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"I love you, Father." "I wish I could feel it with you." "I will feel it for both of us. Thank you for my life." Tears, every time. I wanted Lal to be a regular character so much.

"Order a man to turn his child over to the state? Not while I'm his captain."

The actress playing Lal (Hallie Todd) knocked the role clean out of the park. I've watched this episode 100 times and still pick up subtle things she does. Just perfect.

So Data knows what it's like to kiss Riker.

"I can give her attention Doctor, but I am incapable of giving her love." "Now why do I find that so hard to believe...?"

I'm a 34-year-old man & I cry like a bitch every time I watch this. Incredible episode.

The way Riker got out of that situation tells me that this isn't the first time he's confronted some fathers.

Do not be ashamed of the tears. The line "I will feel it for both of us" gets this old man every time.

This episode gets me every time. I have no idea how Brent Spiner pulls off being un-emotional yet conveys such deep passion.

I'm sad we missed the part where he says that Data's hands were "moving faster than I could see". Such a moving episode all around. The tear was well deserved.

The “I FEEL” abdomen stab gets me every time.

"Why is the sky black?" One of my favorite lines.

The two scenes that always get me- When she is hitting her chest and saying “I can feel it”, and when she says “Thank you for my life father.”

"Imagine if Pulaski was there instead ... 'You're wasting your time! Your just damn robots" LOL

"Hold your ground Mr. Data." There's SO many examples in TNG of what a great leader Picard is. Picard is a great example to me of: "It's not the size of the dog in the fight that matters, it's the size of the fight in the dog."

It's really amazing that the most unemotional character in the show can deliver some of the most emotional and gut wrenching episodes

One thing that made this episode special to me is that Lal's experience is similar to someone with autism. The isolation from peers, the difficulty learning interpersonal relations, the utter confusion over the deep feelings she has no ability to process. I watched my little brother go through those same experiences, and couldn't do much to help him as I am not on the spectrum, and so don't really understand. I tried though. This is what sci-fi is best at, exploring ideas and realities in a safe way, one that helps us get out of our own way and not get stuck in mental ruts, and see the world from a new perspective.

When people say that the show improves greatly after season 2, this kind of episode is what they're talking about. Yes, there are still episodes that aren't great, but then you get these episodes that are simply perfect. They elevate the show and turn it into something that is greater than the sum of it's episodes.

The “Thank you for my life” line gets me choked up. This is way heavier than a TV sci-fi show needs to be, but one of the saddest facts of life is that parents sometimes outlive their child. I don’t know of a more powerful combination of emotions than to grief the loss of a loved one and to be grateful for the life they had at the same time. That’s why that line hits me so hard.

ah yes, the classic "Bad-miral" (bad admiral) trope that came out of this show.

Any episode where Picard tells Starfleet to go F themselves in one way or another is a great episode for me

I think of this as The Measure of a Father. I still get teary-eyed at this one.

Jonathan Frakes' debut as director. Get use to him directing in the Star Trek franchise. He usually knocks it out of the park. Hallie Todd (Lal) was in a groundbreaking 1980's Showtime sitcom called Brothers, and played Lizzie McGuire's mom in Lizzie McGuire. Her mother was Ann Morgan Guilbert, who played neighbor Millie Helper on The Dick Van Dyke Show, and Fran's grandmother, Yetta, in The Nanny.

"Directed by Jonathan Frakes" if you see that, youre in for a good time. Spoiler-free, hes become one of the most prolific and respected Star Trek director across multiple series

When Troi says to Picard, "You've never been a parent," it was a subtle callback to "The Child" from Season 2.

I'm a 300+ lb 49 year old man...and when both of you related to Lal being ostracized, I felt it deep down. I would give both of you a hug and tell you that you're among star trek fans...you'll never be unaccepted again.

Data will keep insisting that he does not have feelings, and it becomes more obvious every day that he feels as much as anyone can (in his own unique way).

"He was remarkable..." - That's what Tasha said!

"Thank you for my life." ... gets me EVERY SINGLE TIME!!

