On the 3rd of September 1966 the 24th World Science Fiction Convention honoured the creator of Star Trek Gene Roddenberry. What better excuse could there be than this to put up Data’s poem to his pet cat Spot on our poetry page.

Ode To Spot

Felis cactus is your taxonomic nomenclature
An endothermic quadruped, carnivorous by nature;
Your visual, olfactory, and auditory senses
Contribute to your hunting skills and natural defenses.

I find myself intrigued by your subvocal oscillations,
A singular development of cat communications
That obviates your basic hedonistic predilection
For a rhythmic stroking of your fur to demonstrate affection.

A tail is quite essential for your acrobatic talents;
You would not be so agile if you lacked its counterbalance.
And when not being utilized to aid in locomotion,
It often serves to illustrate the state of your emotion.

O Spot, the complex levels of behavior you display
Connote a fairly well-developed cognitive array.
And though you are not sentient, Spot, and do not comprehend,
I nonetheless consider you a true and valued friend.

Written by Data Star Trek, The Next Generation