star trek picard soji actress

Why Dahj/Soji From Star Trek: Picard Looks So Familiar

The CBS All Access series  Star Trek: Picard leans into intrigue from the outset, and at the heart of its mystery is an enigmatic woman named Dahj and her twin Soji, both portrayed by Isa Briones. Please be advised that we'll be veering rather quickly into  spoiler territory for the first two episodes of  Star Trek: Picard , so if you've yet to catch up, you may want to skip ahead.

After she is assaulted and her boyfriend killed by Romulans, Dahj is compelled to track down Picard before almost immediately meeting her end at the hands of her Romulan pursuers. It turns out that said pursuers have a connection to an organization known as the Zhat Vash, which is intent on the destruction of all androids. Not only are Dahj and Soji synthetics, they are the daughters of one particular android which Jean-Luc Picard once knew very well: Data, who served as Lieutenant Commander on the Enterprise during Picard's tenure as its Captain.

While the mystery behind Dahj and Soji's past has yet to be unraveled, plenty of viewers are probably busy trying to unravel a different mystery: just where the heck they've seen Briones before. Her role on  Star Trek: Picard is her highest-profile yet, so it's understandable if you're having a bit of trouble putting your finger on it — and of course, we're here to help.

Isa Briones has appeared in some little-known features

There may in fact be a pretty excellent reason that you've had trouble recognizing Briones from her previous work: she's only 21, and she appeared in a couple of smaller features and a TV movie as a child. These include 2008's  Brown Soup Thing , her feature debut (in which her most recognizable co-star was the boxer Manny Pacquiao), and 2010's  Takers , which boasted the likes of Hayden Christensen, Idris Elba, Matt Dillon, and Paul Walker among its cast. That same year, she also appeared in the TV movie  Cutthroat , which also featured her younger brother Teo.

More recently, she's popped up on the big screen in the 2013 feature  Lonely Boy , which also paired her with Teo and which starred Lynn Whitfield ( The Josephine Baker Story ), Melora Walters ( Cam, The OA ), and Greg Vrotsos ( Orange is the New Black ). Briones has also appeared in a number of short films over the years — but if you have that nagging feeling that you've seen her face on the small screen recently, then you just may be a fan of the FX anthology series  American Crime Story .

Isa Briones appeared in season 2 of American Crime Story

Briones guest-starred during the second season of the series,  The Assassination of Gianni Versace , in the penultimate episode, "Creator/Destroyer." She portrayed Elena Cunanan, the sister of Andrew Cunanan (Darren Criss,  Glee ), the man who gunned down the famed fashion designer on the streets of Miami Beach, Florida, in 1997.

While Briones' role was relatively minor, her striking looks and obvious gifts as an actress may have made an impression on you, and almost certainly made an impression on the producers of  Picard , who saw fit to cast her in her first major recurring role on a television series (and a pretty darned high-profile one, at that). Briones is slated to appear in all eight episodes of the first season; while season 2 of Picard   has already received the green light from CBS All Access, it's not clear whether she'll return for another go-round as Saji, the offspring of perhaps the most famous android in all of  Star Trek ... er... lore (fans of  Star Trek: The Next Generation will see what we did there).

At any rate, the future looks bright for the young actress, and the way in which she's acquitting herself on  Picard will doubtless open up myriad future opportunities. You can catch new episodes of the series streaming on CBS All Access every Thursday.

Isa Briones

Series: Picard

Character(s): Dahj, Soji, Jana, Sutra

In 2019, Briones was cast in Star Trek: Picard, playing two sets of synthetic twins: Dahj and Soji, and Jana and Sutra. Briones sent tapes of herself to audition for Picard while she was playing multiple roles on stage in Hamilton, and learned during her final callback that she would portray twins in the series. Briones identified most closely with Soji who, after Romulan attacks, learns she is an android created from a neuron recovered from Data. She trained for a month to perform many of her own stunts.

For the season one finale, “Et In Arcadia Ego, Part 2”, Irving Berlin’s “Blue Skies” was set to play during Data’s final scene as a bookend to his performance in Star Trek: Nemesis. Composer Jeff Russo wrote a new arrangement for the episode, and series co-creator Alex Kurtzman suggested that Briones perform the vocals. Briones said, “it’s so right that this is the song” playing at the end of Data’s journey.

