Institutional Negligence

Data wasn’t a blank slate. He held Omicron Theta memories, completed the Academy, served for years before the Enterprise. His “naivety” was social, not cognitive.

SAM is framed as a mental newborn in elite, high-risk training. This isn’t a mystery; it’s Starfleet's failure.

Granting the diplomatic imperative, the risk is still externalized onto students who didn't consent.

Riker on the Pagh was an informed officer accepting risk. This exposes cadets to a powerful, cognitive newborn.
That shifts the dynamic from a "test" to institutional negligence.

If those three years were effective, the cadets wouldn’t be casual, they’d be cautious.

True consent requires understanding the specific risk. Treating a volatile, cognitive newborn as a peer shows they don’t grasp the danger.

This isn’t a “test”; it’s institutional negligence.

The negotiations explain the politics, not the safety. A gift of an Emissary, still externalises the risk.

Data’s threat is no different to the rest of the crew; Conundrum, Power Play, situational, not baseline liability.