i try to remember something Picard once said to Data about limiting one’s answers to information that’s pertinent and contextually-relevant to a situation. people don’t want a lecture when a quick answer will do.

i have observed that, typically, when someone asks me a question, it’s because they’re trying to solve a problem, not to learn something new. The best course of action, then, is to help them solve their problem by giving them an expedient and relevant answer rather than to attempt to educate them on a new subject. they often have neither the interest nor the time.

Now that I think about it, was Data autistic?

I’m not sure whether or not the android Data could be considered autistic from an in-universe perspective, but I would say that as a character Data was inspired by autistic humans and written in a way that neurodivergent viewers would empathize with. At least that’s how he’s always come across to me, as a neurodivergent trekkie.