Another episode that's a perfect example of why star trek is SO good when it gets it right!

Frakes started the trend of cast members direction episodes. It was actually his first time directing ever and he worked his ass off to get permission, he shadowed other departments when he wasn't needed on set and really put in extra time to learn how to direct this show, cause TV is shot fast as hell and there is no time to make mistakes in shooting.

So many great comments on all the great acting moments, and I just wanted to add-- it's not seen in this review, but in the episode, after the admiral tells Picard "you're jeopardizing your career," Patrick Stewart does this simple, understated smile. It's not an over-acted jeer, it's a perfectly subtle portrayal of his convictions-- that in comparison to Data losing his daughter, he doesn't care about status, career, or image. He's being confronted by tyranny, and the buck stops with him. Lesser writing, acting and direction would've over-stated that moment, but his subtle resolve is so powerful in comparison to the blustering arrogance of the admiral.

This is among my favorite episodes of the series. Lal's final moments bring me to tears every time. On a lighter note, the most accurate part of the episode is that it takes several hours for Lal to decide her appearance, as anyone who has played a game with a robust character creator can tell you.

Well, that thing hits a lot harder watching it in 24’ as opposed to 90’. It was good watching it initially. But now… I lost a son a few years ago. I was watching along not think too much ahead about what was coming in the episode even though I have watch it a dozen or more times. This one stung quite a bit. I had to shut it off for a moment.

I met Hallie Todd, the actress who plays Lal, at a Star Trek convention in Los Angeles in 2013. Brent Spiner, Jonathan Frakes and others were there too of course. The picture I got with her and Brent and the autographs I got from them on a picture from this episode are two of my most prized possessions. And fun fact: Hallie is the daughter of Ann Morgan Guilbert, who played both Millie Helper, the neighbor on "The Dick Van Dyke Show," and Grandma, Yetta, on "The Nanny".

Do my tears surprise you? Strong men also cry. Strong men also cry.

What a spectacular episode. The actress playing Lal is absolutely captivating. And father Data is at his very best. Wow.

I actually love this episode. If you don't shed at least one tear, you might have less emotions than Data. On a side note at least we know that Riker's rizz works on androids too, you may even call him a "love machine". 🥁 It's ok, I'll see myself out.

The painting is a Mondrian, an early 20th-century masterwork of abstraction. It IS a perfect choice for Data, and it appearred in several episodes. It is a 1922 work called Tableau I, prints are widely available.

As much as we were supposed to hate the Admiral for most of the episode, it is his description and emotion to describing Data's attempt to save Lal that makes this episode. Great performance in that scene.

Jonathan Frakes dissertation episode for "Paramount University".

"The Offspring" has always been my favorite TNG episode since it was first broadcast.

Michael Dorn has said this is one of his two favorite TNG eps. Definitely Top 5 for me. Probably of the franchise.

I watched this last night before the reaction and review, and I pretty much dehydrated myself I had such an ugly man-cry. And that was totally knowing what was coming. I've never lost a child (never had one), but recently lost my parents. Definitely hits even harder. Hallie Todd is one of the all-time great "Trek" guest stars, up there with James Sloyan, Suzie Plakson, William Windom and Joan Collins. And J Frakes is a superb director.

Someone should give Data an excerpt from Spock's log from about a hundred years earlier. He had to wipe Kirk's memory of a similar android. She couldn't handle emotional overload either, and Kirk couldn't handle that.

The one thing Picard asked of Riker when he first came onboard the Enterprise was to deal with all the children and keep them away from Picard, and the _instant_ Riker is off the ship Picard's second officer goes and makes a new kid.

