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star trek - Is it 'Noonien' or 'Noonian' Soong?


There seems to be some conflict in sources that I've noticed as to Dr Soong's name (notably Memory Alpha and Memory Beta). Now, this is important to me (for obvious reasons - in fact it's why the underscore is so important - fun fact). So, my question is: what is the canon name for Dr Soong? Is it Noon-ien or Noon-ian?



Answer




Looking at the scripts online for TNG: Brothers, all seem to refer to him with the 'ian' suffix rather than the 'ien' suffix.


Source 1: Chakoteya.net:




DATA: You do bear a resemblance to Doctor Noonian Soong, the cyberneticist who constructed me. But, Doctor Soong was killed shortly afterward by the Crystalline Entity.



Source 2: Antoa.com:



CAST: ... DOCTOR NOONIAN SOONG



Source 3: ST-minutiae.com



CAST: ... DOCTOR NOONIAN SOONG




Source 4: Memory Alpha refers to him as Noonian


Yet, arguably the most canon source of all these, the page on StarTrek.com, says his name is Noonien.


Memory Alpha makes reference to the ultimate canon sources though - the scripts and in-series references:



Soong's first name was spelled "Noonien" in the scripts for "Datalore" and "The Measure Of A Man" while all subsequent scripts ("Brothers", "A Matter of Time", "Birthright, Part I", and "Inheritance") spelled the name "Noonian". The okudagram for Data's personnel file seen on-screen in "Conundrum" used "Noonian" while the passenger manifest seen in "Inheritance" used "Noonien". The "Noonien" spelling is used in several reference sources, including the Star Trek Encyclopedia and StarTrek.com.



(Source)


So, considering the final line of the above quote, it seems that Noonien is the more 'official' name used in canon, but both are within canon!


Just to add even more confusion - because as if there isn't enough already, Memory Beta tells us that :




The video game The Transinium Challenge gives his name as "Nguyen Soong".





As a side note, I personally prefer Noonian...


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