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Privacy Overview

• Cast & crew
• User reviews
• Episode aired Mar 5, 2020

Picard and Soji, who's struggling to make sense of her recently unlocked memories, travel to a planet that happens to be the home of Picard's old friends Will Riker and Deanna Troi; Elnor an... Read all Picard and Soji, who's struggling to make sense of her recently unlocked memories, travel to a planet that happens to be the home of Picard's old friends Will Riker and Deanna Troi; Elnor and Hugh are left on the Borg cube to face Narissa. Picard and Soji, who's struggling to make sense of her recently unlocked memories, travel to a planet that happens to be the home of Picard's old friends Will Riker and Deanna Troi; Elnor and Hugh are left on the Borg cube to face Narissa.

• Douglas Aarniokoski
• Gene Roddenberry
• Akiva Goldsman
• Michael Chabon
• Patrick Stewart
• Alison Pill
• Isa Briones
• 71 User reviews
• 16 Critic reviews

• Jean-Luc Picard

• Dr. Agnes Jurati

• Raffi Musiker

• Cristóbal Rios

• Deanna Troi

• Lieutenant Narissa Rizzo

• Commodore Oh

• Romulan Guard

• La Sirena Computer

• (uncredited)

• All cast & crew
• Production, box office & more at IMDbPro

Did you know

• Trivia Riker and Troi's daughter Kestra was named after Troi's late elder sister, who appeared in Dark Page (1993) .
• Goofs When Picard helps himself to Riker's bottle of wine, he picks it up with his right hand and has his left at his side. Then the shot changes and now his left hand is in his pocket.

Will Riker : So I'm just going to speculate, and say out loud what's in my brain. You don't have to tell me anything. How's that sound?

Will Riker : You're worried about the cloaks. That says Romulans. The level of anxiety and fear for our safety? It's got to be the Tal Shiar. You're not the one they're after, it's her. What has poor Soji done to incur their wrath? Could it have anything to do with the fact that she's clearly an android? And not just any android. I recognize that head tilt. She's got Data in her DNA. How am I doing?

Jean-Luc Picard : Not bad, for a pizza chef.

• Connections Featured in re:View: Star Trek: Picard Episodes 6, 7, and 8 (2020)
• Soundtracks Theme from 'Star Trek: The Motion PicturE' Composed by Jerry Goldsmith

User reviews 71

• re_carbonari
• Mar 5, 2020
• March 5, 2020 (United States)
• Log Cabin, Backlot, Universal Studios - 100 Universal City Plaza, Universal City, California, USA (location)
• Roddenberry Entertainment
• Secret Hideout
• See more company credits at IMDbPro

Technical specs

• Runtime 58 minutes

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Interview: Isa Briones On Soji’s Evolution In ‘Star Trek: Picard’ Season 2

| October 5, 2021 | By: Anthony Pascale 7 comments so far

The second season of Star Trek: Picard finished production early last month, right before the big Star Trek Day event. In addition to speaking to executive producer and season 2 co-showrunner Akiva Goldsman at the event, TrekMovie also had an exclusive chat with star Isa Briones, who gave us an update on the season and what’s next for Soji Asha.

Are we seeing a different Soji in season two, now that she and all the synths are free?

Well, yeah. We’re definitely seeing a new kind of level of her evolution as she’s coming into her own. She’s finally allowed to be who she is and be accepted by the universe, the galaxy, whatever you want to call it. So yeah, we get to see her in this new, more certain place of who she is. And that’s very exciting.

You actually played three characters in season one, including one they surprised you with…

Yeah, I had no idea that Sutra was a thing. I was reading the script one day, and I was like, ‘Who’s Sutra?’ I had no idea… They were like, ‘She looks remarkably like Soji.’ [laughs]

So are you sticking with just the one in season two?

That’s something I cannot divulge.

Any more singing?

Hey, if they asked me I will.

We see Soji at the LA Music Center in one of the trailers, so there could have been a performance…

Yeah, maybe a big Klingon opera or something? [laughs]

Isa Briones as Soji in Picard Star Trek Day trailer

So what can you say about season two? Why should fans be excited about it?

I would say that my favorite thing about it is that we’re seeing these characters in a new light. And there’s a big emphasis, I think, on mental health, for sure. We’re seeing these characters going through some hard moments and really leaning on each other and prioritizing their own mental health in order to save everyone else. And I think that’s a very relatable storyline and a storyline that we need right now.

Do you see a political allegory to season two? Some kind of message?

I think all of Star Trek does. You can see it in every Star Trek movie or TV show. It’s always tied to our world today. It’s always a reflection of our world. So it would be really hard to not find a political allegory.

