I’m hardly what you’d call a Trekkie. Indeed, apart from a few episodes, the original Star Trek with Captain James T. Kirk was a very tiresome series for me. But then 21 years later Gene Roddenberry decided it was time for an ‘update’. Hence the emergence of one of the best television series ever, StarTrek: The Next Generation.
Of the characters Picard, Riker, Tasha Yar, Worf and the rest, I’d have to say that Lieutenant Commander Data is my favorite, hands down. His plight, or should I say, his quest as an android to understand what it means to be human, coupled with his intelligence and humor, have produced some very thought provoking and philosophical episodes- my favorite being, Star Trek (The Next Generation): The Measure of a Man, Season 2 Episode 9.
Another one of my favorite episodes would have to be Star Trek (The Next Generation): Schisms, Season 6 Episode 5. In this episode we’re privileged to hear some of Data’s poetry, and I have to say, for an android, he writes damn good poetry!
I’ll let Data introduce his poem, enjoy ...
“Throughout the ages, from Keats to Jorkemo, poets have composed odes to individuals who have had a profound effect on their lives. In keeping with that tradition, I have written my next poem in honor of my cat. I call it Ode to Spot.”
"Ode to Spot"
by Lieutenant Commander Data (2338 – 2379)
Felis catus is your taxonomic nomenclature,
An endothermic quadruped, carnivorous by nature.
Your visual, olfactory, and auditory senses
Contribute to your hunting skills and natural defenses.
I find myself intrigued by your subvocal oscillations,
A singular development of cat communications
That obviates your basic hedonistic predilection
For a rhythmic stroking of your fur to demonstrate affection.
A tail is quite essential for your acrobatic talents.
You would not be so agile if you lacked its counterbalance.
And when not being utilized to aid in locomotion,
It often serves to illustrate the state of your emotion.
Oh Spot, the complex levels of behavior you display
Connote a fairly well-developed cognitive array,
And though you are not sentient, Spot, and do not comprehend,
I nonetheless consider you a true and valued friend.
Written Stardate 46154.2
