| “ | Soji: Picard, try to see this from our point of view. You choose if we live. You choose if we die. You choose. We have no choice. You organics have never given us one. Picard: To say you have no choice is a failure of imagination. Please, don't let the Romulans turn you into the monsters they fear. |
„ |
| ~ Soji to Picard, as she fears for the survival of her people. |
| “ | Picard: Soji, you have endured so much and traveled so far to find your way home. And now you leave it all behind. Soji: I think I'm just more cut out for wandering. And now that they've lifted the ban on synthetics, I'm free to travel. |
„ |
| ~ Soji at the end of the first season. |
Soji Asha is the deuteragonist of the first season of the sci-fi TV series Star Trek: Picard and a minor character in the second season. She is an organic android created from a positronic neuron fragment of the late Starfleet officer, Data. Soji believed herself to be human until the day when the Zhat Vash tried to kill her after using her to find other beings like her.
She is played by Isa Briones, who also played her twin sister Dahj and Sutra in the first season and Kore Soong in the second season of Star Trek Picard, as well as Margot Stokes in Goosebumps. The child version of Soji was played by Ella McKenzie.
Physical appearance[]
Soji shares the same physical appearance as her twin sister Dahj, both apparently modeled after Kore Soong. As such, Soji has the physical traits of a pretty young woman in her twenties and an slender athletic build. Her face is pretty, slightly chubby, large green eyes, aquiline nose, black hair descending to the dorsal vertebra, plump lips and small ears. She has big lightly muscled arms, shoulders and legs, a v-shaped body and a thick but not bulky chest.
Personality[]
| “ | Is that strange? To find beauty in imperfection? | „ |
| ~ Soji. |
Naturally kind, intelligent, curious, sympathetic and benevolent, Soji used to trust others easily but after Narek tried to kill her and revealed her true android nature, she became suspiscious and couldn't trust others until Picard earns her trust.
She quickly accepted her artificial nature after a difficult start and was desperate to protect her fellow creatures from the threat of Zhat Vash, going so far as to bring in the dangerous Alliance of Synthetic Life.
Soji got along very well with her twin sister and was devastated upon hearing of her death. At first she didn't trust Picard because of what she had been through, but their relationship slowly grew closer to the relationship Picard had with Data. Soji was also saddened when the former Starfleet captain died, although she managed to save and placed his conscience in a Golem.
When her fellows were finally out of danger, she left them to continue the adventure, feeling like she had always been an explorer at heart. A year and a half later, Soji enjoys acting as the federation's synth diplomat to erase the negative view of her kind. She also acts as a moral compass for a drunk Agnes Jurati.
History[]
Many years after Data's death, Doctor Bruce Maddox managed to procure several of his positronic neurons and with the help of Atlan Inigo Soong, they created a community of sentient android partially made of flesh and blood. In 2396, Maddox subsequently created the Soji and Dahj Asha twins in an attempt to uncover the truth behind a plot related to the destruction of Mars, but neither Soji or Dahj knew their true ancestry.
While Dahj was sent to Earth, Soji went to the Romulian Reclamation Site where she ended up working on an ancient Borg cube. Each of the two sisters had received programmed memories and objects dating back less than three years, as well as a holographic mother.
Season 1[]
In "Remembrance", Soji receives a visit from Narek, a newcomer Romulan sent by the Zhat Vash without her knowledge to spy on her. The two bond pretty quickly after Narek hints at Soji's necklace before talking about his late brother.
In "Maps and Legends", Soji and Narek have sex together while having conversations about the cube Borg named the Artifact. As their break is over, Narek insists their little pleasure remains a secret, as do most of the things about himself that intrigues Soji before kissing the young woman on the forehead and leave.
In the recovery area, Soji befriends a newcomer Trill named Naáshala Kunamadéstifee recently arrived who was having trouble with her suit closing. The two women then listen with the rest of the group to the Romulans' warning about the cube, then Narek comes to discuss with them about the once Borg and their potential danger.
During the analysis of the deactivated Borgs, Soji expresses her dislike of the term "nameless" attributed to some of them before empathically telling an inactive drones in his native language that he is free.
In "The End is the Beginning", Hugh comes to congratulate Soji on his work as well as on her ability to speak to a nameless in his language. The two then share their mutual dislike of the way the Borg are treated in the galaxy and then Hugh grants Soji an interview with Ramdha after the young woman more than once harassed him over it, although he remains skeptical of Soji's reason as to the fact that the myths that Ramdha knows can have a therapeutic effect.