Can you talk a little bit about what it’s like doing back-to-back seasons and dealing with COVID protocols?

Thankfully, all of our leaders in this show have really made sure that we are as safe as possible and have made the transition as easy as possible for all of us, which has been really helpful. And it leaves room for us to really just worry about the characters and worry about the story and not have to worry about all of the outside world things, because there’s a lot of things to worry about. But thankfully, we’ve got our own tight-knit family of people who just want to make this happen and want to put this out there.

Being that Soji is actually quite young–technically just a few years old–are we seeing some big evolution for her, and where do you see her arc over the seasons?

Yeah, definitely when you’re playing a young female character in sci-fi, it can be a little complicated. Especially with the history of women in sci-fi. Oftentimes, we’ve seen a lot of tropes of very half-baked characters who are in their bra and underwear, and that’s all you see them do. But thankfully we are heading out of that age and we’ve got a more fully formed character.

All around we’ve got these amazing badass women in our show. And so being the young one, I really hope to see a mirroring kind of evolution that you would see in any young woman coming into her own, realizing she has a voice, realizing she can speak up for herself and speak up for others. So I would really love to see Soji continue on that path.

Raffi (Michelle Hurd) and Seven (Jeri Ryan) in Picard Star Trek Day trailer

ICYMI – Star Trek Day Trailer

In case you missed it, here is the trailer released on Star Trek Day. (Check out our full analysis .)

Season two of Star Trek: Picard arrives in February 2022. It will be on Paramount+ in the United States, and in Canada it will air on CTV Sci-Fi and stream on Crave. Outside North America, Picard is available on Amazon Prime Video .

More Star Trek Day

There is still more to come from Star Trek Day, including more red carpet interviews, so keep reading TrekMovie for our full Star Trek Day coverage .

Keep up with the  Star Trek Universe at TrekMovie.com .

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Despite some inconsistent and, at times, terribly underwhelming writing during S1, I have to say that I really liked Briones’ work in the premiere season. She managed to get me to feel for her original character in the first episode and that carried on when we met her “sister” android Soji later in the season. Overall, minus 2-3 episodes, I liked S1 and looking forward to seeing what Q has in store for Picard and the gang in S2. Oh btw, IMO more vocal stylings from Briones is more than welcome!

Haha I laughed when Briones mentioned that women in sci-fi have often been relegated to roles when they’re in their underwear. I am sure many older Trek fans like myself were first introduced to Jane Fonda when she was prancing around in Barbarella. Things have progressed a lot, but maybe not a much as we think – we all remember the Carol Marcus (misleading to say the least) promo shot for Star Trek – Into Darkness. I am embarrassed to say to, I was waiting for that scene in the movie – all two seconds of it!

Star sex sells!

Not giving us much, is she!

Plot twist: She and Picard will be real humans of flesh and blood after Q snips his fingers.

I would like that.

I don’t know about Soji, but a trial of humanity (mentioned specifically in the trailer) wouldn’t apply to Picard if he were still a synth.

It occurs to me that we’ve seen her in the trailers with two different hairstyles. I wonder if Dahj is still running around in this alternate future.

Screen Rant

Star trek: picard: how soji is & isn't data's daughter.

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Star Trek: TNG’s “There Are Four Lights” Meaning & Why It’s Still Quoted 32 Years Later

Guy ritchie’s young sherlock series makes another upcoming sherlock holmes project even more exciting, bill skarsgård's pennywise return all but confirms the it prequel is using this great stephen king story.

Warning: SPOILERS for Star Trek: Picard Season 1, Episode 7

Soji (Isa Briones) is the synthetic daughter of the late Commander Data (Brent Spiner), but Star Trek: Picard has drawn a fascinating contrast between them. The CBS All-Access series about the twilight years of Jean-Luc Picard (Patrick Stewart), circa 2399, is telling a complex tale about the future of artificial lifeforms in the United Federation of Planets - with Soji at its center. In many ways, Soji is a lot like Data but in other, crucial ways, her experiences set her apart and turned her into very different android. While Soji enjoys numerous advantages Data strived his entire life (and failed) to achieve, Data also never had to cope with the traumatic experiences Soji has endured in her time aboard the Borg Cube Artifact.

