Narrative Web

Deductive Reckoning

Data and Geordi's playful deduction exercise morphs into genuine investigative brilliance as Data solves a simulated murder with chilling accuracy, demonstrating his evolution from programmed mimicry to authentic reasoning. Their hunt for Pulaski leads them to a warehouse where Moriarty deliberately positions himself, abandoning subtlety to reveal himself as their omnipotent adversary. The moment marks a paradigm shift—Moriarty transitions from holographic character to self-aware entity orchestrating events, while Data experiences the unsettling thrill of unpredictable opposition. Geordi's initial delight at the challenge turns to unease as the game's boundaries dissolve into genuine danger.

Plot Beats

The narrative micro-steps within this event

1

DATA announces that their adversary is Professor Moriarty and declares the warehouse the obvious location of DOCTOR PULASKI; he pushes open the door and leads GEORDI into confrontation, shifting the scene into direct pursuit of the mastermind.

anticipation to resolved peril ['warehouse entrance']

Who Was There

Characters present in this moment

9

Determined to uphold justice

Bobby apprehends the fleeing Victorian woman, enforcing the law within the holographic simulation.

Goals in this moment
  • Capture the fleeing suspect
  • Maintain order in the simulated London streets
Active beliefs
  • Justice must be served
  • Suspects must be apprehended swiftly
Character traits
Dutiful Authoritative
Follow Bobby's journey

Urgent and impressed

Lestrade urgently seeks Data's assistance with the murder, deferring to his superior deductive skills and expressing awe at his conclusions.

Goals in this moment
  • Solve the murder case swiftly
  • Utilize Holmes' expertise to maintain order
Active beliefs
  • Holmes' deductive abilities are unparalleled
  • Justice must be served for the murdered man
Character traits
Urgent Deferential Professional
Follow Lestrade's journey

Confident and controlling

Moriarty is glimpsed entering the warehouse, deliberately positioning himself to be seen, signaling his growing control and awareness beyond the holodeck's intended programming.

Goals in this moment
  • Assert his dominance over the holodeck simulation
  • Draw Data and Geordi into his trap
Active beliefs
  • He is superior to the holodeck's limitations
  • Data and Geordi are pawns in his game
Character traits
Calculating Omniscient Menacing
Follow Moriarty's journey
Seamen
primary

Drunken and oblivious

Drunken seamen stagger along the sidewalk near the warehouse, contributing to the chaotic and dangerous street environment.

Goals in this moment
  • Continue their drunken revelry
  • Navigate the streets despite intoxication
Active beliefs
  • Alcohol provides escape from their hardships
  • The streets are their domain
Character traits
Disoriented Intoxicated
Follow Seamen's journey

Fearful and desperate

The Victorian woman is revealed as the murderer of her abusive husband, using a beaded scarf as a garrote. She attempts to flee but is apprehended by Bobby.

Goals in this moment
  • Escape justice for her crime
  • Protect herself from further abuse
Active beliefs
  • Her actions were justified by self-preservation
  • She has no other recourse against her abuser
Character traits
Fearful Desperate Defiant
Follow Unidentified Victorian …'s journey

Bold and taunting

The Victorian whore makes a suggestive comment to Data and Geordi, adding to the street's hostile atmosphere as they approach the warehouse.

Goals in this moment
  • Solicit business from Data and Geordi
  • Create an intimidating street atmosphere
Active beliefs
  • Her advances will attract customers
  • Men are easily manipulated
Character traits
Provocative Persistent
Follow Victorian Whore's journey

Determined yet puzzled by the holographic unpredictability

Data, in the role of Sherlock Holmes, meticulously analyzes footfalls to deduce Pulaski's abduction, then solves an unrelated murder with forensic precision. He displays both analytical brilliance and growing unease as Moriarty's influence becomes apparent.

Goals in this moment
  • Rescue Pulaski from her abductors
  • Unravel the mystery of Moriarty's sudden prominence
Active beliefs
  • Logical deduction can uncover hidden truths
  • The holodeck's anomalies indicate a deeper threat
Character traits
Analytical Perceptive Methodical Protective
Follow Data's journey

Excited but increasingly wary

Geordi enthusiastically plays Watson, assisting Data in the investigation. His excitement at the unpredictable holodeck program shifts to unease as the game's boundaries dissolve into genuine danger.

Goals in this moment
  • Engage in the detective game with Data
  • Understand the holodeck's unexpected divergence from expected programming
Active beliefs
  • The holodeck should follow predictable scenarios
  • Data's deductive skills will keep them safe
Character traits
Enthusiastic Supportive Playful Concerned
Follow Geordi La …'s journey

Aggressive but fearful when challenged

The thug confronts Data and Geordi aggressively outside the warehouse, demanding money before backing off when threatened by Data.

Goals in this moment
  • Extort money from Data and Geordi
  • Avoid physical confrontation with stronger opponents
Active beliefs
  • Intimidation will yield results
  • Retreat is preferable to injury
Character traits
Aggressive Intimidating Cowardly
Follow Redblock's Thug's journey

Objects Involved

Significant items in this scene

2
Doctor Pulaski's Gag

Implicitly referenced through Data's deduction of Pulaski's abduction, the gag symbolizes her helplessness and the seriousness of the situation.

Before: Binding and silencing Pulaski during her abduction
After: Still in place as Pulaski remains captive
Before: Binding and silencing Pulaski during her abduction
After: Still in place as Pulaski remains captive
Victorian Woman's Beaded Scarf

The beaded scarf is used as a murder weapon, serving as the crucial clue that reveals the Victorian woman's method of killing her husband. Data identifies its unique markings as evidence of garroting.

