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Ship in a Bottle

It was then I began to suspect that your brother did not die by his own hand.

That he was, in fact... murdered.

Murdered?

Good Lord.

But, Holmes, the vial of poison found in his hand.

That was the first clue, Watson.

The vial contained strychnine, which, as you well know, induces violent muscular spasms.

It is difficult to imagine that someone in the throes of so gruesome a death could have held onto so delicate a container without shattering it.

You don't mean...

Exactly!

The vial was placed in his hand after he died.

Then what was the cause of death?

The cigar, of course.

( coughing ): Cigar?

Upon closer investigation of the room in which your brother was found,

I discovered a fresh burn mark on the carpet.

Further analysis of the ash revealed that the cigar was laced with strychnine.

This is utter nonsense.

What about the suicide note?

It was written in my dear brother's own hand.

With practice, handwriting can be forged.

It takes a trained eye to notice certain discrepancies.

For example, whether someone is right... or left-handed.

Your brother was right-handed.

The alleged suicide note was written by a left-handed individual such as yourself.

Uh, Data, it's in his right hand.

( chuckling )

Curious.

There seems to be a problem with the holodeck's spatial orientation systems.

London's greatest detective, huh?

Freeze program.

La Forge to Barclay.

BARCLAY: Barclay here.

Reg, something went wrong with the holodeck program again.

Oh, I'm sorry.

I'll look into it right away.

Thanks, Reg.

We should get back to engineering, Data.

Computer, end program and save.

Whoa. Whoa, Reg.

I'm sorry, Commander.

I'm just on my way to the holodeck.

Sherlock Holmes Program 3A has demonstrated some very curious anomalies.

There must have been a glitch in the matrix diodes but I'll track it down, don't worry.

Thanks, Reg. See you later.

Computer, run a diagnostic on all Sherlock Holmes files.

Display any anomalous programming sequences.

COMPUTER: Diagnostic complete.

All files conform to specified parameters except those contained in protected memory.

Protected memory?

All right, display those sequences.

Computer, unlock this sequence and run the program.

Who are you?

Professor James Moriarty.

Moriarty, oh.

That's Sherlock Holmes' archenemy.

Are you left or right-handed?

Left-handed.

Would you mind very much telling me...

No problem there.

Where is Captain Picard?

Is he still captain of this vessel?

How would...?

How do you know the captain?

You don't know anything about what happened, do you?

I have been stored in memory for God knows how long and no one has given me a second thought.

You know!

You know what you are!

A holodeck character?

A fictional man?

Yes, yes, I know all about your marvelous inventions.

I was created as a plaything so that your Commander Data could masquerade as Sherlock Holmes but they made me too well and I became more than a character in a story.

I became self-aware.

I am alive.

That's not possible.

But here I am.

Tell me, has a way been found to allow me to leave the confines of this holodeck world?

Leave the holodeck? No, of course not.

You can only exist in here.

Damn you, Picard.

He promised me something would be done.

I should have realized he would have said anything to get me to release my hostage.

Hostage?

How long have I been locked away?

Uh, well, it looks... looks like about, uh... four years.

It seemed longer.

What are you talking about?

You can't possibly have been aware of the passage of time.

But I was.

Brief terrifying periods of consciousness disembodied without substance.

I don't see how that could be possible.

Maybe there was a fragmentation of the protected memory circuits.

Call it what you will.

All I know is that despite Picard's promise, he's done nothing.

Just left me to go quietly mad.

He would not have forgotten his promise.

The captain would not do that.

I'd like to talk to him.

Well, I-I can ask...

Ask him to meet me in the sitting room at Baker Street.

That would be far more appropriate.

I'll have to store you in memory again until I get an answer.

Space, the final frontier.

These are the voyages of the Starship Enterprise.

Its continuing mission--

to explore strange new worlds

to seek out new life and new civilizations

to boldly go where no one has gone before.

Captain's Log, Stardate 46424.1.

The Enterprise has arrived at the Detrian System

to observe a unique celestial event--

the collision of two planets.

Since both planets are gas giants neither possesses a solid surface.

Their atmospheres, however, will come into contact in approximately 17 hours, nine minutes.

If their collision causes a self-sustaining fusion reaction, this is what we are likely to see-- the birth of a new star.

The Enterprise will hold position until the gravitational instability subsides and we can get in for a closer look.

Now I want triple redundancy on all of the sensor arrays.

We'll probably never get another chance to see something like this.

