star trek data blue

The person who sings "Blue Skies" in the Picard finale is a sly surprise

You haven't heard that version of Data's favorite old song before.

Okay, so who sang "Blue Skies" in Star Trek: Picard ? There are two answers.

If you got misty in the final moments of the Season 1 finale of Picard , prepare to cry even more. It turns out that the final rendition of "Blue Skies" featured a surprising voice cameo from an unexpected cast member. It's more than appropriate — it's perfect. Spoilers for the Picard Season 1 finale ahead.

For casual fans, opening the very first episode of Star Trek: Picard — "Remembrance" — with the Bing Crosby version of the song "Blue Skies" might have scanned as schmaltz. But for longtime fans of The Next Generation , this was a lovely deep cut that directly tied the ending of 2002's Nemesis to the events of the new series. At the beginning of Nemesis , the android Lt. Commander Data sang the Irving Berlin-penned song, "Blue Skies" at the wedding of Will Riker and Deanna Troi. At the end of the movie, Data's android "brother" B-4, spoke several lines of the song, hinting Data's memories were preserved.

In the final episode of Picard Season 1, "Et in Arcadia Ego Part 2," we hear a new version of the classic song — previously covered by so many amazing artists, including Willie Nelson, Doris Day and, perhaps, most famously, Ella Fitzgerald.

As Data puts on a record, just before his final "death" inside of his quantum simulation, we hear a lush, loving version of "Blue Skies," sung by a woman. The person singing is Picard actor Isa Briones ! And, as of right now, Lakeshore Records has released Briones' version of the song as a single, from the forthcoming Star Trek: Picard soundtrack album, composed by Jeff Russo.

You can snag that single on iTunes, Spotify AND now, you can also watch Isa Briones recording and singing the song for the soundtrack in this newly-released behind-the-scenes feature from CBS.

In it, Briones talks about her family's history in musical theater (BTW, she was also part of the touring cast for Hamilton ) and how excited she was to be giving a "call-back to Star Trek: Nemesis ." It's an awesome special segment for fans and seeing Briones record the song with Jeff Russo is totally heartwarming. Here it is!

So yes, that's Data's "daughter," Soji singing "Blue Skies" as our favorite android closes his yellow eyes for the last time.

But, for some fans, all this classic crooner stuff could actually be an even bigger reference to actor Brent Spiner moonlighting as a singer of classic oldies. Back in 1991, at the height of Next Generation mania, Spiner released an album of standards, called Ol' Yellow Eyes Is Back , referencing Frank Sinatra's nickname as "Ol' Blue Eyes," and Data's yellow eyes, simultaneously. Was the album good? You bet it was! Yours truly owned that sucker on cassette tape at the tender age of 10-years-old.

Brent Spiner's crooner album, from 1991.

Though Ol' Yellow Eyes Is Back did not feature Spiner singing "Blue Skies," it did feature a version of "It's a Sin to Tell a Lie," which featured back-up singing from Michael Dorn (Worf), Levar Burton (Geordi), Jonathan Frakes (Riker) and of course...Patrick Stewart.

So, now that the latest member of the family — Isa Briones — has proven that she's perhaps an even better singer than those guys, can we expect a new standards album? Who doesn't want to hear Briones dueting with Spiner? Come on. It would be amazing.

Season 1 of Star Trek: Picard is streaming on CBS All Access .

Brent Spiner

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• 3 wins & 8 nominations

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• 14 episodes

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• Brent Mintz
• 5′ 10″ (1.78 m)
• February 2 , 1949
• Houston, Texas, USA
• Loree McBride ? - present (1 child)
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• Other works In 1997-98, he starred as John Adams in a revival of the Broadway musical, "1776".
• 7 Interviews
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• Trivia He is one of two actors, the other being Patrick Stewart Star Trek: The Next Generation (1987) regular to share scenes with all three original Star Trek (1966) series cast members who appeared on that series: DeForest Kelley , Leonard Nimoy and James Doohan .
• Quotes [on his action figure of Lt. Commander Data] At first, I was reluctant. But then I figured, if it's good enough for Alec Guinness , then it's good enough for me.
• Trademark Lieutenant Commander Data on Star Trek: The Next Generation (1987)
• Star Trek: Insurrection ( 1998 ) $5,000,000
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The Picard Finale's Most Emotional Moment Hid a Heartbreaking Secret

The first season finale of Star Trek: Picard delivered an at-times-incoherent blast of nostalgia, but one of its best moments was its most emotionally powerful—and it turns out it was secretly even more touching than you could’ve expected.

