Data Uses Contractions Montage
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- Опубліковано 23 сер 2024
- Data from Star Trek the Next Generation and his use of contractions. He should not be able to (per his programming) but as you will see he uses them many times. Enjoy all of the mistakes I've caught on the show and feel free to message me if you know of any others. I'll be sure to add them to this video!
My website: matthewmansfiel...
I think with some of these lines he doesn't actually use a contraction, he just says the two words very quickly. I'm pretty sure he actually says 'I am' to McCoy.
I thought so too until i started watching his lips. A couple I'm's could have been I am's but the rest were single words.
Cathexis Also the "I've" at the end of the video is actually "I have", but you have to listen for it.
Same with the "we're" he says "we are" just close together.
Most of these are definitely not actually contractions. He speaks so fast that it nearly could be, but it is not.
Many of these examples are not contractions as others have pointed out. Many were in the first season when the character was just being fleshed out, so to speak. There have been several genuine flubs though, including some not listed here.
Some of the contractions he uses are as part of specific phrases, such as "Honey, I'm home" and the joke he tells La Forge. While he might not understand how to use them in normal conversation, he can still say them and duplicate a phrase with them in.
Sometimes he says "I'm an android" and sometimes he says "I am an android."
m.ua-cam.com/video/-6Zc8Co2H3w/v-deo.htmlm10s
Another thing; I am 80% deaf, and because of that, i have MASTERED the skill of lip reading. in some of these clips, like the very last one, he said "I HAVE locked out the controls."
Name checks out
I feel like whenever Data is talking normally he can't use contractions, but whenever he's quoting something else - like a joke, an oft-used phrase etc he has the ability to use them.
Season One was written by Roddenberry, whose ideas were better than his writing.
Season Two: "Elementary, Dear Data" - He's playing a character, and using the language of the character he assumed.
Season Three: "The Offspring" - He says "I am", but because so little is involved with changing the shape of the lips, it can sound like "I'm" if said fast enough.
Season Four: "Future Imperfect" doesn't count.
"In Theory" - Again, regurgitating information he has acquired.
Season Six: "The Quality of Life" - Again, "I have" -> "I've".
Exactly. The rule wasn't established until episode 13 of season 1, so anything before that doesn't count. Quite a few of these also sounded like "I am" or "I have" as you said, but were said quickly. And yeah, Future Imperfect being in here made me roll my eyes. The only decent one here is the Sherlock Holmes one.
@Johnny TheTrailerSlayer he memorized the books, it was similar to or something that Holmes said
Yeah, he's not actually an android, he's an actor :)
ChristianIce No, I don't believe it! 😭
Brent Spiner is not Data with makeup in the role of an actor till they all can return to their own universe? That Ice guy lies!
he is not actually an android he is an actor
Oh noooooo. My childhood is ruined. Next you will tell santa is not real. I don't believe
Whats the difference?
No, we haven't "established that Data cannot use 'contractions' ." We've established only that Lore uses them 'easily' and that Data does not use them as easily, he has 'never mastered' their use. This is not to say he is incapable of their use, just unpracticed or inefficient.
Nice retcon.
He said that his daughter using it casually had exceeded his abilities, but the examples here are him using them casually as well. It's just that the writers don't always catch those things.
It's...it's like he was written and played by...a HUMAN!
Nonsense! It can't be!
No... Everyone knows Star Trek is real.
hoomon
Mind...blown
To be fair, I am surprised that Brent Spiner didn't call these out.
You can't count instances where he's quoting something, as he's just regurgitating a line.
I also don't really count the first season, as the writers were still figuring out the characters.
A lot of these instances are due to how quickly Data is speaking. I was clearly hearing him say two separate words, but a few of them come out sounding like contractions.
A lot of times he's reciting a line he's read or heard...
And he's constantly trying to be more human so how would we even know if he's not consciously doing it to sound more human?
Sanjuro86 that too, of course...
