AboutDeran McKean Expertise I am a 35 year fan of all the incarnations of Star Trek from the original show to the newer incarnations, to the books, comics and toys. I can answer most questions regarding the storylines and characters including their non-screen histories.
Experience Thirty-five years of collecting Star Trek merchandise, pouring over the books, comics and attending a number of conventions
Education/Credentials I have a Bachelor's Degree in Sociology and an MBA
Expert: Deran McKean Date: 7/22/2008 Subject: Data
Question Who is a better officer, and why?
A) Janeway
B) Chekotay
You (or another expert, don't remember) stated that Data had to 'plug himself in,' so to speak. In other words, for Data's cells to constantly reenergize themselves without an external power source is contrary to the laws of physics.
However, in "Insurrection," Data told the boy that his cells did constantly reenergize themselves. Which means either Data lied or he knows something we don't.
I wonder if Data possibly could take in energy as Odo does. Odo does not eat yet we assume that he must take in energy somehow. Although Data is a mechanical being, I wonder if he somehow could absorb something from the air, which energizes his circuits.
This may sound far-fetched but it does explain what he said to the boy. Even today, there are solar-powered cars. These mechanical devices get their power from the sun, so Data presumably could get his power from elements in the air.
Answer Hey John -
Gonna get me in trouble?? Whichever I say the fans of the other will track me down and attack! LOL!
Okay I am gonna say Janeway because I think she constantly chose the more difficult path, rather than the path of least resistance.
Chakotay abandoned his duties as a Starfleet officer when his home world was ceded to the Cardassian Union and, while that may be noble in some respects, it meant turning his back on Starfleet. Many people would argue that Chakotay was in a no win situation as his options were remain in Starfleet and watch his people be enslaved, or defect from the Federation, become an outlaw, and defend his people. Though Picard, Kirk and scores of other officers often bent or broke Starfleet rules and regulations, Chakotay seemed (to me at least) to have no regrets and to have 'outgrown' Starfleet and left it without a second thought.
Janeway on the other hand opted to strand her entire crew as well as the Maquis survivors of Chakotay's group in the Delta Quadrant, rather than simply leave that area of the Galaxy behind. The choice was an unpopular one, but the one she chose to make based on her Starfleet training.
This shows me that she is willing to make the really hard choices that Chakotay was not.
Janeway also seemed to be a more creative thinker than Chakotay, a talent which has been shown time and time again to be of great benefit as a commanding officer.
That is a good theory regarding Data. Even the most efficient devices in the Federation experience some type of 'energy bleed' and must be recharged in order for them to continue functioning. Unless Data can continually recycle every erg of energy his body processes, he too would need to recharge at some point or, somewhere down the line, his energy bleed would be excessive enough that he would no longer have enough power to function.
