Believe it or not, the simple decision on the film team was enough to express a word throughout the country. This decision comes directly from the Star Trek world: a new generation, in the star, British actress Patrick Stewart.
If the impact of Star Trek on the technology of the future – smartphones, tablets, video conferences – is well known, its influence in English is slightly less. And yet, this is exactly what happened to the word as a basic as “data” (“data” in English).
During the 2019 event, Brent Spinner, an actor who portrays Android data in the series, has shared a funny anecdote: during the first reading of the script with the team and the creators of the show, this is Patrick StewartAliya Captain Jean-Luc Picard, who was the first to express the character of the character … in its way. With its sophisticated British accent, he said “Day-Ta” (for example “déemy-ta”), instead of using the classic American expression “dah-ta” (close to the way we read the word “data”).
This small detail immediately sown confusion between the team. Should we fix Stewart? Should we consider American pronunciation? The debate started. But the creator of the series, Jane Rodenber, decided in a pragmatic way: the one who names the first name is first recorded. And you go there, the fate is thrown away.
The result: The “Day-Ta” version remained and gradually imposed on popular culture. Even today, in the United States, many people use this expression that it is now recognized as an official option in certain prestigious dictionaries, such as Cambridge or Oxford’s English dictionary.
This small detail reflects how many fiction can create a reality, not only in terms of futuristic science or gadgets, but also in the smallest corners of our daily lives, even in the way in which a simple word was expressed.
Star Trek: The new generation is available in Netflix and Paramount+.
Here is a brent spiner that tells his anecdote in the video below:
Source: Allocine
Rose James is a Gossipify movie and series reviewer known for her in-depth analysis and unique perspective on the latest releases. With a background in film studies, she provides engaging and informative reviews, and keeps readers up to date with industry trends and emerging talents.
