Grief, Ritual, and Human Bonds

Personal farewell rituals—gift‑giving, embraces, and small ceremonials—reveal the human cost of the institutional conflict. Geordi's fierce hug, Worf's ceremonial book, Wesley's boyish rituals, and Data's awkward but sincere reciprocation make explicit what the law abstracts away: real attachments, mourning, and the everyday rituals that constitute personhood. The scenes argue that emotional bonds produce moral obligations that outstrip legal classifications.