Introduced in the first episode of Star Trek: Picard , Soji and her twin sister Dahj are highly advanced synthetics built by the Daystrom Institute 's Dr. Bruce Maddox (John Ales) in 2396. The twins are considered "Data's daughters" because Soji and Dahj were created from one of Data's positronic neurons (likely taken from the dormant B-4 android) though a miraculous process called neuronic fractal cloning. Maddox even modeled Soji and Dahj's appearance after a painting by Data he named "Daughter". However, the twins were illegally built in secret because synthetic lifeforms were banned by the United Federation of Planets after Mars was attacked by rogue androids in 2385. Despite being fugitives since their inception, Dahj and Soji are the culmination of Maddox's dream, which was shared by his protege Dr. Agnes Jurati (Alison Pill), to create the evolution of Data, who was the positronic android built by Dr. Noonien Soong.

Related:  Star Trek: Picard Episode 7 Kills Off A TNG Character

Soon after Soji and Dahj were built, Maddox implanted false memories of their childhood and equipped the twins with an A.I. they knew as "Mom" to maintain their programming. Believing themselves to be human, Soji and Dahj were then sent on their missions to discover the truth behind the Starfleet/Romulan conspiracy that led to the synthetics ban. Sadly, Dahj was assassinated on Earth by the anti-synthetics sect of the Tal Shiar called the Zhat Vash. Meanwhile, Soji believed herself to be Dr. Soji Asha, a therapist working for the Artifact's Borg Reclamation Project, when she was targeted and tortured for information by a Romulan spy named Narek (Harry Treadaway). After Soji's defensive capabilities activated and she prevented Narek's attempt to kill her , Jean-Luc Picard (Patrick Stewart) rescued Soji and they escaped the Artifact together.

Star Trek: Picard episode 7, "Nepenthe", compellingly explored Soji's fragile state of mind as she and Picard sought refuge with Will Riker (Jonathan Frakes) , Deanna Troi (Marina Sirtis), and their daughter Kestra (Lulu Wilson) on their adopted homeworld, Nepenthe. While Riker and Troi quickly realized Soji's synthetic nature and her ties to Data, the episode also delved into just how different Soji is from the 'father' she never knew.

All The Ways Soji And Data Are Alike

In part, Star Trek: Picard is a sequel to the classic TNG episode "Measure of a Man" where Captain Picard helped define Data's rights as a sentient being. Data was one of the most beloved characters in all of Star Trek, not only because of his captivating pursuit of humanity but also due to the endearingly versatile performance of Brent Spiner (who also played Data's other android doubles) . It was certainly a risk to position Soji as Data's offspring since he had 7 TNG seasons and 4 movies to become one of Star Trek's greatest characters, but in Star Trek: Picard , Isa Briones has shrewdly played Soji as Data's successor: Soji subtly evokes Data while also simultaneously conveying herself as both his evolution and her own unique character.

As synthetics who are 'father and daughter', Data and Soji are indeed a lot alike, which includes both of them dealing with continual confusion, albeit different kinds. Data was often perplexed by human behavior while Soji now questions everything she thought she knew. But they both tilt their head when they find something curious and Bruce Maddox programmed Soji with the same incalculable amount of information that Data was equipped with. They also share the propensity to over-explain their knowledge, though Soji does it in a more natural and conversational way. Neither Data nor Soji are programmed to be malicious and Soji's caring for the Borg XBs on the Artifact echoes how Data was a loyal friend to his crewmates aboard Captain Picard's Starship Enterprise . The two androids are also much stronger, can run faster, and jump higher than human beings, and are capable of defending themselves if need be, though Soji's (and Dahj's) combat skills are more formidable than what Trekkers saw from Data when he had to fight. However, Soji is indifferent to Sherlock Holmes and she can't play the violin, which were two of Data's hobbies.

Related: Star Trek: Picard: Why Agnes Killed Bruce Maddox Explained

It's worth noting that Data previously created a positronic android daughter named Lal (Hallie Todd) on TNG who was an evolved version of him in several ways. Lal was human in appearance, was capable of feeling emotions, and could speak using verbal contractions. However, Lal's neural net was flawed and caused her to die. In any case, the technology available in 2396 allowed Bruce Maddox to perfect 'Data's daughter' with Soji and Dahj, who are even more advanced than Lal was.

Soji Is The Evolved Human Android Data Wanted To Be

Soji and Dahj were built as the embodiment of Data's lifelong ambition to be more human. Unlike Data, who had yellow synthetic skin and yellow eyes, Soji is physically indistinguishable from a human being. Soji can cry, bleed, perspire, sleep, dream, and, as Kestra verified, Soji also has saliva and mucus, which Data did not have. While Data needed an emotion chip, Soji was 'born' with a full suite of human emotions, although because she is synthetic, a Betazed empath like Deanna Troi can't sense her. Soji can also eat and she admitted she likes pizza, which must also mean she has a human-like digestive process.