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In the final battle between the Zhat Vash and the potential harbinger of Synthetic oblivion, Picard may have been allowed to cheat death (with a little help from some very smart friends), but there was one proper goodbye to be had: after mee ting his former c aptain in a cyberspace limbo, Brent Spiner’s Commander Data officially lived his last moments. One of his final neurons used to create Isa Briones’ synthetic heroines, twin sisters Dahj and Soji, made a request for the revived Picard to shut down his neuron for good, giving Data the chance to truly experience the value of his organic life by likewise experiencing the end of it.

And experience it he does. As Picard delivers a touching eulogy back in the real world, Data’s synthetic soul prepared himself for his last moments—complete with a facsimile of his c aptain, a nice robe for his final rest , and “Blue Skies” swelling in the soundtrack, the Irving Berlin song Data sang at Troi and Riker’s wedding in Star Trek: Nemesis .

It was a touching chance to give Data a farewell more befitting than his distant sacrifice in Nemesis (the least of that movie’s problems , admittedly), and a moment Picard ’s finale effectively balanced its nostalgia-trip and character work to make something beautiful. But it turns out it was even more beautiful than we thought: the cover of “Blue Skies” that played over Data’s death was sung by none other than Briones herself. You can now hear her full rendition of it online, now that the episode has released.

A lovely farewell from a distant daughter to her father.

For more, make sure you’re following us on our Instagram @ io9dotcom .

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Star trek: picard's opening song is a tng movie callback.

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Star Trek’s 3 Efrosians In Movies & Discovery Explained

Star trek just revealed the origin of biblical angels in its official lore, star trek’s redshirt has a real world meaning.

Star Trek: Picard begins with a jaunty number that harks back to the most recent  The  Next Generation movie. After months of anticipation,  Star Trek: Picard has finally set sail to a largely positive reaction from fans and critics. The central story revolves around a retired Picard mourning the ethical decline of Starfleet and the loss of his old friend, Data. A main character throughout  Star Trek: The Next Generation , Data was Starfleet's first synthetic officer and, as his captain, Picard mentored the android's quest for humanity while championing Data's rights as an individual. Tragically, Data sacrificed his life for Picard and the rest of the Enterprise crew in 2002's  Star Trek: Nemesis movie.

Although  Star Trek: Picard is set many years after  Nemesis , the themes and storylines more or less continue directly from the last on-screen  Next Generation  adventure. The jaded Jean-Luc is still mourning the loss of Data but is shocked to find that the android is survived by two twin children - perfect synthetic beings more advanced and lifelike than contemporary technology should allow. One of these daughters, Dahj, seeks Picard's aid and is promptly executed by a mysterious Romulan black ops team, causing Picard to swear justice for the girl and seek out her remaining twin.

Related: Every Star Trek Easter Egg In Picard's Vault

On a more offbeat note for the  Star Trek franchise, the premiere episode of  Picard begins with a visual of outer space over the top of Bing Crosby singing "Blue Skies" from the 1946 film of the same name. This is a direct throwback to  Star Trek: Nemesis , where Data sings at Riker and Troi's wedding ceremony. Having studied the cultures of the bride and groom, Data decides to offer his vocal talents as a wedding gift, and sings the American classic because of Riker's taste for jazz music. Mostly everyone (the drunk Worf aside) appreciates the gesture. Come the end of the movie, Data attempts to transfer his memories into B-4 prior to his death. Picard realizes that the process wasn't successful, but then finds B-4 singing "Blue Skies," suggesting some part of his old android friend remained alive.

