>If they
>were to encounter Dorothy, or a robot or android of comparable
>complexity, intelligence, and development, would a UF
>Cybertronian regard her as independent, and sentient, or "property" as
>defined by pan-galactic law? I'd guess not; if that's the case, could
>they make her a citizen of Cybertron (possibly even an Autobot or a
>Decepticon) and thus an independent sentient?

Well, the Decepticons aren't big on adoption. Hell, in the old days, they didn't recognize each other as sentient lifeforms half the time. :)

As for the Autobots, they do have their own ideas, but they also tend to try and stick to the established rules - they like to make an effort at being good galactic citizens and the like. Odds are, unless there was some outright danger involved, they would try to stay out of the matter, at least officially. That's not to say they wouldn't want to get involved, but at that point it becomes kind of like a Starfleet crew gritting their teeth, sucking it up, and letting that planet full of hapless primitives get whaled on by the comet because the Prime Directive forbids them to intervene.

(Whereas the WDF would just waste the comet with the Reflex Cannon and give the primitives a new mythology. :)

--G.
-><-
Benjamin D. Hutchins, Co-Founder, Editor in Chief, Netadmin
Eyrie Productions, Unlimited http://www.eyrie-productions.com/