Data struggled all of his life to understand humans and their emotions but Soji was built to exhibit them naturally, and she has proven herself to be a compassionate person who freely expresses when she "loves" something. But it's because Soji can pass among human society without her true synthetic nature being obvious that the Zhat Vash considers her to be a threat. However, despite the fact he had doppelganger androids, Data was alone in the universe until he found a place to belong on Picard's Enterprise. Unlike Data, however, Soji has a homeworld she now has to return to - and possibly a "nest" of sibling synthetics as well - that she and Picard must save from the Zhat Vash.

Soji's Problems Are Very Different From Data's

Although Soji is just 37-months-old, she has endured terrible experiences and an abusive relationship that Data never had to. After all, the Enterprise's android officer determined his own Starfleet career and his personal identity; Data chose his life's path, chose his friends, chose to own a cat named Spot, and he never doubted who and what he was. By contrast, Soji learned aboard the Artifact that the person she thought she was is a fabrication; her childhood memories and her identity as "Dr. Soji Asha" was a fiction programmed into her so she could penetrate the Artifact and complete her mission. While Data had his share of enemies, most notably his 'older brother' Lore, the Zhat Vash want Soji dead because they believe that she is "the Destroyer" who will bring about the end of all life in the galaxy.

Related: Star Trek: Picard's Prophecy Explained: Will Data's Daughter Destroy The Romulans?

Soji was also lied to and gaslighted by Narek, who convinced her that he loved her when what he really wanted was the buried information about the location of her homeworld. Tragically, Soji had no idea she was an android until Narek's murder attempt activated her. Afterward, she still clung, in vain, to the idea that she was really human. It was fascinating in Star Trek: Picard episode 7 how Soji's trauma and her realization that her life has been comprised of nothing but lies understandably caused her not to trust anyone she met, including the Troi-Rikers and Jean-Luc Picard himself. For his part, Data never had to cope with the kind of emotional abuse that Soji has thanks to Narek, so Data never had to doubt his own reality.

However, the glimmer of hope Kestra offered Soji that, if she wanted to, she and Picard could "have each other" in their lives, would mean that through Data's daughter, Jean-Luc could have his beloved friend back, in a way. Meanwhile, Soji could have the father figure and mentor in Picard whom she could truly trust. It remains to be seen if Soji and Jean-Luc in Star Trek: Picard can form the bond that he and Data had, but if they do, it's something Data himself surely would have wanted.

Next: Picard Is Great Because It Does What Other Star Trek Shows Never Could

Star Trek: Picard streams Thursdays on CBS All-Access and Fridays internationally on Amazon Prime Video.

• SR Originals
• Star Trek: The Next Generation (1987)
• Star Trek: Picard (2020)

• View history

Soji Asha was a female sentient android and twin sister of Dahj Asha . She appeared on scans as, and believed herself to be, completely Human . ( PIC : " Maps and Legends ")

• 2 Fabricated identity
• 3 Return to Coppelius
• 4 After the ban
• 5.1 Interests
• 5.2 Relationships
• 6 Physiology
• 7.1 Appearances
• 7.2 Background information
• 7.3 External link

Creation [ ]

Soji was created by Bruce Maddox and Altan Soong on Coppelius in 2396 . The two men had salvaged the memories and a single positronic neuron of the late Lieutenant Commander Data and used these to create new sentient synths through fractal neuronic cloning . This process always produced a pair of androids, essentially twins, and Soji and her sister Dahj were one of these pairs. ( PIC : " Remembrance ")

Maddox and Soong modelled the twins' appearance on a painting by Data, called Daughter . The painting itself was based on the appearance of Kore Soong and her sisters, genetically engineered Humans created by Adam Soong in the 20th and 21st century . Apart from Soji and Dahj, Maddox and Soong built another set of two androids modelled after the same painting: Jana and Sutra , two of the first synths they built. ( PIC : " Remembrance ", " Broken Pieces ", " Two of One ")

Soji and Dahj were created as flesh-and-blood synthetics, combining Human bodily functions with artificially enhanced strength, speed, and agility. Unlike their siblings, however, Soji and Dahj did not have the typical golden skin and yellow eyes marking a Soong-type android . Instead, they were made to look fully Human. The illusion was sophisticated enough that the two were able to live among organics undetected for several years. ( PIC : " Remembrance ", " Nepenthe ", " Et in Arcadia Ego, Part 1 ")

