# What color was Data (Star Trek)? **URL:** \ **Category:** Cafe Society\ **Created:** [March 24, 2009, 12:58am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/what-color-was-data-star-trek/490534 "2009-03-24T00:58:57Z")\ **Posts on this page:** 20\ **Page:** 2
**Author:** ![FriarTed](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/friarted/32/1052_2.png) [@FriarTed](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/FriarTed)\ **Post date:** [March 24, 2009, 12:09pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/what-color-was-data-star-trek/490534/21 "2009-03-24T12:09:04Z")
> [@Uncle\_Brother\_Walker](#): > > But at the beginning he looked like a $5 hooker from Reno… He and Deanna Troi! ---
**Author:** ![Gyrate](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/gyrate/32/3588_2.png) [@Gyrate](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Gyrate)\ **Post date:** [March 24, 2009, 12:11pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/what-color-was-data-star-trek/490534/22 "2009-03-24T12:11:16Z")
Yellow with a greenish tinge. Some of us may need to adjust our TV sets. ---
**Author:** ![Uosdwis\_R.Dewoh](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/u/9e8a1a/32.png) [@Uosdwis\_R.Dewoh](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Uosdwis_R.Dewoh)\ **Post date:** [March 24, 2009, 12:43pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/what-color-was-data-star-trek/490534/23 "2009-03-24T12:43:48Z")
He looks beige, with a little added sparkle for effect. ---
**Author:** ![Pushkin](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/p/ee59a6/32.png) [@Pushkin](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Pushkin)\ **Post date:** [March 24, 2009, 1:42pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/what-color-was-data-star-trek/490534/24 "2009-03-24T13:42:31Z")
> [@Gyrate](#): > > Yellow with a greenish tinge. > > Some of us may need to adjust our TV sets. Kind of ironic, the gold shirts from the Original Series are actually supposed to be a sort of greenish hue, studio lights and cameras made them seem gold. At least, that’s the Trek legend. ---
**Author:** ![Ephemera](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/e/8baadc/32.png) [@Ephemera](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Ephemera)\ **Post date:** [March 24, 2009, 1:53pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/what-color-was-data-star-trek/490534/25 "2009-03-24T13:53:25Z")
> [@Really\_Not\_All\_That\_Bright](#): > > Frankly, I never understood the uniform colors on TNG. In the first season, Geordi and Worf both wore red. After that, Geordi got promoted and was transferred to engineering, and wore yellow… and Worf was promoted, but remained tactical officer… and also switched to yellow. \*\*Irishman \*\*already explained Worf, but Geordi was the conn officer and on the Command track before being promoted to Chief Engineer, which is in the Operations division. His uniform color changed because he became the head of a major Operations department. This also probably explains why Spock wore blue even though he was the Executive Officer on the original Enterprise. As the Science head, he had to wear its color. ---
**Author:** ![ivylass](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/i/9de053/32.png) [@ivylass](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/ivylass)\ **Post date:** [March 24, 2009, 4:35pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/what-color-was-data-star-trek/490534/26 "2009-03-24T16:35:16Z")
I thought he was more of a yellowish-white. Speaking of uniforms, how come Troi got away with wearing the jumpsuits and such (I loved her turquoise dress) until Captain Jellico forced her into a uniform? ---
**Author:** ![Really\_Not\_All\_That\_Bright](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/r/e8c25b/32.png) [@Really\_Not\_All\_That\_Bright](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Really_Not_All_That_Bright)\ **Post date:** [March 24, 2009, 4:59pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/what-color-was-data-star-trek/490534/27 "2009-03-24T16:59:04Z")
> [@ivylass](#): > > Speaking of uniforms, how come Troi got away with wearing the jumpsuits and such (I loved her turquoise dress) until Captain Jellico forced her into a uniform? I believe the general canon line on this one is that counselors didn’t have to wear Starfleet uniforms. ---
**Author:** ![The\_Superhero](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/t/73ab20/32.png) [@The\_Superhero](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/The_Superhero)\ **Post date:** [March 24, 2009, 5:02pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/what-color-was-data-star-trek/490534/28 "2009-03-24T17:02:31Z")
> [@ivylass](#): > > I thought he was more of a yellowish-white. > > Speaking of uniforms, how come Troi got away with wearing the jumpsuits and such (I loved her turquoise dress) until Captain Jellico forced her into a uniform? Originally, it was supposed to be Riker wearing the v-neck jumpsuit, then the producers decided that Troi had much, much better cleavage, and they made the switch. They still did manage to get [Riker’s chest](http://knightridercollective.com/images/bonnie/pattistng.jpg) into the first season, though. ---
