The evil twin concept is one of the most prevalent tropes in popular culture and is often used to stir up drama among the main cast and keep the audience guessing. Such is the case with the android character Lore, the brother of Star Trek: The Next Generation's Lt. Commander Data (Brent Spiner). Manipulative and cunning, Lore appeared in four episodes of The Next Generation and always stirred up trouble for Data and the crew of the U.S.S Enterprise. However, Lore was a deviation from the original concepts of the character, as he was initially supposed to be a female love interest for Data.

Lore debuted in Season 1 Episode 13, "Datalore, and" like his brother, he was created in the image of Dr. Noonian Soong, a famous cyberneticist. He was Soong's first successful attempt to develop a sophisticated positronic brain, but unlike Data, he programmed Lore with emotions. The android saw himself as superior to humans, and his cruelty and emotional instability frightened the colonists on the Federation planet of Omicron Theta. Lore later betrayed Soong and the colonists to a creature known as the Crystalline Entity, which wiped out all life on the planet. But before the Crystalline Entity's attack, Soong created Data and deactivated Lore, leaving the android in storage. He was discovered years later by the crew of the Enterprise, who reactivated him and unwittingly kickstarted his quest for vengeance.

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Executive producer Rick Berman often cites "Datalore" (originally titled "Apocalypse Anon) as one of the few episodes of Season 1 that changed the most from its initial inception. Lore was originally supposed to be a female android and love interest for Data. Her job was going to be going out and repairing dangerous situations, but because of delays and rewrites of the episode, Star Trek's creator Gene Roddenberry suggested the "evil twin" concept, leading to the creation of Lore.

Spiner is often credited with coming up with the idea for the episode, but in an interview with StarTrek.com, the actor revealed this wasn't the case. "The idea wasn't mine. Maybe someone is confusing that with my desire to play Dr. Soong after the character was already written. They originally thought of Keye Luke (Gremlins, Night Court) for the role, but I talked Rick into using me instead. Lore was completely Gene's idea as far as I remember," he explained.

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Data Lal Star Trek

Lore only appeared sporadically across The Next Generation's seven-season run, but he'd have a profound impact on Data. While he operated within the strict parameters of his programming, Lore was unpredictable and dangerous, and rather than trying to be like humans, he wanted to dominate them. Eventually, Lore became the leader of a group of disconnected Borg and began replacing their organic brains with positronic parts, causing them to become even more violent and murderous. Data would eventually confront his brother and deactivate him, though his ultimate fate is left unknown.

While the idea of the female android was scrapped for "Datalore," the concept was reused in Season 3, Episode 16, "The Offspring," in which Data creates a daughter, Lal. In many ways, Data's daughter was a better version of her father and was likely what Soong intended to create with Lore. So, while Data never had an android love interest, he did eventually gain a female companion that, even after her death, helped him become a better android.

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