The use of the same song in  Star Trek: Picard 's first episode immediately signposts that Data's death and the philosophical debate over sentience of androids will be key themes in the upcoming story, and so it proves with the arrival of Dahj, the reveal of her android parentage and the return of Bruce Maddox and the Daystrom Institute . Strangely, the same episode arguably also serves to discredit the song's significance at the end of  Star Trek: Nemesis . In the 2002 movie, "Blue Skies" is used to tease that B-4 might've taken on Data's data and turned into the genuine article, but  Star Trek: Picard confirms that ultimately wasn't the case, and the replacement android failed to live up to expectations before suffering disassembly because of the synth ban.

However, the use of "Blue Skies" perhaps does hint at Data's survival in Star Trek: Picard . Although B-4 might not have been able to carry Data's legacy forward as suggested in Nemesis , Dahj's twin, Soji, might be the answer. Data's daughters are so technologically advanced, it's currently unclear how they were brought into being and exactly what their relation to Data is. "Blue Skies" could be a sign that, even though B-4 was a false dawn, Soji could be used to bring Data back into existence for real if a replacement body could be found (probably from a large draw in a scientific institute). Or perhaps the song is just used to draw a line of continuity from Jean-Luc's last  Star Trek adventure to his latest one.

More: Star Trek: Picard Properly Explains The Kelvin Timeline's Origin

Star Trek: Picard continues with "Maps And Legends" January 30th on CBS All Access and Amazon Prime Video internationally one day later.

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Blue alert aboard the USS Enterprise -D

Blue alert (also code blue or condition blue ) was an alert signal status on Starfleet vessels and outposts which was called for in exceptional situations, including, but not limited to, environmental hazards to the crew, main power failure, docking and separation maneuvers, and landing protocols, for ships with the capability.

The bridge lighting on the refitted USS Enterprise turned blue when it prepared to enter the Spacedock One in 2285 . ( Star Trek III: The Search for Spock )

The alert for starships on auxiliary power in 2287 was a blue status screen, along with the main lighting on the bridge switching to blue. ( Star Trek V: The Final Frontier )

In 2367 , the event of an imminent environmental systems failure or disruption resulted in blue alert being called in the affected areas in order to help affected personnel escape or safeguard their lives. In such a case, the Captain and first officer were each responsible for directing any crew present into the officers' designated turbolift , waiting by the door as the crew quickly filed in. Only after did the captain ensure that the first officer's turbolift was entered lastly by the XO, did the captain then enter their own turbolift, and was thus the last officer off the bridge. ( TNG : " Brothers ")

The USS Defiant went to blue alert when engaging its Romulan cloaking device in 2371 . ( DS9 : " The Search, Part I ")

On a vessel with landing capabilities, such as the Intrepid -class , blue alert was called as an indication that the ship was preparing either to land or to take off; the crew would then need to report to code blue stations, in order to aid in the landing/liftoff procedures. ( VOY : " The 37's ", " Demon ") Blue alert was the minimum required ship status for landing an Intrepid -class starship, as the USS Voyager did make a landing while at red alert without switching to blue alert status. ( VOY : " Dragon's Teeth ")

Blue alert was also used when a Prometheus -class starship activated its multi-vector assault mode . ( VOY : " Message in a Bottle ")

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Becoming Mr. Data

Cosplayer Eric Hall takes us step-by-step through his process of finding his inner android.

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I love Mr. Data. And, to the surprise of some, I also love his evil brother Lore.

As a nerdy kid in the 1980s when Star Trek: The Next Generation debuted, I immediately identified with Data's quest to better understand humanity. I admired his positive attitude, his sense of duty, and his willingness to collaborate with those completely unlike him for the benefit of the greater good.

I also happened to look a lot like my favorite robot already. There were times when I would be out and about in jeans and a t-shirt, and a random grocery store cashier or gas station attendant would approach out of the blue and say,  “Y'know' you look like that robot guy from Star Trek ." Friends at work told me that I looked like Data as well, possibly due to my dependably slicked back hair — much like Data himself. And so in 1992, I took the cosplay plunge, starting with a licensed gold TNG Ops uniform Halloween costume from Rubies, with some black pants. I wore my new costume to work that Halloween, with some white crème Halloween makeup on my face and my hair slicked back as usual. It was a big hit!

