Character

Researchers (Unspecified Group)

institutional diagnostic human-centric procedural

An unspecified cohort of scientists and diagnosticians invoked by Admiral Haftel to justify institutional custody and study of Lal. They function as a stand-in for formalized scientific authority—presumed to possess clinical diagnostic skill but anchored in human perspectives. Picard challenges the assumption that those researchers could fully comprehend an emergent android consciousness, exposing a gap between human-centered scientific methods and android experience. No individual researcher is named; the reference highlights custody, expertise, and the limits of anthropocentric inquiry.

3 appearances

Scientific Research and Diagnostics

Also known as: the researchers, Haftel's researchers

Researchers (Unspecified …'s Journey

A timeline through the narrative

3 moments

S3E16 · The Offspring

Haftel Seizes on a Contraction — The Custody Question Begins

Not present; represented as clinically detached and methodical through Haftel's appeal to their expertise.

The unspecified cohort of researchers is invoked by Haftel as the preferred custodial and diagnostic authority; they are not present but function as the institutional counterweight to Data's on-ship care.

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S3E16 · The Offspring

Custody Question: Data's Parenthood Challenged

Absent physically; represented as a calm, clinical authority whose presence is felt through Haftel's appeals to protocol and expertise.

The unspecified researchers are invoked by Haftel as the preferred custodians and diagnostic experts; they are not present but function as the institutional counterpoint to Data's claim.

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S3E16 · The Offspring

Haftel Demands Lal's Whereabouts — Authority Confronts Parenthood

Absent but influential — represented as a sober, risk-averse authority whose presumed impartiality is used to trump individual custodial claims.

The unspecified group of researchers are invoked by Haftel as the preferred custodians — they are not present, but their expertise is deployed rhetorically to justify Lal's removal and institutional …

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