This is my favorite TNG episode. As a father, the ending hits me so hard. *Update* - I wanted to comment further but on a family trip. When I first watched this episode as a kid, I knew it was a special episode, I just didn’t realize how special. My daughter was born 5 weeks premature and spent the first 2 weeks of her life in the NICU. Then, she needed surgeries throughout her life including open heart surgery at age 8. My son also has had several surgeries including his appendix removed. At the ages of 13 and 7 respectively, they have taught me so much about what it means to be a better man and a stronger person. This is why this episode is so special to me. Despite not “having emotions” Data’s journey through parenthood is a unique and very “human” experience. TNG did such an amazing job condensing everything into one 45 minute episode, and the heartbreak at the very end brings me to tears every time I watch it. I don’t understand why this episode doesn’t get ranked higher on “best of” lists. I acknowledge that there are episodes with much more significant impacts on Star Trek and science fiction, but this episode is the top on my personal favorites list of Trek episodes.

One of my favorite episodes there are still a few more excellent episodes to come. Love the fact that Lal now lives in Data’s memories just like any other parent who has lost a child.

In "The Offspring," Data’s family expands, Creating Lal, with his own hands. Daata becomes a dad. Fatherhood, his desire. A bond of love, made of circuits and wire. Lal learns and grows, with curiosity bright, Exploring the ship, with Data's insight. But challenges arise, from Starfleet's demand, They want to control, what they don’t understand. Picard stands firm, defending their right, For Data and Lal, he’s ready to fight. But fate intervenes, with tragic dismay, Lal’s systems fail, and her life... slips away. Data's love endures, though Lal fades away, A sad goodbye for she must go, and he must stay. A father’s grief, in Data’s stoic face, An emotional journey, out here in space. Lessons of love, and the cost can be steep, Like Data, her memories, we will all keep. A tale of love, and what it can bring, So like their reaction to, "The Offspring".

This comments section is WHY I LOVE the Star Trek community. PLUS, I feel like there is something about Target Audience that draws out the BEST of us. I have followed a number of Reactors watching Star Trek and YOU GUYS are my FAVORITE. I'm a 43 year old man, and this episode STILL gets me EVERY TIME. Yes, even this time watching you. After reading the comments, It's just nice to know I'm not the only one. Thank you ALL for being the EMBODIMENT of what Star Trek stands for. BEST. COMMUNITY. EVER. Peace and Long Life.

TNG usually crushes it with the guest casting, but this one might be the best of all.

This episode always gets me… when Lal thanks Data for life, I start to cry.

THIS IS MY FAVORITE EPISODE OF THE SEASON!!!! So "asimovian"! This is science fiction! Stories that can touch our feelings through hypothetical sceneries. 10/10

I actually liked Pulaski a lot when I first saw Season 2 ages ago, but I love even more that Alex can nail an impression of her perfectly.

The biggest villains in Star Trek are the admirals! Good grief, every time!

I love love love this episode. Hope the Target Audience back me up on this, but they won't change my mind if they don't.

Truly great episode. Now I think you guys are starting to see what we were talking about. And it's not over :)

Another excellent episode, maybe even a bit underrated coming on the heels of Yesterday’s Enterprise.

You may recall this is the second time we’ve seen an android in Star Trek short circuit into death, because she was unable to handle the intensity of human emotions. The first time was Reyna in the original series episode, “Requiem for Methuselah.”

Yes! Another banger of an episode... and with real tears. We're into the prime cuts of the season now, and in my opinion, the best is still to come.

I think the best thing about Data is he doesn't know how human he really is.

You have now met the best Star Trek director. Frakes has been directing Star Trek ever since, even the current Trek.

Lal's androgynous form was performed by actor Leonard Crofoot (who appeared in two other _TNG_ roles!), and make-up artist extraordinaire *Michael Westmore* says that it was the most intensive and memorable make-up he ever crafted for the entirety of the series! (Several different actors were used for the holodeck alternatives.) Crofoot was not allowed to eat or drink before getting made-up, because he would not be able to go to the bathroom while in the prosthetics. Additionally, it took two hours to get him into the make-up, and then a different make-up artist had to get into the shower with him to remove it at the end of shooting.