Arrived in the room where are isolated the only Romulans assimilated, Soji tries to bond with a Ramdha obsessed with strange triangular prophetic card, which she arrives at first to do after having spoken to her in Romulan and that Ramdha to allowed her to sit. Soji then takes a close interest in the cards, assuming it's a bit like mythology. Strangely, Ramdha claims to recognize Soji, although the latter denies having ever met her before asking her what happened during her assimilation with the Artefact.
Without answering the question, a now anguished Ramdha questions Soji on which of the sisters she is, either the one who dies or the one who survives then seizes the weapon of a guard to point it at Soji by calling her Seb- Cheneb the Destroyer. Ramdha then tries to kill herself but Soji reacts in time to stop her. As Hugh calms Ramdha, Soji notices the suddenly cold look the assimilated Romulans give her.
She then rushes to her room and calls her "mother" to ask how Dahj is doing, to get no real answer and then falls unconscious in her bed. Narek comes to see her afterwards and she confides to him that in reality, she had never heard of the Shaenor or even of Ramdha's presence on the cube, attributing this to unconscious memorization. She then asks him if he believes her and Narek only secretly tells her that he is starting to fall in love with her before comforting her.
In "Absolute Candor", Soji watches an old talk-show with Ramdha speaking similar things to the ones she recently told her, leaving Soji confused. Later, she watches over the constants of an unconscious Ramdha, blaming herself for her reaction and feeling oddly drawn to her, which she confesses to Narek before the two go to the cafeteria to eat. There, she jokingly assumes that Narek is spying on her and that he is Tal Shiar before questioning her about the ship named Shaenor, which he knows nothing about but knows someone who might.
Narek then takes her to a ventilation shaft to show him a Borg ritual of sliding on the floor without a shoe. They quickly have fun and then kiss passionately, which takes a bad turn when Narek suspects Soji lied about his trip to the Ellison. Vexed, Soji rejects Narek until the Romulan talks about the Shaenor's classified files.
In "The Impossible Box", Soji dreams of her fake childhood when she walked into her father's lab but wakes up abruptly after someone shouts her name. Narek who was sleeping next to her, thinks he has found a lead that would lead him to the other android and insists that she tell him about his dream, only Soji does not know much at the moment. Later, Soji contacts her mother to be able to speak with her father but the latter does not want to be disturbed. At the time, Soji begins to tire and sticks a tool in his hand to avoid falling asleep, without any effect and leaving his mother indifferent to his gesture. She falls asleep despite everything.
Later as she wakes up, Soji has a strange presentiment and proceeds to collect all of her family photos only to discover by scanner that they are only 37 months old. Even more disturbed, she scans the rest of her personal belongings, only to always get the same result, including on her collar, psychologically crushing her.
She then shares this disturbing discovery with Narek who, thinking that he is getting closer to his goal, suggests that Soji undergo an old Romulan ritual called Zhal Makh. Taken to a lantern-filled room, Soji begins the ritual and as she relives her dream, she describes to Narek everything she sees until she saw a model version of her and red moons with lots of lightning. With this discovery being spied on by Narek's sister Narissa, the Romulan tells Soji that she is home and gives her one last kiss before telling her that she has never been real and locking her in the room, revealing its true colors. An object left by Narek activates, letting out radioactive gas that is deadly for Soji. The betrayal she suffered activates her superhuman faculties, allowing her to smash the ground to escape the gas. Landing on the floor below, Soji comes face to face with Hugh and Jean-Luc Picard who came expressly for her. The old man convinces her to follow her after mentioning Soji's father and sister, and the duo are then teleported out of the cube by Hugh to the planet Nepenthe.
In "Nepenthe", Newly arrived on Nepenthe, Soji and Picard meet Kestra, the daughter of former starfleet officers William Riker and Deanna Troi. As they make their way to the Troi-Riker house, Soji shares a few words with Kestra about her recent inability to believe people after what she's been through, although she becomes more disturbed when Picard reveals her father was in sort of Data, revealing her android ancestry and meaning her whole life wasn't real, although Picard insists Dahj was real but the revelation of her death by the Tal Shiar makes Soji more distant from him.