Fabricated identity [ ]

Soji only spent a short time on Coppelius after her creation, before Maddox took her and Dahj away. Maddox wanted to discover the truth behind the Attack on Mars and subsequent ban on synthetics . He hoped to obtain this information by sending the two women undercover, with Dahj working in Boston and later the Daystrom Institute , and Soji working at the Borg Reclamation Project on the Artifact , a derelict Borg cube . To make their cover perfect, Maddox created extremely elaborate false identities for Soji and Dahj. He programmed them to forget they were synths and made them believe their fully Human cover stories instead.

According to her fabricated identity, Soji grew up in Seattle with her twin sister Dahj and their parents. Her father was a xenobotanist and their house was full of orchids , including a species their father created and named after Soji's sister: Orchidaceae Dahj oncidium . ( PIC : " Remembrance ")

Photos of Dahj and Soji's fabricated past

Maddox created many journals, photos, and mementos spanning Soji's supposed childhood and adolescence. The photos showed Soji at different ages, often joined by her sister, her mother , or a number of different friends. A stuffed doll named Squoodgy and a child's The Adventures of Flotter lunchbox were also matched to these memories. ( PIC : " The Impossible Box ")

Soji believed she had a doctorate in anthropology , going by "Dr. Asha". According to Soji, she left Seattle on May 12 2396 aboard the Ellison to travel to the Beta Quadrant . However, her name was not on the passenger manifest . ( PIC : " The End is the Beginning ", " Absolute Candor ")

At the Romulan Reclamation Site , Soji worked closely with Hugh , the director of the Borg Reclamation Project. Ostensibly, her research at the Artifact was about investigating and establishing a "shared narrative framework" for the xBs , which would help them better understand and process their collective trauma. She was particularly interested in Ramdha , a Romulan xB who had been the foremost expert on ancient Romulan myth before her assimilation . Soji's day to day work included assisting the Romulans during the reclamation of former Borg drones by removing their Borg implants. ( PIC : " Maps and Legends ", " The End is the Beginning ")

While on the Artifact, Soji collected information about the Borg and the Romulans without consciously realizing she was doing it. She learned about the Borg transwarp network , as well the fact that Ramdha's ship, the Shaenor , was the last ship assimilated by the Borg cube before its submatrix collapse . Maddox had ensured Soji would be unaware of the fact she was surreptitiously accessing the Artifact's systems. When Hugh asked her how she had seen Ramdha's Romulan dossier , a file he had no access to, Soji explained: " I just sort of asked to see it. Usually I find that if I ask people for help, they're happy to give it. " ( PIC : " The End is the Beginning ", " Broken Pieces ")

Return to Coppelius [ ]

Asha after being assigned to the Artifact

Soji continued working on the Artifact until 2399 . While there, she met Narek , a Romulan Tal Shiar agent, and quickly entered into an intimate relationship with him. She was unaware that he had been recruited by his sister Narissa to work for the Zhat Vash , part of a clandestine operation to discover the whereabouts of other synths like Soji and her sister. ( PIC : " Remembrance ", " Maps and Legends ")

Narek's plan was to gain Soji's trust and slowly make her question her reality, until she did or remembered something that would allow the Zhat Vash to locate her homeworld. To this end, Narek flirted and slept with Soji, and occasionally revealed unsettling details to her. For example, he told Soji her name had not been on the passenger manifest of the Ellison , and that her nightly calls with her mother always lasted exactly seventy seconds. ( PIC : " The End is the Beginning ", " Absolute Candor ", " The Impossible Box ")

While at first, Soji got angry that Narek was accusing her of being a liar, eventually, she started to realize that her perception of reality was distorted. Once her suspicions got strong enough, Soji tried calling her mother, but realized that, as usual when they were on a holo-call, she couldn't stay awake, and that her "mother" was behaving very strangely. When Soji woke up again, she started scanning the mementos and possessions she had brought to the Artifact, only to discover that all of them had been created approximately thirty-seven months before. ( PIC : " Absolute Candor ", " The Impossible Box ")

Desperate, Soji turned to Narek for help. He suggested she try a Romulan meditation technique usually forbidden for outsiders, the Zhal Makh . Through it, he hoped to help Soji access a recurring dream she had been having about a moment from her childhood. Narek claimed it would help Soji understand what was happening to her, but in reality he hoped the dream held the key to finding Soji's home. As she walked through the path of the Zhal Makh , Soji recalled some details of her dream that gave Narek the information he needed to identify her planet of origin. She also saw a vision of herself, lying on a workbench, except she was a wooden doll and her faceless father was working on her lifeless body.