In the quiet of the night aboard the USS Enterprise, Commander Riker and Captain Picard found themselves in the captain's ready room, enjoying a rare moment of relaxation. The stars outside the window formed a mesmerizing backdrop, a reminder of the vastness of space they explored together. "Jean-Luc, do you ever tire of this endless journey?" Riker asked, his voice soft, almost reflective. Picard looked up from his book, a slight smile playing on his lips. "There are moments, Will, when the solitude of command can weigh heavily. But then, I think of the crew, of the friendships we've forged, and it all seems worthwhile." Riker nodded, understanding the sentiment all too well. "We've been through so much together. It's those bonds that keep us going, I think." The captain set his book aside and leaned back in his chair. "Indeed. It's not just the exploration of the unknown that drives us, but the connections we make along the way." There was a comfortable silence between them, one that spoke of years of mutual respect and camaraderie. Riker walked over to the replicator and ordered two glasses of Saurian brandy, handing one to Picard. "To friendship," Riker toasted, raising his glass. "To friendship," Picard echoed, clinking his glass against Riker's.

And what's great is that while this and the last one are so wonderful, you STILL have another top 5 contender or two before the season is out (at least from our perspective).

Daystrom, as in Richard Daystrom from the TOS episode "The Ultimate Computer".

This was the first episode of Next Generation that Jonathan Frakes directed, he directed a total of 8

I'm just speculating but I believe having someone who truly understands TNG, like Jonathan Frakes, who cares about it, and takes it seriously is what kept this episode from being silly. Jonathan Frakes did an amazing job directing this episode. He knew how to direct a guest star and get a strong performance out of them. Guest stars have always been very hit or miss on this show. The actress (Hallie Todd) who played Lal was fantastic.

Reposted from Patreon: Part II: *I find Lal’s line, “So without understanding humor I have somehow mastered it,” one of the most distressing moments in all of Star Trek. The last time my mother and I rewatched “The Offspring” before she died, she commented on the turbolift scene in which Data and Lal discuss Lal’s school experience that it must have painful for me to watch as a kid given my own experiences. I replied, “Ripped the heart out of my chest.” Expressing my feelings about this scene to Mom so clearly all those years after first seeing it is a precious memory for me.* Lal’s question, “Why is the sky black?,” is more profound and difficult than it seems. See the Wikipedia article on “Olbers’s paradox,” also known as the dark night paradox. Bizarrely, the earliest reasonable answer to Lal’s question came from a non-scientist: American author Edgar Allan Poe! *I did not realize until this rewatch how much this episode’s plot also resonated with my own experiences and fears as a kid. Due in part to my difficulties with socialization, my mother chose to homeschool me from third through twelfth grade. Like Data, Mom was able to provide me with the sum of human knowledge.* The yellow classroom set previously appeared in one of the deleted scenes from “The Bonding,” when Picard and Troi arrived in the classroom to inform Jeremy of his mother’s death. *I spent much of my childhood fearing on some level that the State would find some way to force me to go back to school, but they never did.* Picard makes a highly uncharacteristic grammatical error in this episode: “It may not be easy for you and I to see her that way” should be “for you and me,” which may sound wrong but is grammatically correct. *I am now 45 years old. I am a college graduate and a contributing member of society. I did not need to experience ten years of bullying, jealousy and resentment in public school to attain that status.* One disappointment for me on this rewatch was the realization that Marina Sirtis’ performance in this episode is far below her usual standard. Her line readings are stilted, and her delivery of the pivotal line, “You are scared, aren’t you?” is not strong enough. Perhaps Troi wants to avoid upsetting Lal further, but Sirtis does not sufficiently convey the gravity of the moment to the audience. On the other hand, I had never previously noticed the subtlety with which Brent Spiner plays the moment after the dying Lal tells Data that she loves him: Data seemingly considers lying and saying that he loves Lal but realizes that he must be honest with her. *When my mother died, her presence had so enriched my life that I could not allow her to pass out of it.* A 1990 exchange of memos between Rick Berman and Michael Piller revealed that Piller preferred “The Offspring” to “Yesterday’s Enterprise,” while Berman had the opposite opinion. (This provides a valuable insight, I think, into their respective personalities and approaches to making Star Trek.) Piller later named “The Measure of a Man,” “The Offspring” and a Season 5 episode as his three favorite installments of TNG. “The Offspring” and a Season 4 episode are Michael Dorn’s two favorites (remarkably, neither is a Worf episode), and Jonathan Frakes has described “The Offspring” as the best sci-fi episode ever written. [SPOILER REDACTED] *And so, I cherish my memories of her every day, including the memories of watching Star Trek - and "The Twilight Zone," and "Doctor Who," and "The Lord of the Rings" - with her. And because she exists in my memory, death is not an end for her in this world.* Leonard Crofoot (the androgynous version of Lal) previously appeared as Trent (the man who sprays himself with perfume) in “Angel One.” Nicolas Coster (Admiral Haftel) and Judyann Elder (Ballard) both appeared in episodes of "Wonder Woman," Coster in “The Deadly Dolphin” and Elder in “Light-fingered Lady.” *No goodbyes. Just good memories.* Unlike my mother, I would not rank “The Offspring” as my favorite episode of TNG, if only because it is so devastatingly sad. I do, however, rank it as the best episode of TNG Season 3, one of the three best episodes of TNG overall, and, along with “Amok Time,” one of the ten best episodes of the entire Star Trek franchise. *Thank you, Mom, for my life.*

