“Datalore” was part of NextGen’s first season, which was a notoriously turbulent time during production. A lot of scripts were being changed at the last minute. Some scripts were being changed after they had already been approved (specifically by Gene Roddenberry’s famously scummy personal lawyer Leonard Maizlish). Executive producer Rick Berman recalls the tumult, and Nececek noted: 

“By the end of season 1, this episode was being cited by Berman as the one that changed the most from its inception. Lore was originally a female android, a non-lookalike love interest for Data. Her job was to go out and repair dangerous situations, à la Red Adair, the oil well firefighter. It was Spiner who suggested the old ‘evil twin’ concept.” 

Paul Neil “Red” Adair was a famous firefighter, known for putting out burning oil wells. 

Nemecek provides no additional information as to what Data’s firefighter android lover would have been like, what her name might have been, or if the makers of “Next Generation” intended for her to be a regular part of the cast. “Next Generation” wouldn’t see another android character beyond Data and Lore until the episode “The Offspring” (March 12, 1990) wherein Data built his own android child, a young woman he named Lal (Hallie Todd). 

Nemecek also noted that “Datalore” swapped spots with the show’s previous episode — “The Big Goodbye” — on the shooting schedule, freeing up an extra day of shooting. The eight-day schedule allowed director Rob Bowman and Brent Spiner to workshop the episode and get the script polished. It also helped that Spiner played both roles so well. Despite all the dramatic changes, “Datalore” emerged fully formed. For a first-season episode, it’s remarkably strong.