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I know Data tried to make Laforge laugh with his Mr. Tricorder parody in Star Trek: Generations Movie when he had this "emotion chip"

enter image description here

Aside from this I only know the episode in TNG where Q loses his powers, being a simple human, and when returns to being omnipotent giving the Data the gift to laugh the very first time (as I recall).

Was there an episode, where Data makes jokes intentionally and the crew is not laughing at him? Lore made some jokes, but he was bit cynical.

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  • In the second part of the episode Descent Data makes some jokes. However, due to the lopsided emotions that Lore was feeding to Data they were of a dark nature and were not found funny by the crew.
    – Xantec
    Commented Jan 20, 2012 at 18:56
  • Jokes he can't do (or so the script says), but he's being sarcastic all the time.
    – Karl
    Commented Jan 8, 2023 at 21:44

5 Answers 5

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In The Outrageous Okona Data attempts to learn comedy with the help of the Holodeck.

He tells multiple jokes to a holographic audience, but realizes that he does not "get" humor, and the laughter is simply because that is what the holodeck deems the appropriate response. He does make a joke at the end that the crew finds funny. However, Data is merely mimicking the joke, and doesn't actually understand why it is funny.

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  • 13
    "Take my Worf.. Please..."
    – K-H-W
    Commented Oct 10, 2011 at 13:17
  • 6
    "My timing is digital" - Data, to Guinan
    – Alister Bulman
    Commented May 8, 2012 at 17:29
  • Joe Piscopo cameo in Outrageous Okono!!
    – Randy L
    Commented Aug 10, 2014 at 9:02
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    I loved the comedy scene. So real. You go to a comedy show and laugh because you're at a comedy show, not because the comedian is actually any good. You don't even realise it.
    – Lightness Races in Orbit
    Commented Sep 14, 2015 at 14:05
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Also, in the episode "Code of Honor", Data tries to tell Geordi a joke and fails, then inadvertently makes him laugh.

Link to clip

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  • 2
    Yes! Includiling the kittilies! Classic data line.
    – K-H-W
    Commented Oct 11, 2011 at 15:06
  • 1
    "This video is private". :(
    – Goodbye Stack Exchange
    Commented May 8, 2012 at 1:57
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    And this is why you shouldn't post link-only answers.
    – Valorum
    Commented Nov 25, 2014 at 20:54
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In TNG: In Theory Data uses the situation to make a witty remark. O'Brien and Keiko were talking about how she picks up his socks, and he says

"And a very good job she does of it, too."

Data's date, Jenna D'Sora is says that Data ended up cleaning her room and he replies, with a wink,

"And a very good job of it I did of it, too."

enter image description here

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  • Welcome to the site. You have a good start here. Could you add the season and episode number of the episode you mentioned? That would make your answer better. Thanks.
    – amflare
    Commented Nov 9, 2017 at 18:12
  • @amflare - Show, don't tell
    – Valorum
    Commented Nov 9, 2017 at 18:51
  • This is a really good answer. I've taken the liberty of editing in a link to the Memory Alpha site, using Chakoteya to double-check the quotes and I've created a gif of the scene using a piece of software called LiceCAP.
    – Valorum
    Commented Nov 9, 2017 at 18:59
  • "You seem to have an aversion to orderliness" -Data
    – Randy Burden
    Commented Jan 15, 2021 at 18:27
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I recall an episode where Riker and Troi were getting back together, (Possibly the episode "Second Chances"?) and she disliked his beard, and so Riker shaved it off. Data noticed the change in the turbolift, and Riker commented "Smooth as an android's behind". After getting off, Data stops Riker, and asks "May I?" motioning to feel his face. Data then made a disapproving expression and shook his head.

Whether one can call the above episode a "joke" is certainly up to interpretation, but it shows a certain humor awareness on Data's part that is not involuntary.

I remember this moment quite vividly, though I cannot place it in its full context. The subtleness of the moment seemed a little atypically human for Data.

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    <nitpick>Actually, that was in Star Trek 9 - Insurrection.</nitpick>
    – sum1stolemyname
    Commented Oct 11, 2011 at 10:35
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    Nitpick appreciated... I had utterly forgotten where that scene was from, just that it was the TNG crew.
    – SplinterReality
    Commented Oct 12, 2011 at 1:23
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    It was atypical because he had his emotion chip by now. The "disapproving expression" was more of a jovial tut-tut "haha dude what are you like" sly grin. Pretty impressive move for an android with simulated feelings, when as a human I can neither properly describe the action nor explain why any of us would do it... yet I know intuitively that we would!
    – Lightness Races in Orbit
    Commented Sep 14, 2015 at 14:08
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Also in Star Trek: Generations, I think preceding the tricorder joke, Data fiddles with his arm, then waves in front of a door to make it open. He then makes a crack about having a magnetic personality.

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