**Author:** ![Icerigger](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/icerigger/32/432_2.png) [@Icerigger](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Icerigger)\ **Post date:** [March 24, 2009, 5:29pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/what-color-was-data-star-trek/490534/29 "2009-03-24T17:29:01Z")
I believe Troi looked best in the Starfleet uniform, Jellico did her a favor. ---
**Author:** ![TWDuke](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/t/e495f1/32.png) [@TWDuke](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/TWDuke)\ **Post date:** [March 24, 2009, 5:38pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/what-color-was-data-star-trek/490534/30 "2009-03-24T17:38:00Z")
From my limited viewing of ST:TNG, I got the idea that Data was endowed by his creator with the ability to mimic humans in every way and the desire to experience existence as humans do, yet he gave him an inhuman appearance, rather than one that would have made it easier for him to fit in and observe, unobserved. Was there an in-story explanation for this? ---
**Author:** ![Mister\_Rik](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/mister_rik/32/491_2.png) [@Mister\_Rik](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Mister_Rik)\ **Post date:** [March 24, 2009, 5:38pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/what-color-was-data-star-trek/490534/31 "2009-03-24T17:38:16Z")
> [@Aesiron](#): > > Picard and Riker, on the other hand, looked better in red, so they switched the command and operations colors. Weren’t Kirk and Spock (and actually, all the senior officers from TOS) already wearing red/maroon/burgundy/whatever in the movies before TNG ever debuted? > [@Icerigger](#): > > I believe Troi looked best in the Starfleet uniform, Jellico did her a favor. Agreed. You’ll notice, though, that Troi’s blue uniform was a slightly brighter shade of blue than anybody else’s blue uniform. ---
**Author:** ![Ephemera](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/e/8baadc/32.png) [@Ephemera](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Ephemera)\ **Post date:** [March 24, 2009, 5:46pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/what-color-was-data-star-trek/490534/32 "2009-03-24T17:46:30Z")
> [@Mister\_Rik](#): > > Weren’t Kirk and Spock (and actually, all the senior officers from TOS) already wearing red/maroon/burgundy/whatever in the movies before TNG ever debuted? The jackets were maroon, yes, but the turtlenecks, sleeve strips, and whatever that thing on the shoulder that holds the rank insignia is were all [color-coded](http://memory-alpha.org/en/wiki/Starfleet_uniform_%28late_2270s-2350s%29#Department_colors) and indicated what department you were in. ---
**Author:** ![teela\_brown](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/t/d9b06d/32.png) [@teela\_brown](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/teela_brown)\ **Post date:** [March 24, 2009, 6:03pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/what-color-was-data-star-trek/490534/33 "2009-03-24T18:03:01Z")
Data’s color always reminded me of that yellowish-bisque-beige which was the universal color of all computer component casings at one time, and so it seemed appropriate. ---
**Author:** ![Mister\_Rik](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/mister_rik/32/491_2.png) [@Mister\_Rik](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Mister_Rik)\ **Post date:** [March 24, 2009, 6:30pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/what-color-was-data-star-trek/490534/34 "2009-03-24T18:30:09Z")
> [@TWDuke](#): > > From my limited viewing of ST:TNG, I got the idea that Data was endowed by his creator with the ability to mimic humans in every way and the desire to experience existence as humans do, yet he gave him an inhuman appearance, rather than one that would have made it easier for him to fit in and observe, unobserved. Was there an in-story explanation for this? Sort of. In the episode in which the crew discovers Data’s brother/evil twin, Lore, somebody asks which of them was created first. Lore states that Data was created first, but that he was imperfect, and that Dr. Soong then created Lore, correcting the imperfections in the process. However, Soong later contradicts that, stating that Lore was created first, but was so perfectly human-like that people were afraid of him. So he deactivated Lore and created Data, introducing imperfections (mainly the lack of emotions and the verbal peculiarities) to make him more obviously artificial and thus, supposedly, less frightening. Unfortunately, that doesn’t address their physical appearance, as Lore looked just as funny as Data. ETA: I suppose it’s possible that Lore originally looked more natural. Perhaps Soong’s first attempt at making him seem less human involved altering his appearance. ---
