The Top 20 most impactful deaths in Star Trek history

20 of 21

Copyright Paramount Data Star Trek Nemesis 2002

02. Lieutenant Commander Data

Unique, intelligent, loyal, dedicated, strong and with the curiosity of a child, Data was in many ways the viewers eyes in the world of Star Trek The Next Generation.

Though somewhat minimized by circumstances and writing the death of Data was a loss for the entire galaxy, sure it would have meant more had he remained the only Soong-type Android known to be functional, rather than one of two with his oddly placed brother B-4, and had it not been the final movie for the crew of Star Trek: The Next Generation.

In many ways Data’s life was a parallel to the entire premise of the series, to explore strange new worlds, as Data explored his own humanity, to seek out new life and new civilizations, as Data searched for new ways to become more human and increase his awareness of who he was and how he fit in the universe, and to boldly go where no one was gone before, as Data was constant charging head first into new situations and forging his own path.

Ok, so it’s a bit of a stretch, but that is ultimately what made data as popular a character as he was, and even though we may or may not see the full impact his death had on the universe, it had an impact on us as fans, and certainly would have had a major impact on the crew of the Enterprise.