Public Claim: Data Declares Lal His Daughter
Plot Beats
The narrative micro-steps within this event
Guinan defers further explanation to Data, establishing parental boundaries in Lal's education.
Lal replicates observed flirting behavior with Riker, applying social lessons without understanding context.
Data intervenes with paternal protectiveness, asserting his role as Lal's father to a shocked Riker.
Who Was There
Characters present in this moment
Quietly alert and slightly amused until concern; protective and corrective when Lal's imitation crosses a social line.
Guinan watches from behind the bar, provides coaching about human behavior to Lal, moves to intervene when the kiss occurs, and issues a corrective command to defuse the situation and protect both Lal and the social norms of the room.
- • To teach Lal appropriate social cues and boundaries
- • To contain potential embarrassment or harm to Lal and the other patrons
- • Social learning is best guided by gentle correction
- • Ten-Forward should remain a safe social space for informal learning
Eagerly investigative with a blunt, childlike confidence — curiosity without social inhibition, combined with experimental delight.
Lal watches a pair of kissing humans, asks Guinan questions about touch and affection, then imitates the encouragement she observed: she takes Riker's hand, pulls him sharply toward her and plants an unexpected kiss, then releases him when Guinan intervenes.
- • To learn and practice human social behaviors through imitation
- • To elicit a social response that confirms the meaning of touch and flirtation
- • Human social acts can be learned by observing and copying
- • Physical gestures (holding hands, kissing) are communicative actions with predictable outcomes
Lighthearted and engaged; her smile and departure signal openness and mutual enjoyment.
The unnamed blonde woman notices the ensign's glance and smiles, encouraging him to approach; later she and her companion leave together after kissing, modeling the affectionate behavior that informs Lal's imitation.
- • To reciprocate flirtation and enjoy a casual social encounter
- • To model consensual romantic behavior in a public setting
- • A smile can invite conversation and courtship
- • Public displays of affection within Ten-Forward are acceptable social behavior
Calmly resolute and protective, displaying an algorithmic but sincere guardianship that seeks to impose social boundaries in a charged situation.
Data arrives at the bar in the middle of Guinan's attempt to intervene, assesses the interaction with procedural clarity, and publicly demands Riker's intentions while asserting Lal's status as his daughter, turning a private lesson into a formal protective claim.
- • To protect Lal from being trivialized or treated as a curiosity
- • To establish Lal's social identity and Data's role as her guardian
- • Lal's welfare is Data's responsibility and must be defended publicly
- • Formal assertions of relationship confer social protection and set behavioral expectations
Startled and flustered on the surface; inwardly scrambling to interpret the unexpected situation while maintaining social composure.
Riker enters Ten-Forward, notices Lal, approaches and engages with casual charm; is abruptly pulled into a forceful kiss, reacts with visible surprise and confusion, then attempts a polite, recovery greeting to defuse awkwardness.
- • To engage socially and assess Lal as a potential romantic interest
- • To regain control of the social situation and avoid embarrassment
- • Ten-Forward is a place for casual social encounters
- • Unexpected behavior from others can be politely rationalized and smoothed over
Optimistic and slightly nervous; his actions show youthful confidence buoyed by positive social feedback.
The unnamed young ensign earlier notices a blonde woman, is encouraged by her smile, and excuses himself from friends to approach and take her hand and kiss — his behavior serves as the template Lal observes and imitates.
- • To initiate a brief flirtatious connection
- • To follow clear social cues (smile, invitation) and reciprocate affection
- • A reciprocal smile signals permission to approach
- • Touch and holding hands are acceptable ways to begin courtship
Objects Involved
Significant items in this scene
The bar stool provides the immediate stage for Riker's encounter: he slides onto it, which places him within Lal's reach and makes the sudden kiss physically possible. The stool concentrates the bodies into a small shared space, heightening the intimacy and comic surprise.
The Ten-Forward meeting table functions as one of the social anchors Lal observes: two young women sit at it, their interaction (holding hands, then leaving after kissing) provides the behavioral template Lal studies. The table helps stage the modeled behavior and frames the social lesson Guinan imparts.
Narrative Connections
How this event relates to others in the story
No narrative connections mapped yet
This event is currently isolated in the narrative graph
Themes This Exemplifies
Thematic resonance and meaning
Key Dialogue
"GUINAN: Lal, put him down..."
"DATA: Commander, what are your intentions toward my daughter?"
"RIKER: I'm not... what... who... your daughter?"