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Object

Android/Robot Terminology (Data)

A lexical distinction voiced during the guest-lounge exchange: speakers contrast the label 'android' with the colloquial 'robot' while describing Data. The phrase operates as an identity marker rather than a physical artifact, shaping how crew members mentally sort technology and personhood. It surfaces in argument and explanation—Data, Crusher, and Riker invoke it to locate Data within legal, ethical, and social categories—prompting pragmatic responses from Ralph and emotional disorientation in the revived individuals.
3 appearances

Purpose

To linguistically and conceptually separate a sentient artificial being (an 'android') from non-sentient mechanical constructs ('robot'), thereby guiding discussion of identity, rights, and practical handling in the scene.

Significance

The word crystallizes the ethical conflict: when Maddox frames Data as an 'android,' he converts philosophical opposition into a practical threat (disassembly), stripping personhood in service of authority. The terminology functions as the battleground for identity, rights, and the imminent danger to Data’s bodily integrity.

Appearances in the Narrative

When this object appears and how it's used

3 moments
S2E9 · The Measure of a Man
Inspection and Declaration: Maddox's Intent

The spoken label 'android' is invoked by Nakamura and Maddox to linguistically reframe Data from crewmember to technical subject. The term functions as a rhetorical tool that legitimizes Maddox's intent and pre-frames Data as a research object rather than a person, escalating the scene's moral stakes.

Before: An established categorical term used clinically in Starfleet parlance; existed as background technical vocabulary.
After: Becomes a charged, weaponized label central to the dispute over Data's status and the justification for invasive study.
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S2E9 · The Measure of a Man
Maddox Announces Intent to Disassemble Data

The categorical term 'android' functions as a rhetorical and evidentiary object in the exchange — framing Data as a non‑sentient mechanism and providing Maddox with institutional justification for disassembly. It shapes perception and underpins Maddox's declared authority to examine and take Data apart.

Before: An established technical/institutional label used in prior evaluations and records (including the Academy committee).
After: Reinforced and weaponized as rhetorical and procedural leverage to justify intrusive testing and possible disassembly.
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S2E9 · The Measure of a Man
The Disassembly Declaration — The Sentience Rift

The spoken category 'android' functions as a linguistic object in the exchange: Maddox invokes his prior evaluation ('evaluated Data') and treats Data as a non-sentient machine, converting descriptive terminology into justification for physical disassembly. The word operates as a tool of dehumanization and institutional rationale.

Before: An established label available in Starfleet parlance and previously used during Academy deliberations.
After: Re-deployed as a rhetorical weapon by Maddox to validate his plan and mobilize institutional authority against Data's personhood.
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