But my points are valid.
corrado ya know, i kind of always thought that too uncle jun
the filthy casual what do you mean by "uncle jun" ?
the sopranos...pardon the reference
your points aren't valid. because he CAN'T use contractions period was the rule. intentional or otherwise.
Data at the end of Datalore: I'm fine! *facetwitch*
Everyone is okay with it.
i never understood why contractions were so hard for data anyway... it should be programmed into his vocabulary like every other word... it'd be like saying my calculator app on my phone can't do addition.
Lol I made the exact same comment just now. It really makes no sense as it's just an alternative to no contractions, you can use a program as simple as Microsoft Word to replace all can nots with can'ts and they would all be correct. Emotion has got nothing to do with it.
s/i have/i've/g
I also doubt that data was unable to make simple regular expressions like this.
Hey, he's got a bug and he's erratic! :D
If you understood the history of Data's older "brother," Lore, you might. Data was intentionally limited in his ability to mimic humans because his predecessor, Lore, disturbed colonists. Dr. Seung made Data less human seemingly to put his fellow colonists more at ease with him than they had with Lore.
I think Dr. Soong programmed Data's vocabulary with a sort of hierarchical structure, an artificial limitation. So the contracted words are available, but they're second in the hierarchy after the non-contractions. I think Data would have to, for some reason, be completely unable to use the non-contraction in order to move to the next option in the list, the contraction. I'm no programmer, but I think that would, at it's most basic principle, be an "if/then" command.
Contractions start off as quick phonetics, like when "I am" spoken quickly can sound like "I'm."
Some of them. But others were clearly contractions and not just spoken quickly, like when he said "I'd". There's no way that was 'I would'.
at 2:38 AND 2:57 and a few other times (4:38)... he says "I am", not "I'm" as it says on the screen. Also, at 5:14, he says "I have", not "I've". Listen more closely.
I also think the last one is "I have".
4:38 isn't even the real Data
@@wocket42 You are correct. It is not.
We've established it's mostly in the first season when data was introduced and a new character . It was instantly corrected moving forward.
If you listen closely, especially the "I'm" ones, he's most definitely saying I AM, just very hastily so that they sound merged together.
4:58 Such a missed opportunity to make the scene a little more funny with...
"Honey! I am home!"
The one for 'In Theory' I believe is acceptable, as later in the scene it is revealed that he is copying forms of Human interactions when dating.
Y'know, a lot of these can be explained away either by quick speaking or the fact that he's quoting something, e.g. "Honey, I'm home!"
Data was just trolling the Enterprise and Lal when he made those comments. Either that, or he says the words ("I am," for example) eight times faster than a human could, and so they only sound like contractions, but in actuality Data is really saying two words.
The first episodes of Season 1.. I believe that is before they established his inability to use contractions?
Yeah, I was about to say some of those could just be cases of Characterization Marches On.
Was gonna say this, I wouldn't really count anything from the first season. They're still establishing characters at that point, so it can be forgiven if some of the background hadn't been quite hashed out by that point (especially in the first episode!). It's not like a major plot point or anything, more likely just something the writers keyed onto in later seasons to viscerally show the divide that Data experiences between himself and humanity.
That last one sounds like "I have".
doesn't make much sense that Data wouldn't be able to learn contractions. really just a plot device.
Yes I agree.
Wished to say the same thing. Even today, writing a chat bot that can use and *understand* contractions is a pretty straightforward task, you just code a dictionary of contracted forms and expand them internally, then handle them in the decision tree in their extended form, so you get it to recognize both the contraction and the extended form, and react equally. It's totally unrealistic that Sung would build an actually sentient android with perfect speech synthesis who can't handle such a trivial thing.
You make an interesting point Alex. But I think it's not because Sung couldn't programme Data with contractions, it was so Data would not be perfect, and all part of his programming goal to be Human.
Remember, Lore was built first, he had emotions, could use contractions, but the colonists from the colony he was built on did not like Lore as he was "too" perfect. I think emotions made Lore too unstable.
