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There have been various questions about the android Data, how human-like he really is in his needs and behaviour, but none of them address something I started wondering as soon as I first saw him.

enter image description here

Look at that sleek, well-groomed hairstyle. As far as I've watched in TNG (which admittedly isn't very far at this point), I've never seen him with a single hair out of place. Is it just fixed-form bioplast sheeting in a different shape from his skin, or does it grow and need to be cut regularly and combed each day like human hair?

The same question could apply to his fingernails and so on, of course, so my general question is:

does Data's body change over time and require regular care, or not?

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Rand al'Thor
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  • Alas my time zone puts me at a disadvantage again! All great answers to a great question! – Often Right Apr 05 '16 at 22:32
  • @N_Soong Ah, I should have thought of that. Next time maybe I'll try to ask a Data question while you're awake ;-) I'm surprised by the number of different good answers this got (a definite HNQ job), so it didn't suffer too much by not getting an answer from Dr Soong himself! – Rand al'Thor Apr 05 '16 at 23:45
  • Not to worry; I've still managed to give you an answer ;) – Often Right Apr 06 '16 at 00:23
  • This was a better question than I thought it was at first glance. I wonder if Data can just suck his hair back in instead of cutting it. – Howard Miller Apr 06 '16 at 01:05
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    Data should be treated as a plural – tox123 Apr 06 '16 at 02:05
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    The first thing that popped into my head when reading "Is it just fixed-form bioplast" was the episode Thine Own Self (S7E16). His look there is definitely not the usual sleek one. – Geobits Apr 06 '16 at 05:00
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    Yes. He needs to cut his hair, clean his room, stop hanging around with those wasters he calls friends and get a job. – frodoskywalker Apr 07 '16 at 20:46

7 Answers7

136

This question was directly addressed in the episode Birthright, Part 1:

                BASHIR
        Data... may I ask you a personal
        question?

                DATA
        Certainly.

                BASHIR
        Does your hair grow?

Data thinks a moment, taken aback by the question.

                DATA
        I can control the rate of my
        follicle replenishment. However,
        I have not yet had a reason to
        modify the length of my hair.

"Birthright" script (txt file)

Mark Rogers
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AshleyZ
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57

Data did grow a beard at one point (TNG: "The Schizoid Man") so I guess he needs to cut his hair.

enter image description here

Alternatively, he can chose when to grow the hair or the beard.

After some search I found that in episode "Birthright, Part I" (at 11:05), he says he can control the rate of his hair growth. So judging from that information, it probably means he may need to cut it if he goes a little wild in his decision to grow it.

Martha
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Ram
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    Wow, that looks surreal. – Rand al'Thor Apr 05 '16 at 16:43
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    And more importantly, did his characterization significantly improve after growing it? – Zibbobz Apr 05 '16 at 16:50
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    TNG: "The Schizoid Man" – Ram Apr 05 '16 at 16:50
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    When I stroke the beard thusly... – TecBrat Apr 05 '16 at 17:22
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    @Ram - Wow, a Prisoner reference. Bravo. If I hadn't been rewatching that series in the last few months, I probably wouldn't have caught it. – Darrel Hoffman Apr 05 '16 at 17:23
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    @DarrelHoffman On this site, we want information ... information ... information! By hook or by crook, we will get it. – Rand al'Thor Apr 05 '16 at 17:32
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    The scene with Data showing off his new beard is in the opening part of the transcript here--judging by Geordi and Troi's reaction, it isn't something he was gradually growing for weeks earlier, suggesting either that his rate of hair growth could be manually controlled (so he could make it so the hair on his head didn't grow at all), or he was just using the 24th century equivalent of a fake beard (which might be considerably more advanced than the primitive fake beards of our own backwards era). – Hypnosifl Apr 05 '16 at 17:46
  • Man, I would love to see him push that facewarmer out over the course of just a few minutes. Makes me think of Chia Pet commercials. – Nuclear Hoagie Apr 06 '16 at 09:35
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    +1 to Hypnosifl. Forget about starships, transporters & medicine, I wonder how far fake beard technology will advance! lol! @Matt the hair growing could look a little like the beard guy in this video Play-Doh Mop Top Hair Shop – Xen2050 Apr 08 '16 at 12:28
  • Accepting this since you got the clincher quote first. Enjoy the Guru and Populist badges :-) – Rand al'Thor May 15 '16 at 11:19
53

Data's hair definitely does not require trimming.

