Release calendarTop 250 moviesMost popular moviesBrowse movies by genreTop box officeShowtimes & ticketsMovie newsIndia movie spotlight
    What's on TV & streamingTop 250 TV showsMost popular TV showsBrowse TV shows by genreTV news
    What to watchLatest trailersIMDb OriginalsIMDb PicksIMDb SpotlightFamily entertainment guideIMDb Podcasts
    OscarsPrimetime EmmysToronto Int'l Film FestivalFall TV GuideMost Anticipated This MonthSTARmeter AwardsAwards CentralFestival CentralAll events
    Born todayTrending peopleCelebrity news
    IMDb LabsHelp centerContributor zonePolls
For industry professionals
  • Language
  • Fully supported
  • English (United States)
    Partially supported
    Some content may be auto-translated
  • Français (Canada)
  • Français (France)
  • Deutsch (Deutschland)
  • हिंदी (भारत)
  • Italiano (Italia)
  • Português (Brasil)
  • Español (España)
  • Español (México)
Watchlist
Sign in
  • Fully supported
  • English (United States)
    Partially supported
    Some content may be auto-translated
  • Français (Canada)
  • Français (France)
  • Deutsch (Deutschland)
  • हिंदी (भारत)
  • Italiano (Italia)
  • Português (Brasil)
  • Español (España)
  • Español (México)
Use app
Star Trek: The Next Generation
S2.E3
All episodesAll
  • Cast & crew
  • User reviews
  • Trivia
IMDbPro

Elementary, Dear Data

  • Episode aired Dec 5, 1988
  • TV-PG
  • 46m
IMDb RATING
8.1/10
5.1K
YOUR RATING
Brent Spiner and Patrick Stewart in Star Trek: The Next Generation (1987)
ActionAdventureDramaSci-Fi

An attempt to provide Data with a challenging Sherlock Holmes holodeck program backfires when its Professor Moriarty character accidentally becomes self-aware.An attempt to provide Data with a challenging Sherlock Holmes holodeck program backfires when its Professor Moriarty character accidentally becomes self-aware.An attempt to provide Data with a challenging Sherlock Holmes holodeck program backfires when its Professor Moriarty character accidentally becomes self-aware.

  • Director
    • Rob Bowman
  • Writers
    • Brian Alan Lane
    • Arthur Conan Doyle
  • Stars
    • Patrick Stewart
    • Jonathan Frakes
    • LeVar Burton
  • See production info at IMDbPro
  • IMDb RATING
    8.1/10
    5.1K
    YOUR RATING
    • Director
      • Rob Bowman
    • Writers
      • Brian Alan Lane
      • Arthur Conan Doyle
    • Stars
      • Patrick Stewart
      • Jonathan Frakes
      • LeVar Burton
    • 25User reviews
    • 10Critic reviews
  • See production info at IMDbPro
  • See production info at IMDbPro
  • Episodes

    Photos25

    View Poster
    View Poster
    View Poster
    View Poster
    View Poster
    View Poster
    View Poster
    + 18
    View Poster

    Top Cast20

    Patrick Stewart
    Patrick Stewart
    • Captain Jean-Luc Picard
    Jonathan Frakes
    Jonathan Frakes
    • Commander William Thomas 'Will' Riker
    LeVar Burton
    LeVar Burton
    • Lieutenant Geordi La Forge
    Michael Dorn
    Michael Dorn
    • Lieutenant Worf
    Marina Sirtis
    Marina Sirtis
    • Counselor Deanna Troi
    Brent Spiner
    Brent Spiner
    • Lieutenant Commander Data
    Wil Wheaton
    Wil Wheaton
    • Wesley Crusher
    • (credit only)
    Diana Muldaur
    Diana Muldaur
    • Doctor Pulaski
    Daniel Davis
    Daniel Davis
    • Professor James Moriarty
    Alan Shearman
    Alan Shearman
    • Inspector Lestrade
    Biff Manard
    • Ruffian
    Diz White
    • Prostitute
    Anne Ramsay
    Anne Ramsay
    • Assistant Engineer Clancy
    • (as Anne Elizabeth Ramsay)
    Richard Merson
    • Pie Man
    Rosemarie Baio
    • Holographic Widow
    • (uncredited)
    Majel Barrett
    Majel Barrett
    • Enterprise Computer
    • (voice)
    • (uncredited)
    Michael Braveheart
    • Crewman Martinez
    • (uncredited)
    Jeffrey Deacon
    • Command Division Officer
    • (uncredited)
    • Director
      • Rob Bowman
    • Writers
      • Brian Alan Lane
      • Arthur Conan Doyle
    • All cast & crew
    • Production, box office & more at IMDbPro

    User reviews25

    8.15.1K
    1
    2
    3
    4
    5
    6
    7
    8
    9
    10

    Related interests

    Bruce Willis in Die Hard (1988)
    Action
    Still frame
    Adventure
    Mahershala Ali and Alex R. Hibbert in Moonlight (2016)
    Drama
    James Earl Jones and David Prowse in Star Wars: Episode V - The Empire Strikes Back (1980)
    Sci-Fi

    Storyline

    Did you know

    • Trivia
      Picard utters "merde", the French word for "shit". As it was said in a foreign language, it passed the TV censors. Merde is sometimes translated as "damn" in subtitles. This is not euphemism but reflects common usage in French. French conversation is relaxed about the use of swearwords with sexual connotations, whose literal translations would be considered very strong or taboo in English. For example, "Je m'en fous" literally means "I don't give a f***" but is used by the French in the same way as the milder "I don't care."
    • 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 La Forge. 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 (as well as the plot of the individual show).
    • Quotes
      • Moriarty: Is the definition of life "Cogito ergo sum" - I think, therefore I am?
      • Captain Jean-Luc Picard: Yes, that is one possible definition.
      • Moriarty: It is the most important one - and for me, the only one that matters.
    • Connections
      Featured in Star Trek: Science vs. Fiction: Holodeck und Hologramme (2006)
    • Soundtracks
      Star Trek: The Next Generation Main Title
      Composed by Jerry Goldsmith and Alexander Courage

    Top picks

    Sign in to rate and Watchlist for personalized recommendations
    Sign in

    Details

    • Release date
      • December 5, 1988 (United States)
    • Country of origin
      • United States
    • Official site
      • Official site
    • Language
      • English
    • Filming locations
      • Paramount Studios - 5555 Melrose Avenue, Hollywood, Los Angeles, California, USA(Studio)
    • Production company
      • Paramount Television
    • See more company credits at IMDbPro

    Tech specs

    • Runtime
      • 46m
    • Color
      • Color
    • Sound mix
      • Stereo
      • Dolby Digital
    • Aspect ratio
      • 1.33 : 1

    Contribute to this page

    Suggest an edit or add missing content
    • Learn more about contributing
    Edit page

    More to explore

    Recently viewed

    You have no recently viewed pages
    Get the IMDb app
    Sign in for more accessSign in for more access
    Follow IMDb on social
    Get the IMDb app
    For Android and iOS
    Get the IMDb app
    • Help
    • Site Index
    • IMDbPro
    • Box Office Mojo
    • License IMDb Data
    • Press Room
    • Advertising
    • Jobs
    • Conditions of Use
    • Privacy Policy
    • Your Ads Privacy Choices
    IMDb, an Amazon company

    © 1990-2026 by IMDb.com, Inc.