The Offspring

Episode #

Prod. #

Stardate

Airdate

Story

Teleplay

Director

Synopsis

Based on his own circuits, Data creates an android "offspring," Lal, who chooses female form. Admiral Haftel comes to take her away for study at the Starfleet Daystrom Institute cybernetics lab on Galor IV. When confronted with being forced to leave her father, Lal experiences emotional awareness -- fear and confusion -- and suffers a breakdown of her neural pathways. Before shutting down, Lal expresses her love for Data and thanks him for her life.

Guest Cast

Whoopi Goldberg (Guinan)
Hallie Todd (Lal)
Nicholas Coster (Admiral Anthony Haftel)
Judyanne Elder (Lieutenant Ballard)
Diane Moser (Ten Forward crew #1)
Hayne Bayle (Ten Forward crew #2)
Maria Leone (Ten Forward crew #3)
James G. Becker (Ten Forward crew #4)
Leonard John Crowfoot (Android Lal)

Notes

This is the first episode directed by actor Jonathan Frakes, and is also one of my personal favorites.
Lal is Hindi for "beloved."
After Lal's shutdown, Data transfers her memories into his own.
Admiral Haftel seems to have forgotten that Data was given the full rights of a Federation citizen in the episode "The Measure of a Man", where Commander Maddox tried to have Data transferred to the Daystrom Institute for study.

Images

Data creates an android daughter, Lal