Handy Dandy Guide to Soong-Type Androids
HISTORY AND PURPOSE◄
BASIC CONSTRUCTION◄
PROGRAMMING◄
ADDITIONAL SKILLS◄
WEAKNESSES◄
HISTORY AND PURPOSE
►Beginning with the work of Dr. Arik Soong in the middle of Earth's 22nd century AD, the Soong family worked to improve the human race with the introduction of artificial life. Arik Soong's ultimate dream was to create a being free of disease, smarter, faster, more intelligent, and less violent than humanity as he felt the race as a whole needed drastic improvement.
Arik Soong was a geneticist, and passed his goal down three more generations of clones. It was his 'great-grandson', Noonien Soong, that eventually succeeded in his goal after the construction of four "failed" androids. Three of which were discarded, and the fourth was disassembled and put into storage for later repair (that was prevented by the attack of the crystalline entity).
Data has had a longer operating existence than most androids, having remained operational (not including periods of inactivity) for nearly forty-one years before his untimely demise.
BASIC CONSTRUCTION
►Soong-type androids have a skeletal structure comprised of cortenide and duranium to withstand extreme stress. These materials are frequently used in the construction of starships and protect their primary processes and essential circuitry from heavy collision. Most Soong-type androids have at least nine head access points, all seamlessly integrated with the android's skin.
As described in "The Most Toys", 24.6 kilograms of tripolymer composites, 11.8 kilograms of molybdenum-cobalt alloys and 1.3 kilograms of bioplast sheeting. Bioplast sheeting is a thin but durable elastic material that serves as the android's skin (it's also porous to allow for fluctuations in pressure). Despite that there is some signal degradation between human skin and a positronic net, the fiber optic nerve censors in their skin can register the same amount of sensory input. It is how the information is received that creates the significant difference in perception. They have nine cranial plates, all held in place by intense vacuum pressure that can be released at certain other points on the skull. Their limbs can all be seperated from several joints, and are also held in place by similar vacuum pressure.
Soong-type androids have the ability to grow hair in most humanly feasible areas if they wish, and can have fingerprints. They possess a psuedo-cardiovascular system that allows for the movement of conductive lipids, biochemical lubricants, regulated microhydraulic power, and essential polymers to various portions of one's body, as well as a respiratory system to regulate heat. They have Myomer polymer musculature and a complete digestive process (with a preference in taste for foods and beverages that they can actually use to more efficiently run their systems). Certain electrolyte and chemical combinations induce a "poisonous" effect, and Soong-type androids are susceptible to intoxication. Their visual sensors can not actually be removed from their skulls, despite their superficial resemblance to eyes and ability to produce tears. They are also sexually functional, though like with all their systems that emulate human behavior they have complete control over their responses and reactions, and can turn them off or block them off as it's convenient (such as in the vacuum of space). Soong-type androids have an aging program that can be turned on and off at will, if they are aware of its function.*
Due to amount of positrons (anti-protons), Soong-type androids give off an aura visible on a wavelength that only certain mechanical beings could see. The power cells of a Soong-type android also constantly replenish themselves, never dropping to absolute zero and laying behind additional chest plating that may only be accessed through the back. But the connection between the power supply and the rest of the android may be interrupted.
PROGRAMMING
► Most Soong-type androids that are not equipped with the data from a synaptic scanning device are required to go through a period of learning, which requires the opening of various executable files when they get to various stages of their development.
The three previous androids to Lore showed an inability to reach later stages of development and efficiently emulate behavior. Lore himself was equipped with emotions and the ability to emulate from the moment of activation, but reacted defensively to fear before he could learn morality. Data was the final, more successful achievement in this category but required the addition of an emotion chip to proceed with his development. If a stage is skipped or if they progress too quickly, they are susceptible to a cascade failure as other programs try to refer back upon that program for response and reaction.
Those that are given the scanned consciousness of a human register all input comparatively to their human bodies. They can respond so easily to stimulus they don't even realize that they aren't human unless they're made aware of it somehow.
While physically equipped with a number of emulating processes, Soong-type androids aren't programmed with the necessity to use them. They can find something tastes "good", but they don't get hungry. They can find a person intellectually enamoring and engage in pleasurable sexual activity, but they can't be physically attracted to them. Their "casual" responses are also heavily regulated, blinking in time by Fibonacci sequence, for instance.
Most of their decisions are made using probability mechanics, which occasionally puts them at a strategic disadvantage against other sentient life forms as they depend on reliable controls to make their calculations. They are also capable of sixty trillion operations per second and have a storage space of 88 petabytes.
All Soong-type androids have a homing chip that can influence their behavior, and either adjust their thinking or cause them to return to a certain point in a given situation. This makes them unfortunately weak willed in the face of someone that would know how to manipulate it.
ADDITIONAL SKILLS
►Soong-type androids are capable of bending steel with almost no effort. They can move their limbs faster than the human mind can calculate. They can survive and maneuver themselves in the vacuum of space.
Gaining knowledge quickly and formulating controlled calculations makes them ideal scientists, and good candidates for conducting otherwise dangerous experiments.
They can manipulate other computers, either through direct connection or modified signal reception. This ability is used somewhat infrequently, and those that aren't aware they have it might not attempt to use it at all. A Soong-type android can even house an entire civilization in their mind, or manipulate a complex computer network or a hive mind they're patched into. They can also block off key components of their programming from access from almost any other computer, if there is information they want to keep confidential. It's nigh on impossible to access it.
The minds of Soong-type androids are readable, but like their movement are usually too fast for biological beings to comprehend. Their emotions, however, if they possess them, are easily readable.
It is possible to equip one with other devices including personal transporters, hidden phasers, tricorder and scan disrupters, location beacons, and holoemitters.
WEAKNESSES
►As with all machines, Soong-Type androids are susceptible to electrical surges. The positronic brain is in large part protected from serious damage, but the rest of the android's system can be disabled. Energy weapons set to kill can disrupt the energy signal completely and disable the positronic brain. Any lesser setting, and the android's body can do a diagnostic from and repair.
The joints in the androids are fairly easy to detach, and while they can function without a limb and the limb is sturdy unto itself, once it has been detached the brain has no control over it until it is reattached.
As mentioned before, because of the homing chip other electrical patterns can manifest themselves in the positronic brain; making the body of a Soong-type android relatively easy to possess. This is a disadvantage for those with unformed or developing personalities, and can erase the personality installed from a synaptic scanner.
The front of a Soong-type android, except at a few points, is well reinforced. The back however is more susceptible to damage as it is where most systems can be accessed. There a strong blow or a projectile can disable a Soong-type android, and more than electrical damage they can't repair via diagnostic.
*In early episodes of TNG, Data said that he didn't age. Thus I don't refer to him using the aging program. Geordi did later refer to him having one, but him being in Starfleet for 26 years and never having thought to try it out before makes me assume that he wouldn't, and even Brent Spiner admits in the later movies he should have looked a lot younger than he did.
Any questions about personal portrayal or RP responses, feel free to ask.
*If lj-cut isn't working, click "Link" below.