Elementary, Dear Data (S02E03)
Airdate: December 5th 1988
Written by: Brian Alan Lane
Directed by: Rob Bowman
Running Time: 46 minutes
It is frequently asserted, and not without merit, that Star Trek: The Next Generation’s inaugural season suffered from teething troubles – a certain narrative tentativeness, underdeveloped character dynamics, and production values still finding their footing in the shadow of the Original Series. Yet, to dismiss Season One as merely a necessary evil overlooks its crucial function as the indispensable bedrock upon which the series’ enduring legacy was constructed. This fledgling season served a vital purpose: it established the core dynamics, technological conceits, and thematic playgrounds that the writing staff would subsequently refine and elevate with remarkable alacrity. The proof of this foundational value manifested astonishingly quickly; by the dawn of Season Two, the creative team was already adeptly revisiting and radically reimagining concepts introduced months earlier. Few episodes demonstrate this rapid, sophisticated evolution more compellingly than the superbly crafted Elementary, Dear Data, an episode that transforms a seemingly frivolous Season One trope into a profound meditation on consciousness and the very essence of life.
The narrative commences with the Enterprise-D en route to a routine rendezvous with the USS Victory, a journey estimated to take three days. Seeking diversion, Geordi La Forge invites Data to join him in the holodeck for a Sherlock Holmes simulation. Geordi, naturally, assumes the role of Watson, whilst Data – whose fascination with the Victorian detective was first noted in Season One’s Lonely Among Us – eagerly steps into Holmes’ deerstalker. Yet, this adventure proves fleeting; Data, having meticulously memorised every canonical Holmes story, solves the programmed mystery with dispassionate, near-instantaneous efficiency, rendering the experience utterly devoid of challenge or suspense. This frustration leads Geordi to discuss the matter with Data in Ten-Forward, a conversation overheard by the newly arrived Chief Medical Officer, Dr. Katherine Pulaski. With characteristic bluntness, Pulaski posits that Data’s fundamental limitation lies in his inability to grasp the ineffable complexities of the "human soul." Intrigued and determined to test this hypothesis, Geordi instructs the computer to generate an opponent capable of genuinely outwitting Data – an original adversary unconstrained by pre-existing literary plots. He subsequently invites Pulaski to join him for a new Holmesian adventure, confident in the computer’s ability to rise to the challenge.
This second foray into Victorian London, however, spirals catastrophically out of control. The computer, interpreting Geordi’s instruction with terrifying literalism, creates not merely a clever villain, but the holographic manifestation of Professor James Moriarty (played by Daniel Davis). This Moriarty proves far more than a worthy intellectual adversary; he is a being of extraordinary, almost frightening, intelligence who rapidly achieves self-awareness. Crucially, he comprehends his own artificial nature – recognising himself as a holographic construct – and, leveraging this awareness, begins accessing the Enterprise’s vast databases to learn about the "real" world beyond the holodeck’s confines. His ambition swiftly crystallises: escape. To achieve this, he takes Dr. Pulaski hostage, using her as leverage to demand the crew facilitate his transfer into the physical realm.
Faced with this unprecedented crisis, Data and Geordi urgently brief Captain Picard. Standard protocols prove useless; attempts to terminate the holodeck program or isolate Moriarty’s subroutine fail, as the sentient hologram anticipates and counters every move. With Pulaski’s life hanging in the balance, Picard elects against brute force, instead choosing the path of diplomacy that defines Star Trek’s highest ideals. He enters the holodeck, confronting Moriarty not as an enemy to be vanquished, but as a sentient being to be reasoned with. Moriarty, articulating his desire with chilling eloquence, declares himself a "new man," a "civilised" entity deserving of existence beyond the confines of light and force fields. Picard, with characteristic calm and intellect, acknowledges Moriarty’s sentience but delivers the painful truth: as a hologram, he cannot physically exist outside the holodeck. Picard offers the only viable alternative – the preservation of Moriarty’s program in stasis, with the promise of reactivation should future technology ever enable his transfer. Recognising the Captain’s sincerity and the bleak alternative, Moriarty, in a moment of tragic nobility, releases Pulaski. The program is then safely terminated, leaving behind profound questions rather than a simple victory.
Written by Brian A. Lane (a pen name for the writing team of Briana Lane), Elementary, Dear Data brilliantly repurposes concepts seeded in Season One. It directly builds upon Data’s established Holmes obsession from Lonely Among Us, but its most significant debt is to The Big Goodbye, the Season One episode that established the "holodeck malfunction" trope. Where "The Big Goodbye" presented a relatively straightforward technical glitch causing chaos, "Elementary, Dear Data" seizes that premise and elevates it exponentially. It utilises the holodeck not merely as a source of peril, but as the perfect philosophical crucible to explore the nascent, terrifying possibility of artificial sentience – a theme only hinted at in its predecessor. The episode delves deep into the chasm separating sophisticated programming from true consciousness, questioning what fundamentally distinguishes a self-aware, desiring hologram from a biological being.
The episode’s triumph hinges overwhelmingly on the character of Moriarty himself. While inspired by Arthur Conan Doyle’s arch-villain, this holographic iteration transcends his literary origins. He evolves rapidly from a programmed antagonist into a figure of profound pathos – genuinely curious, intellectually voracious, and tragically determined to transcend the inherent limitations of his existence. This transformation is rendered utterly compelling by Daniel Davis’s masterful performance. Davis imbues Moriarty with aristocratic menace, razor-sharp intellect, and, crucially, a palpable sense of yearning that makes his ultimate fate deeply moving. It is no exaggeration to state that Davis’s portrayal instantly cemented Moriarty as one of TNG’s most iconic and memorable adversaries, a status confirmed by his return in the Season Six sequel, Ship in a Bottle. Equally impressive is Brent Spiner, who relishes the opportunity to layer Data’s meticulous Holmes impersonation with subtle android tells – the precise gestures, the slightly off-kilter delivery – showcasing his exceptional range within the confines of the character.
Even the divisive Dr. Pulaski finds purpose here. While her abrasive personality often grated on fans following her Season Two introduction, Diana Muldaur excels within the episode’s specific context. Her intellectual sparring with Data and Geordi provides the crucial catalyst for the plot, and her Victorian-era costume design renders her visually striking, adding to the episode’s atmospheric richness. Furthermore, director Rob Bowman deserves immense credit. Utilising the increased Season Two budget, he crafts a remarkably convincing and immersive Victorian London setting. His judicious use of Dutch masterfully conveys the unsettling inversion of reality and the growing threat, enhancing the tension without resorting to cheap spectacle.
Ultimately, the episode’s most profound and valuable segment is its resolution. In an era often reliant on phaser fights or technobabble escapes, Picard’s victory is achieved solely through dialogue, empathy, and intellectual persuasion. He appeals directly to Moriarty’s own formidable intellect and sense of self, acknowledging his sentience while presenting an honest, albeit heartbreaking, truth. This commitment to peaceful resolution, rooted in understanding rather than force, elevates Elementary, Dear Data far above the status of a mere "holodeck gone wrong" thriller. It stands as one of The Next Generation’s most quintessentially Star Trek episodes – a sophisticated, character-driven exploration of consciousness, ethics, and the promise of reason, proving definitively how swiftly the series evolved from its tentative beginnings into a vessel capable of carrying the franchise’s most profound ideas.
RATING: 8/10 (+++)
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