When Soji asked Narek what the dream meant, he told her it meant she was "not real." He left the meditation chamber, locked Soji inside before she knew what was happening, and flooded the chamber with radioactive mist. Finally, Soji's synth nature began activating, as it had in Dahj when her life was threatened. Soji punched through the floor of the chamber and fled from the Romulan guards.

On her flight, she ran into Hugh, who was helping Jean-Luc Picard track Soji down. Picard told Soji he knew her father (meaning Data) and had tried but failed to help her sister. Now, he was trying to help Soji. While hesitant at first, Soji went along with Picard, and Hugh took them to the Borg Cube's queencell , which contained a spatial trajector . Picard decided they should use the spatial trajector to flee to Nepenthe . Soji hesitated once more, but eventually decided to trust Picard, when the Romulan guards started closing in. ( PIC : " The Impossible Box ")

Arriving on Nepenthe, Soji and Picard met Kestra Troi-Riker , the daughter of Deanna Troi and William T. Riker . Picard told Kestra that Soji was Data's daughter, leading Kestra to ask Soji " So you're an android? " This was the first moment Soji truly realized her identity, and that all her memories were lies. Picard then informed her that her sister had, in fact, been real, but she had died a short while ago. Over the next few days, Soji and Picard stayed with the Troi-Rikers and Soji slowly began to trust Picard. Finally, she asked him for help to find her home, and they left together on La Sirena . ( PIC : " Nepenthe ")

On the ship, Soji got to know Picard better and learned about Data from him. She also learned that Dr. Agnes Jurati , who had been a colleague of Maddox's, had killed Maddox and was likely under orders to kill Soji, too. Soji confronted Jurati, but Jurati assured Soji she would never harm her, now they had met. Soji sat down with Jurati, Picard, Cristóbal Rios , and Raffi Musiker to piece together the events surrounding the synth ban, the Attack on Mars, and the Zhat Vash conspiracy. Soji realized she had given Narek, and by extension the Zhat Vash, the key to finding and destroying her people. Frustrated, she tried to hijack La Sirena to get to her homeworld. Rios regained control of his ship, but when Soji pleaded with him, he agreed to take her home. ( PIC : " Broken Pieces ")

After travelling through a Borg transwarp conduit to overtake the Romulan Armada, La Sirena arrived at and crashed on the planet Coppelius. Soji and the others travelled on foot to the Artefact, which had been restored to a functioning Borg Cube and piloted through the transwarp network by Seven of Nine , but then also crashed on the planet. There, Soji learned about Hugh's death. Afterwards, they traveled to Coppelius Station where Soji met the other androids and Altan Inigo Soong. Soji and the others told the Coppelius Androids about the Romulan Armada headed towards them, bent on their destruction. Picard offered to use La Sirena to send them all to safety, but Soji sided with Sutra and the other androids who wanted to stay. Sutra had learned that there was an extra-galactic species of synthetic life, ready to defend any synths who might contact them by wiping out anyone who might pose a threat – which in effect meant wiping out all organic life. Soji agreed with Sutra that this was the only way to protect their people. ( PIC : " Et in Arcadia Ego, Part 1 ")

Soji helped with the construction of the beacon meant to signal the Alliance of synthetic life . While constructing the beacon, Soji was momentarily distracted by Narek , who had returned; she caught a molecular solvent grenade designed to destroy the beacon and threw the grenade away. She later was convinced by Picard to stand down from the beacon's construction and willingly destroyed it. ( PIC : " Et in Arcadia Ego, Part 2 ")

After the ban [ ]

After the ban on synthetics was lifted, Soji decided not to remain on Coppelius. She set out on La Sirena with Rios and the others when they left the planet, telling Picard " I think I'm just more cut out for wandering. " ( PIC : " Et in Arcadia Ego, Part 2 ")

A short while later, she embarked on a diplomatic tour around the Federation with Dr. Jurati. Their aim was to foster goodwill towards the synths and counter the negative image formed towards them after the Attack on Mars. In late 2401 , this tour had taken them to Raritan IV for diplomatic meetings with the Deltans there. After receiving a message from Rios, Jurati had to cut her tour short and beamed aboard the USS Stargazer after saying goodbye to Soji. ( PIC : " The Star Gazer ")

Personal life [ ]

Interests [ ].