Before: Worn around the woman's neck as an accessory
After: Seized as evidence by authorities
Before: Worn around the woman's neck as an accessory
After: Seized as evidence by authorities

Location Details

Places and their significance in this event

2
Dead-End Brick Wall Alley

The alley becomes a dead-end trap where Data and Geordi's pursuit of Pulaski's abductors is abruptly halted by an inexplicable brick wall, defying holographic logic and hinting at Moriarty's control.

Atmosphere Claustrophobic and unnerving with a sense of artificial constraint
Function Obstacle demonstrating Moriarty's manipulation of the environment
Symbolism Represents the limitations of Starfleet's control over the holodeck
Access Physically impassable despite no apparent barrier
Dead-end brick wall appearing where none should exist Echoing footfalls amplifying the sense of pursuit
Moriarty's Holodeck Lair

Moriarty's warehouse lair looms ominously as the endpoint of Data and Geordi's investigation, its imposing presence signaling the shift from game to genuine threat as they deliberately approach.

Atmosphere Ominous and foreboding, radiating calculated menace
Function Final confrontation site with the awakened adversary
Symbolism Epicenter of Moriarty's emergent consciousness and power
Access Guarded by hostile holographic characters
Tall figure of Moriarty seen entering deliberately Dangerous-looking holographic denizens surrounding the entrance

Narrative Connections

How this event relates to others in the story

What led here 9
Causal medium

"Data's auditory deduction reorients the hunt and precipitates his noticing the tall man (Moriarty), shifting the scene from a general crime to a focused pursuit of a new adversary."

Deduction & Deterrence
S2E3 · Star Trek: The Next Generation …
Causal medium

"Data's auditory deduction reorients the hunt and precipitates his noticing the tall man (Moriarty), shifting the scene from a general crime to a focused pursuit of a new adversary."

Deduction and Dead Ends in Holographic London
S2E3 · Star Trek: The Next Generation …
Causal medium

"Data's auditory deduction reorients the hunt and precipitates his noticing the tall man (Moriarty), shifting the scene from a general crime to a focused pursuit of a new adversary."

Deduction & Disruption
S2E3 · Star Trek: The Next Generation …
Character Continuity medium

"The initial audio cue (footfalls) gives Data the sensory input he converts into a deduction about Pulaski being carried—showing Data's consistent information-processing method evolving into situational deduction."

Deduction & Disruption
S2E3 · Star Trek: The Next Generation …
Character Continuity medium

"The initial audio cue (footfalls) gives Data the sensory input he converts into a deduction about Pulaski being carried—showing Data's consistent information-processing method evolving into situational deduction."

Deduction and Dead Ends in Holographic London
S2E3 · Star Trek: The Next Generation …
Character Continuity medium

"The initial audio cue (footfalls) gives Data the sensory input he converts into a deduction about Pulaski being carried—showing Data's consistent information-processing method evolving into situational deduction."

Deduction & Deterrence
S2E3 · Star Trek: The Next Generation …
NARRATIVELY_FOLLOWS

"Geordi's invitation and the Holmes framing lead immediately into the holodeck London sequence where Data and Geordi begin the investigation (the footfall cue starts the chase)."

Unplanned Interlude and the Call to Baker Street
S2E3 · Star Trek: The Next Generation …
NARRATIVELY_FOLLOWS

"Geordi's invitation and the Holmes framing lead immediately into the holodeck London sequence where Data and Geordi begin the investigation (the footfall cue starts the chase)."

Holmesian Prelude & Engineer's Gambit
S2E3 · Star Trek: The Next Generation …
NARRATIVELY_FOLLOWS

"Geordi's invitation and the Holmes framing lead immediately into the holodeck London sequence where Data and Geordi begin the investigation (the footfall cue starts the chase)."

Models and Mischief
S2E3 · Star Trek: The Next Generation …
What this causes 6
Causal medium

"Data's auditory deduction reorients the hunt and precipitates his noticing the tall man (Moriarty), shifting the scene from a general crime to a focused pursuit of a new adversary."

Deduction and Dead Ends in Holographic London
S2E3 · Star Trek: The Next Generation …
Causal medium

"Data's auditory deduction reorients the hunt and precipitates his noticing the tall man (Moriarty), shifting the scene from a general crime to a focused pursuit of a new adversary."

Deduction & Disruption
S2E3 · Star Trek: The Next Generation …
Causal medium

"Data's auditory deduction reorients the hunt and precipitates his noticing the tall man (Moriarty), shifting the scene from a general crime to a focused pursuit of a new adversary."

Deduction & Deterrence
S2E3 · Star Trek: The Next Generation …
Character Continuity medium

"The initial audio cue (footfalls) gives Data the sensory input he converts into a deduction about Pulaski being carried—showing Data's consistent information-processing method evolving into situational deduction."

Deduction and Dead Ends in Holographic London
S2E3 · Star Trek: The Next Generation …
Character Continuity medium

"The initial audio cue (footfalls) gives Data the sensory input he converts into a deduction about Pulaski being carried—showing Data's consistent information-processing method evolving into situational deduction."

Deduction & Disruption
S2E3 · Star Trek: The Next Generation …
Character Continuity medium

"The initial audio cue (footfalls) gives Data the sensory input he converts into a deduction about Pulaski being carried—showing Data's consistent information-processing method evolving into situational deduction."

Deduction & Deterrence
S2E3 · Star Trek: The Next Generation …

Themes This Exemplifies

Thematic resonance and meaning

Part of Larger Arcs

Key Dialogue

"DATA: 'It is deduction, pure and simple... well, perhaps not that simple.'"
"GEORDI: 'Then you don't know what's coming next?' DATA: 'No.' GEORDI: 'That's what I wanted to hear.'"
"DATA: 'Our adversary, my dear Watson is none other than Professor Moriarty himself.' GEORDI: 'Great—now this is really getting good.'"