Who is FCM Data in STFC?
FCM Data is an Epic Command-class officer in the Borg faction in Star Trek Fleet Command. The “FCM” tag stands for First Contact Movie, the in-game group that anchors the TNG: First Contact arc, and he is the version of Lieutenant Commander Data who has been pulled into the Borg Queen’s plans aboard the Enterprise-E.
If you spend a lot of time on Group Armadas, FCM Data is one of the more disruptive officers Scopely has shipped for that mode. His captain pick fires a Shots buff at the start of every round, and his bridge pick raises the base loot you take home when the fight ends.
This page covers the basics: who he is in Trek terms, what each of his abilities does, the role he plays in a crew, where he fits, and how synergies and shards typically work.
Star Trek background
Data is a Soong-type android, built by cyberneticist Noonien Soong and his wife Juliana on the Omicron Theta colony, and the first such being to enter Starfleet. He served as operations officer and second officer aboard the USS Enterprise-D and later the Enterprise-E, and the Federation considers him a sentient artificial life form.
FCM Data draws specifically from Star Trek: First Contact. The Borg cross into the Enterprise-E’s timeline and the Borg Queen targets Data, trying to turn him into a tool for the Collective. She grafts patches of organic skin to his body, plays on his long-standing wish to be more human, and pushes on his emotion chip to test his loyalty. Data appears to waver. He does not. He is calculating an opening to help Picard and the Enterprise crew end the incursion.
That tension is the hook for the in-game character: the Borg classification, the Command class, and a captain ability themed around Borg Armada combat all come from this stretch of Trek lore.
Role in STFC
FCM Data is built for Armada combat, and specifically Group Armadas, which Scopely sometimes refers to as solo or open Armadas depending on the season. Both of his combat-side abilities point at that mode. He sits in the captain seat or on the bridge of an Armada-focused ship and pairs with the other First Contact Movie officers to push your Shots and base loot.
He is not a hostile killer, a station defender, or a survey officer, and he is not built for player-versus-player. If your priority is Group Armadas and you are tiering up to the kind of fights where Shots and post-battle loot matter, he earns a spot in your roster. If Armada combat is not part of your loop yet, he can wait.
Captain ability and officer ability
Captain ability: Plexurus of Borg
Plexurus of Borg increases Shots by 40% for 2 rounds on round start against Group Armadas, as of the latest data. The Shots buff fires whenever a new round begins, so by round 2 it has stacked up; by round 3 you are running the largest version of the buff for the rest of the fight.
With the full First Contact Movie synergy in place, that 40% climbs sharply. Scopely’s own write-up on the FCM Armada crew says the captain buff reaches 200% with full synergy and stacks to 400% from round 2 onward against Group Armadas, which is the largest shot boost in any current Armada crew.
Captain’s Maneuvers only fire when the officer is in the captain seat, so he has to be in that chair for Plexurus of Borg to count. The rest of the FCM crew sits on the bridge.
Officer ability: Through Space and Time
Through Space and Time increases the base Loot you gain from Armadas. The increase scales with promotion, as of the latest data:
| Rang | Base Loot bonus |
|---|---|
| 1 | 40% |
| 2 | 55% |
| 3 | 80% |
| 4 | 110% |
| 5 | 150% |
The bonus applies to base loot rather than total loot, so it stacks with the other multipliers your crew, research, and refits bring to the fight rather than replacing them. Officer abilities fire from any bridge seat, so if you have a stronger captain available you can keep FCM Data on the bridge and still pull the loot bonus into the fight.
Where FCM Data shines
Three situations make him worth using.
The first is the dedicated First Contact Movie Armada crew. Run alongside Zefram Cochrane and Mara Dalen, the trio is built end-to-end around Group Armadas. Cochrane brings Isolytic Cascade damage; Mara contributes Isolytic Defense; FCM Data drives the Shots buff and the loot bonus. The group is sized for the new Borg Armadas that arrived with the TNG: First Contact updates, which is exactly where you need the Shots scaling to land.
The second is any Armada session where you want to bring more loot home per fight, even outside a full FCM crew. Through Space and Time fires from the bridge, so a player who has not pulled Cochrane or Mara yet can still slot FCM Data on the bridge of another Armada ship to take the loot bump.
The third is the broader Borg Sphere and Maverick loop in Updates 88 and 89. The story tying FCM Data to the Borg Sphere shows up directly in patch notes, and if you are progressing the Maverick faction and farming Borg hostiles, he is a fitting captain for the run.
How to get FCM Data
FCM Data arrived as part of the TNG: First Contact arc that opened with Update 88 and continued into Update 89. Like other Epic officers in event arcs, shards typically appear through event tracks, Battle Pass tiers, and faction stores during and after the live arc, and they cycle back into other recruit chests over time.
Shard counts to promote are 100 to reach Rank 1, then 100, 200, 300, and 800 to reach Ranks 2 through 5, for 1,500 shards total to fully promote him. Check the current event calendar, Battle Pass, and faction store rotations for the most reliable shard sources in any given week.
Synergies and crew building
The First Contact Movie group has its own synergy block in-game. Two officers stack synergy with FCM Data on the bridge: Zefram Cochrane at 80% and Mara Dalen at 80%, both as of the latest data. Pairing all three is what unlocks the headline Shots scaling from Plexurus of Borg and gives you the full FCM Armada crew.
If you are missing one of the trio, you can still build a workable Armada bridge by leaning on whichever you do have. Two of the three captures most of the Shots boost; one of the three is closer to a buff for the loot bonus only.
Outside the FCM group, FCM Data is a Borg Command officer, so other Borg or Command officers on the bridge can occasionally help with class checks, but the source data does not call out a specific named outside-the-group synergy worth chasing.
Character traits
FCM Data carries the standard officer-traits system in-game, the same set used by recruit tokens and event filters. The exact trait list and per-level XP costs change with patches and are best read off his officer card in your current build of the game rather than memorized here.
Frequently asked questions
Is FCM Data worth ranking up?
If you run Group Armadas regularly, yes. The Shots scaling on the captain ability and the loot bonus on the officer ability both improve with rank, so the higher he goes the more value you take into the fight. If your priority is hostiles, PvP, or mining, his shards can wait.
Where do FCM Data shards come from?
They are tied to the TNG: First Contact event arc and have appeared in event tracks, Battle Pass tiers, and related faction stores during and after the live arc. Day-to-day availability rotates, so check the current store and event rotations in your game client before grinding for a specific source.
What ship is FCM Data best on?
Any Armada-focused ship in your roster works. The captain ability is tied to Group Armadas and triggers on round start regardless of hull class, so the choice usually comes down to whichever Armada ship in your fleet has the best base stats and refits at your current ops level.
Can FCM Data be used against the new Conqueror Borg hostiles?
Yes. Patch notes for the Conqueror Borg arc list a small set of captains whose effects are blocked against those hostiles, and FCM Data is not on that list. Plexurus of Borg targets Group Armadas specifically, so his impact against single Borg hostiles is different from his impact in an Armada fight; build the crew around what you are actually hunting.
Is FCM Data the same officer as the original Data?
No. The original Data officer is a Federation Science officer with a critical-hit-chance captain ability. FCM Data is a separate Epic with the Borg faction, Command class, and a Group Armada Shots captain ability. Both are versions of the same canon character, but in-game they are distinct cards with different roles.
Bottom line
FCM Data is a focused pick: if you have a working Group Armada loop and either already have or are working toward the rest of the First Contact Movie crew, he sits at the center of the strongest Shots-scaling Armada team currently available. If Armada combat is a side activity for you, his shards are something to file for later.