Yeah sitting down and discussing all viewpoints before coming to consensus is clearly beneath Starfleet. They should just automatically know the right thing to do (which is obvs what I think is right) and clearly an interplanetary civilisation wouldn't have any sort of conflict of interest/opinion.

Except that’s not what’s happening here. This is a criminal trial under military/starfleet law to determine if Data has the right to refuse.

This isn’t some arbitration hearing this is a criminal trial. Remember, they came and ordered him, Picard tried to stop it and failed so Data resigned his commission.

Maddox’s argument is that a toaster doesn’t get to do that. (Conveniently ignoring that toasters aren’t commissioned officers to begin with.) it’s prima facie an attempt to coerce data into doing research that will almost certainly kill him; for dubious scientific benefit.

Obviously the guy suing should understand data is clearly a person despite being a new 'unique' form of life in the universe that they have never interacted with before. Like come on are you telling me everyone in the federation hasn't watched tng and become emotionally attached to the characters like I have.

Fascesiousness aside, yes. That’s exactly what should have happened.

Remember that thing called the Prime Directive? several core bits would simply not work without some definitive test as to who or what has personhood and who or what doesn’t.

Maddox’s position has the same level of standing as the recent Florida case against newspapers, where the judge responded “It’s the 4th Amendment, idiot.”

Even further there’s 20+ years of Data passing as a person so well that no one before The Jackass ever questions it. Almost like, because he meets the criteria in the same way that Jackass or Picard or Troy or even the blue barber guy does.

It’s only when Jackass wants to destructively clone Data that it’s even brought up as a question.

So YES, ABSOLUTELY, this trial should never have been allowed to ever happen.