The Cybernetic Sherlock

STAR TREK: THE NEXT GENERATION.
TV series: 1987-94, 178 episodes.
"Elementary, Dear Data" (1988) and "Ship in a Bottle" (1993).

"A holodeck character? A fictional man? Yes, yes, I know all about your marvelous inventions. I was created as a plaything so that your Commander Data could masquerade as Sherlock Holmes. But they made me too well, and I became more than a character in a story. I became self-aware. I am alive."

Does Holmes have to be human? For one thing, it depends on how you define "human." The TV series ST:TNG gave the notion of an android Sherlock a spin in two episodes. Go to the following websites for more information, but be warned: They all have SPOILERS, so view the videos first.

"Elementary, Dear Data":

Data throws himself into the part of Holmes with even more gusto than he did in "Lonely Among Us," and this time the references and dialogue are actually straight out of Conan Doyle, complete with explicit references to "A Scandal in Bohemia," "The Adventure of the Speckled Band," and "The Red-Headed League." — Keith DeCandido, TOR.COM (August 18, 2011)

At the time of filming, the producers believed that the Sherlock Holmes charac-ter was public domain. After the episode aired, the estate of Sir Arthur Conan Doyle notified Paramount that they still retained a percentage of the rights to the character, and would require a usage fee if the character was used again. This legal issue would delay sequel episodes for nearly four years, at which time an agreement was reached for use of the character in "Ship in a Bottle." — MEMORY ALPHA

"Ship in a Bottle":

This episode is a sequel to the second season episode "Elementary, Dear Data." Although the Sherlock Holmes setting had proven popular among the staff, further use of the character on The Next Generation was prevented by a protract-ed legal dispute between Paramount and the estate of Arthur Conan Doyle. "Ship in a Bottle" came about when Jeri Taylor decided to re-investigate the possibility, only to find that the whole situation was a misunderstanding. The Conan Doyle estate had been irritated at Paramount because of the film Young Sherlock Holmes. However, by the time this episode was conceived, they were willing to license the character for what Taylor described as a "very reasonable license fee." Actor Brent Spiner was particularly thrilled, as he had wanted to play Holmes again . . . — MEMORY ALPHA

Categories: Science fiction, Detective fiction