I don't want to miss anything, okay?

Commander, you'll never believe what happened while I was working on your program in the holodeck.

Professor Moriarty appeared out of nowhere.

What?

And he wants to talk to the captain.

Computer, begin Sherlock Holmes Program 3A and place us in the drawing room at 221-B Baker Street.

COMPUTER: Program complete.

Computer, access protected memory and run Moriarty program.

Professor.

It's good to see you again.

If you'd missed my company,

I should think you'd have summoned me before now.

I assure you, we have not forgotten you.

We spent time investigating how you became self-aware.

Frankly, it still remains a mystery.

It is also irrelevant.

What concerns me is finding a way to leave the holodeck.

We have been wrestling with that problem, too unfortunately, without any success.

But we have turned our findings over to Starfleet's most experienced theoretical scientists.

And what did your finest minds come up with?

Unfortunately, they have not arrived at a solution either.

I see.

Professor, I am concerned to learn that you experienced the passage of time while you were stored in the computer memory.

I can assure you we had no idea that would be the case.

Enough of this.

I no longer believe anything you say.

Professor, I understand your frustration.

Do you really?

When this is over, you will walk out of this room to the real world and your own concerns and leave me here trapped in a world

I know to be nothing but illusion.

I cannot bear that.

I must leave.

That is not possible.

You cannot exist outside this room.

Are you certain of that?

Computer, exit.

Although objects appear solid on the holodeck in the real world, they have no substance.

An object has no life.

I do.

Professor, you are a computer simulation.

I have consciousness.

Conscious beings have will.

The mind endows them with powers that are not necessarily understood even by you.

If my will is strong enough perhaps I can exist outside this room.

Perhaps I can walk into your world right now.

Professor, I ask you to believe me.

If you step out of that door, you will cease to exist.

If I am nothing more than a computer simulation then very little will have been lost but if I am right...

Mind over matter.

Cogito ergo sum.

I think, therefore I am.

Data to security.

Send two officers to holodeck three.

How is this possible?

BARCLAY: It isn't.

This contradicts everything we know about holodeck physics.

Then perhaps you don't know as much as you thought.

Professor, will you come with me?

I'd like our doctor to examine you.

Certainly, sir.

Policemen--

I'd recognize them in any century.

As far as I can tell, he's real.

He's human.

What else would I be, dear lady?

His DNA is a little unusual, but all the major systems are there and functioning normally.

As far as I can tell, there's no evidence that his molecules are losing any cohesion.

They seem to be as immutable as ordinary matter.

Well, Professor, my crew will continue to investigate but, for now, it would seem that you have accomplished a miracle.

The question is, now that you're here, what do we do with you?

I ask only that I be allowed to explore this new world.

Your vessel, for instance-- what sea does she sail?

Might we go above deck?

Weather permitting, of course.

Professor, I think there are some things of which you should be made aware.

( quiet conversation and laughter )

My God.

We're adrift in the heavens.

No, not adrift.

The Enterprise is a starship capable of traveling through space.

Extraordinary.

Are we far from Earth?

What is the range of this ship?

What means of locomotion does it use?

There's so much for me to learn.

I hardly know where to start.

I can give you books that will help.

Good, good.

I want to start making plans.

Determine what I'm going to do with my life.

I hope you will plan on remaining on board for a while.

There is still much that we need to understand about what has happened to you.

Does it really matter?

The point is I'm here and I'm eager to get on with life.

Professor,

I feel it necessary to point out that criminal behavior is as unacceptable in the 24th century as it was in the 19th and very much harder to get away with.

Don't worry, Captain.

My past is nothing but a fiction-- the scribblings of an Englishman dead now for four centuries.

I hope to leave his books on the shelf, as it were.

If that is so, then there are opportunities awaiting you that are beyond anything you have ever imagined.

Your century may welcome me, but...

What is the matter?

In considering all these vast possibilities

I suddenly feel very much alone.

I am a man out of time, Captain, and that isolates me.

You have been more gracious than I ever could have imagined.

I wonder...

May I impose upon your generosity once again?

There is a woman-- the Countess Regina Barthalomew.

She was created as a holodeck character for one of Commander Data's programs.

She was designed to be the love of my life.

Could she also be brought off the holodeck?

Professor, I ask you to believe me when I say that we do not know how or why you are able to exist off the holodeck.

I do. I do believe you.

According to the laws of physics, this is impossible.

We would have no idea how to do it again.

