Data was such a unique character to me. If he was just a regular human made robot then he would’ve failed in season one. His kindness, innocence, and compassion were his defining characteristics. In almost every way that mattered, he was one of the most human characters on this show lol.

Data’s also basically as human as can be with a perfect memory, so the need for procreation feels almost irrelevant if you think about it. Yet, Data was a remarkably good parent. He was attentive, endlessly patient, informative, and never embarrassed or humiliated by the ridiculous actions of his daughter.

Lal was such a lovely character too. While clearly a robot she possessed characteristics that are also very human at the same time. Her struggles to learn and experience the new world around her were mostly painted with broad strokes, but there was enough in those moments to highlight the important stuff. Like what it meant to Data to emulate humanity, and the isolation and otherness inherent in their existence. Each scene established her presence in Data’s life, and among the crew, making the audience care for her more and more as well, to the point where I didn’t want her to go.

In a big picture her death was very sad. Her final moments, feeling emotion and unable to process them, were simply beautiful. Making her as human as possible because similarly, when we have to deal with emotions we do not know how to handle, we too are unable to process it.

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