7 Greatest Data & Geordi Team-Ups In Star Trek: TNG, Movies & Picard

Lt. Commander Data (Brent Spiner) and Lt. Commander Geordi La Forge (LeVar Burton) were best friends on Star Trek: The Next Generation, and they regularly teamed up to solve problems on the USS Enterprise-D. As a unique and incredibly advanced android, Data saved the Enterprise-D many times over, and his friendship with Geordi never failed to bring out his humanity. Geordi served as the Chief Engineer on the Enterprise, and he never treated Data as less than human. Between the two of them, Data and Geordi could solve almost any engineering-related problems that arose on the Enterprise.

Data and Geordi were friends from the beginning of Star Trek: The Next Generation, and they quickly became one of the show's best pairings. Because of his VISOR, Geordi literally saw Data differently than everyone else, and he proved invaluable in the android's journey to discover his humanity. Geordi not only helped repair Data's mechanical elements when they needed maintenance, but he also spent much of his free time with the android. TNG's science bros regularly went on holodeck adventures and accompanied one another on away missions.

7 Data & Geordi Embrace Their Inner Sherlock Holmes In TNG's "Elementary, Dear Data"

Star Trek: The Next Generation Season 2, Episode 3 - "Elementary, Dear Data"

As the USS Enterprise-D is waiting to rendezvous with the USS Victory, Geordi invites Data for a Sherlock Holmes-inspired adventure on the holodeck. However, Data has memorized every Holmes story, so he already knows the solution to every mystery the holodeck creates. In an attempt to stump his android friend, Geordi asks the computer to create an enemy capable of defeating Data. To comply with this command, the computer makes the holodeck character Professor James Moriarty (Daniel Davis) self-aware, which causes understandable alarm among the Enterprise crew.

At its heart, Star Trek: The Next Generation's "Elementary, Dear Data" is a story about Geordi and Data's friendship. Geordi creates the holodeck program for Data and then works to adapt it to give the android a true Sherlock Holmes experience without thinking of the potential consequences. Before the situation turns serious, Data and Geordi are clearly having fun pretending to be Holmes and Watson, and it's nice to see a glimpse of how they spend their downtime. As Data embraces his Holmes persona, he gets to experience what it's like to be human, if only for a little while.

6 Data & Geordi Almost Get Stuck In The Delta Quadrant In TNG's "The Price"

Star Trek: The Next Generation Season 3, Episode 8 - "The Price"

Star Trek: The Next Generation's "The Price" may focus on Counselor Deanna Troi (Marina Sirtis), but the episode also has some good Data and Geordi moments. After a supposedly stable wormhole to the Delta Quadrant is discovered, the Enterprise hosts several dignitaries as they negotiate for rights to the wormhole. Before the Federation commits to a contract for control of the wormhole, Captain Jean-Luc Picard (Patrick Stewart) sends Data and La Forge to investigate in a shuttlecraft. Upon entering the wormhole, Data and Geordi find themselves in the Delta Quadrant and discover that the other side of the wormhole is unstable.

2:10

Related

8 Alpha Quadrant Things Star Trek: Voyager Found In Delta Quadrant

Despite believing they were the only Alpha Quadrant representatives in the Delta Quadrant, the USS Voyager crew often found they weren't alone.

As they prepare to enter the wormhole, Geordi remarks that he hopes everything works out as he does not want to spend the rest of his life trapped on the other side. Data responds, "There is a bright side, Geordi. You will have me to talk to." While Geordi does not look overjoyed by this prospect either, the exchange is a nice reminder of the friendship the two share. Data and Geordi work together well, making a quick and accurate assessment of the wormhole and trying to warn the Ferengi who were also investigating.

5 Geordi Teaches Data To Trust His Gut In TNG's "The Defector"

Star Trek: The Next Generation Season 3, Episode 10 - "The Defector"

When the USS Enterprise-D rescues a supposed Romulan defector named Jarok (James Sloyan), Captain Picard and his crew are weary of the Romulan's claims. Geordi tells Data that "his gut" is telling him they should listen to Jarok, as he explains to the android that humans sometimes use intuition to fill in missing pieces when they don't have all the facts. Later, Data watches Jarok, trying to determine what his gut tells him about the Romulan. Data and La Forge work together to investigate Jarok's claims, and, as usual, Geordi teaches Data something about humanity in the process.

Related

Geordi's Star Trek: TNG Advice To Data Paid Off 30 Years Later In Picard

Geordi helped Data explore his humanity in Star Trek: The Next Generation & one piece of advice proved particularly useful in Star Trek: Picard.

Data treats Jarok with more compassion than anyone else on the ship. While many of the Enterprise crew members are clouded by their distrust of Romulans, Data sees Jarok for the tragic figure he is. In the end, Captain Picard and his crew discover that Jarok truly believed everything he told them, but he had been misled by the Romulans. Between Geordi's instincts and Data's reasoning, combined with both men's engineering knowledge, they validate some of Jarok's claims and help convince the Romulan to tell Picard the entire truth.