That same year, I began attending Star Trek conventions in the Seattle area where I lived. Back in the day, Seattle was the top ratings market for TNG, Deep Space Nine and Voyager , and there were conventions in Seattle, Portland, and nearby Vancouver, Canada, just about every four months. During one convention trip to Vancouver I picked up a nicer and more accurate TNG Ops uniform and used that as I attended conventions going forward.

After a job transfer to Salt Lake City, Utah, I was within an easy six-hour drive to Las Vegas for the annual convention there, and I’ve attended each year since. During my first trip to the Las Vegas convention in 2002,  I was on my way to the convention hall when a woman at the other end of the room saw me, and yelled out, “DATA!” I was used to being asked to pose for photos and she looked so excited to see me, so I headed over to grab whatever selfie might result. When we were finally toe to toe, she looked me in the eyes, and a wave of disappointment washed over her face.

“Oh… you don’t have his eyes,” she said, before walking away. I decided right there to get some yellow contact lenses when I returned home so that I could take my cosplay to the next level.

My secrets and tips for being the best version of Data I can possibly be are listed below:

• My hair is a dishwater blond, and Data’s hair is a darker brown. I use brown hairspray dye after I have slicked my hair back to darken my hair to match his, and to even out my hairline to android-like precision.
• I keep my sideburns somewhat long so that I can trim them to a triangular Starfleet point before applying makeup.
• The makeup I use depends on what I will be doing. If I’ll be cosplaying Data all day long, going outside into the heat, dancing or otherwise moving around a lot, I use professional stage makeup. Mehron Clown White greasepaint is a great option. For shorter time frames of just a few hours, I use Ben Nye Crème Foundation P-1 White makeup. Both  can be found at theatrical supply stores, or through online retailers.
• After I have applied the makeup, I use a powder brush with regular baby powder to set my face. While there are professional powders available used to set makeup, most I’ve seen have a pink or tan cast to them. Using powder keeps foundation from smearing and sweating off, and helps to reduce the sheen and reflective glare in photos so that I appear to have pale artificial skin. I keep a small container of foundation with me so I can touch up my lips if needed after eating or drinking
• I use white gloves (actually glove liners I bought at a military surplus store) so that my hands match the color of my face. That way, I can navigate conventions and events without leaving behind makeup from my fingers.
• You can purchase and thrift your costumes! My main TNG uniform, as well as my First Contact duty uniform and dress uniform, were all purchased. But for many of my Data variations, I've ventured out to thrift stores to complete the look. You'd be amazed at what you can find with some hunting — not to mention the money you can save.
• Props are a great addition to any cosplay. For regular TNG Data, I have a mechanical toy cat that moves, meows and purrs that I carry as his pet cat Spot, as well as my original Playmates phaser and tricorder toys that light up and make sounds from the series. I also enjoy the challenge of re-creating props on a budget from thrift store finds.
• I have the complete set of TNG DVDs and I watch episodes on Hulu as well. I’ve memorized a few lines that Data is known for, and I try to imitate his voice. For example, when people come up to me and ask me how I am, I respond by saying “I am functioning within established parameters,” without cracking a smile.

Hopefully, the next time you run into me at a convention I'll have rounded out some of the cosplays on my Data wishlist. I'm looking forward to getting not only Lore’s gold engineering jumpsuit from “ Datalore ," but Data’s British Royal Navy holodeck uniform from Star Trek Generations and his prisoner jumpsuit from “ The Most Toys .” This android's work is never done!

Eric Allan Hall has been costuming since 1987. A lifelong Star Trek fan, he's  been featured in his Borg costume in the documentaries Trek Nation , by Rod Roddenberry, and in William Shatner’s Get A Life . Transplanted to Utah from the Seattle area in 2001, Eric has attended about 80 conventions since he first started cosplaying – often with his family.

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