Robert Mora/Getty Images Brent Spiner attends the premiere of "Star Trek Nemesis"attends the premiere of "Star Trek Nemesis" at Grauman's Chinese Theatre on December 9, 2002, in Hollywood, California.
At the end of “Star Trek: Nemesis,” Lieutenant Commander Data sacrificed himself to save Captain Jean-Luc Picard. After saving the captain from his evil clone, Shinzon, Data activated an emergency transport beacon on Picard. As Picard beamed away, he shouted his objections, and Data softly said goodbye to his captain.
Data then destroyed the thalaron generator that was aimed at the Enterprise. The ship exploded while he was still aboard, and he died a hero.
Picard and the rest of the Enterprise’s bridge crew were devastated by the loss. They held an informal memorial service in Picard’s ready room. Picard made a toast to his fallen friend, and Commander William Riker shared some of his favorite Data memories.
In the film’s final cut, this was the only scene in which Data’s closest friends gathered to mourn. However, another tribute to Data was filmed. That Easter egg-filled deleted scene revealed a key detail about the aftermath of Data’s death.
Sorting Through Data’s Things
In the deleted scene, Lieutenant Commander Geordi La Forge and Lieutenant Commander Worf convened in Data’s quarters to sort through his things. The scene was filled with callbacks to Data’s storyline, represented by the objects Geordi and Worf sorted through.
The scene opened with a shot of Data’s copy of “The Celebrated Cases of Sherlock Holmes,” followed by a shot of the pipe he often used when he played Holmes on the Holodeck. Geordi then picked up a gold pocket watch, which might have been another Sherlock Holmes prop — though it could also be from Data’s time in the Wild West, depicted in “A Fistful of Datas,” or the watch that was found near his severed head in the two-parter “Time’s Arrow.”
Next, Geordi lovingly examined Data’s violin. Fans know that Data played the violin flawlessly, though his performances sometimes lacked emotion. He played in two recitals given on the Enterprise, the first in the episode “In Theory,” the second in the episode “Inheritance.” Data kept his prized violin on a shelf in his quarters.
The scene panned to Worf, who packed up a painting, presumably done by Data himself. Data’s paintings were first seen in the third season episode “Tin Man.” Throughout the series, he continued to paint, but he struggled with the fact that he could not imbue his paintings with emotion the way the great painters did.
Geordi also packed up the antique sailor’s hat Data wore in “Star Trek: Generations.” He wore the hat, and full sailor regalia, during Worf’s promotion ceremony aboard the U.S.S. Enterprise — the 19th-century sailing ship, not the starship.
Then Geordi found Data’s emotion chip, which he had apparently removed before his death. Geordi decided to keep the emotion chip as a physical reminder of his close friendship with Data.
But What About Spot?!?
Data’s beloved cat, Spot, made an appearance in the deleted scene as well. As Worf tidied up Data’s quarters, he heard a ruckus. Then Spot jumped up on Data’s desk. Spot promptly jumped into Worf’s arms. Worf was visibly uncomfortable but held the cat gently.
Geordi chuckled when he noticed Spot in Worf’s arms and headed over to them. Worf commented that he was “not a cat person,” and Geordi responded that it looked like he would need to become one. The scene ended with Worf holding Spot, implying that he became the cat’s new owner.
Worf was qualified to care for Spot. In the seventh season episode “Phantasms,” Worf cat-sat for Data while Data was struggling with sleepwalking. Data was nervous that he would let Spot out during one of his episodes, so he asked Worf to take the cat to his quarters. Worf agreed though he was clearly very uncomfortable with Spot, holding the cat at arm’s length the whole time.
At the end of that scene, Worf also sneezed, implying that he was allergic to Spot. If Worf was actually allergic to Spot, it wouldn’t make much sense for him to adopt the cat after Data’s death.
The “Star Trek” canon hasn’t yet offered any insight into Worf’s life after the events of “Nemesis.” So, it’s possible that he did, in fact, become a cat dad after Data’s death. It’s also possible he found another loving home for Spot.
Unless Worf gets that series Michael Dorn has been pushing for, fans may never know.
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