Daniel Davis briefly returned as Professor James Moriarty in Star Trek: Picard season 3, but he was only a projection from the mind of Data (Brent Spiner). Moriarty was first created by accident in Star Trek: The Next Generation season 2, episode 3, “Elementary, Dear Data,” when Data and his best friend Lt. Geordi La Forge (LeVar Burton) were acting out a Sherlock Holmes mystery on the holodeck. When Geordi asked the computer of the USS Enterprise-D to create an adversary capable of defeating Data, the holographic Holmes villain, Moriarty, became self-aware in order to combat the android.
After taking control of the Enterprise, Moriarty asked Captain Jean-Luc Picard (Patrick Stewart) to find a way for him to leave the holodeck. Although Picard promised that he and the crew would try, Moriarty was no closer to leaving the holodeck when he returned in Star Trek: The Next Generation season 6, episode 12, “Ship in a Bottle.” Frustrated with the lack of progress, Moriarty took matters into his own hands and attempted to trick Captain Picard and the Enterprise crew. Moriarty’s ruse ultimately failed, but Data and Picard devised a way for Moriarty and his lover, Countess Regina Bartholemew (Stephanie Beacham), to exist inside a memory module believing themselves to have escaped the holodeck.
Star Trek: Professor Moriarty Explained
Starring in one of TNG’s most interesting moral dilemmas, Professor Moriarty leaped from the pages of classic literature and into Star Trek history.
Star Trek: Picard Didn’t Answer What Happened To The Real Professor Moriarty
The Moriarty seen in Picard season 3 was only a projection from Data’s mind.
Despite a projection of Professor James Moriarty appearing in Star Trek: Picard season 3, the fate of the “real” Moriarty from Star Trek: The Next Generation remains unknown. In Picard season 3, episode 6, “The Bounty,” Captain Will Riker (Jonathan Frakes), Captain Worf (Michael Dorn), and Commander Raffi Musiker (Michelle Hurd) infiltrate Daystrom Station searching for answers about a potential attack on the Federation. As they explore the station, the security system recognizes Riker by his voice and begins implementing security measures. After a holographic crow flies past and a violin note plays, Professor Moriarty appears and begins firing at the group with his pistol.
Riker then hears a melody he recognizes as the one Lt. Commander Data attempted to whistle when Riker first met the android – “Pop Goes The Weasel.” When Riker finishes the song, Moriarty vanishes, allowing Riker and his friends to enter the station’s mainframe. There, they see the Soong-type android known as Daystrom Android M-5-10, who controls the security system. Riker realizes that at least part of Data’s mind must be stored within this android and that he was trying to communicate with them. In a recorded message, M-5-10’s creator Dr. Altan Soong (Brent Spiner) reveals that this android contains aspects of Data, Lore, Data’s daughter Lal (Hallie Todd), and B-4.
Can The Real Professor Moriarty Still Return To Star Trek?
With Star Trek’s futuristic technology, anything is possible.
Since the events of Star Trek: The Next Generation’s “Ship in a Bottle,” the real Professor Moriarty has not made another appearance in Star Trek. Moriarty and the Countess presumably continued their adventures within the memory module, but it’s never revealed where the module ended up after the destruction of the Enterprise-D in Star Trek Generations. In “Ship in a Bottle,” Lt. Reginald Barclay (Dwight Schultz) stated: “This enhancement module contains enough active memory to provide them experiences for a lifetime.” While this suggests the module will not remain active forever, it’s unclear how long a “lifetime” would be for holograms.
With the always-advancing technology of the Star Trek universe, the possibility remains open for Moriarty to return in some capacity. Actor Daniel Davis has, of course, continued to age, so some explanation would have to be given for Moriarty to appear older, but Star Trek has worked around that problem before. If Moriarty realized that he and the Countess never truly left the holodeck, he could become even more villainous and return for revenge against the people who promised to help him. Whether or not the “real” Moriarty ever returns, the projection of Moriarty in Star Trek: Picard was a fun shout-out to a great Star Trek villain.
