Ship in a Bottle (Star Trek: The Next Generation)

Last updated

"Ship in a Bottle"
Star Trek: The Next Generation episode
Episode no.Season 6
Episode 12
Directed by Alexander Singer
Written by René Echevarria
Featured music Dennis McCarthy
Production code238
Original air dateJanuary 24, 1993 (1993-01-24)
Guest appearances
Episode chronology
← Previous
"Chain of Command, Part II"		Next →
"Aquiel"
Star Trek: The Next Generation season 6
List of episodes

"Ship in a Bottle" is the 138th episode of the American science fiction television series Star Trek: The Next Generation , the 12th episode of the sixth season.

Contents

Set in the 24th century, the series follows the adventures of the Starfleet crew of the Federation starship Enterprise-D. In this episode, which continued a plot line from the second-season episode "Elementary, Dear Data", the fictional holodeck character Professor James Moriarty seizes control of the Enterprise in his quest to be freed to live in reality, outside the confines of a holographic environment.

Plot

Lieutenant Commander Data and Lieutenant Commander Geordi La Forge are enjoying a Sherlock Holmes holodeck program when they notice that a character programmed to be left-handed is right-handed. They ask Lieutenant Barclay (Dwight Schultz) to inspect the holodeck; as he checks the status of the Sherlock Holmes programs, he inadvertently activates the sentient Professor James Moriarty (Daniel Davis) character ("Elementary, Dear Data"). Moriarty wishes to escape the holodeck and was assured by the crew of the Enterprise that they would endeavor to find a way to do so, and is irritated by the lack of results. Captain Picard, along with Data and Barclay, assures Moriarty they are still working toward this goal, but Moriarty is dismissive.

Moriarty walks out the holodeck door. He explains this to the stunned Picard and Data by saying, "I think, therefore I am." Moriarty creates a companion for himself, the Countess Regina Bartholomew (Stephanie Beacham), by commanding the computer of the Enterprise to place another sentient mind within a female character of the Sherlock Holmes novels. Moriarty takes control of the Enterprise and demands a solution to get Regina off the holodeck.

While assisting La Forge, Data observes that La Forge's handedness is incorrect, just as they experienced earlier. Data determines that he, Picard, and Barclay remain inside the holodeck with Moriarty; everyone and everything that appears to be the Enterprise is part of a program Moriarty created. Picard realizes that he has unwittingly provided Moriarty with the command codes for the Enterprise. Moriarty takes control of the real Enterprise from within the simulation.

Picard programs the holodeck's simulation of a holodeck to convince Moriarty that he and Regina can be beamed into the real world, though they are only "beamed" within the holodeck's simulation. Moriarty, unaware of the ruse, releases control of the ship back to Picard. He and the Countess use a shuttlecraft given to them by Commander Riker to leave the Enterprise and explore the galaxy. Picard ends the simulation, and Barclay extracts the memory cube from the holodeck and sets it in an extended memory device in order to provide Moriarty and the Countess a lifetime of exploration and adventure.

Picard suggests that the crew's reality may be a fabrication generated by "a little device sitting on someone's table." Barclay gives an audible command to "end program" to test whether he is in a simulation, smiling when there is no response.

Academic study

The book Hailing Frequencies Open: Communication in Star Trek: The Next Generation by Thomas D. Parham, III says that "Ship in a Bottle" is an example of using interpersonal interactions to explore ontology. [1] They found that several other episodes in the series used interpersonal interactions to explore philosophical concepts. [1]

Reception

"Ship in a Bottle" was ranked the 21st of the 100 top episodes of all Star Trek by The Hollywood Reporter in 2016. [2] In 2011, this episode was noted by Forbes as one of the top ten episodes of the franchise that explores the implications of advanced technology. [3] In 2016, TIME magazine ranked Moriarty as the 5th best villain character of the Star Trek franchise. [4]

In 2009, Io9 Gizmodo listed "Ship in a Bottle" as one of the worst holodeck-themed episodes of Star Trek. [5]

In 2012, Wired said this one of the best episodes of Star Trek: The Next Generation. [6]

