This is an episode I remember finding annoying as a kid, but as I have grown older and gotten to watch kids grow up I think I get it better than I used to. Also since the gap was originally much wider I didn't get the references to Measure of a Man that Picard makes when negotiating with the Admiral trying to take Lal away from Data. Also the scenes of Lal interacting with people in Ten Forward make more sense, but I actually kinda agree with the Admiral that maybe working as a cocktail waitress is a bit of a waste of her talents. At the same time I can't think of someone better than Guinan to patiently guide someone into humanity.
The episode begins with Wesley, Troi and Geordi making their way to the cybernetics lab. Ever since some big conference Data has been spending all his off duty time there with the door locked and they are all wondering what he has been up to. When they come in Data greets them and introduces them to Lal, his android child. At the conference Data learned about a breakthrough in positronic brain construction that has allowed him to copy his programming into Lal's brain to get it to function as he does. And I say it because Data created Lal without gender or features of a specific race with the intention of allowing Lal to pick it's own appearance. Captain Picard is offended Data didn't ask him before creating a new android but Data correctly explains none of the other crew consult the captain before procreating. And he is right, but so is the captain, Starfleet command is very interested in Lal and the admiral in charge of cybernetics research wants to transfer Lal to his custody.
Meanwhile Data and Deanna take Lal to the holodeck to pick an appearance and gender, Lal decides to become a human female and Troi fully approves. However even with a more human appearance Lal is having a hard time fitting in. The kids in school either laugh at her or ignore her and she has a hard time with not being able to fully be human. Data decides that working with Guinan might be a good way to learn about humans and Guinan proves to be a good teacher. There is a funny scene where Lal watches to people kissing in Ten Forward and then grabs Riker as he walks in for a drink and kisses him, just as Data walks in to demand what Riker's intentions are towards his daughter. During the same interation Data observes Lal using a contraction, something his program has never mastered.
But there are bigger problems, the Admiral rendezvous with the Enterprise and after observing Lal and interviewing her still insists that she be transferred to him. This causes Lal to have an emotional breakdown and I do mean breakdown because the experience of emotions starts a breakdown in her neural pathways. At this point the Admiral seems to get it and agrees to help Data try to save Lal, but it is too late. Lal suffers a total neural breakdown and Data is forced to deactivate her. But not before transferring her memories to himself so she can live on inside of him.
Review: Not as hard hitting as Measure of a Man, but a good look into what the consequences of creating artificial life might be like. I really appreciate that the admiral is willing to see things Data's way in the end, it often seems like Starfleet command are so terrible at their jobs the Enterprise should just go start it's own Federation.
7 out of 10
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