| Gu: |
You see.
|
| Lal: |
What are they doing?
|
| Gu: |
It's called fliring.
|
| Lal: |
They seem to be communicating in telepathically.
|
| Gu: |
They're both thinking the same thing, if that's what you mean.
|
| Lal: |
Guinan, is the joining of hands the symbolic act for humans?
|
| Gu: |
It shows the affection. Humans like to touch each other.
They start with the hands and go from there.
|
| Lal: |
He is biting that female.
|
| Gu: |
No, he is not biting her. The pressing lips, it's called kissing.
|
| Lal: |
Why are they leaving?
|
| Gu: |
Lal, there are some things your father's just gonna have to explain
to you when he thinks you are ready.
|
| R: |
You new around here, aren't you?
|
| Lal: |
Yes.
|
| Gu: |
Lal! Lal. Put him down.
|
| Da: |
Commander. What are your intentions toward my daughter?
|
| R: |
Your daughter? Nice to meet you.
|
| Lal: |
I watch them and I can do the things they do. But I would
never feel the emotions. I will never know love.
|
| Da: |
It is a limitation we must to learn to accept, Lal.
|
| Lal: |
Then why do you still try to emulate humans? What purpose does
it serve except to remind you that you are incomplete?
|
| Da: |
I have asked myself that many times as I have struggled to be more
human until I realized it is the struggle itself that is most important.
We must strive to be more than we are, Lal. It does not matter that we
will never reach our ultimate goal. The effort yields to its own rewards.
|
| Lal: |
You're wise, father.
|
| Da: |
It is the difference between knowledge and experience.
|
| Lal: |
I learn today that humans like to hold hands. It is a symbolic
gesture of affection.
|
| Ha: |
No objective, do you point it(?) see any other way?
|
| P: |
Forgive me, Admiral, I thought you are sent here to form an opinion,
not to justify one.
|
| Ha: |
Captain, let's not make it any more difficult than it needs to be.
|
| P : |
I see no need for it to be difficult at all. I understand your
concerns. What I'm asking for is time, patience. If you have an
open mind, I'm sure you'll see that it is imperative that Data and Lal
be kept together doing the formative stages of her development.
After that, I have no doubt Commander Data will be delighted to
deliver her to Starfleet Research.
|
| Ha: |
Oh, that's not satisfactory. If mistakes are made, the damage that's
done might be irreparable.
|
| P: |
I'm convinced the damage will be irreparable if they are separated.
|
| Ha: |
Captain, are we talking about breaking up a family? Isn't that
rather a sentimental attitude about androids?
|
| P: |
They're living sentient beings. Their rights and privileges in
our socity have been defined. I help define them.
|
| Ha: |
Yes, Captain. And I'm more than willing to acknowledge that.
But you must acknowledge that Lal may be a technological
step forward in the development of artificial intelligence.
|
| Da: |
A most significant step.
|
| Ha: |
Yes, and work like this demands to be done with controlled procedures.
|
| Da: |
Which Commander Data is following.
|
| Ha: |
Ineffective isolation. And that is what Starfleet Rearch finds
unacceptable.
|