soong, who had been mocked for much of his career over being "often wrong", wanted his first successful android(s) to seem reasonably human, but still stand out enough to remind everyone of Soong's success. Data, who has enough sense of self-identity to correct Dr. Pulaski that his name is pronounced "DAY-tuh" and not "DAH-tuh", probably never bothered to change his skin or eyes because by the time he realized he could, they were as much a part of his self-image as his name.

[@creepydude94]

"no one has ever asked me if my hair will grow" That's so weird to me. My reaction to meeting Data would be exactly like Bashir's! I can't believe it wouldn't be interesting to most people to know these sort of things about an android!

[@Elly3981]

I'm honestly surprised that Bashir didn't comment on how smooth and beautiful Data's hands were because that's one of the things I find most eye-catching about him asides from his handsome face. Maybe its the white makeup that makes them look flawless. Even his fingernails look perfect like he gets them done regularly.

[@AvengerII]

Either way, I have a feeling Bashir and Data could have been good friends. You WANT A research scientist like Bashir, not the guys seen in the episodes "Measure of a Man" or "The Offspring." If anyone were going to crack the mystery of the Soong bio-androids and how they can function as artificial life, it would be someone like Bashir, not the scientists at the Star Fleet AI lab. I have no doubt that if a being like Data existed in real life he'd be treated as a commodity and not an individual

[@Icha74]

Having just finished all DS9 episodes last night (and on a withdrawal mode), I concur with you! Bashir and Data definitely will be great friends. It irks me a bit how Worf etc can look down on Bashir just because he tends to avoid fights (and because he's skinny, perhaps?), but Bashir can handle guns when he had to (the Siege episode and many battle episodes came to mind). Bashir is also the most science nerd person in DS9, which is why I guess I relate to him the most (being a scientist myself, I suppose...). He deprived himself of sleep just to find cures (the Quickening, Odo's illness, etc), and he's so dedicated to saving lives that he's now my 2nd favourite character in Star Trek actually (after Data).

[@MrMGR1986]

True but that guy saw his own error in the end.

[@no1reallycaresabout2]

I love the interactions between these two lovely characters

[@blitz7326]

I

[@Patriiiiick]

I could spend all day watching these two make small talk.

[@wilhelmhedin8845]

They have such chemistry.

[@ImmaterialDream]

2:57 Bashir is smiling like a kid in a candy store XD

[@nancyomalley6441]

I loved when JULIAN'S gorgeous big eyes got even bigger when Data introduced himself

[@Icha74]

@@nancyomalley6441 IKR. I've finished DS9 last night and still can't get over the sparks in Julian's eyes whenever he's excited (not just when he sees gorgeous women, but I'm also talking about when he finds cool scientific stuffs or cool holosuite programs to be excited about).

[@thebighurt2495]

Two things about this scene that are great: 1) Data is an absolute Professional: "Who are you? Why are you here? Explain your purpose." 2) I like how Dr. Bashir first calls Data a "Synthetic Lifeform" instead of "The Android."

[@travis8850]

Julian always did try to keep an open mind about things...sometimes TOO open. Lol.

[@StarWarsTrekkie1342]

the two loves of my star trek life have met. LIFE IS COMPLETE.

[@Icha74]

I concur. Having finished DS9 last night and on withdrawal mode, I have officially put Bashir as my favourite character, just slightly under Data...

[@StillJustDreaming]

LOL, love data's double take when he realizes he was just about to help the "intruder" ;-) 0:19

[@JnEricsonx]

A moment of his own scientific curiosity taking precedent.

[@WolfFireheart]

Saw a other comment that said something along like "See if you can boost the power ------" Data: Bitch, I can boost anything up to anything let me just,, hang on one moment! Always gives me a little chuckle when I think of that comment.

[@kentvesser9484]

Part of that is Bashir's charisma. He's very good at socially engineering people by being so disarming. He's acting like he just belongs there and non-chalantly asks for help from a guy who just dropped by, who was "obviously" sent to help him not stop him.

[@Pigeonstatue4232]

I have never seen this episode yet I’ve seen this moment frequently

[@PoliceTelephoneBox]

It's times like this that made me really like Bashir.

[@michaelgreenwood3413]

He was one of the best reasons to watch DS9. But then their cast was pretty awesome. Especially Garak.

[@beege222]

It's a shame there weren't more opportunities for these two to interact. Not only are the parallels intriguing but they interact in a very fun, interesting way. Also, word on Bashir. There's a line from one of the trek books where Kirk muses that in Starfleet competence, and even brilliance, are commonplace, but being utterly passionate about every aspect of your work is what separates the great from the merely good.

