Whether dismantling his own evil twin or making the whole bridge vaguely uncomfortable with his first laugh, Data was the Federation's very own android with a human side. But just how would Data have become a citizen of the Federation in the first place? A writer for Star Trek TNG explains.


After reading this article on the rights of non-human species in science fiction universes, Melinda M. Snodgrass, the writer for Star Trek TNG's famous musing on the topic, The Measure Of A Man, joined us in the comments to expand on the two possible avenues that could have landed Commander Data in the Federation: