Star Trek Randomized Rewatch: Inheritance

TNG "Inheritance"

The final season of Star Trek: The Next Generation was like a clown car family reunion. The show debuted Geordi's parents, Worf's foster brother and a future version of his son, Beverly's grandmother, the sister Deanna never knew she had, the son Picard never knew he had, and here, the mother Data never knew he had.

Doctor Juliana Tainer (guest star Fionnula Flanigan) claims to be the wife of Data's creator Noonien Soong, and to have had a hand in crafting Data. Her part in raising Data was, to hear her tell it, erased from Data's memory banks. Data investigates her claims with the same Sherlockian vigor he brings to bear when portraying that detective on the holodeck, and eventually comes to call Juliana mother as casually as he refers to Noonien Soong as his father. (Surely a small sign of Data's progress toward humanity.)

The episode weaves in a wide tapestry of Data continuity from throughout the entire show, with multiple previous episodes mentioned or alluded to. The episode also calls forward to the future, as in retrospect, we can see the seeds planted for Star Trek: Nemesis' B-4 and Star Trek: Picard's Soji and Dahj Asha.

Fionnula Flanagan's warm performance brings out fine work from Brent Spiner as Data, as he processes this new relationship in his own way. Data's wonderfully matter-of-fact affect is on full display, like when he says of his art, "I am attempting to master all known styles of painting."

The twist of the episode comes with the reveal that Juliana is an android replica of the original, long deceased woman, programmed to think herself human and even with some internal human biological systems. She's a clear predecessor of the more "uncannily human" Soong androids Soji and Dahj. One of the highlights of the episode comes in an observation lounge scene where Data, Beverly, Deanna, and Picard discuss whether to tell Juliana if she's an android.

A sweet, above-average character episode for Data and his mother figure. 6/10.