"It Is Entirely Likely I Would Kill You": Data Admits That His Emotion Chip Makes Him Want to Kill

IDW's Star Trek gives readers a tense confrontation between the android brothers Data and Lore, one Lore is lucky he walks away from.

A stunning face-off in the pages of IDW's Star Trek #11 resulted in Star Trek’s resident android, Data, admitting that his emotion chip would not respond with "empathy, understanding, or kindness," to the presence of his evil brother Lore – in fact, Date tells ore that were he to turn the chip on, "it is entirely likely I would kill you myself."

Star Trek #11 – written by Jackson Lanzing and Collin Kelly, drawn by Angel Unzueta, colored by Marissa Louise and lettered by Clayton Cowles – gives readers a long overdue confrontation between the android brothers, with Lore attempting to goad Data into activating his emotion chip, and Data countering that the reason he has kept the chip off is because his negative emotions toward Lore would be overwhelming.

Data's Control Of His Emotions Chip Is Keeping Lore Alive

In Star Trek #10, Data revealed that he plans deactivate Lore and return him to the Daystrom Institute, where he belongs. Star Trek #11 continues their exchange. Lore asks his brother to “turn on [his] emotion chip. Then tell me again how you want me to die.” Data says he does not want Lore to die, but that given Lore’s numerous attempts to murder people, especially Wesley Crusher, it is “unlikely” that he would respond the way Lore thinks he will. Data says his positronic net keeps a record of all of Lore’s atrocities, and if he were to activate the emotion chip, his anger could lead him to kill Lore right on the spot.

Data Fears What He Could Do If He Activates His Chip

Data, and his brothers B4 and Lore, are some of Star Trek’s most ingenious characters – and Data become a franchise icon since his introduction in Star Trek: The Next Generation. Lore was built second, following prototype B4; Lore's design included an emotion chip that allowed him to experience human emotions and sensations. Unfortunately, the emotions drove Lore mad, leading him down a dark, evil path. Lore’s builder, Doctor Noonian Soong, then built Data with no emotion chip. Without the chip, Data was benevolent, going on to become a Starfleet officer. Eventually, Data received an emotion chip, but was loath to use it for many years, fearing what would happen if he did.

Since receiving an emotions-upgrade, Data has activated the chip on several occasions, and has managed not to go down the same path as Lore. Lore was built with the chip, and his inexperience with humans, coupled with emotions he did not know how to process, caused him to become a mass murderer. Data, on the other hand, has had years of experience with other lifeforms before getting his chip – leading him to be able to handle human feelings far better than his brother. In Star Trek #11, Data’s suspicions about the influence of the emotion chip are seemingly confirmed.

"You have repeatedly attempted to murder my friends, my family, even my cat," Data says to Lore in Trek #11. Data has every right to be angry at Lore for what he has done, but Data has the presence of mind not to activate the emotion chip, knowing his anger could have consequences. By not activating his chip, Data has proven he is the bigger android of the two, for he knows it where it leads. While it is notable that Data says he could be capable of murder, it is commendable that does not active his chip. Star Trek has shown Data is not a murderer, but Lore's presence drives him to the edge.