10 Star Trek Episodes That Are Perfect For A Good Cry
8. The Offspring
The death of a child may just be the most devastating loss that one could ever feel. What happens when the parent is not capable of emotion, but still has to endure it? Such is the painful resolution to The Offspring, featuring the introduction of, and subsequent death of, Data's daughter, Lal.
Data achieved on his first attempt at building a positronic brain that his own father could not - a being capable of emotion, but one that wasn't murderously insane. Lal was sweet and innocent, brimming with curiosity, but those feelings quickly overpowered her.
While the logistical ramifications were being discussed by Starfleet on the matter, Data discovered that Lal was on the verge of a system shutdown. There is nothing to be done, so he passively watches as Lal begins to deactivate. She does give him a beautiful parting gift - she tells him that she loves him, and though she knows he cannot return the feeling, she will feel it for both of them.
Though it would be years before he would experience true emotions, Data does incorporate her feelings into his own neural net. In a way, he grants her a measure of immortality. Meanwhile, the audience sobs.