In 2015, The Hollywood Reporter noted this episode's presentation of Moriarty setting out to explore the universe as one of the top ten "most stunning" moments of Star Trek: The Next Generation. [7]

In 2019, CBR ranked it as the third best holodeck-themed episode of all Star Trek franchise episodes up to that time. [8]

In 2020, Screen Rant ranked Moriarity the ninth best holodeck character of the Star Trek franchise. [9]

Releases

The episode was released as part of the Star Trek: The Next Generation season six DVD box set in the United States on December 3, 2002. [10] A remastered HD version was released on Blu-ray optical disc, on June 24, 2014. [11] [12]

See also

Related Research Articles

<i>Star Trek: The Next Generation</i> American science fiction television series

Star Trek: The Next Generation (TNG) is an American science fiction television series created by Gene Roddenberry. It originally aired from September 28, 1987, to May 23, 1994, in syndication, spanning 178 episodes over seven seasons. The third series in the Star Trek franchise, it was inspired by Star Trek: The Original Series. Set in the latter third of the 24th century, when Earth is part of the United Federation of Planets, it follows the adventures of a Starfleet starship, the USS Enterprise (NCC-1701-D), in its exploration of the Alpha quadrant and Beta quadrant in the Milky Way galaxy.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Reginald Barclay</span> Recurring Star Trek character

Reginald Endicott Barclay III is a fictional engineer from the Star Trek media franchise. On television and in film, he has been portrayed by Dwight Schultz since the character's introduction in the Star Trek: The Next Generation third season episode "Hollow Pursuits." Schultz played the character for five episodes and one feature film of The Next Generation, as well as six episodes of the series Star Trek: Voyager. Barclay also appears in non-canon Star Trek novels and video games.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Holodeck</span> Star Trek device

The Holodeck is a fictional device from the television franchise Star Trek which uses "holograms" to create a realistic 3D simulation of a real or imaginary setting, in which participants can freely interact with the environment as well as objects and characters, and sometimes a predefined narrative.

"Redemption" is a two-part episode of the American science fiction television series Star Trek: The Next Generation. Parts I and II of "Redemption" comprise the 100th and 101st episodes of the series, also being the fourth season finale and the fifth season premiere.

"Future Imperfect" is the 82nd episode of the American science fiction television series Star Trek: The Next Generation. It is the eighth episode of the fourth season.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Elementary, Dear Data</span> 3rd episode of the 2nd season of Star Trek: The Next Generation

"Elementary, Dear Data" is the third episode of the second season of the American science fiction television series Star Trek: The Next Generation, the 29th episode overall. It was written by Brian Alan Lane and directed by Rob Bowman. It was originally released on December 5, 1988, in broadcast syndication.

"11001001" is the fifteenth episode of the first season of the American science fiction television series Star Trek: The Next Generation. It was first broadcast on February 1, 1988, in the United States in broadcast syndication. It was written by Maurice Hurley and Robert Lewin, and directed by Paul Lynch.

"The Big Goodbye" is the twelfth episode of the American science fiction television series Star Trek: The Next Generation. The episode first aired in broadcast syndication on January 11, 1988. This was the second writing credit of the series for Tracy Tormé following the episode "Haven". Rob Bowman planned to direct the episode, but he was switched to "Datalore" due to delays in its production. With Bowman working on another episode, Joseph L. Scanlan became the director.

"The Nth Degree" is the 93rd episode of the American science fiction television series Star Trek: The Next Generation, and the 19th episode of the fourth season.

"The Defector" is the tenth episode of the third season of the American science fiction television series Star Trek: The Next Generation, and the 58th episode of the series overall.

"Booby Trap" is the sixth episode of the third season of the American science fiction television series Star Trek: The Next Generation, the 54th episode overall, first broadcast on October 30, 1989. It is the first episode of any Star Trek series to be directed by a woman.

"A Fistful of Datas" is the 134th episode of the American science fiction television series Star Trek: The Next Generation, the eighth episode of the sixth season, which premiered in the United States on November 9, 1992. Its title is a play on the title of the Sergio Leone "Spaghetti Western" film A Fistful of Dollars.

