Ship in a Bottle

Barclay inadvertently unlocks Sherlock Holmes' arch nemesis, Professor Moriarity, from the holodeck. He seeks an audience with Capt. Picard to discuss his self-awareness situation. His demands to be able to leave the Holodeck are not taken seriously enough and takes control of the starship. If the professor and his love, the Countess Barthalomew, are not allowed to leave the ship on their own, he will destroy the Enterprise and its crew.

This episode doesn't stand out as one of the most memorable in the series, but it's still a fine episode in its own right. And why shouldn't it be, featuring Dwight Schultz as Barclay, easily my favorite recurring secondary character. And Moriarty is a respectable character. (The Countess Barthalomew, unfortunately, comes off as being very poorly written. She is very dense, comparing outer space to Africa and talking about the joy of wearing trousers. I can't imagine an educated woman would be this daft.)

Philosophy professors could sit back and play "Next Generation" episodes for semester after semester with a little commentary to fill in the history. This episode is very scientific (including discussion of "uncoupling the Heisenberg compensators" on the transporter, whatever the heck that means). Underneath all that, it's simply a fleshing out of Descartes' "Cogito Ergo Sum" doubting method. (Moriarty actually quotes Descartes in the episode.)

Descartes asked, how can we know what is around us is real and not simply in our mind? Future philosophers modified this to the "brain in a vat" hypothesis -- given constant stimuli, would a brain know it wasn't in a body if the input told it that it was? Here we have Enterprise crew who may be on the Enterprise or may simply be in the holodeck. How can they tell if what they see is real or is simply fed to their senses? Just as philosophers determined that we likely cannot tell, so, too, does the crew find that reality and simulated reality are virtually the same.

I watched this episode at around three in the morning after drinking some whiskey. It really made my brain work extra hard, which is something that isn't safe if you're not used to exercising it. But that's what really sells this episode -- the deeper message under the basic plot. But when you walk away from your television, you might ask yourself if your life is real, or is it merely a very long dream created by Gene Roddenberry?

This was an excellent episode capturing mystery, adventure, as well as heart warming feelings for Moriarty and it's sequel to this episode was equally imaginative. In Ship in a bottle" Data and Lt. Forge go to the Holladeck to find a character capable of defeating Data. The way this was portrayed on the screen felt like the Enterprise Computer had created a character imputing a soul to the character. As you learn of how Moriarty no longer holds the same evil demeanor as had been depicted in the Sherlock Holmes stories it tugged at my own heart strings when his character is about to end. I was pleased to see character played by Daniel Davis come back to reprise the role and the create his Hollogrphic wife demanding that the two now be allowed to escape from off the Hollodeck and continue into space. The ending to the sequel was excellent as well.

'Ship in a Bottle' involves both Barclay and the holodeck, yet it's without the usual calamity. That alone is refreshing, but it turns into something much deeper and engaging.

Moriarty's back, able to stroll off the holodeck and take control of the ship; all he wants is to get away from it all with his lady but ends up putting the ship in danger. How he's been conscious all this time is a worthy mystery, as are the moral implications.

It's a pleasure to see this character (left as an ellipsis from season 2) brought back, and Daniel Davis' scenes with Patrick Stewart are like seeing two classic Brits going toe-to-toe. It's not as simple as a rogue simulation hijacking the ship, and it's a well-meaning episode, nimble and carrying it's own surprises.

8/10

Moriarty is a wonderful character played perfectly by Daniel Davis. A joy to watch. If only every character could be that compelling.

Countess Barthalomew was also played well by Stephanie Beacham.

A fun episode that had a good pace throughout and some unexpected twists to keep it interesting.

P. S. I just saw that Lwaxana Troi (Majel Barrett) is the voice of the computer! TNG will feel very different if I envision her character whenever the computer speaks.

Reg Barclay investigates a problem with the holodeck and inadvertently releases the Moriarty program.

This is a strong episode that makes great use of the holodeck and guest characters.

There is little about the story I can say without spoiling, so I'll just say that the holodeck is cleverly used to twist the plot in several directions. I also liked the fun observations made about the nature and perception of reality which links very well to everything that happens.

This is one of the best Reg Barclay episodes, as the writers refreshingly treat the character as a normal member of the crew as opposed to an oddball whose oddities drive the plot. Dwight Schultz is on great from as always.

Other cast members who stand out are Patrick Stewart, Stephanie Beecham, and Daniel Davis, who all recite their dialogue with class and have great chemistry in scenes together. Brent Spiner gets an opportunity to do Holmes again which is always entertaining.

Great endings are somewhat rare in episodes of Star Trek, but this is one of the better ones for being both positive, unexpected, and relatively humorous.