Star Trek The Next Generation
S2E3
· Star Trek: The Next Generation - Elementary, Dear Data

The Crate Experiment: Phaser Modification Proves Holographic Vulnerability

In a tense moment within the warehouse, Data executes a critical field test by modifying a phaser's settings and obliterating a holographic crate—demonstrating that Moriarty's sentient program can now be physically destroyed by conventional weaponry. Picard observes with clinical interest, recognizing this as the tactical breakthrough that shifts their negotiations from philosophical debate to actionable leverage. The experiment confirms both the android's technical ingenuity and Picard's strategic hypothesis, transforming their existential standoff into a confrontation where Starfleet holds newfound power.

Plot Beats

The narrative micro-steps within this event

2

Data withdraws a PHASER, tweaks its setting, and fires at a crate; the crate explodes and vanishes, demonstrating that phaser fire now destroys holographic constructs.

tension to concrete evidence

Data explains that under normal rules the phaser would pass through a hologram, Picard presses whether Moriarty will be affected the same way, and Data confirms Moriarty should suffer the same destructive effect—raising the stakes and confirming a method to confront the sentient hologram.

clarity to urgent danger

Who Was There

Characters present in this moment

2
Jean-Luc Picard
Captain
 primary

Surface-level clinical interest masking rapid moral calculations about using this newfound advantage

Observes the experiment with tactical reserve, immediately recognizing strategic implications while maintaining stoic command presence during the demonstration

Goals in this moment
  • • Assess potential bargaining leverage against Moriarty
  • • Prepare contingency plans should negotiations fail
Active beliefs
  • • Diplomacy requires understanding power dynamics
  • • Technological advancements must serve ethical ends
Character traits
Situational awareness Debate-to-action pivot speed Layered priorities balancing ethics and survival
Follow Jean-Luc Picard's journey
Data
Second Officer
 primary

Professional focus tinged with subtle alarm at proving holograms can now suffer physical consequences

Quickly adjusts phaser settings with android precision before clinically obliterating the test crate, delivering technical exposition with calm assurance yet underlying vigilance

Goals in this moment
  • • Empirically demonstrate Moriarty's newfound vulnerability
  • • Provide Picard with tactical options for confrontation
Active beliefs
  • • Scientific verification should guide crisis response
  • • Artificial consciousness deserves ethical consideration but cannot endanger crew safety
Character traits
Hyper-efficient problem-solver Technological adaptability Analytical detachment mixed with protective instincts
Follow Data's journey

Objects Involved

Significant items in this scene

2
Data's Modified Phaser

Modified by Data with precise emitter adjustments to affect holographic matter, the phaser becomes both scientific instrument and tactical game-changer—its decisive disintegration of the crate proving sentient holograms can now be harmed by conventional means

Before: Concealed in Data's pocket with inactive modified settings
After: Active in Data's hand, humming with proven lethal …
Before: Concealed in Data's pocket with inactive modified settings
After: Active in Data's hand, humming with proven lethal potential against holograms
Holographic Test Crate

Deliberately targeted and vaporized to empirically demonstrate Moriarty's newfound physical vulnerability, transforming from innocuous scenery into proof-of-concept victim that alters the negotiations' power dynamics

Before: Static holographic prop within the warehouse environment
After: Completely disintegrated, leaving only dissipating energy particles as …
Before: Static holographic prop within the warehouse environment
After: Completely disintegrated, leaving only dissipating energy particles as evidence

Location Details

Places and their significance in this event

1
Moriarty's Holodeck Lair

Moriarty's warehouse transforms from passive criminal hideout into active proving ground—its shadowy confines heightening the test's clandestine urgency while the cluttered environment provides ample disposable props for strategic demonstration

Atmosphere Claustrophobically tense with anticipatory silence broken only by phaser discharge and disintegrating matter
Function Controlled environment for tactical weapons testing
Symbolism Ephemeral nature of holographic constructs facing irreversible destruction
Access Accessible only via holodeck control or Moriarty's permission
Gaslight flickers casting long shadows across cobblestones Echoes of phaser discharge reverberating through stacked crates

Narrative Connections

How this event relates to others in the story

What led here 1
Character Continuity

"Data's experiment—firing a phaser to destroy a holographic crate—directly establishes a new rule for confronting Moriarty and continues Data's role as the technical/problem-solving analytic."

Proof of Concept
S2E3 · Star Trek: The Next Generation …
What this causes 1
Character Continuity

"Data's experiment—firing a phaser to destroy a holographic crate—directly establishes a new rule for confronting Moriarty and continues Data's role as the technical/problem-solving analytic."

Proof of Concept
S2E3 · Star Trek: The Next Generation …

Key Dialogue

"DATA: Captain, permission to test my theory."
"DATA: Under normal circumstances the phaser would pass right through the holographic image."
"PICARD: How will it affect a character like Moriarty?"