In the episode "Data's Day", Data visits the barber shop while Geordi is getting his own cut. He tries out the following joke with Geordi:

My hair does not require trimming you lunkhead!

Even though Data is not the best at jokes, this definitely implies that Data does not need the services of the ship barber.

Paul D. Waite
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Zibbobz
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  • Also note, although I cannot remember the exact line, I believe Data directly makes reference to not needing a barber in this episode and in this scene. – Zibbobz Apr 05 '16 at 16:41
  • Right, I forgot about this quote! Good find! – Him_Jalpert Apr 05 '16 at 16:42
  • Transcript here: www.chakoteya.net/NextGen/185.htm Can't check it at the moment sadly – Zibbobz Apr 05 '16 at 16:43
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    "LAFORGE: Here for a trim? DATA: My hair does not require trimming, you lunkhead. LAFORGE: What? DATA: My hair does not require trimming LAFORGE: Lunkhead? DATA: I am experimenting with friendly jibes and insults. It was not meant as a serious disparagement." – Rand al'Thor Apr 05 '16 at 16:44
13

No, Data was asked this by a child in Star Trek:Insurrection. See the quote below for more details. He more or less states that things about him don't change like they will for the child over time.

Although he doesn't come out and actually say it, he implies that he doesn't need the same 'maintenance' as a person would.

UPDATE: Below is the conversation about this between Data and Artim in Star Trek:Insurrection:

DATA: My legs are exactly eighty-seven point two centimetres in length. They were eighty-seven point two centimetres the day I was created. They will be eighty-seven point two centimetres the day I go off line. My operation depends on specifications that do not change. I will never know the experience of ...growing up or ...tripping over my own feet.

ARTIM: But you've never had adults telling you what to do all the time, ...or bedtimes, ...or having to eat food you don't like.

DATA: I would gladly accept the requirement of a bedtime in exchange for knowing what it is like to be a child.

Him_Jalpert
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  • Transcript of Insurrection here. – Rand al'Thor Apr 05 '16 at 16:42
  • "DATA: My legs are exactly eighty-seven point two centimetres in length. They were eighty-seven point two centimetres the day I was created. They will be eighty-seven point two centimetres the day I go off line. My operation depends on specifications that do not change. I will never know the experience of ...growing up or ...tripping over my own feet." – Rand al'Thor Apr 05 '16 at 16:43
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    This simply describes that his general dimensions do not change, as the context of that scene was about tripping over one's feet. But we know that Data has some processes that mimic biological functions which does indicate he can change. – Ellesedil Apr 05 '16 at 18:17
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    Why would any android designer choose eighty-seven point two centimetres for leg length? Sounds like a manufacturing nightmare. – Lightness Races in Orbit Apr 07 '16 at 12:48
  • @LightnessRacesinOrbit perhaps the designer didn't use the metric system as designed on Earth ;) – Dan Apr 07 '16 at 17:54
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    @Dan Often Wrong Soong. – Him_Jalpert Apr 07 '16 at 18:58
  • @LightnessRacesinOrbit: Any shorter and they wouldn't reach the ground. Haven't you read your Salinger? – Scott Sauyet Apr 10 '16 at 20:42
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I'm only going to address your general question, as I think the hair aspect has been thoroughly covered.

Regarding the general question, I see two sub-questions:

1) Does Data's Body change over time?

The answers already provided are all wonderful, but there is one other point I'd like to make. Observe Data's appearance in Season 1:

enter image description here

and now in Star Trek Nemesis:

enter image description here

Between 2364 and 2379 (15 years), we can see signs that Data has aged. This is more of a visual confirmation of @Jack B Nimble's answer where Geordi briefly mentions that Data does have an ageing subroutine.

So, the answer is YES

2) Does Data need regular care or not?

This is actually addressed in my answer here. To summarise it:

  • Data has a bio-mechanical maintenance programme that is 'self-sufficient'
  • He is capable of running self-diagnostics

So, he doesn't need regular care - he can perform his own self-maintenance if required; only when something goes seriously wrong does he need to seek help from others.