[@ennius42]

Bashir seems to fit in better on the Enterprise than he did on Deep Space 9. But this was probably when he had only just started on DS9 and hadn’t yet found his niche.

[@kenjisparks]

This was early on. I think it was around season 4 when DS9 personnel switched to the gray uniforms.

[@2Scribble]

In hindsight - knowing that Bashir was genetically modified and programmed to EXCEED human capabilities - you can almost see WHY he's so fascinated in how capable at 'blending' with humans Data is... Almost wistful in how - despite LOOKING human - he doesn't quite fit in as well as Data does.

[@90lancaster]

Bashir likely has the ability to read the mathmatics of his blink rate too just like Data used to realise his Mother was an Android duplicate.

[@zeepster]

It's nice to see Bashir and Data again. Brings me back to DS9. What a great show that was too. Just like TNG and SV. Good times.

[@birkinsmith88]

1:25 'personable' and I'm pretty sure that's a damned good complement to give to Data specifically

[@IceGavel]

I saw this a long time ago, before I watched much of DS9. Seeing this again, knowing now what we know about Bashir, is actually kinda cool. He's genetically enhanced, he knows all about super-feats. That he would notice the things so mundane about Data points to his character - he notices things others don't, or just take for granted, because he's not normal. Also a great pseudo-4th-wall-breaker. It is, after all, still a human, and that they get to use that as part of the character is great.

[@Lava91point0]

Imagine how awesome it would've been if they'd done an episode where the enterprise made a stop at the station, for some diplomatic meeting between quadrants or something. Just seeing the crew encounter Ds9's crew for symmetry would have been so sastisfying. I know Picard was in the Pilot to hand a torch to Sisko, as it were, and Worf came along in the later seasons. But still, ahhhh what could've been

[@EdricLysharae]

Ahh, the meeting of our favorite savants.

[@brav0wing]

I think Bashir offered Data the best compliments through those questions. A fantastic cross-over between TNG and DS9.

[@zaraevee]

I love these scenes so very much! BOTH of my favorite boys on screen together, talking science 🥰 The way Julian is most focused on how *human* Data is is the sweetest thing to me, because he already understands what it’s like to have superhuman abilities to some degree

[@Scyllax]

Long before it was revealed Bashir was a genetically-engineered superhuman.

[@employee4275]

No human could have that degree of charm

[@RaulSmith]

@LordGroyper damn bro. That's deep.

[@Paulafan5]

I wonder when that was decided (that Bashir was enhanced). Was it the week they broke that story, or was it years in advance?

[@Scyllax]

@@Paulafan5 Dr. Zimmerman (Robert Picardo) figures it out because a simulation of Dr. Bashir exceeded normal parameters.

[@Icha74]

@@Paulafan5 I understand your question... but I don't have the answer. My guess is that the writers wanted to spice things up. Sid (Alexander Siddig) was super annoyed when he was told that Bashir was actually GMI (genetically modified individual), and it took him a while to make peace with that concept. Hence, i think it would be rather immediate, certainly in that season.

[@stgdz]

an augment and an android walk into engineering....

[@odysseusrex5908]

The one thing they never did, and I have always wished they had, was have the crew go into an environment requiring protective clothing, anything, pressure suits, NBC suits, breathing masks, even just parkas, and Data was there in shirt sleeves. That would have been visually interesting.

[@pitodesign]

"...how fast I can compute, my memory capacity, how long I will live - or if I might decide to die one day."

[@makara4615]

I wonder if they already had in mind back then that he was genetically modified. Would be fitting as he does not care about Datas intellect as much as he does about his build. The high intellect is nothing so new to him, it is the breathing machine.

[@tigersebel]

Sadly no. i quote memory alpha here:"The idea of making Bashir genetically engineered was a last minute decision. As Ira Steven Behr explains, "at the time we were working on "In Purgatory's Shadow" and "By Inferno's Light", we had no idea that Bashir was going to turn out to be genetically engineered. So even though it was the very next episode...""

[@makara4615]

Shame. Still, thanks.

[@tigersebel]

Makara No problem

[@Crick1952]

Lol, I was wondering that now. I highly doubt it, but they probably came up with the idea because he would notice things that most others wouldn't

[@uncletaylorify]

You know that might be so but I like to look back now and think being brash and off putting in the early seasons was Jillian's attempt to keep people at arms length and hide the fact he was genetically enhanced.

