Why is Data pale? I mean he is a very high-tech android, why couldn't his creator match human color pigment more closely? and why isn't there androids in starfleet?

and whats up with Odo? I havn't seen him transform to any objects lately. I don't really watch the show very often.. but I can't remember the last time I saw him morph into something. also, I remember a show where he was saying that the "bagorian(sp)" nose was hard to replicate... but he was able to replicate teeth, hair, and other detailed and sharp objects..

Do they have startrek books out there for reference to startrek laws of physics, technology, etc?

Leo

I would have to say Data was made pale so as to show he is actually an android. When data created his own offspring, he made her skin realistic. So it is not beyond is capabilities to make himself appear that way too..

Odo was never brought up by his own kind, so he finds morphing into more complex creatures quite hard. His own appearance is testament to that -- he looks almost human, but with 'semi' formed features. I have a strange suspision that by the end of the this series he might learn a few more tricks. In one episode the DS9 crew visited a planet populated by the decendants of themselves, and Odo was still there. He had taught himself to look more human, and indeed he 80% better looking than now..

There are many technical manuals out there on star trek -- visit your local role playing bookstore or just a regular bookstore, they should have something. Otherwise try amazon.com

as per having a huge force of androids like data, isn't the story that he was created by this one genius, and basically no one else knows the technology?

And didn't know about him creating his own offspring... I'm not a huge follower of the series anyway..

Yeah, data could create 'himself' many times if he so wished.. The other main reason they don't create armies of datas is because that's not how the Federation works. ANyhow, Data is pretty much the only one who knows how to create himself.

i don't think data knows how he works. sure, he created another android, but she "died" after working fine for a week or so. and yes, liceboy, you're right.. the scientist who created data (and lore, data's brother) is the only one who knows how to do it. unfortuntately, he's dead now.

what surprises me is that NO OTHER SPECIES have robots. that's not very realistic. it doesn't have to be an android as advanced as data, even a robot. we have robots NOW.

The other species don't need robots, they're too cool for that.

Warpus, actually, there was an episode on one of the star treks (can't remember which) where they visited a station populated only by robots..

(correct me if im wrong)

i can't seem to remember that episode, but even if you're right, that's only one station... i don't understand why robots aren't as common in star trek as they were in star wars movies, or, say... sci-fi novels.

maybe roddenberry just didn't like robots.

that doesn't make sense though, because data is kind of a robot.. and so are the borg.

i don't get it.