| Arik Soong | |
|---|---|
 | |
| Arik Soong | |
| Aliases: | Doctor Arik Soong |
| Series: | Star Trek: Enterprise |
| Gender: | Male |
| Notability: | Antagonist |
| Occupation: | Scientist |
| Status: | Alive |
| Final: | "Borderland" |
| Actor: | Brent Spiner |
Doctor Arik Soong was a fictional scientist featured in the Star Trek television franchise. Played by actor Brent Spiner, he was the central antagonist in a three-episode story-arc in season four of Star Trek: Enterprise. He appeared in the episodes "Borderland", "Cold Station 12" and "The Augments".
Biography[]
Arik Soong was a brilliant bio-geneticist who lived during the 2130s. He believed in elevating humanity to the peak of physical perfection and based his work on the principles that led to the rise of the Khans during the Eugenics Wars of the late 1990s. Unlike those earlier scientists who cultivated a generation of supermen through selective breeding, Soong believed that genetically augmented humans were not necessarily destined to become power-hungry tyrants.
While working as the senior medical director of Cold Station 12, Doctor Soong stole a cache of human Augment embryos and took them to a planet in the Trialis System where he could raise them. Soong was very compassionate with his work and came to regard himself as the father of a new breed of humanity. After living with his Augment children for ten years, Doctor Soong was captured and brought to justice for his crimes. He was sent to a Federation prison where he spent the next several years in isolation. During his incarceration, Soong managed to reprogram a PADD, which unlocked all of the prison's cell doors. He was recaptured while trying to escape and returned to his cell. From that moment onward, Soong was denied the use of any electronic equipment.
To occupy his time, Soong authored numerous papers and essays relating to genetic engineering. About once a month however, the prison warden would clean out his cell and all of his treatises were burned. Soon never understood why someone would willingly destroy medical data that could save countless lives.
In 2154, a group of his Augments, now fully grown, seized control of a Klingon Bird-of-Prey and journeyed across the Borderland in search of their "father". Captain Jonathan Archer of the Enterprise NX-01 learned of the incident and, fearing that it could incite a war with the Klingons, petitioned Doctor Soong's aid in finding them. Soong feigned cooperation and convinced Archer that he would agree to help him find the missing Augments if he would have him freed from prison. Archer partially obliged him and brought him aboard the Enterprise. However, he was kept under strict armed guard and outfitted with a transponder implant in his neck should he try and escape.
Their search for the Bird-of-Prey brought them into a region of the Borderland dominated by the Orion Syndicate. The Orions captured nine of the Enterprise 's crew members, including Commander T'Pol and brought them to a slave processing center on Verex III. Captain Archer mounted a rescue operation and brought Doctor Soong with him. Archer's efforts to recover his abducted crew members resulted in a riot at the slave auction and Soong used this as an opportunity to escape from custody. Using an electric prod, he fired a jolt into his neck that disabled the transponder implant. Captain Archer saw Arik fleeing the area and gave chase. He caught up with him moments later and beamed him back aboard the Enterprise.
In short order, the Augments aboard the Klingon ship had tracked Soong down and they boarded the Enterprise. The new leader of the Augments, Malik, attacked Captain Archer and threatened to kill him unless Doctor Soong was set free. Soong was released from the brig and reunited with his "children". He took command of the Bird-of-Prey and warped out of the Borderland in search of the rest of his Augment children. [1]
Notes & Trivia[]
- The character of Arik Soong was created by David Livingston and Ken LaZebnik based upon concepts originally developed by Gene Roddenberry.
- Actor Brent Spiner is more popularly known for playing the role of Lieutenant Commander Data on Star Trek: The Next Generation and the four "NextGen" feature films.
Quotes[]
- Doctor Arik Soong: Your crew cannot take a joke, Captain.
- Doctor Arik Soong: Jonathan Archer. What brings you here? They naming the prison after you?
- Doctor Arik Soong: I didn't realize you shared Humanity's reactionary attitude toward this field of medicine.
- Doctor Arik Soong: There were times, back on Earth, when I doubted myself. My work. But seeing you all... I know that everything I've fought for was worth it. We're going to build a new world. But we can't begin that task just yet. Thousands of your brothers and sisters are waiting to be born. Let's go get them.