Product Details

• Actors: LeVar Burton, Gates McFadden
• Directors: LeVar Burton, Gates McFadden, Gabrielle Beaumont, Robert Becker, Cliff Bole
• Format: Closed-captioned, Color, NTSC
• Language: English, French
• Rated: NR (Not Rated)
• Number of tapes: 1
• Studio: Paramount
• VHS Release Date: May 31, 1995
• Run Time: 46 minutes
• Average Customer Review: 4.0 out of 5 stars  See all reviews (9 customer reviews)
• ASIN: 6302812232
• Amazon Best Sellers Rank: #286,370 in Movies & TV (See Top 100 in Movies & TV)

Editorial Reviews

Amazon.com

Okay, blame it on Geordi La Forge. It's his slip of the tongue that causes all the mayhem in this episode. After Data ruins a perfectly good holographic adventure by jumping to the end of a Sherlock Holmes mystery, the frustrated chief engineer asks the computer to create an adversary worthy of defeating the android. What Geordi meant to say was an adversary worthy of Holmes, but never mind. The computer obliges and Moriarty is born. Literally. He comes equipped with superintelligence approaching consciousness and a direct line to the main computer. Somehow, Dr. Pulaski gets thrown into the mix--as a crumpet-eating hostage, of all things--and Moriarty starts messing with the Star Trek universe as we know it and turns reality on its ear.

TNG is at its best when it doesn't take itself too seriously. "Elementary, Dear Data" is an utterly charming outing into high-tech Victorian wacky land. In fact, this episode proved to be so popular that the story was continued three years later in "Ship in a Bottle." The writing is excellent and Daniel Davis is sublime as Moriarty, the hologram who's sentient and knows it. This makes many best of Trek episode lists, and is simply a must-own for all TNG fans. --Kayla Riggney

From the Back Cover

Knowing that Data (Brent Spiner) is a Sherlock Holmes aficionado, Geordi (LeVar Burton) takes Data to the holodeck where they travel to Victorian London to solve one of the master sleuth's mysteries. Data and Geordi make an able Holmes and Watson, but the adventure is short-lived. Having memorized all of Holmes' cases, Data solves the mystery too easily.

Later in the Ten Forward lounge, Geordi tries to explain the difference between memorization and deduction. Overhearing the conversation, Dr. Pulaski (Diana Muldaur) challenges Data to solve an original mystery programmed by the computer.

When Pulaski, Data and Geordi return to London, Pulaski is kidnapped by archvillian Professor Moriarty (Daniel Davis), who has taken control of the holodeck computer. Now only Data's deductive powers can save the Enterprise from the clutches of a mad genius.

Customer Reviews

Most Helpful Customer Reviews

8 of 9 people found the following review helpful:

4.0 out of 5 stars It's elementary, Dear Data, September 21, 2000

By 

John Berkebile (Medford, Or) - See all my reviews

This review is from: Star Trek - The Next Generation, Episode 29: Elementary, Dear Data [VHS] (VHS Tape)

While awaiting the USS Victory, Data and Geordi play Sherlock Holmes and Dr. Watson in the holodeck, but they're finished almost immediately when Data solves the mystery before they even begin it. Upset over this, Geordi leaves the holodeck, and Dr. Pulaski challenges Data to an original mystery that he wouldn't be able to solve. Accepting the challenge, Data, Pulaski and Geordi program a character capable of defeating Data, who turns out to be Sherlock Holmes' arch enemy, Professor Moriarty, who was defeated at the cost of Holmes' own life. But the professor turns terrifyingly real when he becomes aware of what he is and kidnaps Dr. Pulaski takes over control of the Enterprise. Can Data defeat Professor Moriarty before the professor defeats him?

5 of 6 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars Data the Detective, June 15, 2001

By 

picardfan007 (USA) - See all my reviews

This review is from: Star Trek - The Next Generation, Episode 29: Elementary, Dear Data [VHS] (VHS Tape)

Data as Sherlock Holmes

Rob Bowman of X-Files directing fame helms this episode. It's about the Sherlock Holmes program aboard the holodeck. Data wants to create an adversary worthy of his talents. He does. Almost brings down the starship and crew with him. This one marks the debut of "The Nanny" actor Daniel Davis as Moriarty. For those of you who ever read Holmes; Moriarty was his nemesis. Daniel Davis delivers as the episode's villain. There are a few good scenes with Dr. Pulaski. She tells Data that he can't be creative and only solve mysteries that are variations on the ones he's read. She argues that Data is incapable of being creative. Data more than proves that she is wrong.

1 of 1 people found the following review helpful:

4.0 out of 5 stars A major philosophical point is largely ignored, March 3, 2004

By 

Charles Ashbacher (Marion, Iowa United States) - See all my reviews
(TOP 500 REVIEWER)    (VINE VOICE)    (HALL OF FAME REVIEWER)   

This review is from: Star Trek - The Next Generation, Episode 29: Elementary, Dear Data [VHS] (VHS Tape)

This episode is more memorable for the extremely significant philosophical point that is largely ignored than it is for the dialog and battle between Data as Sherlock Holmes and a holographic Professor Moriarty. During a lull in duties, Geordi and Data retire to the holodeck where Data is Sherlock Holmes and Geordi is Dr. Watson. However, since Data has memorized all of the stories featuring Holmes, he quickly resolves the mysteries, which frustrates Geordi. In an attempt to spice up the game, Geordi instructs the holodeck computer to create an adversary capable of defeating Data in a battle of wits. The computer complies, creating a conscious, intelligent and self-aware Professor Moriarty, capable of programming the Enterprise computer and gaining control of the Enterprise, all from inside the holodeck.
Eventually, since the program cannot be terminated, Picard is forced to enter the holodeck and meet Moriarty face to face. Picard explains the situation to Moriarty, who returns control of the Enterprise to Picard. In return, Picard has the computer save the Moriarty character, with a promise to revisit the issue in the future.
Since it is the Enterprise computer that creates the sentient Professor Moriarty, the question becomes: Is the Enterprise computer sentient? The answer to this is most certainly no. In the episode "Q Who?" Geordi laughs at Ensign Gomez for being polite to a food dispenser. His statements indicate that he does not consider it to be sentient. Furthermore, the events in all the other episodes support this position. Therefore, the action in this episode is based on the premise that the non-sentient Enterprise computer created a sentient consciousness that is in many ways just as alive as any other creature. The fact that it can exist only in a holodeck is not significant as many organisms can exist only in their specialized environment. This is a very deep philosophical and scientific issue that is largely ignored.
A second problem is the ease with which Geordi misprograms the computer. Given the power of the Enterprise computers, there should be much greater safeguards to make sure that an error in speaking is not misconstrued. The number of safety and security overrides would have to be enormous, and there would have been an immediate directive to fix this obvious and serious software defect.
With these problems aside, this is still a good episode. Moriarty is a character who is devious, ruthless and yet a gentleman. It was a very wise move when he was brought back in a future episode. Dr. Pulaski is adorable in her Victorian outfit as she accompanies Data and Geordi back to the streets of London during the reign of Queen Victoria. There is just too much direct and subtle activity packed into it.