TrekAcademy

Lesson 075: Memories last
TV Series: Star Trek - The Next Generation
Season/Episode: 3/16 ('The Offspring')

[Scene]

Data, a senior officer aboard the Enterprise and an android who is recognized as a sentient life form by Starfleet, creates a brand new android based on his own positronic architecture. He gives his new creation a female form, calls her Lal and introduces Lal to the crew as his child.

Lal manages to surpass Data's capabilities and achieves the very human quality of emotion.

Through a series of events, Lal expires. As the Captain expresses the crews' condolences to Data for the loss of Lal, Data explains that Lal had so enriched his life, that he could not just allow Lal to pass into oblivion. So, Data had transferred all of Lal's memories into his own memory banks, where she will be with him always.

[Lesson]

At the end of the day, isn't that all we ever really have left of our loved ones who have passed on.

We may have tangible items of their existence that we hold close, or even build great monuments dedicated to them, such as the Taj Mahal in India, a testament to love; but in truth, is it not in our treasured memories of our times shared with those passed on that we hold most real and dear to ourselves?

Could Data, who is a machine with no feelings or emotions and always on a quest to be human, have attained a more human quality than to have understood the unique true value of retaining the memory of a loved one?

Disclaimer: This website is not associated or endorsed by Paramount Pictures or CBS Studios Inc., the owners of the Star Trek trademarks, related marks and copyrights. References to Star Trek material on this web site complies with the Fair or Acceptable Use Principle established in the U.S. and International copyright law for the purposes of review, study, criticism and news reporting. No copyright infringement is intended by this website. All original work provided on this website is the sole copyrighted property of TrekAcademy.com and may not be reproduced in any form without the express written permission from TrekAcademy.com.