While technically not wholly a "movie" android, Data has appeared in enough of the Star Trek cinematic canon to merit inclusion on this list. The tech officer devoid of humanity (though not necessarily emotion - he does have a chip for that), Data is a unique case amongst androids because he is one of the few that has been given the choice to become a real boy. The instance I am referring to is in the film Star Trek: First Contact. An underlying theme of Star Trek: First Contact is the how beings of all types strive for self-improvement. Data's role in this film underlines that theme expertly by focusing on his ever-present wish to be more like a human. To that end, he meets a temptress in the form of the Borg Queen, who offers him the possibility of experiencing tactile sensation by grafting organic skin to him. It is clear through Brent Spiner's performance how much that chance would mean to him, and director Jonathan Frakes wrings as much suspense out of this impending choice as he can. Although Data chooses to side with Picard at the end, it isn't an easy decision. As he recalls, for zero-point-six-eight seconds, he was tempted. He wistfully adds, "For an android, that is nearly an eternity."
Self-evidently a man who writes for the Internet, Robert also writes films, plays, teleplays, and short stories when he's not working on a movie set somewhere. He lives somewhere behind the Hollywood sign.
