Star Trek: Picard explores the complicated story of Data’s daughters in the most unique way

Star Trek: Picard explores the future of artificial lifeform in the galaxy by introducing the audience to the daughters of The Next Generation’s beloved character Data – Dahj and Soji Asha (played by Isa Briones). The androids were created by Dr. Bruce Maddox (played by John Ales) using one of Data’s positronic neurons.

Dr. Maddox had made the two advanced synthetic beings using a painting by Data (played by Brent Spiner) called ‘Daughter’, which we see in Picard Season 1, Episode 1 titled Remembrance. The show would go on to explore the significant yet complicated story of ‘Data’s daughters’.

After the Synthetics are banned by the Starfleet, it is understood that Dahj and Soji’s existence is under threat. It was in fact Dr. Maddox’s mission to find the truth behind ban and he sent the two androids for the purpose.

However, this is not the first time we see Data's children. In The Next Generation Season 3 Episode 16 titled The Offspring, Data would create his child called Lal (played by Halloe Todd) using his own structural design. In comparison Dahj and Soji are more sophisticated, thanks to the technological advancements.

What happened to Dahj and Soji in Star Trek: Picard Season 1?

Admiral Jean-Luc Picard (played by Patrick Stewart) is enjoying his retirement with limited contact with the life he once lived. During an interview that he reluctantly agrees to, Picard shows his displeasure towards the Federation, who banned the synthetics after they went rogue, destroying the Utopia Planitia Fleet Yards and killed more than 90,000 people. The ban also resulted in the Federation stopping the rescue of Romulans, as their planet got destroyed by the Supernova.

We see Dahj for the first time as she watches Picard’s interview on a screen. She would go to meet Picard, who is taken aback by her arrival at his Chateau. She shares that that there was an attack in her apartment, and she ended up killing the intruders without having any prior knowledge on how to defend herself.

Picard decides to protect her. Later he travels to the Starfleet Archive Museum, where he sees a painting of Dahj done by Data in 2369, titled Daughter.

Picard tells Dahj about his close friendship with Data, who had sacrificed his life for the captain. They are suddenly attacked by Zhat Vash agents, a secret faction of the Romulan police called Tal Shiar, and Dahj is killed by them.

Zhat Vash was formed after they discovered an Admonition on the planet Aia. They experience the memories of the devastation caused by a synthetic destroyer, about hundreds of thousands of years ago. The Zhat Vash members are on the secret mission to destroy all synthetic life forms across the galaxy and stop such an incident to occur again.

Picard would come to learn about Dr. Maddox’s idea of ‘fractal neuronic cloning’. He theorizes that Data’s code could be reconstructed from his positronic neuron, thus creating his twin daughters — Dahj and Soji. False memories were programmed into the two sisters with an AI acting as their mother. Maddox had built them on a planet called Coppelius. He sent the two androids to find the truth behind the synthetics ban.

Soji is meanwhile working at the wreckage of a Borg Cube called Artifact and is in a relationship with a Romulan spy Narek (played by Harry Treadaway). Narek manipulates her to share information about her home planet so that Zhat Vash can stop the creation of Synthetics. Soji manages to escape with the help of Picard.

Soji would often display similarities between her and Data. Soji’s empathy, loyalty and advanced knowledge made her as unique as ‘her father’. Zhat Vash consider Soji an even bigger threat and refer to her as Seb-Cheneb, the destroyer. Soji’s home planet has her other synthetic siblings who were also in danger.

On her home planet Coppelius, Picard will help convince Soji to Stand down and show that she is not the destroyer that the Romulans fear. He emphasized that he trusts and believes her. Soji destroys the beacon, meant for destruction and chooses to opt for harmony.

After the Federation learns about Zhat Vash’s probable role in the synthetics going rogue, the ban is lifted. Soji would later set on a diplomatic tour to foster relationship between synthetics and the stigma attached to them.

Star Trek is available on streaming platform Paramount+

ALSO READ: I was surprised to learn this sad bit about Star Trek legends William Shatner and Leonard Nimoy's friendship

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