Locutus whoa! you're right, I had forgotten the story behind Lore. My bad. :/
Amazing when people agree with someone that says the opposite of them on the Internet!!! 😂
4:08 and 5:13. Data does not use contractions. Brent quickly pronounce them. You just have to listen very carefully. If you have been as obsessed with Brent/Data as I have, you learn to distinguish subtle nuances in his speech patterns. As for the clips from Season 1, everyone was getting to know their respective characters and many "mistakes" were made then. The other clips that I did not reference have logical explanations that I am too lazy to cover.
"No you can't, don't even try!"
Had to be done.
You're not my mother!
Most (or all) are from season 1, the pilot season. I feel we can forgive them for making a few mistakes as the show was first starting out. And btw Data has said he has not been able to master using contractions in sentences, so perhaps it means he sometimes can and sometimes cannot use them.
Cool video...lots of work you did here. I will say that the one of season 3 i think, at 4:10, he does seem to say "i am" instead of "I'm" -- i think it's just really fast speech.
Honestly, I agree. A lot of these are really "close" and could go either way. I put the video together to get conversation started among us nerds! :) For instance, in Season 5, Episode 26 (called Time's Arrow), the scene beginning at time index 22:35, data joins a poker game and states he is a Frenchman, and proceeds to speak in French. I think speaking in French contains much more complex verbal agility than saying something as simple as "can't" instead of cannot. The idea behind the programming of Data isn't set in stone as he's always learning, but it's fun to watch this old show and poke fun with it to keep conversation alive. :) Thanks for your comments and thoughts.
I agree totally. Plus of course Data barely knows about French at all in one early episode, where Picard retorts that it was the language of learned people for centuries, or something like that. Of course one of TNG's biggest hypocrisies in my opinion is how they say money doesnt exist, but then they talk about money usage many times. Plus how "humans" are so bad, jealousy etc, and of course NO other species shows those negative characteristics at ALL (sarcasm)
When dealing with Q for instance, they attempt to make humans appear to be so great... the hilarious part of this all, is that those thoughts are coming from a human brain. Humans have their flaws, and one of the things I do admire about the UFP is the desire to explore and learn more. I think the process of learning should never stop and we should constantly work to improve ourselves.
I was gonna say that. It's possible in some instances he said it so fast that it sounded like a contraction.
Some of these dont count really. Sometimes it sounds like he's saying I'm but it's really a fast "I am" ... and most of these were from Season 1, which has a lot of flaws anyway. The actors and writers were still figuring it out.
There were countless examples of him actually saying two words fast but not actually a contractions. Almost every single I've was actually I have.
2:38 --"The Naked Now" I disagree, he did not use a contraction.
3:03 --"Code of Honor" I think an exception can be made here, since he is repeating it how he read it originally. He can quote contractions, but he can't make them up when *he* is coming up with the words. Same thing happened in "A Fistful of Datas" when he adapted all those personalities; that was Data channeling a different computer's words, not his own. Likewise at 3:58 when he is imitating Holmes' style of speech, and 4:57 "In Theory" where he's imitating Fred Flintstone (or was it the Honeymooners?).
4:18 --"Future Imperfect" Aww, c'mon... don't be like that! XD
5:09 --"The Quality of Life" Mnnn... It's arguable, but I think he said " *I have...* "
Something to note: In the episode Datalore, when they first find his twin brother Lore, Lore mentions that Data cannot use contractions. At the end of the episode, after they get Data back, realizing that Lore had switched places with him, Data uses a contraction. This only seemed to be popular in season 1, but in subsequent seasons, his programming was said not to be able to use contractions, which he has used, anyway.
Very well-organized video, I appreciate the timecode and transcription of the dialogue.
In a few cases, he seems to use the words "I am" and "I have" really quickly. When he says "I"ve locked out the controls", he says "I have " really quickly. In one part he says "I am" really quickly, but it sounds like "I'm". If you listen carefully, you can hear it.
When he sent Diana Troi's sister off in the transporter is when I noticed him use a contraction for the first time. That was season four so It really is easily unnoticed. I found this video because I specifically searched for a compilation after that figuring it must have happened a lot. Thanks!