4 Data Risks His Career To Help Geordi In TNG's "Interface"

Star Trek: The Next Generation Season 7, Episode 3 - "Interface"

"Interface" is one of the only Star Trek: The Next Generation episodes that explores anything about Geordi La Forge's family. As Geordi and Data experiment with an interface to Geordi's VISOR that allows him to remotely control a probe, he learns that his mother's ship has gone missing. As Geordi uses this new interface to explore a ship trapped in a gas giant, he sees a life form that he believes to be his mother. When he begins experiencing negative side effects, Captain Picard and Dr. Beverly Crusher (Gates McFadden) order Geordi to stop using the interface.

Despite these orders, Geordi goes back to use the interface again, but Data anticipates his actions. Rather than turn La Forge in or try to stop him, Data understands that Geordi needs to see if his mother is still alive. Data monitors Geordi as he uses the interface, ensuring that he does everything as safely as possible. In the end, Geordi learns that the being contacting him is not his mother, but a species native to the gas giant. Data proves his friendship with Geordi numerous times over in this episode, as the android goes against logic and reason to support his friend.

3 Geordi Accidently Sends Data To The Wild, Wild West In TNG's "A Fistful Of Datas"

Star Trek: The Next Generation Season 6, Episode 8 - "A Fistful of Datas"

In Star Trek: The Next Generation's "A Fistful of Datas," Geordi La Forge and Data work together to integrate Data's positronic brain into the USS Enterprise-D's computer system. This would allow Data to control some of the ship's most important systems in the case of computer failure. When an energy surge passes through the Enterprise, it affects Data's systems, combining his programming with a Western-themed holodeck program that Lt. Worf (Michael Dorn) and his son were running. Data unknowingly begins acting strangely and using phrases from a Wild West stereotype.

Meanwhile, on the holodeck, Worf, Counselor Troi, and Worf's son Alexander Rozhenko (Brian Bonsall) face off against a Western town populated by Data's duplicates. Data and Geordi work to figure out what went wrong, and they purge memories from the computer system to restore both the holodeck and Data to normal. "A Fistful of Datas" shows Data and La Forge efficiently responding to a problem and finding a solution, but it also has several hilarious moments as Data randomly embraces his inner cowboy.

2 Geordi Helps Data Install His Emotion Chip In Star Trek Generations

Geordi Stays By Data's Side As He Works Through His New Emotions

Throughout Star Trek: The Next Generation, Geordi La Forge helped Data on his journey to be human more than any other Enterprise crew member. When Data recovered the damaged emotion chip that Dr. Noonien Soong (Brent Spiner) created for him, La Forge convinced his android friend to keep the chip in storage rather than destroy it. Data finally decided to install the emotion chip in Star Trek Generations, and he sought his best friend's help in the process. After Geordi helped install the emotion chip, he and Data visit Ten Forward and later go on an away mission together.

Related

I Wish Star Trek: TNG Had Never Introduced Data's Emotion Chip

Star Trek Generations failed Data, making me wish Star Trek: The Next Generation had never introduced his emotion chip.

Unfortunately, Data's newfound emotions get the better of him when the chip malfunctions on the away mission. Geordi is captured by the villainous Dr. Tolian Soran (Malcolm McDowell), leading Data to later experience guilt. Data's emotion chip storyline in Generations doesn't work as well as it could have, but it makes sense that Geordi would be the one to help Data on this journey. Even with the flaws of Data's emotion chip, Geordi is happy to see his friend acting more human and Data finally gets the chance to experience emotions like humor, fear, and triumph.

1 Data & Geordi Reunite In Star Trek: Picard Season 3

Data Finally Achieves His Ultimate Goal To Be (Almost) Human

The original cast of Star Trek: The Next Generation reunited in Star Trek: Picard season 3 for another galaxy-saving adventure aboard the USS Enterprise-D. After commandeering the USS Titan-A, Admiral Picard and Captain Will Riker (Jonathan Frakes) sought out Commodore Geordi La Forge, now the Head Curator at the Fleet Museum on Athan Prime. La Forge revealed that he had spent the last twenty years painstakingly rebuilding the Enterprise-D. Meanwhile, an away team on Daystrom Station discovers the new synthetic body that houses the memories of Data, Lore, B-4, and Data's daughter, Lal (Hallie Todd).

As Data and Lore fight for control of this new body, Geordi encourages Data to keep fighting. Data's personality eventually wins out and he tells Geordi how grateful he is for their friendship. Later, La Forge commands the Enterprise-D at Frontier Day, as Data takes his former position at the helm. The two work together to pilot the Enterprise through the Borg cube and, with some help from Counselor Troi, rescue their fellow crew mates. If this is the last viewers see of them, Geordi and Data's reunion in Star Trek: Picard serves as a wonderful conclusion to their journey, cementing them as one of Star Trek's best friendships.

• 

  Release Date September 28, 1987

  Seasons 7

  Showrunner Gene Roddenberry

• 

  Cast Santiago Cabrera , Alison Pill , Orla Brady , Michelle Hurd , Jeri Ryan , Brent Spiner , Harry Treadaway , Rebecca Wisocky , Evan Evagora , Isa Briones , Patrick Stewart

  Release Date January 23, 2020

  Seasons 3

  Showrunner Michael Chabon