After being introduced to Deanna, Soji takes a shower to clean up her scratches and then changes clothes, while being questioned by Kestra about what she is capable of as an android as well as her physiological differences with Data that Soji has always struggled to accept as being able to be her father. She also confesses to her that she is surely not more than three years old and that she does not feel really human since the young girl called her an android. Kestra apologizes and assures her new friend that she is cool.
During the visit of the garden, Soji meets Riker who quickly notices the resemblance to Data. She tastes right after a tomato offered by Deanna, which changes her from the food synthesized before listening to the story of her late son Thad. Deanna being aware of what Soji is from what Kestra told her, the young woman admits that she is only assuming what is true except that she knows that the Romulans are after the place where she was created. When Deanna sympathizes, Soji admits that after what Narek had done to her, she can no longer trust the caring person, like Deanna, Kestra and especially not Picard, especially fearing that it is a trap. Having listened to the conversation, Picard makes a dry joke about her reason for not trusting anyone, making her so angry that she pushes the old man aside and leaves.
During dinner, Soji talks about his need to find his home after Narek uses a ritual to find him first. Questioning Soji about this ritual but getting no answer, Picard sincerely tries to gain her trust by telling her about Dahj but when that is not enough, the former captain assures Soji that he will help her both because that Data was a true friend and because he wasted his life for too long until Dahj came and asked for help. Convinced, Soji describes seeing lightning bolts and moons in her dreams, which allows Kestra to identify the world as Ghulion IV, much to Soji's pleasure.
The next day, Soji wakes up with Kestra who drew her in her sleep. While telling her that he will miss her, Kestra encourages her to see Picard as a parent since Soji doesn't have one, something the young woman promises to think about. Everyone then gathers outside and before teleporting, Kestra gives her old compass to Soji as a keepsake as well as a hug.
In "Broken Pieces", Barely teleport to La Sirena, the reception is coldest, Rios becoming nervous and Raffi being suspicious to the point of pointing a phaser at Soji after her discovery of the Romulan snitch that Agnes Jurati has in her.
Later in the cafeteria, Soji and Picard have lunch together but Soji cannot find the pleasure of eating because her inner emptiness prevents her from knowing if she really likes food or if it is just programming. Picard then makes her understand that her past really exists and that she just needs to re-own it, to the point that Soji starts asking questions about Data and guesses that he and Picard were really good friends.
Soji then meets a convalescent Agnes after entering her conversation with Picard on Seb-Cheneb. Soji then meets a convalescent Agnes after entering her conversation with Picard on Seb-Cheneb. Shortly thereafter, the cybernetician successively asks Soji questions about his emotions and his way of living as an organic android to be amazed at each answer and consider it a wonder. The young woman suddenly turns cold after asking Agnes if she considers her a real person, while informing her that she would not have let him have the opportunity to kill her as she killed Maddox under the subliminal order from Commander Oh. Ashamed, Agnes swears that now that she knows Soji, she'll never try to kill her.
Trusting her, Soji takes Agnes to tell the others how much she regretted what she did to Maddox. Agnes's sincerity leads Raffi and Rios to open up more to Soji, revealing to him the reason for Zhat Vash's hatred of synthetics and how Oh orchestrates the attack on Mars to create the prohibition of synthetics. Rios also reveals to have met two fellow Soji named Jana and Beautiful Flower who come from the world where Maddox had taken refuge, the world that Soji accidentally revealed to Zhat Vash. Wanting to fix her mistakes, Soji briefly took control of La Sirena to program Ghulion's coordinates until Rios regained possession of his ship through hidden programming. Picard, however, finds it great to let Soji try to do things her own way and once Rios is convinced by Soji to take her home, the group immediately sets off for Ghulion.
In "Et in Arcadia Ego, Part 1", Arrived in Ghulion's system by hectic hyper-stellar road, the group is quickly hunted down by Narek before the Borg cube in turn appears and Giant Orchids from Coppelius (Ghulion IV) envelop the space vehicles. With her power system disabled, La Sirena enters Coppelius' atmosphere and crashes.
Everyone escaped unscathed, a Picard who fainted during the crash, informs him that he suffers from a brain anomaly but there is no point in talking about this subject again in the future. Wanting to warn the synthetics of the approach of the Romulian fleet, the group first decides to go to Coppelius Station where Soji sees daylight but seeing the crashed cube nearby, they go there first. Inside, they find surviving XBs as well as Elnor and Seven of Nine who had led the cube to La Sirena. Soji returns to his old bedroom and gazes nostalgically at his fake photos. The group then separates from Elnor and Seven so they can reactivate the Cube's defenses.