Soji liked to eat French fries dipped in peppermint ice cream , a food also enjoyed by Jana, one of the other pair of androids modelled Data's painting. ( PIC : " Broken Pieces ")

In her room on the Artifact, Soji had an easel and a lot of painting supplies. On her walls, she had many paintings, presumably done herself, including ones inspired by American Indian art from the Pacific Northwest , her alleged home. ( PIC : " Absolute Candor ", " The Impossible Box ")

Soji possessed a necklace , identical to one owned by Dahj, which showed two interlocking silver circles. Soji believed it had been given to her by her father , but it was actually the symbol for fractal neuronic cloning. ( PIC : " Remembrance ")

Relationships [ ]

While she was working on the Artifact, Soji told Narek " I'm a trusting person, Narek. That's my default. ". She immediately took Dr. Naáshala Kunamadéstifee , a new arrival to the Reclamation project, under her wing, and was on very good terms with Hugh. ( PIC : " Maps and Legends ", " The End is the Beginning ")

Her romantic relationship with Narek developed equally quickly. Though she found his secretive manner a challenge to her trusting default, the two went from their first meeting to sleeping together in a very short while. Soji confided in Narek when she could not make sense of her nascent android abilities, and Narek kept pushing her towards feeling more and more unstable, while simultaneously presenting himself as her ally and support. The two shared drinks and romantic stolen moments, but Narek often undercut them in an effort to push Soji towards realizing her true nature. Raffi Musiker later called the relationship "abusive". ( PIC : " Maps and Legends ", " The End is the Beginning ", " Absolute Candor ", " The Impossible Box ", " Et in Arcadia Ego, Part 2 ")

After discovering the truth about her nature and being nearly killed by Narek, Soji became more guarded and less trusting. Still, when she fled to Nepenthe with Picard, she quickly grew close to Kestra Troi-Riker , and even learned to trust Picard and began valuing his advice. ( PIC : " Nepenthe ", " Et in Arcadia Ego, Part 1 ")

Despite some tense moments, Soji also quickly became friendly with her travel companions on La Sirena . For example, Rios soon affectionately referred to her as hija , and promised to take her home, even though she had just tried to steal his ship. ( PIC : " Broken Pieces ")

Soji grew especially close to Dr. Jurati. Although Jurati had been ordered to kill Soji, by the time the two met, she was already doubting her orders. Jurati assured Soji that now the two had met, she would never go through with her orders, and Soji believed her. During the goodwill tour the two embarked on shortly after the synth ban was lifted, Soji supported Jurati in her relationship troubles with Rios. Soji was supposed to make sure Jurati would not drunk-hail Rios after the two had broken up. ( PIC : " Broken Pieces ", " The Star Gazer ")

Physiology [ ]

Dr. Jurati described the goal she and Maddox were working towards as " the Grand Slam. Sentient synthetics that appear Human inside and out. " Soji and Dahj were the culmination of this research, being the only two of the Coppelius synths who were made to look completely Human, rather than sharing their siblings' golden skin and yellow eyes. ( PIC : " Remembrance ", " Et in Arcadia Ego, Part 1 ")

However, Soji's physical and mental abilities went far beyond those of ordinary Humans. She had increased speed, strength, and agility, and was easily able to hack various computer systems. ( PIC : " The Impossible Box ", " Broken Pieces ", " Et in Arcadia Ego, Part 2 ")

Appendices [ ]

Appearances [ ].

• " Remembrance " (Season 1)
• " Maps and Legends "
• " The End is the Beginning "
• " Absolute Candor "
• " The Impossible Box "
• " Nepenthe "
• " Broken Pieces "
• " Et in Arcadia Ego, Part 1 "
• " Et in Arcadia Ego, Part 2 "
• " The Star Gazer " (Season 2)

Background information [ ]

Soji was played by Isa Briones .

In the run-up to the release of Star Trek: Picard , promotional materials and interviews only ever mentioned that Briones would be playing Dahj Asha. The existence of Soji was left as a surprise reveal for the end of the first episode.

Terry Matalas confirmed in an interview that a scene was initially planned for season 3 where Soji would meet with Data, revived through Daystrom Android M-5-10 , but that it was one of various planned elements for the season that had to be cut. [1]

External link [ ]

• Soji Asha at Memory Beta , the wiki for licensed Star Trek works
• 1 Daniels (Crewman)
• 3 Calypso (episode)