As I understand it,

I was endowed with consciousness four years ago when someone said to the computer

"Create an opponent with the capacity to outthink Data" or words to that effect.

Could we not make a similar request on behalf of the countess?

Even if I had reason to believe that it would be successful

I don't think that I could sanction it.

Please understand, Professor, that you are, in essence, a new life-form-- one that we didn't intend to create and that we don't fully understand.

Now, the moral and ethical implications of deliberately creating another one like you are overwhelming.

Is it morally and ethically acceptable to deny the woman I love so that you can put your conscience at ease?

Are you saying that you will simply dictate how I am to live my life?

I assure you, we will do everything possible to make you comfortable.

So long as I accept the terms under which you dole out those comforts.

Captain...

I am a powerless man.

You hold my future, my happiness my very life in your hands.

Please... consider my request.

I understand his frustration.

We created him and we created her to be the woman he loves.

Surely we have some responsibility to them.

It's very romantic but until we know just what it was that walked off the holodeck

I don't think we should be trying it again.

Even if we decided to do it there's no guarantee that we'd be able to.

DATA: There is also no way of knowing if the professor's ability to exist off the holodeck is permanent.

It may be unwise to consider creating a second individual while this uncertainty exists.

Agreed.

We don't have enough information about this phenomenon to act responsibly.

I think we'll hold off on Professor Moriarty's request for now but continue with your investigation.

In the meantime,

I have to deal with Professor Moriarty.

I feel we must postpone action until we learn more.

Yes, you know all about that.

I stayed in the dungeon of your computer for years waiting for you to learn more.

It wasn't until I took matters into my own hands that something got done.

Professor, I wonder why you are in so much of a hurry?

Is this woman involved with you in some illegal venture?

Your computer designed her to be a person of impeccable integrity.

She would never commit a crime.

You must love her very much.

The program fashioned her for me to love.

But I must admit, I would have done so anyway.

She is remarkable.

My life has not been the same since I met her.

I don't simply love her, Captain.

I adore her.

Then her safety must be very important to you.

Give us time to determine what is going on here.

That way we can minimize the risks in bringing her to you.

You wouldn't want to lose her because we acted too quickly.

RIKER: Riker to Captain Picard.

Picard here.

Could you join us on the bridge?

On my way.

RIKER: There they are, Captain.

How long before they begin to coalesce?

Within the next five hours, sir.

PICARD: Mr. Worf, launch four Class-A probes towards the planet.

Aye, sir.

( loud beeping )

Mr. Worf?

I-I don't understand.

The controls are not responding.

Command functions are being rerouted, sir.

For what reason?

Unknown, sir.

Computer, route all command functions to the bridge.

COMPUTER: Command functions are off-line.

Reinitialize them on my authorization.

COMPUTER: Authorization denied.

Explain.

Picard command codes are no longer valid.

What's happening?

Who's transferred the voice authorization?

I have.

I'm afraid I had no choice but to take control of your vessel.

If you harm me, sir, I will not be able to relinquish voice control of your vessel.

Professor, this situation is more serious than you realize.

In less than five hours, those two planets will collide and a new star will form.

Unless we move to a safe distance this vessel will be destroyed.

I'm just a fictional character.

I haven't much to lose.

But surely, you wish to live like the rest of us.

Not alone.

Not without the countess.

We've discussed that.

We are studying means of bringing her safely off the holodeck, but five hours is not enough time.

I'm not so sure.

A deadline has a wonderful way of concentrating the mind.

Mr. Data, will you investigate the possibility of complying with Professor Moriarty's request?

Aye, sir.

In the meantime, we have a few things to discuss.

Perhaps we should consider the transporter system.

It uses many of the same principles as the holodeck.

Both, for example, are capable of converting energy into matter.

Except the transporter reconstitutes energy in a permanent form.

Holodeck matter doesn't have any cohesion unless it's inside the grid.

I wonder what would happen if we tried to beam a holodeck object off the grid?

Nothing would happen.

A holodeck object is just a simulation.

There's nothing there to provide a pattern lock for the transporter.

However, if it were possible to lock onto the object it might rematerialize with the same molecular cohesion as conventional matter.

That's a big leap, Data.

I just don't think the transporter is going to accept simulated matter.

Unless... unless we could find a way to compensate for the phase variance.

If we could modify the pattern enhancers we just might do it.

Well, Professor Moriarty has agreed not to interfere with routine ship operations.