The group makes their way to Coppelius Station inhabited by other organic androids living peacefully on Coppelius. Soji happily reconnects with Arcana before warning his fellows of the prominent Romulan attack. The group is then greeted by Altan to whom Soji apologizes for bringing the fleet here but the old man doesn't hold it against her because she couldn't keep a secret if she didn't know anything because of Maddox's tendency to hide. Jana's sister, Sutra, convinces Soji that there is still hope before establishing a Mind Meld with Agnes to learn more about the famous Admonition.
Later, Soji and Sutra discuss their options against the Romulan fleet, Soji favoring the escape aboard La Sirena while Sutra prefers something more hostile. Their conversations are interrupted by the arrival of a captive Narek. Still resentful, Soji keeps an eye on the Romulan and prevents Saga from being taken in by one of his tricks. Narek then vainly tries to fool Soji, who not only does not believe him but knowing that he loves her, she is only disgusted by him almost as much as she is disgusted by herself.
Going to see Picard in the former Maddox's quarters, Soji tells him after having mentioned the latter that she has difficulty understanding how Agnes could have killed Maddox just so that it saves several lives, deeming it "the logic of sacrifice". Going to see Picard in the districts of Maddox, Soji tells him after having mentioned the latter that she has difficulty understanding how Agnes could have killed Maddox just so that it saves several lives, deeming it "the logic of sacrifice". She finally comes to the point that the justification for the murders comes only from fear and not from logic. Screams are then heard outside, leading everyone to discover that Narek had escaped and killed Saga in his flight, leading Soji to regret not killing him when she had the chance.
The death of Saga quickly triggers concern among synths to the point where Sutra suggests calling on the beings hiding behind the Admonition to fight against the Romulians, the Alliance of Synthetic Life by a beacon that can bring them before the arrival of the fleet. Picard strongly opposes it because of the threat that the Alliance represents for each organic life and tells the synths that he will be heard by the Federation to put an end to the prohebition but Altan is not convinced of this and decides that the he former Starfleet admiral must be under house arrest. Having said nothing for a while, Soji ends up siding with Sutra, emphasizing above all that they are not there to serve Picard's redemption.
In "Et in Arcadia Ego, Part 2", She goes to see a confined Picard to make sure he's okay, only to demand to be released. Soji then tries to make her understand that she and her family have no choice, which Picard disagrees with and urges her to give up the plan to contact these evolved beings who will only bring annihilation from her point of view. .
The next day, Soji begins the transmission after Sutra's speech, which is then deactivated out of sight by Altan after discovering his complicity in Saga's murder just to get the synths to contact the Alliance, as Sutra wanted. Suddenly, Raffi, Rios, Elnor, and Narek try to interrupt the call to avoid the worst, causing Soji to speed things up. After ignoring Narek's pleadings, Soji then prevents Rios's grenade from destroying the transmitter.
When the Romulan fleet arrives in planet orbit, Soji deploys the Orchids to buy time before receiving a transmission from an escaped Picard aboard La Sirena with Agnes to try to deter her once again from calling. Alliance and for that he is ready to offer one last thing to Soji and his fellows: his sacrifice. Once the Orchids are all destroyed and Picard's cunning of creating several La Sirena holograms has quickly come to an end, Soji finally activates the transmitter, opening a portal. Moments later, a fleet of Starfleets led by Riker come to face the Romulian after the Federation places Coppelius under his protection following messages sent by Picard.
Before another battle breaks out, Picard tries one last time to convince Soji to cut the beacon off, this time admitting that he has confidence and even faith in her. Hearing finally right, Soji cuts the beacon off before the robotic beings can pass through the portal. Riker then takes the infamous Oh and her fleet out of the system, Soji brings Agnes and Picard back to Coppelius after witnessing the old man's critical condition resulting from his brain anomaly. Overwhelmed by the inevitable, a saddened Soji asks Picard what he did and he replies before dying that he gave her the choice not to be the one who destroy.
