Question: Is Moriarty aware that he is a character on a TV show? If Reg is the only real character in Moriarty's holodeck simulation then why does Moriarty continue his ruse when Reg is not in the scene? To keep the viewer engaged? Was this an inside writers joke?
Michael Albert
6th Apr 2017
Star Trek: The Next Generation (1987)
9th Nov 2015
Star Trek: The Next Generation (1987)
Yesterday's Enterprise - S3-E15
Question: The motivation for this episode seems to be returning the Enterprise 1701-C to its own timeline 22 years in the past, where it will certainly be destroyed by Romulan warbirds; yet, the heroism of sacrifice will avert a protracted 22-year war with the Klingon Empire as well as avert tens of billions of Federation deaths. QUESTION: Why didn't they just SWITCH CREWS and send the far more advanced Enterprise 1701-D through the time rift and 22 years into the past? Using its advanced weaponry, defenses, and sheer speed, the Enterprise D could have easily defeated the old Romulan warbirds, saved Tasha Yar, averted the 22-year Klingon war, and saved 40 billion Federation lives. Additionally, sending the truly futuristic 1701-D into the past could have then exponentially advanced Starfleet technology into the future, making the Federation virtually invincible to its traditional enemies. It would seem that this would be the more noble, heroic and logical action of a Starfleet crew - to save lives and advance Federation survival. It would have certainly been a more thought-provoking episode, anyway.
Chosen answer: A similar question was actually asked during the episode. Captain Garrett of the Enterprise 1701-C questioned Captain Picard about the possibility of outfitting the older model Enterprise with modern technology to give them a better chance of defeating the Romulans. However, changing the course of history is pretty much forbidden in the Star Trek universe. It would be impossible to predict the impact on the future. It would be playing with fate. It just wasn't to be done. For example, suppose the updated Enterprise "C", or the replacement Enterprise "D" were to still be defeated and captured, and all of that advanced technology were to fall into Romulan hands? The impact on the timeline would be far different than the one you lay out. Guinan, with her extrasensory perception, pretty much gives Picard the solution to restoring the timeline to what she knows, and Picard eventually trusts, to be the correct one. Send the Enterprise "C" back into the time rift. For me, the only VERY perplexing question would be why Picard would EVER allow Tasha Yar to return to the past in the Enterprise 1701-C. This, we later come to know, led to Tasha's offspring becoming a Romulan military leader, thus altering the timeline, anyway. It seemed a very foolish move, based solely on emotional reasons (and a dramatic plot line).
Doing so would violate the Temporal Prime Directive which Picard already did by sending Tasha back, but considering she wasn't supposed to be part of that timeline anyway, Picard probably saw no harm even though Tasha was captured and had Sela.
27th Jan 2014
Star Trek: The Next Generation (1987)
Question: Was Picard really speaking French for the entire show's run and he only made sense thanks to the universal translator?
Chosen answer: No. There are small instances on "Star Trek: TNG" where Picard speaks French on board the Enterprise, without the Universal Translator altering it. Were he always speaking French, the Universal Translator would make no distinction when he was speaking French as a matter of course, or speaking French for a particular effect. In the episode "Code of Honor", Data refers to French as an "archaic language" on Earth, to which Picard takes umbrage. I suspect Data would have known if Picard were actually speaking French at the time.
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Answer: Moriarty's holodeck simulation was also created as a deception for Picard and Data, who are also real. Moriarty does realise that he is a holodeck creation based on a character in the Arthur Conan Doyle Sherlock Holmes novels. However, he was imbued with self-awareness when he was originally created by Geordi as a villain "capable of defeating Data" in the episode, "Elementary, Dear Data." Over time, he overcomes his own programming and achieves sentience, hence his desire to be liberated from the limitations of holodeck space.
Michael Albert