MovieChat Forums > Star Trek: Insurrection (1998) Discussion > B-4 (Data, Lore, Dr, Julia) question?

B-4 (Data, Lore, Dr, Julia) question?

posted 16 years ago by re_zuleta
18 replies | jump to latest

So, I was reading somewhere on-line that Dr. Noonien Soong created not just Data & his brother Lore but he also created a 3rd protype called 'B-4' which first surfaces, or appears, in "ST: NEMESIS." And he also created a duplicate of his wife 'Dr. Julia (something?)' this makes a total of 4 posetronic brain synthetic beings. But I've also read that he might've created 3 other 'Data/Lore' prototypes. This would explain the name 'B-4.'

REzuleta

[–] auntiekatem 16 years ago

I just saw "Nemesis" and the special features on the DVD. Apparently, Data's "brother", B-4, was originally going to be named 'B-9'. Brent Spiner and the writer of the script discovered that there were copywright issues with the name 'B-9'; imagine that. So, they came up with 'B-4', believing it to fulfill the same whimsical characteristics of Dr. Soong. But hey, the doors are wide open as to how many Data-like creations are out there, right.

[–] TopGunSGA 16 years ago

Yeah, in the episode with Juliana Tainer she tells Data that Soong made 3 prototypes before Lore but as their positronic brains weren't as sophisticated as the ones that Soong made latter they had to be deactivated. Juliana did say they were more like children. It is safe to assume that one of them is B-4

-- COOOBRAAAA! --

[–] re_zuleta 16 years ago

So, any clues or wild guesses as to what might've become of, or been the final fate or demise of these other 2 prototypes, assuming that LORE is B-1 that leaves B-2 & B-3 un-accounted for?
I wonder if B-4's positronic brain could be infused or worked on with some of the left over parts from LORE's more advanced positronic brain, without reactivating LORE's programming or personality? I think LORE's disassembled parts should be discovered among DATA's belongings.

REzuleta

[–] TopGunSGA 16 years ago

Why would Lore be B-1 one, the 3 prototypes were made before him

-- COOOBRAAAA! --

[–] re_zuleta 16 years ago

I was under the assumption, from a previous number I read or heard on-line, that Dr. Noonian Sung only made 3 functioning positronic brains - like those found in LORE, DATA and his late wife's JULIA (hence 3 of a kind); but that he did also make a total of either 4 prototype models altogether, counting B4; plus or minus 2 other prototypes, B1 & B2 and which are pressumed destroyed (but are un-accounted for).
I simply thought LORE might've been one of these (B2) since he seems to be the 2nd to last one before the final and best model, DATA (B1), was created. Or yet, another way could be that LORE is B5, and DATA would've been B6. But this would leave out Dr. Julia and supposedly there were only a total of 6 androids created by Soong.

REzuleta

[–] TopGunSGA 16 years ago

B-4 is called B-4 as it sounds like Before

-- COOOBRAAAA! --

[–] NewDivide1701 16 years ago

My theory, Geordi says:

"Well I'd say he has the same internal mechanics and Data, but not as much positronic development. I'd say he's a prototype. Something Dr. Soong built before (B4) Data."

And B4 says:

"I am B4"

My theory, I am B4, as in B4 (before) Data.

"Come, come, Mr. Scott. Young minds, fresh ideas. Be tolerant." - James T. Kirk

[–] surfingthechaos 16 years ago

They should have called him BS, because that is what he was.

[–] robotrix 15 years ago

Brent Spiner and the writer of the script discovered that there were copywright issues with the name 'B-9'; imagine that.

Yeah....the Robot from Lost In Space is actually named "B-9"

And John Logan "borrow" from something else and pass it off as his? Maybe he thought this time not as many people have seen Lost In Space as watched that documentary on the DVD of Citizen Kane that he plagiarized....

They should have called him BS, because that is what he was.

Well played, surfingthechaos I've always called him B-arf: Trek's answer to Jar-Jar Binks.

And as far as Data and Lore's back story - and the possibility of B-arf really existing...

The Soongs went to the trouble of taking apart Lore - which means they would have taken apart the others and stored them. B-arf (or the others, if they existed too) wasn't found and there was no sign of any other androids being removed.

If B-arf was found and put back together, then it had to have been before Lore. Why didn't whoever that was reassemble Lore, too?

B-arf was found in this movie because they picked up his "positronic signal". If he (and possibly other "prototypes") have been running around all of this time why hasn't the Enterprise or any other ship in the fleet detected their signals prior to this? And if these signals are so easily picked up, why wasn't Starfleet able to find Lore all of that time between "Brothers" and "Descent"? And if those signals are not really that easy to pick up, why didn't a million alarms go off in someone's head (Worf) that they were led there intentionally?

(Oh....and if it's so easy to find these positronic signals from such a distance, wouldn't having Data on board be a huge disadvantage for them? People could always track the Enterprise using him.)

Besides the fact that Nemesis was a very poorly written movie, that is.

I could have bought Picard's clone building B-4 - as part of his effort to have everything his original has - making a mess of it and then telling it to pass itself off as a prior version of Data easier than this crap Logan and Spiner made up.

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Last night, I was lying back looking at the stars and I thought...where the *beep* is my ceiling???

[–] johnnydoc 12 years ago

"I could have bought Picard's clone building B-4 - as part of his effort to have everything his original has - making a mess of it and then telling it to pass itself off as a prior version of Data easier than this crap Logan and Spiner made up."

That's really the only explanation (or slight variations of your idea) for B4 that really works.

[–] EarthCrisis 15 years ago

wouldn't it go prototype 1, Prototype 2,B-4, Lore, Data, Soong's wife. The positronic brain of Soong's wife would seem the most advanced. B-4 seems less capable than Lore or Data so it would make since that he was the last prototype until the technology was perfected.

[–] robotrix 15 years ago

Well, you realize that B-4 rewrites all we knew about the Soongs and how they said they felt about their androids - like they were their own children.

Unless all parents just push their mentally challenged kids out the door to fend for themselves in the universe and only protect their intelligent offspring?

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Last night, I was lying back looking at the stars and I thought...where the *beep* is my ceiling???

[–] 007135 15 years ago

What about Data's daughter?

[–] happy_apostate 15 years ago

Spiner killing off Data really was stupid because bringing him back is as easy as a throwaway line explaining lots of stupid stuff in TNG films. Commander Maddox became Admiral Maddox and discovers that B-4 has processing issues not storage issues meaning that ALL of Data is in there but not able to get processed out. He can say that a B-4 can be modified into Data and voila, problem solved.

Or, the TNG writers could have watched the damn series and would know that Data's head is 500 years older than the rest of his body and would NATURALLY show signs of aging that would not be seen on the rest of his body.

---
A wise man proportions his belief to the evidence. - David Hume

[–] GaMEChldREBORN 13 years ago

Lol, I forgot about his head being 500 years older!

[–] bjlevine 13 years ago

Watch...the series? That's crazy talk, man.

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[–] NewDivide1701 13 years ago

"I'd say he's a prototype. Something Dr. Soong created BEFORE Data."

"I am, B-4 (before)."

My theory.

[–] NewDivide1701 10 years ago

I think he's a prototype. Something Dr. Soong built before (B4) Data.

I am.... B4 (before)./

It was not B4's official designation, but that he was BEFORE (B4) Data, that was what B4 was interpreting when Geordi said he was before Data.