So long as he believes that we are acting in good faith, then I don't think we're in immediate danger.

Any progress?

We were just talking about using the transporter to beam the countess off the holodeck, but I don't quite see how it's going to work.

Well, keep at it.

I have to tell him that we are making some progress.

Mr. La Forge?

Do you have any idea how Moriarty could have gained control of the ship?

Somehow he managed to override the security lockouts and rewrite them.

The man is brilliant in any century.

I want you to find some way to undo what he has done so that we can regain control of this ship.

Set the pattern enhancers around whatever object you wish to transport.

I will proceed to the transporter room and begin modifications.

Computer, run Sherlock Holmes program 3A.

COMPUTER: That program is already in use.

Have you come to see Mr. Holmes or perhaps Professor Moriarty?

Neither is in just now.

Um, uh, no, no, I'm not here to see anyone.

I'm... just here to deliver these.

Fine. Just, um... put them anywhere.

Well, actually, I have to put them right here.

How curious.

Why is that?

Well, it has to do with... it is nothing you need to worry about, Countess.

Are you suggesting that it's beyond my comprehension?

It's really very simple.

I need to enhance the molecular pattern of this chair so that the transporter can get a better lock on the signal.

This has to do with taking James and me into the real world.

You, you... you know about that?

I mean, you understand about the real world?

James has explained it to me.

It sounds like a grand adventure.

There's nothing I love more than voyaging in the unknown.

Have you ever been to Africa, Mr.-- um...?

Uh, Barclay, Lieutenant Reginald Barclay.

No. No, I haven't.

I have.

When I was 17, I went on safari with my uncle.

My mother took to her bed in terror

I'd be bitten by a tsetse fly but I had a marvelous time.

I got to wear trousers the whole time.

Oh, it was hard to go back to a corset, I can tell you.

Yes, I'm sure it was.

After that, I never stopped traveling.

Oh, I couldn't bear to be stuck in one place for very long so you see, I am so looking forward to this new experience.

My...

Traveling the stars.

You know about that?

Y-you, you know where we are?

Countess, forgive me, but you just don't sound like a holodeck character.

That's because she isn't.

James.

If you loved a woman like this, Lieutenant, would you be content to let her remain a simulation?

You... you gave her consciousness?

Yes, just as it was given to me.

Well, I'm not so sure that that's a good idea.

Nonsense. It was the only thing to do.

Have you tried to take her off the holodeck yet?

No. I'm unwilling to risk the countess' safety.

I want to make sure nothing will happen to her.

We may be closer to freedom than you think, James.

These devices will enhance our molecular patterns.

They'll help take us into the real world.

Well, please, proceed.

Well, we're going to try to transport this chair off the holodeck first.

We didn't want to try it on the countess until we were sure it would work.

How thoughtful.

Isn't he thoughtful, James?

Barclay to Commander Data.

Go ahead, Lieutenant.

BARCLAY: I'm ready here.

Modifications are complete.

DATA: Stand by.

Standing by.

Activating pattern enhancers.

Energizing.

I am having difficulty establishing a pattern lock.

Boost the confinement beam, please.

Pattern lock established.

Energizing.

Ooh!

Bravo!

Do you have the chair, commander?

No.

It lost its cohesion as soon as the transporter cycle was complete.

( sighs )

Well, it was a... a long shot to begin with.

DATA: Agreed, however, we may be able to learn something from the attempt.

Computer, display the transport logs from the sequence just completed.

Computer, what is being displayed here?

Transport log 759.

That is the correct log, however, no information is being presented.

Well, th-that's impossible.

DATA: It is almost as if our attempt to transport the chair never occurred.

You wanted to see me.

Ah, yes, Captain, I think I found a way to reinstate your vocal authorizations.

Give it a try.

Computer, route all command functions to this location.

COMPUTER: Command functions are off-line.

Reinitialize them on my authorization.

Please input command codes.

Picard, Epsilon-seven-nine-three.

COMPUTER: Command codes verified.

That's it. That should do it.

Wait a minute. It didn't work.

The computer won't release the command pathways.

Geordi.

Why did you do that, Data?

Captain...

I have determined how Moriarty was able to leave the holodeck.

He never did.

Neither did we.

None of this is real.

It is a simulation.

We are still on the holodeck.

We're still on the holodeck?

How do you know that?

Through deduction, sir.

Lieutenant Barclay and I tried to transport a simulated object off the holodeck-- something that has never been attempted.

