Changes: Sherlock Holmes

Revision as of 00:09, 10 March 2007

Data as Sherlock Holmes.

Sherlock Holmes was a fictional character in a series of books and stories written in the 19th century by Sir Arthur Conan Doyle. Holmes was an English detective who used his genius, along with deductive reasoning and logic, to solve crimes, serving as a "consulting detective" - an expert who is brought into cases that have proven too difficult for other investigators.

He was accompanied on his missions by his close friend, the physician Dr. John H. Watson, who served as the narrator of the Holmes' stories. Holmes' nemesis was Professor James Moriarty.

Data was fond of the great detective and his ability to solve mysteries by careful examination of the available evidence. (TNG: "Data's Day") He first became aware of Holmes when Riker called Picard a private eye (TNG: "Lonely Among Us"), though he was introduced to the works of Arthur Conan Doyle by Captain Picard (TNG: "Data's Day"). When describing Dixon Hill to Data, Geordi described Hill as a 20th century Sherlock Holmes. (TNG: "The Big Goodbye")

Later, Data played the role of Holmes in a holodeck program, alongside Geordi La Forge in the role of Dr. Watson. La Forge, while accompanying Data and Katherine Pulaski on a challenge to solve a Holmes mystery he had not read, accidentally programmed the Moriarty hologram so well it became self-aware and learned of its true existence. (TNG: "Elementary, Dear Data", "Ship in a Bottle")

Data found Holmes' methodology of deductive reasoning to be quite useful in performing his duties. (TNG: "Data's Day")

Background/Apocrypha

In a comic story released by WildStorm titled "Embrace the Wolf", Data assumed the Sherlock Holmes persona to save crewmembers who were trapped in the holodeck and being hunted by the energy being known as Redjac. The being had recreated Victorian London to repeat his most famous historical role, that of Jack the Ripper.

Captain Spock once stated "An ancestor of mine maintained that if you eliminate the impossible, whatever remains - however improbable - must be the truth." (Star Trek VI: The Undiscovered Country) This is in fact a famous quote of Holmes', attributed to him by Data in "Data's Day".

Fans have speculated that the "ancestor" mentioned above in fact refers to Doyle, who wrote the line, rather than Holmes himself. Spock would be related to the author through his mother's family.

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 [[Image:Sherlock Holmes.jpg|thumb|Data as Sherlock Holmes.]]
-'''Sherlock Holmes''' was a fictional character in a series of [[book]]s and stories written in the [[19th century]] by Sir [[Arthur Conan Doyle]].  Holmes was an [[England|English]] [[detective]] who used his genius, along with deductive reasoning and [[logic]], to solve crimes, serving as a "consulting detective" - an expert who is brought into cases that have proven too difficult for other investigators.
+'''Sherlock Holmes''' was a fictional character in a series of [[book]]s and stories written in the [[19th century]] by Sir [[Arthur Conan Doyle]].  Holmes was an [[English]] [[detective]] who used his genius, along with deductive reasoning and [[logic]], to solve crimes, serving as a "consulting detective" - an expert who is brought into cases that have proven too difficult for other investigators.
 He was accompanied on his missions by his close friend, the [[Doctor|physician]] [[Dr. John H. Watson]], who served as the narrator of the Holmes' stories. Holmes' nemesis was [[Professor]] [[James Moriarty]].