Object
Lal Transfer Device (Positronic Neural Transfer Apparatus)
A lab-sized neural-transfer cradle and console: a brushed-metal frame with a reclined chair/cradle, banks of synchronized LEDs, patch arrays and adjustable neural connector arms that clamp to Lal's head and torso. Matching indicator lights pulse in time across Data and Lal as transfer routines run; technicians and officers hover at the console while Data physically monitors the synchronization. The apparatus smells faintly of ozone and lubricant, hums with low-frequency power, and reads as both medical hardware and experimental engineering in the sterile Enterprise laboratory.
4 appearances
Purpose
To perform a controlled, irreversible transfer and synchronization of positronic/neural patterns from Data to Lal—instantiating Lal's independent consciousness by copying and integrating Data's neural architecture.
Significance
Serves as the narrative 'birth' instrument: it reframes a technical procedure as a parental, intimate act and crystallizes the custody conflict with Starfleet. The synchronized LEDs and transfer tableau transform engineering into moral stake, making the device the physical locus of Lal's personhood and the immediate flashpoint for institutional contestation.
Appearances in the Narrative
When this object appears and how it's used