**Author:** ![KneadToKnow](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/kneadtoknow/32/3999_2.png) [@KneadToKnow](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/KneadToKnow)\ **Post date:** [March 24, 2009, 6:48pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/what-color-was-data-star-trek/490534/35 "2009-03-24T18:48:04Z")
> [@Tijuana\_Golds](#): > > If that ever happened, it was never showed. He wore a yellow suit since the pilot. Bzzzzz. When Data was promoted to executive officer under Capt. Jellico, he wore command red. ---
**Author:** ![Bryan\_Ekers](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/bryan_ekers/32/183_2.png) [@Bryan\_Ekers](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Bryan_Ekers)\ **Post date:** [March 24, 2009, 8:49pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/what-color-was-data-star-trek/490534/36 "2009-03-24T20:49:50Z")
> [@KneadToKnow](#): > > Bzzzzz. When Data was promoted to executive officer under Capt. Jellico, he wore command red. Bzzzz. Executive officer is an appointment or a designation, not a promotion. ---
**Author:** ![KneadToKnow](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/kneadtoknow/32/3999_2.png) [@KneadToKnow](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/KneadToKnow)\ **Post date:** [March 24, 2009, 8:55pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/what-color-was-data-star-trek/490534/37 "2009-03-24T20:55:46Z")
> [@Bryan\_Ekers](#): > > Bzzzz. Executive officer is an appointment or a designation, not a promotion. I’ll have to re-watch the episode, but my recollection is specifically of Jellico telling Data he was promoting him to the XO position. Barring that evidence, I’ll grant that it’s a fair cop. 😉 ---
**Author:** ![Chronos](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/chronos/32/134_2.png) [@Chronos](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Chronos)\ **Post date:** [March 24, 2009, 10:31pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/what-color-was-data-star-trek/490534/38 "2009-03-24T22:31:24Z")
> [@](#): > > From my limited viewing of ST:TNG, I got the idea that Data was endowed by his creator with the ability to mimic humans in every way and the desire to experience existence as humans do, yet he gave him an inhuman appearance, rather than one that would have made it easier for him to fit in and observe, unobserved. Was there an in-story explanation for this? In one episode, Data made a “daughter”, Lau. He commented that he had managed to make her skin and hair much more realistic than Soong had been able, and in fact Riker mistakes her for human during the episode. So I think that the canon answer is that Soong tried to make Data as realistic as possible, but he was just a lot better at positronics than at cosmetology. ---
**Author:** ![Irishman](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/i/b487fb/32.png) [@Irishman](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Irishman)\ **Post date:** [March 24, 2009, 10:44pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/what-color-was-data-star-trek/490534/39 "2009-03-24T22:44:42Z")
[QUOTE=Aesiron] **Irishman** already explained Worf, but Geordi … [/QUOTE] I didn’t realize Geordi still needed to be explained. [QUOTE=ivylass] Speaking of uniforms, how come Troi got away with wearing the jumpsuits and such (I loved her turquoise dress) until Captain Jellico forced her into a uniform? [/QUOTE] The official explanation was that as a Ship’s Counselor, she was not required to wear a uniform. [QUOTE=The Superhero] Originally, it was supposed to be Riker wearing the v-neck jumpsuit, then the producers decided that Troi had much, much better cleavage, and they made the switch. [/QUOTE] I assume this is a joke. Marina Sirtis got the jumpsuits because she had a habit of nibbling at the food services table all day, and struggled with weight issues. The soft jumpsuit was supposed to flatter her figure. Turns out the uniform worked better, though had less cleavage. ---
**Author:** ![rocking\_chair](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/rocking_chair/32/2918_2.png) [@rocking\_chair](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/rocking_chair)\ **Post date:** [March 24, 2009, 11:10pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/what-color-was-data-star-trek/490534/40 "2009-03-24T23:10:44Z")
> [@toadspittle](#): > > I had heard in an interview that the makeup is gold, which worked great for some of the pilot’s outdoor scenes. Apparently, though, they could never get the studio lighting to have the same effect on the makeup, and his skin wound up looking that pasty yellow/gray/green color most of the time. > > I’ll see if I can find a link. this is the story i heard. the outdoor sunny scenes were filmed and the makeup was lovely and sparkly. everyone thought it was perfect. inside the ship not so much. for some reason they stuck with the makeup instead of toning it better for the interior. [Previous page](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/what-color-was-data-star-trek/490534.md?page=1) [Next page](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/what-color-was-data-star-trek/490534.md?page=3)