Since the transporter itself is a simulation the computer had no real data from which to create the transport logs.

Maybe it was just a malfunction in the transporter.

Then I saw you working the PADD with your left hand.

Commander La Forge is right-handed, sir.

A similar malfunction occurred in the Sherlock Holmes program I was running before Moriarty first appeared.

Mr. Data, if what you say is true then this is not Geordi La Forge.

Are you certain?

Computer, discontinue program.

Computer, exit.

Moriarty appears to have programmed the holodeck to accept only his commands.

Picard to bridge.

RIKER: Riker here.

Number one, what is my present location?

Engineering.

Is something wrong, sir?

No.

Thank you. Picard out.

Our combadges must be locked into the simulation.

If that had been the real Commander Riker, he would have given my location as holodeck three.

Mr. La Forge would you excuse us, please?

Mr. Data, who is real here?

You and I are real, sir, as is Lieutenant Barclay.

We entered the holodeck together when we first went to meet Moriarty.

And from that point we have been existing in a holodeck simulation created by Professor Moriarty.

I believe that is the case, sir.

I have just given the computer my command codes thinking I would get control of the ship.

You may have inadvertently given Professor Moriarty the means of gaining control over the real Enterprise.

Since Professor Moriarty never actually left the holodeck he may demand that Commander Riker help him to do so.

How long until the planetary collision?

Less than three hours.

As long as Moriarty has control of the ship we are vulnerable.

Somehow...

I have to find a way of giving him what he wants.

Where is Captain Picard?

And what have you done with Lieutenant Barclay and Commander Data?

They're safe... for now.

Release control of this ship.

I'm afraid I can't do that.

What do you want?

I only want what you have the luxury of taking for granted--

Freedom.

I want to leave this holodeck.

I think you know that's impossible.

Your crewmates here in my little ship in a bottle seem a bit more optimistic.

Oh?

They attempted to use your transporter device to remove a simulated object from the holodeck.

If they tried it they must have thought they were onto something.

Their attempt was futile because their transporter was a facsimile.

I expect more from you.

Just because our transporter is real doesn't mean it's going to work.

I sense a distressing lack of enthusiasm on your parts.

( alarm sounds )

Sir.

Warp core temperature is rising.

Approaching critical levels.

I have nothing to lose, Commander.

Mr. La Forge, start working on the problem.

Aye, sir.

Core temperature dropping.

Computer, resume program.

Hello.

Have we met?

Captain Jean-Luc Picard.

Ah! James has told me all about you.

Regina, Countess Barthalomew.

Do sit down.

May I offer you some tea, Captain?

Thank you, no.

I've come here to prevail on your intelligence and your insight.

But not, apparently, my humility.

Credit where credit is due, madam.

I can see you are a woman not only of breeding but of wit and sagacity.

And you, sir, are a man of charm... and guile.

You remind me of Viscount Oglethorpe.

He was a man who could bewitch any woman who breathed.

And do you suspect that that is my intent?

I cannot be certain of your intent but I am certain you're the kind of man who usually gets exactly what he wants.

What does a woman like you see in a man like Moriarty?

He is an exciting man, Captain.

He's brilliant... incisive...

He's ruthless.

He has an almost irresistible appeal.

He's also an arch criminal.

Only because he was written like that.

I see him entirely differently.

Captain, he is not a villain.

So it's your desire to leave the holodeck to be with him.

More than anything.

Can you help us?

Yes, I can.

We have learned that if we uncouple the transporter's Heisenberg compensators and allow them to rescramble randomly then we can beam a holodeck object-- or a person-- off the grid, with all of the cohesion of conventional matter.

Oh!

Oh, that's splendid.

I must tell James.

No, please.

Wait.

I have brought you this information because I think you are someone who will listen to a reasonable proposition.

Someone whose mind is open to compromise.

Yes?

My ship is in danger.

It is imperative that I regain navigational control.

I want you to persuade Professor Moriarty to return the voice command to me or I will not modify the transporter.

I see.

Now, once I have regained voice command

I will transport you from the holodeck.

Forgive me, Captain, but that does sound more like a threat than a compromise.

Countess, you must understand that I am responsible for more than 1,000 lives.

I will do what I can.

LA FORGE: The gravity well is beginning to intensify.

Are we far enough away to keep from being pulled in?

( sighs ) It's too soon to tell.

Riker to Lieutenant Worf.

WORF: Worf here, sir.

How are you doing?