Ya know I never noticed these. He smiled in an early episode too before the emotion chip was discussed too. But we know how "busy" season 1 production was....
the joke with geordie make's sense, as does his conversations with jenna. he's just reciting a source
He says he has not mastered contractions not that he can't use them. In some cases he seems to use them in odd places. So perhaps he tries to use them but doesn't always do so consistently.
Worf on the other hand never uses contractions in either English of Klingon. He even uses a longer form of a Bajoran phrase than either Kira of Sisko.
its interesting that in the first episode where they explain this, he uses 3 or 4 contractions
In the naked now it made sense that he said contractions because he's not himself.
And yet people never notice Q's occasional use of contractions. XD
I caught another one as well! In the 2nd season episode "Manhunt", the last 3 or so minutes, when the Antedean delegates are ready to beam down with Luxwana Troi, she mentions that they are assassins, and their robes are lined with Ultritium. Data answers, "SHE'S correct sir, their robes are lined with Ultritium."
Ah, but are these contradictions or are they evidence of Data's evolution? Is he gradually exceeding his current parameters as he becomes more human?
Most of these are from S1 and S2, so no.
Data said "you've" twice in the scene with Lal and Guinan, thereby establishing he does use contractions sometimes, as a treat.
There's also one in "We'll Always Have Paris" that I just noticed. When Data is handling the antimatter and sees duplicates of himself, he says "It's me!"
Time index 5:13
He clearly says I have. Just said it quickly is all.
The most obvious example is in Episode 24 "We'll Always Have Paris." Where Data very clearly exclaims "It's ME!"
And don't give me that "it's the first season so it doesn't count" BS. This happened well after Datalore where it was established.
Alexis, I thoroughly enjoyed your comment. I clicked on your youtube profile and read your comments left on other videos as well and I must say; I really enjoy your writing style! It's very cognitively driven and descriptive in such a way that elevates the reader to your perspective. I would really enjoy being able to read more of your thoughts on various topics and subject materials. Do you have a website, blog or other online outlet? Is there a place where you have shared more views on things? If you would value staying in touch, please feel free to contact me through my webpage and perhaps we could begin a dialog? Until then, - Matthew
Lol.
what...the.......f.....
uhhhhhhhh.............................
This makes me feel a lot better about forgetting the contractions here and there when I'm writing fic for Data. At least the show did it too!
Objection, the 2nd scene he explains that he hasn't mastered it, meaning he is capable of it, just doesn't use it effectively. His brother also assumes he only talks that way but he also thinks of Data as inferior.
Note the specific contractions he does use. Subjective noun contractions seem to be consistently used. "I'm" "you're" etc
"My program has never MASTERED"?
On the last one, I distinctly heard, "I have locked out all of the controls." It's said rapidly, but there are two distinct words there, instead of a single contraction.
Yeah, I noticed those, too. I think the "inability to use contractions" thing was introduced later on, ignoring the fact that he had already used them.
I imagine brent spiner thought
"Hmm a wonder if they noticed if i snuck in contractions"
Oh wow, I hadn't even thought to critic this topic! Great job!
The last one was not a contraction. Listen to it. He says, "I have locked out the controls," very quickly
Agreed
He is also quite expressive for not having emotions . He would have been a bit duller had he not I am thinking ...
The answer must be SORCERY! But applause to you for going though all those episodes to find these curious incongruities... :)
some contractions are quotes he takes form other sources (around 3:11 is an exmaple), and a number of you're points were actually you interpreting his words as contractions, even though he doesn't use a contraction. He just says I Am, or We are really quickly, but you can still hear it
As an artificial intelligence able to learn, I think he just got the ability to somehow speak more naturally based on what he had heard on many occasions with the human interaction.
