Data is probably the most loved and remembered of The Next Generation crew (next to Picard, obviously), but his thoughtful and respectful search for humanity in the series never translated well onto the big screen. A film does not give you the same scope for character development as a series and cannot be approached in the same way. The original series films got this right – highlight one area of character drama and resolve it by the end, whether that be inexperience, overconfidence or a conflict between characters.

The Next Generation did not translate as well to the big screen, but First Contact showed that the characters, if handled properly, could carry a film in such a way. Data’s handling was all over the place because he had a major role in each film, even when the film had nothing to do with him. His emotion chip was a mistake in Generations, and its absence a similar one in Insurrection. By Star Trek: Nemesis, Data had become a full grown plot tumor.

Star Trek: Nemesis shouldn’t be about Data, but it is. Star Trek: Nemesis should be about Shinzon. Picard perhaps. But definitely not Data. From the discovery of the prototypical B4, the crude analogue of the Picard/Shinzon relationship he became to the final, stolen sacrifice, Data usurped every major plot point in the film, and in every case it was less interesting than either the Shinzon story or even Data’s own stories from the past. Unlike Generations or Insurrection, Data isn’t entirely irrelevant to the main story, but his part does nothing to enhance the film.

This is not to say Data’s storyline in Star Trek: Nemesis is bad. In fact, it’s actually quite good. Data makes peace with his quest for humanity by coming face to face with the original version of himself, and sees how he has grown simply through his desire for betterment. Then, at the end, he shows his humanity by sacrificing himself to save his friends – an act B4 could not have done. It’s a great story (admittedly not executed anywhere near as well as I just made out), but it’s not the story of the film, nor does it really relate to it when seen in its best light. Worse, there was a far better and more relevant story that could have easily worked had John Logan delved a bit further into lore: er, Lore.

Data’s evil twin was a much more interesting character than B4 because he was basically Data with emotions. Well, guess what, Data has emotions now. Shinzon and Lore vs Picard and Data? Now that’s a conflict that makes sense. Alas, Data’s emotion chip isn’t even mentioned, which means that Data’s storyline doesn’t even work as a mirror to the Picard/Shinzon story.