"Relics" is the 130th episode of the syndicated American science fiction television series Star Trek: The Next Generation, the fourth episode of the sixth season.

"Hollow Pursuits" is the 21st episode of the third season of the American science fiction television series Star Trek: The Next Generation, and the 69th episode of the series overall. The episode introduces the character Lieutenant Reginald "Reg" Barclay, who would go on to appear occasionally in The Next Generation and Star Trek: Voyager, as well as in the film Star Trek: First Contact.

"A Matter of Perspective" is the 14th episode of the third season of the American syndicated science fiction television series Star Trek: The Next Generation (TNG), and the 62nd episode of the series overall. It was inspired by Akira Kurosawa's 1950 film Rashomon. The 45-minute episode was broadcast on February 12, 1990 on television. It was written by Ed Zuckerman.

"Chain of Command" is a two-part episode of the American science fiction television series Star Trek: The Next Generation. It aired as the 10th and 11th episodes of the sixth season, the 136th and 137th episodes of the series.

"Emergence" is an episode of the American science fiction television series Star Trek: The Next Generation. It is the 175th episode of the series, and the 23rd episode of the seventh season. Set in the 24th century, the series follows the adventures of the Starfleet crew of the Federation starship Enterprise-D. The crew has a bizarre experience on the holodeck and trouble with the Enterprise. The episode explores the relationship between technology and its creators.

"Lower Decks" is the 167th episode of the American science fiction television series Star Trek: The Next Generation. It is the 15th episode of the seventh season.

<i>Star Trek: The Next Generation</i> season 6 1992–93 season of American television series

The sixth season of the American science fiction television series Star Trek: The Next Generation commenced airing in broadcast syndication in the United States on September 21, 1992, and concluded on June 21, 1993, after airing 26 episodes. Set in the 24th century, the series follows the adventures of the crew of the Starfleet starship Enterprise-D.

References

  1. 1 2 III, Thomas D. Parham (July 15, 2019). "Hailing frequencies open": Communication in Star Trek: The Next Generation. McFarland. ISBN   978-1-4766-7668-5.
  2. ↑ ‘Star Trek’ Episodes: The Best 100 Across All 6 Series – The Hollywood Reporter
  3. ↑ Knapp, Alex. "The 10 Best Singularity Themed Star Trek Episodes". Forbes. Retrieved March 27, 2019.
  4. ↑ "Star Trek's 10 Most Villainous Villains". Time. Retrieved June 8, 2019.
  5. ↑ "Star Trek's Absolute Worst Holodeck Adventures". io9. June 5, 2009. Retrieved April 23, 2021.
  6. ↑ "Best Star Trek: The Next Generation Episodes, According to You". Wired. ISSN   1059-1028 . Retrieved April 23, 2021.
  7. ↑ "'Star Trek: The Next Generation': 10 Most Stunning Moments". The Hollywood Reporter. June 20, 2015. Retrieved July 27, 2019.
  8. ↑ "Star Trek: Ranking the 20 Best Holodeck Episodes". CBR. January 4, 2019. Retrieved June 11, 2019.
  9. ↑ "Star Trek: 10 Best Holodeck Characters". ScreenRant. May 13, 2020. Retrieved February 15, 2021.
  10. ↑ Ordway, Holly E. (December 6, 2002). "Star Trek the Next Generation – Season 4". DVD Talk. Retrieved February 28, 2015.
  11. ↑ Marnell, Blair (June 20, 2014). "Exclusive Video: Star Trek: The Next Generation Season 6 Gag Reel". Crave Online. Archived from the original on July 3, 2014. Retrieved February 28, 2015.
  12. ↑ Lipp, Chaz (February 28, 2015). "Blu-ray Review: Star Trek: The Next Generation – Season Six". The Morton Report. Retrieved February 28, 2015.
This page is based on this Wikipedia article
Text is available under the CC BY-SA 4.0 license; additional terms may apply.
Images, videos and audio are available under their respective licenses.