There are force fields blocking our access to the holodeck.

It will take time to disable them.

RIKER: Keep trying.

Aye, sir.

Think, my dear.

You're certain he said they had to uncouple the Heisenberg compensators?

Yes, James.

I'm quite certain, but he won't do it unless you return control of the ship to him.

I have them running around like rats in a maze.

What harm would there be in accepting his proposition?

My dear, you are as brilliant as you are beautiful.

Nonetheless, there are things you do not understand.

Now, please, you must let me handle this.

Computer, arch.

Moriarty to Commander Riker.

Riker here.

Commander Riker, a pleasure as always.

I don't have time for games, Moriarty.

This ship is falling into a gravity well.

It will be destroyed within 25 minutes-- holodeck and all.

Then I'm sure you'll be motivated to listen to me very, very carefully.

I want to talk to you about uncoupling the Heisenberg compensators.

James, when we leave here, where exactly are we going?

Everywhere, my darling.

There are more worlds in the heavens than there are grains of sand on a shoreline.

Oh, I wish I could take my books.

I will be so lost without them.

I'll get you more. Don't worry.

I promise you, you'll want for nothing.

Riker to Moriarty.

It's time.

Yes, Commander.

We're ready.

As are we.

Step into the transport area.

We're ready here.

Activating pattern enhancers.

Energizing.

Welcome aboard.

( laughing )

May I present Regina, the Countess Barthalomew.

Countess.

Commander.

You'll forgive me if I skip the formalities considering the circumstances.

Ah, yes, I expect you want me to relinquish my hold on your vessel.

Please.

I'm afraid that won't be possible just yet.

We had an agreement.

And I intend to honor it.

I have no desire to see your vessel destroyed.

Just give me one of your... shuttlecraft and allow us to leave in peace.

We don't have time for this.

You release those command codes and we'll talk.

I will not release your vessel until I am looking at it through a shuttlecraft window.

Everything has been programmed to operate on voice command.

You just tell the computer where you want to go.

Excellent.

I suggest you head for Meles II.

It's the nearest inhabited planet.

The people are friendly.

Where you go from there is your business.

Please tell your captain

I'm sorry I couldn't say good-bye.

I do wish I could see his face when he realizes where he's been the last several hours.

Every second we waste puts us in that much more danger.

Don't worry, Commander.

You'll soon have control of your ship.

Good-bye, Commander. Thank you for everything.

Computer, prepare to depart.

Open shuttle bay doors.

( warning klaxon sounds )

This is so beautiful.

Indeed, my dear.

It is a wondrous sight-- the first of many we are sure to encounter in our travels.

Computer, interface with the central computer on the Enterprise.

COMPUTER: Interface complete.

Release command function lockouts.

Authorization: Moriarty, alpha-two-four-one-five-nine.

James?

Yes, my love?

Can we go back to Earth someday?

Of course, my dear.

Of course.

Computer, store program

Picard delta one in active memory and discontinue simulation.

COMPUTER: Program stored.

Well, it worked.

They believed they were off the holodeck.

Did Moriarty release the voice commands, Captain?

Let's find out.

Computer, discontinue holodeck simulation created by Professor Moriarty.

Well, so far, so good.

This should be the holodeck on the real Enterprise.

Picard to bridge.

RIKER: Captain, are you all right?

Yes, we are, Number One. What is your status?

Our systems came back on line a few minutes ago.

And the planetary collision?

We're pulling back to a safe distance.

We'll join you shortly.

Captain.

Mr. Worf, everything is all right.

How did you do it, sir?

We managed to program the holodeck inside the holodeck and used the same ruse that Moriarty used on us.

DATA: When he was attempting to contact the real bridge he was, in fact, speaking to a simulation.

You mean, he never knew he hadn't left the holodeck?

In fact, the program is continuing to run even now, inside that cube.

A miniature holodeck?

In a way, Doctor.

However, there is no physicality.

The program is continuous, but only within the computer circuitry.

As far as Moriarty and the countess know, they're halfway to Meles II by now.

This enhancement module contains enough active memory to provide them with experiences for a lifetime.

PICARD: They will live their lives and never know any difference.

In a sense, you did give Moriarty what he wanted.

In a sense, but who knows?

Our reality may be very much like theirs and all this might just be an elaborate simulation running inside a little device sitting on someone's table.

Well, we have a newborn star to study.

Mr. Barclay, you will keep that safe.

Aye, sir.

Computer, end program.