Nice call out to Breaking 2: Electric Boogaloo. I say that sometimes too.

Somehow "The Arrival" reminded me of this episode

I’ve seen this episode like 30 times and it still makes me burst into tears 😭

One of my favorites of the whole show and possibly the most underrated TNG episode of them all

I always thought the writers missed a huge opportunity - after re-incorporating Lal into his own programming, it would have been a nice touch if Data was able to use verbal contractions from this episode on.

What impressed me the most was how differently I felt about Admiral Haftel at the end of the episode. The way the actor delivered his lines talking about Data trying to save Lal brings me to tears every time. Data's lab is a redress of the Enterprise A bridge and the Battle Bridge.

17:53 this episode makes me sob every time. Great debut for Frakes. Honestly, set the tone for his career behind the camera.

OMG I LOVE how quickly you jumped to the implications of Data possibly having achieved the positronic brain. You went from “he thinks he’s a real boy LOL” right into deep lore impact in 2 seconds. A perfect encapsulation of your wrestler/jock personality and your genuine and rich appreciation of the Trek universe. I could not love you more than I do at this moment.

Episodes like this, Yesterday's Enterprise, The Defector, and a couple of more to come are the reasons people have been saying why season 3 is so great.

Since Jonathan Frakes directed the episode, could Lal be considered a "Frakenstein"?

This episode is a great example of very satisfying storytelling that comes NOT from an unexpected twist, but from the fulfillment of an expectation set up in the story's beginning. It's like the Twilight Zone episode "Eye of the Beholder"--you know exactly what's going on and how its all going to end, and watching it unfold is exactly what's so gratifying.

Every time you guys have talked about waiting for season 3 to really get going, I've been waiting for you to get to these last two episodes in a row. Also, the finale is going to absolutely blow your minds.

The default Lal was played by Leonard Crofoot. He previously appeared as Trent, who was the...ummmm...servant?...to Mistress Beata in "Angel One".

How much do I love this episode? A friend got me a trek mug with the quote: I am functioning within normal parameters

Another top episode of the season. Data is and always will be my favorite STTNG character. Brent Spiner was genius. And his daughter was good this episode as well.

THIS is the episode I've been waiting for. This is one of my favorite episodes from the entire series. It doesn't get enough attention.

Hope Alex brought a big box of tissues for this episode. 😢

I love Hallie Todd's performance in this so much. She made the character so endearing in such a short time, and she plays off Brent Spiner just beautifully.

A great follow-up to "A Measure of a Man". My stepmother loves this episode and has "Lal" on her license plate.

Both Brent spinner and Hallie Dodd were incredible here. You saw the beginnings of emotion with her frustration. Her emotions developed. Spiner is a master at showing hints of feelings without having feelings. Both were amazing.

This is my favorite TNG episode. I love everything about it, especially Picard standing up for Data and Lal.

16:33 - I'm not crying. You're crying.