As others have mentioned - those instances prior to "DataLor" can be chalked up to writers getting the feel for the characters and not yet knowing that point of plot (probably not in the "Bible" at the time they were writing), and a few of them afterwards are plot devices for realizing that someone isn't Data (see Riker's scene in the faked future), or it is him emulating an existing medium (Geordi was frustrated with Data for simply playing the part of Holmes verbatim in their Holonovel recreations, so it would make sense he'd use the same quotes as Holmes - similarly, in playing the part of a boyfriend, using fiction tropes). Still, a good and interesting compilation.
"his programming never mastered" doesn't imply never.
I think they were still fleshing out Datas character in Season 1 which is why he used so many contractions during that period
You've apparently never heard Brent Spiner talk about this. He acknowledges that it wasn't an initial character quirk. After a while of playing the character he realized that he doesn't use very many contractions, and retconned that as part of Data's character. That's why most of these contractions are in the first half of season 1. Of course there are occasional slip-ups afterwards, but not nearly so many.
wow i cant believe i never noticed any of these. I just rewatched the whole series
It is kinda interesting how most of the contractions were from the first season, and the few later ones, with a few exceptions, could maybe be excused as Data directly quoting something he had heard elsewhere.
it is a valid point. The actor and director were not paying attention to a detail that the writers had long ago made a point about. There is no excuse for that lapse.
He actually does not use a contraction in the last clip; he says "I have locked out the controls, he just says "I have" so close together it sounds similar to a contraction unless you listen closely.
He does say the line with emotion though.
In "the offspring" episode he says "I've" two times in a row, only a few minutes after iterating that he isn't able to.
I’m not reading through 753 comments, so please forgive me if someone else has already pointed this out.
Many instances of “I’m” and “I’ve” sound like they’re actually two syllables said quickly and poorly enunciated. So he may have actually said “I am” and “I have,” but they were mushed together so they sounded like one word, which may be how contractions originally came about in the first place. One example is in the scene where Riker caught him saying “can’t,” which could be why he didn’t point out both.
When Data was telling Geordi the joke, he was reciting an old joke he had read. When the woman who was an expert on the crystalline entity asked him if he had any of her son’s memories, he read a diary entry that had contractions, so he’s perfectly capable of saying them, but not adept at creating them. When playing Sherlock Holmes in the holodeck, he was again using lines from the books, all of which he had read. When pursuing a romantic relationship, he wrote special routines for that purpose, drawing from examples he had read about. So the “lovers quarrel” was like acting in a play from a script.
Also, when you quote him as saying, “Actually, I’m quite efficient in some basic human information,” he actually said “quite deficient,” going on to say he doesn’t understand sneezing. And you misspelled “Lore.”
Nice compilation! Seems they got it right once the limitation was established. In fact most later examples seem like slurring rather than contractions. Also, recitations (the jokes, 50's dad quotes, Sherlock Holmes) seem justified, though it's funny that he slipped a contraction in AFTER his telling of jokes.
Matthew... thank you so much for having a montage and not spending 75% of it on "The Measure of a Man," which I feel is one of the worst hours of television ever.
For the record, Data as Sherlock Holmes was also him "acting" as a holodeck character...
...and you have "afraid," "consistency," and "Riker" misspelled. (I do prefer it spelled like you have it, "Ryker," but the production team doesn't feel that way. Then again, they went 2-3 years with Marina Sirtis's hair up in a bun (gag)... i.e., they wasted 2-3 years, she was like 7-of-9, just getting better and better.
This video is so well constructed.
Thank you.
Note how Data emphasizes at the beginning that his programming has never been able to 'master' contractions. It was never fully stated that he was unable to use them, simply unable to master them :)
Thanks, I have caught these myself but never put them together the way you have.
He told Lal he hadn't "mastered" the use of contractions. He didn't say he couldn't use them at all.
My headcanon here is that Data is using contractions without noticing it. The fact that the enterprise crew treats Data like a person is causing him to become more human regardless of his programming. This is also why he claims not to have emotions, but clearly has a deep bond with many of his crewmates and routinely goes above and beyond to help those in need
fuck, i never thought something so minor would irk me lol, it kinda' adds to it though, data has always been more human than he realized
Season 1 doesn't really count. The show was just starting out. They didn't know what they were doing.
