Star Trek: The Next Generation 2.3 (Elementary, Dear Data)

Cast:
Biff Manard (Ruffian)
Alan Shearman (Lestrade)
Daniel Davis (Moriarty)
Richard Merson (Pie Man)
Diz White (Prostitute)
Anne Ramsay(Engineer Clancey)

Writer: Brian Alan Lane

What the hell were they thinking when they put this thing together?  It must have gone something like this: Data episode (as he’s so popular): check.  Holodeck episode: check.  Dressing up: check.  Totally unbelievable storyline: check.

Because that is the problem.  Geordi merely asking the computer to create an adversary capable of defeating Data should not have resulted in a being that was able to take over the ship.  Period.  There would be protocols in the system to prevent that from happening.  So the whole concept of the episode is rubbish.

Then there’s the false start where Geordi walks out because he is fed up of Data guessing what was going on with the original case.  Surely he would have raised his concerns of even programmed the holodeck himself – otherwise he must have realised that exactly this would happen.

Then there’s Pulaski still making viewers hate her by being a bitch towards Data.  She must have realised by now that Data is more than the sum of his parts because a) she has worked with him a couple of times now, and b) HE’S THE BLOODY SECOND OFFICER OF THE FLAGSHIP OF THE SODDING FLEET.

And also there’s that ludicrous bit where they take the bit of paper containing the drawing of the Enterprise off the holodeck.  Duh!

In fairness, if the episode had ended with the twist that the bit they thought was real was all part of the program then this might have worked.  But as it was it did not, it was simply very annoying.  Okay, the guy who played Moriarty played him well (so well they do bring him back at a later date) but this episode is really the worst sort of hokum.  Avoid.

Crew Deaths: 0
Total Crea Deaths So Far: 5
Score: 2/10