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star trek - Does Data smell?


It's pretty clear Data can see, hear, and feel stimuli; in fact his sight is better than the average humanoid's. But what about his olfactory abilities? Can he smell or taste anything?




Answer



I've divided this answer into his abilities to taste and smell:



In TNG 'Hero Worship', Data says



DATA: I would gladly risk feeling bad at times if it also meant that I could also taste my dessert.



This strongly indicates he can't 'taste' anything he eats or drinks.


...but he can detect


Nevertheless, I suspect he has the ability to detect chemicals ingested. In Generations he experiences 'hate' when he drinks a beverage. The only logical explanation of this is that he could detect the chemicals being ingested, which triggered an emotional response.




It's alluded to a couple of times that he does have the ability to smell things:



  1. In TNG 'Phantasms':



DATA: Everything seems to remind me of the nightmare. Objects, sounds, smells. And now I have seen elements of the dream in a waking state. I cannot explain it.




  1. TNG 'The Offspring':




DATA: Yes, very good, Lal. You have correctly processed the sense of touch. There are many fascinating experiences I wish to share with you.


LAL: Painting.


DATA: No, that is a flower, Lal. Inhale.


LAL: Smell!


DATA: Yes.



The above passage would also strongly indicate Data can smell.


So, I would expect Data can both taste and smell stimuli, at least in the form of having functional chemoreceptors. The full experience of taste and smells though elude him without the emotion chip, as all he experiences is analysis and identification of the presence of chemicals, a bit like a shopping list rather than a necessary sensation.



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