As any “Star Trek” fan will tell you, Data is one of the most beloved and iconic characters in the franchise. The brilliant android was the USS Enterprise’s operating officer and second officer. He also had quite the intellect of his own.
To hone this, as the official Star Trek website reports, Data sought to meet and spend time with some human geniuses. Through the magic of hologram technology, the Enterprise was a temporary home to a truly formidable trio: Sir Isaac Newton, Albert Einstein, and, naturally, Stephen Hawking. In “Star Trek: The Next Generation” Season 6, Episode 26, “The Descent (Part One)” (via Vlad Paunescu on YouTube), Data is seen playing poker with the three, explaining that he was “curious to see how three of history’s greatest minds would interact in this setting.”
The answer? Quite antagonistically. Hawking makes a long and very scientific joke, which Data begins to explain to Newton. The brainy Brit spits back (via Vlad Paunescu on YouTube), “do not patronize me, sir! I invented physics!” The scene ends with Einstein calling out Hawking, accusing him of bluffing, before the other brainy Brit reveals his (robotic) hand and wins. Hawking smiles delightedly before an alert causes Data to shut down the holograms. The scene isn’t very significant in terms of the overarching plot, but Hawking made “Star Trek” history with this brief cameo.
ncG1vNJzZmhqZGy7psPSmqmorZ6Zwamx1qippZxemLyue82erqxno6mysbTEp2Shmaegtq%2BzjKaYnZ1dqMGivoytqZ6jXZ22tMDOq7Bmr5mptW7Ax6KqZqWforKvwI4%3D