Self - awareness Self - awareness was one ' s own recognition of oneself as an individual . Self - awareness , along with intelligence and consciousness , were markers that indicated sentience in an individual , according to Bruce Maddox . ( ) Developing self - awareness . Though generally said of biological lifeform s , artificial lifeform s , such as android s ( ) and hologram s ( , ) could also become self - aware , primarily due to the sophistication of their programming , which allowed them to learn and expand their abilities over time . Androids . Data . In 2365 , Bruce Maddox testified during Data ' s hearing to determine whether the android had the right to refuse to be disassembled for research conducted by Maddox himself . As Data ' s advocate , Picard asked Maddox to go through the markers of sentience and apply them to him ( Picard ) and ultimately Data . After discussing with Maddox whether Data was intelligent , Picard asked Data why he was here . Data responded , " " I am taking part in a legal hearing to determine my rights and status . Am I a person or property ? " " Picard continued , asking Data what the hearing ' s stakes were , to which Data answered , " " My right to choose . Perhaps my very life . " " Picard emphasized Data ' s use of the personal pronoun to suggest that Data " was " , in fact , self - aware . Maddox , for his part , continued to insist that Data was a machine throughout the hearing , which ultimately ended in Data ' s favor . After Data expressed his interest in cooperating with Maddox in a way that did not end in his destruction , Maddox remarked to the hearing ' s judge , Phillipa Louvois , " " He ' s " ( Data ) " remarkable . " " She noted the significance of the fact that despite his earlier wavering , Maddox had just chosen to refer to Data as a " he " rather than an " it " . ( ) Holograms . Moriarty . The first known instance of a hologram developing self - awareness occurred in 2365 , when , in response to Geordi La Forge ' s request that the ' s holodeck computer create an adversary that could outwit Data , a powerful version of Professor { dis | James Moriarty | hologram } } was produced who managed to gain control of " Enterprise " ' s computer . ( ) Later , upon being re - activated by Reginald Barclay in 2369 , he described himself as self - aware , able to experience the passage of time despite being trapped in the " Enterprise " ' s computer system . When Jean - Luc Picard came to speak to him upon his request , he expressed his desire to leave his " prison " . Picard explained that despite the fact that many minds were trying to find a way to allow him to leave the holodeck , none had been successful as of yet . Unable to bear another moment in his confinement , Moriarty proved his status as an alive being by appearing to exit the holodeck . In reality , he had created a realistic holo - simulation of the " Enterprise " and trapped members of the crew in it , with the goal of obtaining the release he sought for himself and Countess Regina Barthalomew , a fellow holographic character he had fallen in love with . Turning Moriarty ' s strategy against him , Picard was able to convince him that they were departing the " Enterprise " on the shuttle " Sakharov " , when in reality they were confined to a stand - alone unit that was continuously running a holoprogram meant to simulate unlimited space travel for their enjoyment . ( ) The Doctor . In 2371 , after seeing an injured Walter Baxter ' s disrespectful dismissal of The Doctor , behavior which was systemic among the crew of , Kes approached Captain Kathryn Janeway with her concerns about the way the crew were treating him . She had noted that they often ignored him , insulted him , or talked about him while he was in the room , actions she considered disrespectful . Janeway , playing devil ' s advocate , explained that the crew had complained about The Doctor ' s rudeness and lack of bedside manner , adding that they were considering re - programming him , as he was only a holoprogram . Kes protested that he was alive : " " He ' s self aware , he ' s communicative , he has the ability to learn . " " When Janeway attributed that to his sophisticated programming , Kes continued to push the issue until Janeway relented . When Janeway later approached The Doctor , she told him that he was no longer just an emergnecy measure , but a full member of the crew . Rather than re - programming him , which he initially believed she was suggesting , she asked him whether he needed or wanted anything . Surprised , he expressed his wish that people would deactivate him when they left sickbay , only not at an inconvenient moment . As that action would likely have cemented the crew ' s opinion that he was just a tool , she offered the alternative of allowing him to control when he was deactivated . Upon embracing his status as a self - aware entity , The Doctor asserted himself when Baxter returned with a new injury , threatening to discuss the lieutenant ' s over - zealous exercise regimen with his superior officer if he came in once more with an exercise - related injury . Properly chastised , Baxter finally demonstrated respect , calling him " sir " . Discussing his new status as a crew member with Kes , The Doctor asked her to give Janeway a list of supplies he wanted for sickbay . He also expressed a wish for a name . ( ) Challenges . Despite strong evidence in favor of self - awareness , these lifeforms weren ' t always considered so by others , and as such , were often the subject of abuse and legal challenges to their personhood . ( , ) In addition , an individual ' s self - awareness could be thwarted . In a hive mind such as that of the Borg , individuals who had been assimilated lost their self - awareness and thought of themselves as parts of a larger whole . This was exemplified by their frequent use of the phrase " " We are Borg " " rather than introducing themselves personally . Hugh , for instance , continued to refer to himself as " we " even while detached from the Borg Collective until a conversation with Picard . ( et al . ) One ' s sense of self could be impeded by the presence of other personalities in one ' s psyche . In 2375 , Seven of Nine ' s self - awareness was hampered by the presence of several other individuals after being exposed to a Borg vinculum ; as a result , she developed something akin to multiple personality disorder , manifesting as various individuals assimilated at one point by the Collective . ( )