When the Starship
Enterprise arrives three days ahead of schedule to
rendezvous with the U.S.S. Victory, the crew is
presented with some well-deserved free time.
Knowing that Data is a Sherlock Holmes aficionado,
Geordi summons Data to the holodeck, where they travel
back to Victorian London to solve one of the famed
detective's mysteries. Geordi plays Dr. Watson to Data's
Holmes, but the trip turns out to be a brief one —
having memorized every one of the Sherlock Holmes books,
Data can solve the crime with very little effort.
Returning to the U.S.S.
Enterprise, Geordi tries to explain to Data the
difference between deduction and memorization. Dr. Kate
Pulaski overhears their conversation and challenges Data
to solve a real crime, a la Sherlock Holmes. Geordi
orders the computer to present Data with an original
mystery and an opponent who could defeat him.
Kate joins Data and
Geordi as they return to London, via the holodeck. But
their game turns serious when Kate is kidnapped by
Holmes' arch-enemy, Professor James Moriarty. Although
they track down Kate's location, they are unable to
retrieve her because Moriarty has taken control of the
holodeck computer.
Leaving the holodeck,
Geordi and Data apprise the crew of the situation with
Kate. They learn that the computer didn't create an
adversary worthy of Holmes' intelligence, but of Data's
— which means Moriarty is very bright indeed! Picard
insists upon returning to London with Data to rescue
Kate.
Data leads Picard to
Moriarty, who is still holding Kate hostage. Although
Data offers to concede victory to his nemesis in order
to end the charade, Moriarty wants more. He wants to
leave the holodeck and become real. Luckily, Picard is
able to convince Moriarty that he does not yet know how
to convert artificially created holodeck matter into a
more permanent form, and Moriarty releases Kate from
captivity. |
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Production: 129
Season: 2 Episode: 3
Air Date: 12.05.1988
Stardate: 42286.3 |
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Patrick
Stewart as Jean-Luc Picard
Jonathan Frakes as William Riker
Brent Spiner as Data
LeVar Burton as Geordi La Forge
Michael Dorn as Worf
Marina Sirtis as Deanna Troi
Diana Muldaur as Katherine Pulaski
Wil Wheaton as Wesley Crusher |
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Daniel Davis as
Moriarty
Alan Shearman as Lestrade |
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The original ending of this
episode had Data and Picard privately realize that
because of Moriarty's drawing surviving off the holodeck
(see Goofs entry), there was a possibility that Moriarty
himself could exist in the real world. The rest of the
scene would therefore have been mere deception on
Picard's part. No-one was comfortable with that element,
so it was removed. Goofs
for Elementary, Dear Data (1988)
Continuity: Geordi freezes the Sherlock Holmes
simulation on the holodeck, yet the simulated fire in
the fireplace continues to burn and flicker like normal.
Incorrectly regarded as goofs:
Moriarty hands Data a piece of paper upon which is a
sketch of the Enterprise. Data immediately storms off
the holodeck, and shows the paper to LaForge. As the
paper was holographic, it should have vanished the
moment it was removed from the holodeck. However, other
episodes have established that some objects (such as
food) are actually replicated within the holodeck, and
thus are "real" (i.e. not holographic), depending on the
needs of the program and its user.
Miscellaneous: Geordi flips the
drawing of the Enterprise vertically to reveal its
image, which means that he was originally viewing it
upside down.
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Click this link to view the
complete script in a TXT format
STAR TREK: THE NEXT GENERATION
"Elementary, Dear Data"
#40272-129
Written by
Brian Alan Lane
Directed by
Rob Bowman
THE WRITING CREDITS MAY NOT BE
FINAL AND SHOULD NOT BE USED
FOR PUBLICITY OR ADVERTISING PURPOSES WITHOUT FIRST CHECKING
WITH THE TELEVISION LEGAL DEPARTMENT.
Copyright 1988 Paramount
Pictures Corporation. All Rights
Reserved. This script is not for publication or
reproduction. No one is authorized to dispose of same. If
lost or destroyed, please notify the Script Department.
2ND REV. FINAL DRAFT
OCTOBER 12, 1988
STAR TREK: "Elementary, Dear
Data" - 10/12/88 - CAST
STAR TREK: THE NEXT GENERATION
"Elementary, Dear Data"
CAST
PICARD
SHERLOCK HOLMES (DATA)
RIKER
DOCTOR JOHN H. WATSON (GEORDI)
DATA
INSPECTOR G. LESTRADE
PULASKI
JABEZ WILSON
TROI
PIE MAN
GEORDI
PROFESSOR JAMES MORIARTY
WORF
PROSTITUTE (WHORE)
WESLEY
THUG
.
RUFFIAN
ASSISTANT ENGINEER
.
(CLANCY)
Non-Speaking
.
MAN
Voice-Over
STREET VENDORS
COMPUTER VOICE
PENNY POSTMEN
.
BOBBIES
.
STREET URCHINS
.
BARRISTERS
.
BUSINESSMEN
.
LADIES
.
LAMPLIGHTERS
.
TARTS
.
SAILORS
.
YOUTH
.
THUGS
.
PROSTITUTES
.
BEGGARS
.
CROWD
.
THE PODY
.
WOMAN
.
BOBBY
.
TWO DRUNKEN SEAMEN
.
TWO WHORES
.
TWO BEGGARS
Voice-Over
COACHMAN
Click this link to view the
complete script in a TXT format |