“Thank you for my life.” Kills me every time.

I recently had the horrible experience of losing a close friend who was only 31 years old to a drunk driver (she had been a passenger in a cab). I said at her memorial, when I spoke at the podium to the assemblage of her friends and family, that her death was a horrible tragedy that I was still reeling from and destroyed by, but that, despite the pain, I was so very, very glad that I got to have her as such a huge part of my life for nine long years. The grief did not negate the joy of her friendship, or all of the memories I had made with her. And I'm _still_ glad, two years after her death. One of the pictures on my wall is of her and I, grinning like idiots into the camera, after I had finished the NYC Marathon in 2019, and that pic will be on every wall in every apartment I will ever live in for the rest of my life. When people see it, and ask who she is, I make a point of telling them all about her. It makes it feel like she's still here. This episode hit hard before that happened, but it hits me much, much harder now. It does a wonderful job of contrasting the sadness of loss of a loved one with the happiness that they were there in the first place. "Thank you for my life," indeed.

Hallie Todd, who played Lal, is the daughter of Ann Morgan Guilbert, who played Fran's grandmother Yetta on "The Nanny" and next-door neighbour Millie Helper on "The Dick Van Dyke Show."

Data's determination to save his child to this day still really touches my heart. And still makes my eyes well up! As does Lal's final moments and last words to Data! Jonathan Frakes did a great job directing this episode. It was the first of many Star Trek episodes to be directed by a member of the cast. This was Frakes' directorial debut. The episode was written as a spec script by René Echevarria which the show bought. Echevarria did a great rewrite which was touched up by staff writers who also all did a great job! Hallie Todd was great as Lal and Whoopi Goldberg again also made this episode allot of fun. Even though as usual her part in it was small. And Lal's Riker kiss as well as Riker's reaction. Just hilarious!

At its best, Star Trek is brilliantly aspirational. This is why I believe it leaves all other sci-fi programs behind... it captures the intense sincerity and complexity of humanity, instead of chasing after laser battles and explosions. First and foremost, it is authentically human.

"Let's have Data build his own android child." "Sounds great, but you know we do not have the budget for another recurring cast member." "OK, so we'll have the child android die of separation anxiety by the end of the episode." "Brilliant!"