Datalore is in season 1 though, and the contractions are totally a thing in that episode.
+Ryan Stoll Some of the examples are erroneous though, where he did just two words really fast.
It still counts, because the writers could've realised that Data had already used contractions and therefore not established that he "couldn't".
As others have said and I agree with.. only Season 1 examples really count on this list and that was when they were developing the character. Brent Spiner has been very good with it since it was clearly established in the Lore episode that he couldn't use contractions. The only other times they appeared following that episode it has either been an "I have" that sounds like "I've" but could be either or, or a character Data is trying to emulate at the time he is using such terms as part of the impression.
Like Sherlock Holmes or playing the roll of a boyfriend in the "In Theory" episode. He can mimic quotes and lines and do voices of said characters just fine no matter what. He always was able to do that. It is his own programming that prevents him from using them as regular every day discussion. I'm actually more impressed by how well Brent was able to avoid using them.
he did it in the episode "parallels" as well. "I'm detecting no temperall enomelies in this system."
Funny that I came across this video, because earlier I watched an exerpt from the episode where Riker is trapped in by Romulans in a simulation, and one of the elements that help him recognize that he is being tricked is that data (played by a Romulan) used a contraction. Similar to how to in Inglorious Basterds german soldiers in WWII could identify british or scottish spies by some of their hand gestures.
You missed one. When he beans down to Sargenka, on the gelogical-disaster planet, he tells her "I'm Data." I didn't catch most of the others. Good work!
He (probably Brent) says I've and shortly after says I have (clear as day). Ironically, this was in the "Data's Day" episode (S4:E11) and the same scene. The scene is when he's talking to Troy about Miles and Keiko's wedding.
Most of these occurred in the much earlier episodes, before they had a chance to properly develop the characters (and set limits regarding Data's "humanity"). As for most of the "I'm"s and "I've"s, it sounds like he's saying both words but not completely articulating them. Just thought I'd point that out.
The last one he did say "I have." just fast. But you caught him on others.
"I'm" and "I am" sound very similar when spoken quickly. Maaaaybe "we" and "we are" as well.... those I can let go... but the others... common data! stay consistent haha. Great vid
You forgot another one. In "Descent Part 2", Data is taking Geordi back to the cell. Troi escapes only to be caught by Data. She's carrying a weapon, then Data grabs Geordi by the throat and tells Troi, "Drop it or *I'll* break his neck!"
Data being proud of Lal is so adorable.
4:10 he did say I am, it was just a bit of a whisper. Everywhere else is season 1.
Data: “it is a skill my programme has never MASTERED”
I can swim, but I am not a master at it.
The thing about this is, Data's use of contractions could be a part of his attempting to be more human, which as I understand it is part of his programming, and would therefore be allowed.
It's funny how in the episode "Samaritan Snare", the Pakleds are more consistently written to not use contractions than Data is.
Can't believe I never really paid attention.
You couldn't possibly catch all of them if you're the actor. However, from a story standpoint, you could say no one, including Data, notices when he does it because they're accepting him as human, but when he focuses on doing so, he has trouble.
Okay, most of these are solid, but there are some in which you may not have been listening very carefully. As an example, the last clip: "That will not be necessary; the transporter is not malfunctioning. I have locked out the controls."
He does say, "I have" in that, not "I've" -- it's simply that he says it in the rapid and fluid way -- "I 'ave" -- that was the genesis of verbal contractions in the first place. There are more throughout the montage -- listen again, perhaps at 3/4 speed but with pitch corrected to preserve the original pitch. You'll discover several "I'm" -s that are actually "I am" -s.
I wouldn't say he's incapable of using contractions so much as he has trouble using them in his everyday speech as easily as Lore.
I cant believe the internet - I literally was like "I wanna see all the times Data used contractions" and you made it real! Well done!
Not sure if anyone noticed, but even in the first clip he uses a contraction. He says to Lal, YOU'VE used a contraction. So obviously he can use them, just not always.