Cheap Star Trek - The Next Generation, Episode 14: Datalore (Video) (Larry Shaw, David Carson, Gabrielle Beaumont, Timothy Bond, Kim Manners, LeVar Burton, Richard Compton, Jonathan West, Marvin V. Rush, Michael Vejar) Price

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Customer Reviews of Star Trek - The Next Generation, Episode 14: Datalore

Would Captain Picard really say, "Shut up Wesley"?
The premise of this episode is one of the oldest in human literature, that of the evil twin. Proving once again that Star Trek often attempts to look ahead by looking back. In this case, it is Data that has an evil twin, found in pieces when the Enterprise travels back to the planet where Data was found. There are also hints of the crystalline entity, a creature that appears to subsist by devouring life.
When the Enterprise arrives at the planet, it is completely devoid of life, although a research lab is still intact. Lore is found, taken back to the ship and reconstructed. Once he is together, Lore "awakens" and immediately begins plotting to allow the crystalline entity to penetrate the Enterprise and consume the life on board. He is foiled by the efforts of Wesley Crusher, who seems to be the only one who recognizes that Lore is impersonating Data.
There are so many logical holes and inconsistencies in this episode that it becomes a strain to watch. The most amazing is the way that Captain Picard treats Wesley. In the previous episode, "The Big Goodbye", Captain Picard and Dr. Crusher are trapped inside the holodeck due to a computer error. Wesley is allowed to participate in the rescue attempt; in fact he is the sole person examining the circuitry, searching for the flaw. Yet, in this episode, when Wesley voices his concern that the android is in fact Lore impersonating Data, Picard's solution is to yell, "Shut up Wesley!" Riker's behavior is almost as bad, paying no attention to what Wesley is trying to say. At the end, when it is clear that Wesley has in fact saved the ship and the lives of everyone on board, the only thing Picard can say to Wesley is, "Are you ready to return to duty?" This is completely inconsistent with the established patterns of behavior, as Wesley has established himself as one of the most capable members of the crew.
The only thing that saves the episode is the excellent performance of Brent Spiner as both Data and Lore. As a consequence of his giving Lore a facial tic and slightly different mannerisms, we always know which one is on the screen. Unfortunately, if we can see it, it should have been obvious to the crew of the Enterprise as well. Fortunately, Lore is defeated in a way that allowed for a logically consistent return in future episodes. Despite this bad start, his appearance in future episodes yields much better stories.

"It's Data, mom. I heard you know how to turn him on."
In "Datalore," Star Trek: The Next Generation tried its hand at the time-tested evil-twin story by introducing viewers to version 1.0 of the series' beloved positronic-brained android. This episode provided the same opportunity to explore the dual nature of the psyche like "The Enemy Within" did during the run of the original series. Sadly though, the doppelganger didn't demand to be given brandy this time around - more proof that the 23rd century was a much more fun time period than the 24th.

While trying to solve the mystery behind the mysterious disappearance of a colony in the Omicron Theta star system, the crew of the Enterprise-D discover a disassembled android in a laboratory. When assembled the android proves to be an exact duplicate of Data (Brent Spiner). It turns out the android named Lore (Spiner in a dual role) was created before Data but was shut down when he encountered difficulties co-existing with the colonists. It soon comes to light that there is a sinister connection between the reactivated android and the disappearance of the colonists.

Brent Spiner is assigned double-duty with this episode and he admirably pulls off the difficult task of playing the twin androids. Although similar in appearance, Spiner infuses both Data and Lore with personas so distinct that you never confuse the two of them. While Lore's facial twitch and use of contractions seem to be contrived and convenient story devices, the novelty of watching a dark version of Data is so amusing that it helps to temper the weaknesses in the story. Wisely, Lore is dispatched in a manner that leaves the door open for further appearances. His return in future seasons would contribute immensely to the continued development of Data.