[@thelocalbard5415]

One of my favorite things about Star Trek is that, despite being on duty, everyone here seems to have enough spare time to just randomly pick up a day project.

[@missl1775]

So many curious people meet Data and ask him questions about himself, but the way Bashir does it is different. Most people immediately treat him like a robot, asking him questions about his brain or whichever aspect of his construction, functionality and daily life interest them. Bashir treats him like... Well, the closest I can get is like someone with a unique medical condition - it's a great opportunity to get first hand information, but you ask with tact. He treats him like a person first (somehow I hear a huge difference between "synthetic lifeform" & "android") asks how he's doing, and then asks if he can ask questions. Given that he seems so engrossed in research and discovery that he's shown here trying to research something without security clearance or safety checks, it's... It's really awesome in a way that's hard to articulate.

[@fjakjcwjcjjwjcch]

i saw a theory on tumblr that hypothesized that julian basically treated data like this because he was an augment - he knew if he was found out, the best case scenario was that he would be treated like him, and data is regularly a victim of racism/xenophobia and is forced to advocate for himself with only the help of one or two people close to him i'll see if i can find the original post bc i really like the theory obviously this wouldn't have been the intention of the writers due to the fact that they hadn't decided on a backstory, but i refuse to disbelieve it

[@sdwhite1978]

Looking back after tng, ds9, and ent has ended its funny that Bashir is almost like those augments on Enterprise and Data's creator's ancestor liberated and raised those augments...makes you think :)

[@caitdurl9111]

That... is a strangely brilliant thought. I never considered that. I genuinely applaud you for that.

[@Cthulhupunk]

+Steven White He is an augment, but he's a fresh one. He's not one of the "space seed" augments.

[@Scyllax]

It's almost as if it was designed that way! Idiot.

[@TimeKaiser]

Brilliant! Two of my favorite characters in the Star trek franchise, interacting with eachother! *is fangasm-ing all over the room*

[@Jokerbuzzed]

I love Data's expression at the end. Basically says "Hmm, fair enough"

[@Elly3981]

I'm honestly surprised that Bashir didn't comment on Data's hands as well as his hair, breathing, etc. As a viewer, that's what I find most eye-catching about him asides from his handsome face. Even as a kid watching the show years back, I couldn't help noticing how beautiful and smooth Brent Spiner's hands were. Maybe it was the white makeup that made them look so refined. Even his fingernails were perfect like he got them done regularly.

[@lyianx]

This looks like Data and Bashir becoming friends.

[@ReadStuff]

I didn't know Bashir from DS9 when I watched this episode for the first time, but I saw this episode again after finishing DS9 and I was so pleasantly surprised when I recognized him. I couldn't believe it.

[@nx9100]

We needed an episode B story with these two stuck in a shuttle for a while.

[@Icha74]

Put that into a Picard B-storyline and I'm all for it! (oh wait, Brent doesn't want to play Data anymore, dang...)

[@timaahhh]

Lemme just plug this Alien technology right into the warp core ffs.

[@jmarie9997]

I had to laugh when Data started to do what Julian told him, then... "Wait, what am i doing?!"

[@an_oracle]

I'm kinda with Julian on this, its far more fascinating how a computer acts like a human than a computer acts like a computer

[@lucky1206]

I thought this was a cross over on ds9 and I didn't see it. Now I have to go back to Next generation to see this. So Dr. Bashir was on The Enterprise so he knew Worf before Worf joined ds9 and then Dr. Bashir was already serving on ds9 before the season started without Dax in sight. So confusing when you look at every Star Trek series and see different characters cross over into another. The time frame has to be right on otherwise it falls apart. I'm actually surprised that Voyager didn't make their own appearance on DS9 since it started there and I think Captain Sysko was already gone years ago.

[@macgyveratlarge2133]

Bashir asked the questions that I would like to ask. Does Data perspire? How about other bodily functions? If he gets small damage, such as a paper cut, would it heal? If so, would there be a scar?

[@fubaralakbar6800]

"It would have taken me days to analyze this device using the computer I have on Deep Space 9." "What sort of device is it?" "Umm...I don't know. That's why I'm analyzing it..."

[@billyboblillybob344]

It's all about the Pentiums...

[@Sei783]

Totally out of place but this quote comes to mind: "I am a doctor, not a doorstop."

[@AzguardMike]

lol when they are being boarded and they activate the EMH

[@Cool70sfreak]

"Well do a dance, tell a story, I don't care! Just give us a few seconds!" "...according to Starfleet Medical Research, Borg implants can cause severe skin irritations. Perhaps you'd like an analgesic cream?" Robert Picardo is just the best.

