Picard Refuses Haftel — 'She Is His Child'
Who Was There
Characters present in this moment
Formal and controlled, with an undercurrent of impatience and concern for institutional responsibility.
Speaking via the viewscreen, Admiral Haftel advocates transferring Lal to Galor Four, invoking superior facilities and policy, and ends the call after warning Picard that his position is uncertain and risky.
- • Secure Lal for study at the Daystrom/Galor Four annex
- • Remove Data's direct influence over Lal's development
- • Reinforce Starfleet research protocols and chain-of-command
- • Specialized facilities and personnel are superior for handling emergent synthetic life
- • Data's presence compromises scientific rigor and may hinder Lal's progress
- • Institutional oversight is necessary to protect both the subject and fleet safety
Portrayed as vulnerable and exposed to outside control; implicitly in need of protection and continuity.
Lal is the subject of the dispute: described as 'the new android' and framed alternately as a research asset and as Data's child; she herself does not speak or act in this scene but is emotionally and narratively central.
- • (Inferred) Continue developing safely under familiar guidance
- • Form identity through ongoing interaction with Data
- • Avoid abrupt institutional relocation that would disrupt learning
- • (Inferred) Data is a trusted caregiver and primary reference
- • Stability and continuity are important for her emergent learning processes
Calm, conciliatory at first, hardening into resolute protectiveness — polite surface masking a firm ethical commitment.
As captain and interlocutor in the Ready Room, Picard calmly but firmly defends Data's custodial claim, negotiates tone, offers compromise, then draws a moral line by declaring Lal Data's child.
- • Prevent immediate transfer of Lal and Data off the Enterprise
- • Reframe the dispute from bureaucratic custody to a moral, parental issue
- • Maintain command prerogative over shipboard matters and crew welfare
- • The Enterprise's mission includes nurturing emergent life; shipboard care can be legitimate
- • Data is a capable guardian and has a primary claim to Lal's educational continuity
- • Starfleet policy must be balanced with humane judgment
Not present to speak; inferred protective and vulnerable — his role as caregiver is under institutional threat, likely causing internal concern.
Referenced throughout the exchange as Lal's creator and caregiver; Data's parenting and teaching are defended by Picard and criticized by Haftel, making him the emotional and practical center of the dispute despite his physical absence.
- • Continue providing uninterrupted guidance and education to Lal
- • Preserve the parental bond and continuity of care
- • Avoid being separated from Lal for institutional study
- • Continuity of care and direct mentorship are essential for Lal's development
- • His custodial role is ethically significant and not merely experimental
- • Starfleet's intervention might prioritize knowledge over Lal's well-being
Objects Involved
Significant items in this scene
The Ready Room viewscreen projects Admiral Haftel's full figure and voice into the private chamber, mediating the entire custody dispute; it functions as the formal conduit of institutional authority and snaps to a starfield image when the call ends, punctuating the emotional beat.
Location Details
Places and their significance in this event
Galor Four (Daystrom annex) is invoked as the recommended destination for Lal — the institutional alternative to shipboard care — presented as a superior, controlled research environment and the rationale for Haftel's demand.
The starfield image on the viewscreen appears immediately after Haftel terminates the call, functioning as a visual full-stop that flattens faces into indifferent space and amplifies the emotional aftershock of the confrontation.
Narrative Connections
How this event relates to others in the story
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Key Dialogue
"ADMIRAL HAFTEL: Frankly, as extraordinary as he is, Data's an imperfect role model. In many ways, he's still developing."
"PICARD: Admiral, to you Lal is a new android. But to Data, she is his child."
"ADMIRAL HAFTEL: Starfleet's policy on research is clear... you're making your stand on very uncertain ground... I do hope it doesn't fall out from under you... Haftel out."