“ | Holy S-H-I-T! | ” |
–Data |
Richard Wang, better known as Data, is a member of the Goonies. He lives in the Goon Docks of Astoria, Oregon with his family. He has a 6-year-old sister named Lilly. Data is a member of the Wang family.
Appearance:[]
Data is the youngest and shortest of the Goonies. He is an Asian American with short black hair. He wears a light gray sweater and jeans, with a large gray overcoat on as well, worn out and covered in a number of ironed-on patches. He also wears white Nike sneakers. Most notable, however, is his chestplate and belt, of which he has hooked up to multiple inventions, making him a lot like a walking multitool. He also wears a big backpack, where he keeps many useful items and tools.
History:[]
Data and his family are preparing to move to Detroit, Michigan due to the Goon Docks planned to be sold away to Mr. Perkins. He spends the morning out, testing out an invention that reels things close to him via suction cup. It backfires though, and instead he's dragged headfirst into a trashcan, where he gets stuck and is unable to notice the Fratellis and police zip past him.
Later, he goes to hang out with his friends, ziplining from his house to the Walsh residence, crashing through a screen door, breaking it. He laments having to move and then apologizes about breaking the door to Mrs. Walsh. Up in the attic, he adventures around and explains how a static electricity ball works to Chunk. He tags along with the others, helps subdue Brand to a sofa chair, and rides off on his bike to Cannon Beach.
He hikes down with the other Goonies, eventually reaching the Lighthouse Lounge after following a treasure map taken from Mikey's attic. He tries to quell Chunk's concerns about the customers of the restaurant, and eventually heads inside, where he is confronted by Mama Fratelli, who serves them water. He's eventually rounded back up by Brand and is pulled outside to go home. When Andy and Stef arrive, the boys have a second chance to break back into the Lounge, where they adventure down into the basement, looking for signs of treasure.
In the basement, Data discovers a printing press that, when activated, starts printing fresh fifty dollar bills. He's excited at first, exclaiming this is how the Goon Docks can be saved, and is very disappointed when Brand says they're fake. After Chunk accidentally uncovers a body, he helps put it back, and then climbs down into the secret passage in the fireplace when the Fratellis come back from dumping another body.
Down in the secret cave system, Data uses his Bully Blinders to light up the way, but they only last for a minute before the batteries die. After he helps try to get someone's attention from the surface, he and the others discover the body of Chester Copperpot; Data is the one to remember his name from a newspaper saved in the attic, and then worries how they'll survive if he died in the tunnels. Mikey hands him a bundle of candlesticks and then he goes to lay down his own booby traps in the form of a series of firecrackers to stop the Fratellis if they follow. Unfortunately, while setting them up, Mikey activates one of One-Eyed Willy's, and he has to escape from falling boulders.
Down in a "waterfall", the Goonies discover pool with treasure in it, which turns out to be coins tossed down from the Moss Garden Wishing Well. He and Mikey argue about splitting up the money but stops when Stef tells them to let the money go. When the bucket is lowered by Troy, he tries to go first, citing his short stature as being the reason he should go before Andy. Mikey sets off another booby trap, this one opening up the floor and causing Data to fall through, nearly ending up impaled on a pit of spikes. His Pinchers of Peril save him from a grizzly fate, however, and he discovers the way down further into the caves.
Escaping from the Fratellis after a quick bathroom break, Data uses his Slick Shoes to slow them down on the log over a precarious waterfall. He stands guard while they try and solve the Bone Organ puzzle, knocking Jake out with a boxing glove propelled from his coat. He runs over to warn his friends about the Fratellis arriving, and knocks everyone against the keys of the organ; the floor opens up underneath him and he nearly falls for the second time that night.
Down a waterslide, after the way opens up, he lands out in a lagoon where the Inferno sits. Up on the deck, he falls through and lands on an old skeleton of a pirate, and complains about falling and his friends giving him a hard time about his inventions. When the treasure is nowhere to be seen, he starts arguing with Mikey, until they finally discover the way up to the "rich stuff". Data goes to grab a handful of coins off of a scale, but is stopped by Mikey, who instructs him not to do so.
Before they can get away with the loot, the Fratellis catch up. Frustration boiling over, Data stomps outside to confront them. His Pinchers of Power work, snapping down onto Francis' crotch, but his suction cup fails the same as it did earlier that day, and he is reeled in and bumps up against Mama Fratelli, causing her to drop the gun. He's collected up with the others after being forced to give up the treasure. When Chunk and Sloth come to their rescue, he jumps overboard to regroup with the rest of the Goonies. They discover an opening covered up by a series of rocks, and Brand requests a light to see so he can clear the way. However, Mikey instead pulls out a stick of dynamite that had been with the candles from Data's pack. It's lit and tossed away upon realizing it's dynamite.
Out on the beach, after escaping with his life, Data is reunited with his dad and mom. His dad attempts to take a picture of his family with an invention he had created, but it breaks. Data hugs him and reassures him that "you can't hug a photograph". His father proudly proclaims that Data is his greatest invention.
He sadly watches as Irving Walsh signs away the Walsh's house to Mr. Perkins, telling Mikey he will miss being a Goonie. When Rosalita discovers the gems in Mikey's marble bag, however, he is relieved that the Goon Docks are saved and he won't have to leave his friends behind.
Behind the scenes:[]
Data is portrayed by Ke Huy Quan. He promised his mother he wouldn't swear during the movie, causing him to spell out "S-H-I-T" instead of simply shouting out the expletive.
In earlier drafts of the movie, Data was envisioned as wearing glasses, a detail dropped from the final product. He was also supposed to wear the Prince shirt that Mouth wears in the final version and a white flowing cape.
Data appears in all three deleted scenes. In the Stop 'N Snack scene, he is helping repair the register while the others laze about the store. In the octopus attack scene, Data helps Stef and Mouth escape by diving down and sticking a cassette tape into the octopus's mouth, causing the beast to choke and breakdance away.
Data appears in the music video for Cyndi Lauper's song "The Goonies 'R' Good Enough", where he is captured by a gang of pirates and is saved by Lauper's quick wit.
Trivia:[]
- Data is played by Ke Huy Quan who also played as short round from Indiana Jones and the temple of doom.
- Data is a fan of the fictional character James Bond. He has "007" scrawled onto his belt and listens to the James Bond theme while zip lining down from his house furthermore plus, James Bond producer Albert Broccoli used the musical notes from Close Encounters of the Third Kind in the 1979 film Moonraker. As thanks, Broccoli permitted Steven Spielberg to use the James Bond theme without payment of royalties in any of his movies. This was seen during Data's ziplining attempt into the Walsh residence.
Gallery:[]
The Goonies characters | |
---|---|
Goonies | Andy • Brand • Chunk • Data • Mikey • Mouth • Sloth • Stef |
Fratellis | Francis Fratelli • Jake Fratelli • Mama Fratelli |
Secondary | Chester Copperpot • Irene Walsh • Irving Walsh • Mr. Perkins • One-Eyed Willy • Rosalita • Troy Perkins |
Miscellaneous | Andy's father • Andy's mother • Chunk's father • Chunk's mother • Data's father • Data's mother • Data's sister • Eydie Cohen • FBI Man • Mouth's father • Mouth's grandmother • Prison Guard • Stef's father • Stef's mother • Stef's sister • Tennis Player • Troy's friends |
Novel and Cut characters | Bertha • Bonzo The Great • Doug • Gas Station Attendant • Grandpa • Lenny Dole • Octopus • Sylvia Keester • Simon Simian • Simone Simian • Uncle Art • Uncle Sydney |