So, the answer is YES, but only by himself. He doesn't need regular care from other people.

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Often Right
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    Re point 1, I assume that was necessary from an out-of-universe perspective? (Brent Spiner looks ancient these days!) – Rand al'Thor Apr 06 '16 at 00:35
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    I would consider Data's self-maintenance to be "regular care", so the answer is yes. I mean, I have to brush my teeth every day, so I require regular care. – DCShannon Apr 06 '16 at 00:35
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    @Randal'Thor in fact, this was one of the reasons Spiner wanted to finish being Data - because it took so long to put on the makeup so Data wouldn't look so old! But if we look at it from a strictly in-universe explanation of this, then that's what I've done ;) – Often Right Apr 06 '16 at 00:37
  • @DCShannon that's a good point - I got too engrossed in what I was doing and forgot the actual question! My bad! – Often Right Apr 06 '16 at 00:37
  • And his batteries continuously recharge themselves! :P – Luaan Apr 06 '16 at 16:40
  • Hmm, by contrast: Picard, Season 1 | Picard, Season 7 – Dan Henderson Apr 06 '16 at 21:15
  • @DanHenderson you're forgetting Q brought him back to life and no doubt imbued him with eternal youth – Often Right Apr 06 '16 at 22:29
  • @N_Soong nice, fully in-universe rationale for purely out-of-universe phenomena. – Dan Henderson Apr 07 '16 at 01:43
  • One might argue that, in-universe, Data need not necessarily look any different "now" than he did in Season One, and that this is simply an abstraction-leak to camera much like how Data just so happens to look the same as a 20th Century human named Brent Spiner, when observed through the Paramount lens. See also: he looks older in All Good Things's "past" segments than he actually did in the pilot. – Lightness Races in Orbit Apr 07 '16 at 12:50
  • @LightnessRacesinOrbit however this would contradict Geordie's statement in 'Inheritance' that Data has an ageing subroutine. I concede defeat on the point about his age appearance in All Good Things – Often Right Apr 07 '16 at 23:40
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    @N_Soong: I suspect it's one of those things that we've been given all sorts of information about that can't really be reliably conflated to a single conclusion. Such is TV! – Lightness Races in Orbit Apr 07 '16 at 23:41
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In Star Trek: First Contact you can see Data's hair has become loose on his altered side.

enter image description here

Geordi says that Data ages.

Just in case you missed it:

LAFORGE: It's part of her aging programme. Not only does she age in appearance like Data, her vital signs change too.

Although I don't know if this means that his hair grows or not.

There is also the time Data says he occasionally ingests "semi-organic nutrient suspension in a silicon-based liquid medium" to lubricate his bio-functions. Which suggests that his body requires some regular care.

Often Right
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Jack B Nimble
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  • @amarillo I like to keep my audience in suspense. – Jack B Nimble Apr 05 '16 at 16:34
  • The rest of the answer is behind a pay service login. – Jack B Nimble Apr 05 '16 at 16:41
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    I didn't know stack exchange adopted a DLC model for votes. – corsiKa Apr 05 '16 at 17:38
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    Does any part of this actually address his hair growing? – DCShannon Apr 06 '16 at 00:19
  • The Borg altered parts was a replacement of his existing hair and skin. They basically did a skin and hair graft from a donor (or manufactured). It was complete with nerve endings and was able to respond to pain and various senses. His original skin probably just has micro-sensors that just say "I'm touched", or "this water is 38c". The Borg used the graft to win him over as either making him more human (fulfilling his desires), or to crush his dreams and spirit hoping he would join the "stronger" force. – BPugh Apr 07 '16 at 12:39
0

In "Measure of a Man," Data says, "My condition does not change with the passage of time, Commander." Since this is responding to small talk asking how he is, he might mean his emotional condition or lack thereof. But he is typically quite literal. He also does not appear to have aged twenty-five years into the alternative future timeline of "All Good Things," and once got sent back five hundred years into the past, and had his head rediscovered and reattached in the future, with no lasting effects.

There is, as other answers have mentioned, evidence from other episodes that he does age.

Davislor
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