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William S. Gilbert and Arthur S. Sullivan, commonly referred to as simply Gilbert and Sullivan, were Human composers in England during Earth's 19th century. Gilbert, as librettist, and Sullivan, as musical composer, wrote operettas that often satirized British society and politics of the Victorian era. Two of their many works were HMS Pinafore and The Pirates of Penzance.

In 2253, Una Chin-Riley sang part of "I Am the Very Model of a Modern Major-General" from The Pirates of Penzance when she was stuck in a turbolift with Spock. (ST: "Q&A") During Chin-Riley's court martial in 2259, Spock referenced her affection for Gilbert and Sullivan as something she had hid from others. (SNW: "Ad Astra per Aspera")

In 2368, Beverly Crusher encouraged Geordi La Forge to sing the role of the Major-General in The Pirates of Penzance. La Forge was reluctant, but Crusher convinced him to attempt to sing "I Am the Very Model of a Modern Major-General". However, his rendition of the patter-song was interrupted by the USS Enterprise-D's collision with a quantum filament. (TNG: "Disaster")

In 2375, Lt. Commander Data had been preparing for a performance of HMS Pinafore before he was temporarily assigned to the survey team studying the Ba'ku. Captain Picard sang "A British Tar" with the malfunctioning android to distract him long enough for Lt. Commander Worf to subdue him. Although Worf claimed not to be familiar with Gilbert and Sullivan (having mistaken them for crewmembers of the USS Enterprise-E), he was able to join the song in accurate harmony with Picard. (Star Trek: Insurrection)

Data sang the part of the character Ralph, Captain Picard sang the part of the Boatswain, and Worf sang the part of the Carpenter.

The Major-General's song was included in ST: "Q&A" because Rebecca Romijn, who plays Number One, enjoys singing Gilbert and Sullivan songs. (Inside Short Treks: How Rebecca Romijn Helped Sneak Gilbert and Sullivan into Star Trek at CBS All Access)

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