Reposted from Patreon: Part I: Working title: “Bloodlines” (which would have made no sense, since Data and Lal do not have blood). *This was my late mother’s favorite episode of TNG, and, therefore, of the entire Star Trek franchise. As such, it is more emotional for me to discuss and think about than any other episode.* Like “The Measure of a Man” and “The Bonding,” “The Offspring” was a spec script by a first-time TNG writer which became a classic. Although René Echevarria received sole screen credit, multiple members of TNG’s writing team worked on the episode, including Michael Piller and Melinda Snodgrass, who remained on staff through the end of the season. (One reason the producers were eager to make “The Offspring” was to save money by making a “bottle show” after the unusually expensive “Yesterday’s Enterprise.”) Snodgrass voiced a minority opinion of this episode that finds it lacking, calling it “fairly obvious and tired and stupid and I didn’t want to do it… It had a lot to do with ‘The Measure of a Man,’ which I don’t think we needed to do again so soon.” *My mother often claimed that she began watching Star Trek because she overheard other children mocking me by calling me “Spock” and “Data,” and she needed to understand what they were talking about. I do not recall this myself - to the best of my recollection, we simply stumbled upon TOS and TNG in syndication around 1990 - but it was what she remembered.* There are fans and critics who agree with Snodgrass that “The Offspring” is an unnecessary rehash of the issues “The Measure of a Man” had raised, and that the events of that episode should have permanently resolved those issues in-universe. It is all too realistic, however, that people must fight to keep or reclaim rights that they believed they had already won. (Remember when Supreme Court nominees used to tell the Senate that Roe v. Wade was “settled law”?) *During the last few years of my mother’s life, when I was in my late 20s and early 30s, I began to suspect that I was on the autism spectrum. My mother was never able to believe or accept this because it conflicted with her deeply held narrative of my life, which was that I was exceptionally intelligent without any corollary drawbacks.* Surprisingly for an episode this late in TNG’s run, Gene Roddenberry also took part in the rewrites. I do not know what his specific contributions to the script were; however, given the overall quality of the result, this may have been his final truly excellent work as a writer for Star Trek. *It becomes clearer in “The Offspring” than ever before in TNG that, whether intentionally on the writers’ part or not, Data (and Lal in this episode) reflects the experiences of people on the autism spectrum. This is also true of Spock to an extent, which is one reason why his death scene in Wrath of Khan, isolated from his best friend by a transparent barrier, is so deeply moving. But it is far more obviously true of Data and Lal.* Although Alex and Josh are, quite rightly, already fans of Cliff Bole’s work, “The Offspring” marks the debut of TNG’s number one director. Jonathan Frakes had been interested in directing the show for some time, partly out of boredom when waiting around the set between takes. Rick Berman told Frakes he would have to “go to school” before directing an episode, and Frakes spent hundreds of hours in the editing room and on the dubbing stage learning about those aspects of television production. Upon receiving “The Offspring” as his first directorial assignment, Frakes said later, “I was thrilled because I got a Data show and those always work.” (Riker’s absence from the ship for part of the episode is, of course, a device to reduce Frakes’ acting workload in his directorial debut.) *Spock has rejected “normal” human emotion and does everything he can to suppress it. Data, like his conceptual predecessor Xon from the Star Trek: Phase II series that never was, wants to experience human emotion but cannot achieve it.* The meaning of Lal’s name, “beloved,” has special resonance in the Star Trek universe, since it is also the meaning of the names “Amanda” and “David.” Data encouraging Lal to choose its own gender and appearance is an extraordinary plot point for a television episode from 1990. One can only wonder how many millions of viewers - possibly including my mother - who accepted this as a natural and appropriate rite of passage for a new android would have been disgusted and offended by a human parent allowing their child to do the same thing. *For many Aspies like me, “the integration of hand/eye coordination” proceeds “at a slower developmental rate” than for other people; it is extremely difficult for us to master “human cultural and behavioral norms;” we have difficulty understanding the necessity for “selective judgment in verbalizing [our] thoughts;” and we must learn “to supplement innate… behavior with human responses” which are often imitative in nature. I make eye contact with people when I speak to them only because I forced myself to do so until it became habitual, not because it was an innate instinct.* Lal’s potential Andorian form is the first Andorian to “appear” on TNG. Its inaccuracy and general half-baked appearance, as well as Troi informing Lal and the audience that there are no other Andorians aboard the Enterprise, reflect the disinterest of Star Trek’s producers in the Andorians during this era. Rick Berman rejected an earlier proposal to feature an Andorian guest character on TNG by saying, “We don’t do antennae on this show.” *Since my mother’s death, I have come to suspect that she was also on the autism spectrum (closer to the “normal” end than I am) but was never diagnosed. She would undoubtedly have been even more disturbed by this suggestion applied to herself than applied to me.* During the montage of Lal’s progress accompanied by Data’s log entry voiceover, the Revised Final Draft script includes a scene absent from the aired episode in which Lal visits the Bridge and sits in the captain’s chair without being invited to do so. Relating to Josh’s query as to whether the repeated references in TNG to the Daystrom Institute imply that the writers were particularly fond of the episode from which the name “Daystrom” originated, the Revised Final Draft script of “The Offspring” also includes an explicit reference to “The Ultimate Computer,” the TOS episode featuring computer genius Richard Daystrom, in an exchange between Picard and Haftel. Haftel states that “Starfleet feels we’re risking another M-5 catastrophe,” which he blames “on the fact that Doctor Daystrom was working in effective isolation.” I think that this kind of deep-cut continuity reference, which reads like something out of fan fiction, would have been severely distracting for TNG viewers who were unfamiliar with TOS, and I am glad it was omitted.

The final scenes with Lal always make me cry. In some ways, I believe the final scenes with Admiral Haftel show him finally according Data respect.