[@thebighurt2495]

@@Cool70sfreak Well, he IS the best character on Voyager.

[@Suzie141]

I love Bashir, he's so cute and sweet, and such a nice guy.

[@SirCraigius]

Bashir: "Do you have hairy balls?" Data: "Nobody has ever asked me that before...."

[@MyGamer125]

It's a small detail, but I do like that the clarify that Data's "breathing" is for system cooling, and his "blood" operates his hydralics.

[@crazylarryjr]

Bashir thinks like i do, people fawn over his abilities and intelligence, I'd be more like "Wow you look and act so real, what a feat of engineering"

[@mrgaarus1278]

From datas perspective it must be nice to get asked about simple things like hair compared to the same stuff everytime

[@gicking3898]

Bashir looks so young. I've seen him in a handful of shows since, the latest being GOT. He's much older now :)

[@colin8770]

GICking well this episode was from the early 90s...

[@dalemcilwain]

This episode took place over 3 decades ago.

[@Paulafan5]

Actually, he's not that much older. In GoT he played a frail man which may make him seem older.

[@YD-uq5fi]

Worf found all three to be insufferable.

[@4Legacy]

Spiner's voice is sharper with Bashir on-screen. Not sure what I'm reading into here, but it's hard not to notice

[@ApocalypseNext]

Data: You shouldn't be here Bashir: I have nerd-bonding Data: Sold! [Same exchange presumably happens with Geordi] And then later, Geordi presumably tracks down Bashir to say, "Hey, Data wants us to zap him again. You in?" To which Bashir says, "Hell yeah!"

[@kentvesser9484]

In some ways even their holosuite interests are similar. Data - Sherlock Holmes, Bashir - Secret Agent

[@holic_shot]

An immensely powerful duo.

[@BlinkinFirefly]

Oh Julian...I find YOU fascinating ;)

[@Cheburashka207]

+BlinkinFirefly Oh look a fangirl.

[@BlinkinFirefly]

Cheburashka207 O_o

[@michaelmartin9022]

+BlinkinFirefly So do I, now... I haven't "properly" watched any Trek since I was about 12. I need to revisit quite a bit. After LoGH, though.

[@Kitmaker]

+BlinkinFirefly He's on Atlantis and Game of Thrones now. Still looks pretty good for an old guy like me. :D

[@BlinkinFirefly]

***** I saw him in Game of Thrones! I was so excited to see him! I almost fell out of my chair when I first saw

[@RyanMetz]

Bashir was GE is more computer like-than most, while data was is computer built to be more human. These two characters find an unexpected common ground in a way.

[@heisdeadjim]

One of the few times we see both "TNG era" uniforms together.

[@lazyperfectionist1]

"It's an honor to meet you, sir. I've heard so much about you." And yet, you've never come across a photo of him.

[@Paulafan5]

I think Bashir knows exactly who he is and is playing coy. Remember, he's been hiding his genetic enhancements all his life so he knows how to play it cool... except around Jadzia.

[@Icha74]

@@Paulafan5 my take is that Bashir would have seen Data's photo, but Bashir was so engrossed with that Gamma Quadrant machine that he just didn't connect the dots...

[@wiseassokaythen]

Geordi watching in the background as this interloper flirts with his boyfriend.

[@eMinorV1]

This is one reason why Bashir is so cool. While everyone marvels at Data's machine functions, Bashir was more fascinated with how human he is. They're perfect mirror images of each other as they both could have turned out a lot worse than they did, given that so many people saw Data as a tool and Bashir as a potential threat.

[@varianschirmer9375]

Seeing their conversation just makes me think Data should have appeared on DS9...even if only once...so Data (looking for Bashir) could have met Quark or Garak...just to see that 1st encounter play out...

[@YD-uq5fi]

Imagine O'Brien seeing all three of these individuals together.

[@HawkGTboy]

So the warp core has a power outlet on the front of it? That's handy!

[@Cybjon]

I can tell you exactly what that device is. It's two old electric motors stuck together.

[@FablestoneSeries]

if you've ever heard them discuss, at cons (or on the documentary The Captains), about how unrelenting their schedules were and how little sleep they got for months on end, and how negatively it impacted their families and all their relationships, you'll understand why they didn't do more of these, and why we'll never return to a 26 episode a year format ever again.

[@dirtandsilkk]

I have to watch this to see if Data ever find out about Bashir's origins