Soji is however able to save Picard's conscience and transfer her to a golem with the help of Agnes and Altan. With the prohebition abolished, Soji is now free to travel the universe and is determined to take advantage of it even if it means leaving the home she had just found. Accompanied by Picard, Raffi, Elnor, Rios, Agnes and Seven aboard La Sirena, she begins a new adventure.
Season 2[]
In The Star Gazer, A year and a half after saving her fellows, Soji is now functioning as a diplomat. Currently on Raritan IV, she speaks on the importance of trust born from the heart during a toast with Deltans. She then walks around with the passing Agnes while discussing her recent breakup with Rios because his job was stressful just before Agnes is ironically picked up by Rios aboard the USS Stargazer.
Quotes[]
| “ | Why do you call them 'the Nameless'? Their species had a name, we just don't know what it was. | „ |
| ~ Soji about the antipathetic moniker of ancient Borg drones. |
| “ | Hugh: I really don't know what to say, Dr. Asha. Your work here has always been excellent, but speaking to a Nameless in his own language? Outstanding. Soji: You taught me that even a few words in the mother tongue can be soothing. Even in an unconscious state. Hugh: There is no more despised people in the galaxy than the xBs. People either see us as property to be exploited or as a hazard to be warehoused. Our hosts, the Romulans, have a more expansive vision. They see us as both. Soji: I hate it. Hugh: You're different. Soji: Thank you. Hugh: I've decided to let you have your interview with Ramdha. Soji: Oh, my God, really? Hugh: You've been pestering me about it for a long time. After today, I'm inclined to grant your request. |
„ |
| ~ Soji to Hugh. |
| “ | Usually I find that if I ask people for help, they're happy to give it. | „ |
| ~ Soji Asha |
| “ | Soji: If I could see you with his eyes... with his memories... what would I see? Picard: How would I know that? Soji: What do you hope I would see? How do you wish he would remember you? Picard: You mean, if he had survived me, rather than the other way around. I hope he would remember Jean-Luc Picard as someone who believed in him. Who believed in his potential. Uh, celebrated his successes. Counseled him when he fell short. Helped him if he needed help and, if he didn't need it... got out of his way. Words to that effect. Soji: He loved you. |
„ |
| ~ Soji and Picard speaking about Data. |
| “ | Is the coming of Seb Cheneb. The Destroyer. Me. | „ |
| ~ Soji about the Admonition. |
| “ | Arcana: Soji. Finally. We've missed you so. Soji: Arcana. Your name is Arcana. Arcana: Welcome back. Soji: I'm home. Uh, these are my friends. Arcana: Captain Jean-Luc Picard. Data's captain. Picard: Yes. Arcana: I feel surprisingly moved. May I? They're just lines, but they imply so much more. Grief. Endurance. Marvelous. Welcome, all of you. You completed your mission? Soji: Yes. Arcana: Your face tells me that this success brings bad news. Soji: A fleet of Romulan warbirds is on its way, coming to destroy us all. |
„ |
| ~ Soji is back on Coppelius with her fellows and warned them about the Romulan fleet. |
| “ | Soji: That can't be the answer, Sutra. Sutra: What's the alternative? 23 orchids, an old man and a few friends with phasers? We won't hold out five minutes. Soji: Rios will get La Sirenaflying, and we can get you all out of here. Sutra: Run, you mean. Run and hide until the next time they track us down. We won't be safe anywhere, ever, unless we do this. Soji: You don't know that. Sutra: Yes, I do. And you do, too. To them, we're monsters. They call us abominations, Soji. There is no alternative. Soji: There has to be. Sutra: What is it, then? Soji: Something where so many people don't have to die. Sutra: There is no such plan. |
„ |
| ~ Soji to Sutra. |
Gallery[]
Trivia[]
- Ironically, Isa Briones bears a striking resemblance to the painting of Data's daughter, used in an episode of Star Trek: Next Generation, long before the actress was born.
- She have a constellation of three beauty marks on her right cheek, a mole on her chest and a crooked pinky toe.
- Stardust City Rag is the only episode where Soji does not appear in the first season.
- Soji's human appearance was presumably based on her 21st century "ancestor", Kore Soong.
- According to Riker, Soji has the same head tilt as Data.
- Isa Briones did not return for the third and final season, thus neither reprising her role as Soji or another physically similar character.
- It was envisioned that Soji would return at the end of the third season where she would finally meet the resurrected Data, but it was ultimately not made.
