He nodded thoughtfully, considering. "If the old was designed, and the new sprang from it, perhaps the core design came across as part of the, I guess you could say 'heritage'?" It was an interesting question, but really just an academic concern.

Much more relevant was the part where the ship could speak and have a mind of its own. That was something he'd generally tried to avoid; there's very little to do about a ship that might choose to turn against its own crew. He'd want a more expendable outlay than that, unless...

Well, 'unless' could be handled later. For now he'll look attentive- yet with a furrowed brow. "Regular feedings make sense, but if you told me what it eats I've forgotten. Does it need to eat organics in order to manage organic growth?"