Object

Parenting Literature (Data's Research Files)

A curated assortment of human parenting texts and articles — printed manuals, pamphlet excerpts, academic papers, and uplinked parenting-column printouts — assembled and digitally scanned by DATA. The materials appear as annotated scans and organized datapackets; DATA consults and cites them aloud while explaining safeguards for Lal, using them as practical reference rather than mere decoration.

2 appearances

Purpose

To serve as practical reference material for DATA's study of human child-rearing practices; to inform his design of psychological inhibitor safeguards and his decisions about Lal's upbringing.

Significance

Functions as DATA's factual defense for creating Lal, grounding his claim that he acted with forethought and human-informed intent. The literature converts intimate motives into researchable procedure, intensifying the conflict between personal creation and Starfleet oversight and raising the moral stakes of the debate.

Appearances in the Narrative

When this object appears and how it's used

2 moments

S3E16 · The Offspring

Creation and Consequence: Picard Confronts Data About Lal

Data cites this curated set of parenting literature he scanned in preparation for raising Lal. The literature is rhetorical evidence of his preparation and functions as a humanizing bridge between scientific procedure and parental intent.

Before: Digitally scanned into Data's memory banks and available as annotated datapackets; in Data's possession (intellectually) rather than physical display.

After: Remains in Data's records and serves as part of his justification; unchanged materially but newly relevant to Picard's assessment.

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S3E16 · The Offspring

Data Defends Lal — Legacy, Safeguards, and the Burden of Creation

Data invokes his scanned parenting literature as evidence of preparation and moral thoughtfulness—he cites doctrines and cross-cultural examples (including Klingon parenting) to argue he has researched caregiving and the responsibilities of parenthood.

Before: Compiled within Data's research files and memory, having been scanned and annotated as preparatory material.

After: Still compiled and cited; the literature's existence bolsters Data's justification but does not resolve Picard's institutional concerns.

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