James Moriarty ( hologram ) Professor James Moriarty was a hologram created by Geordi La Forge , based on the fictional character of the same name . He was created for Sherlock Holmes Program 3A as an adversary capable of outwitting Data . History . Creation . Moriarty ' s creation was unintentional and the direct result of a discussion between Data , La Forge , and Doctor Katherine Pulaski about Data ' s ability to solve problems like Sherlock Holmes would . Doctor Pulaski contended that Data could solve these problems because he had memorized all the Sherlock Holmes novels , but would not be able to solve a new Sherlock Holmes - based mystery . When La Forge suggested creating a mystery where Data ' s solving abilities could be tested , Pulaski told him Data would fail and agreed to take part in it . A short time after the mystery had begun , Data solved it with little effort , whereupon Pulaski accused Data of fraud , as she felt that it was not an original mystery but a variation on a theme . During this discussion , they were already watched by Moriarty . La Forge then decided to let the computer create an opponent for Data , and told it to create an adversary with the ability to defeat Data , not just Sherlock Holmes . After this command was given , the bridge registered a power surge while the Moriarty hologram appeared dazzled . When asked by a female companion about his condition , he replied that he felt " " like a new man " " . Familiarizing himself with sentience . Since Moriarty had heard the commands used by La Forge , he made the arch appear himself and inquired about its purpose . He was informed that it was used for entering computer commands . He resolved to gather more information , and decided to follow the three officers . After some time , Moriarty decided to abduct the woman of the group , Doctor Pulaski , and he hid her in an abandoned warehouse . As time went by Moriarty became more aware of his own consciousness , seeing strange images inside his head that he could not name . Because clear signs were left behind when Doctor Pulaski was abducted , Moriarty was soon found by La Forge and Data . Moriarty welcomed them as Holmes and Watson , and also as not being Holmes and Watson . He told them they both looked familiar to him but then again also not familiar . He informed them that strange realities were part of his consciousness , and that he was aware of an oracle greater than Delphi ' s named " computer . " After he summoned the arch , he gave a stunned Data a drawing he had made , a drawing of the " Enterprise " , and told them he knew it was a vessel of some kind and that he , and they , were aboard it . Data and La Forge immediately left the holodeck and took the image to Captain Jean - Luc Picard . Meanwhile , Moriarty was courteous to the captive Doctor Pulaski , enjoying her company and discourse . He offered her tea and scone s while he questioned her , and told her that he already knew who Picard was , although Pulaski said she had never heard of him . Moriarty showed her machinery he had built which he could use to control the " Enterprise " . He showed this same machinery to Picard , who entered the holoprogram with Data and La Forge . Moriarty told Data that this was about more than just ending a holodeck adventure , and he told Picard that he only wanted to exist . Moriarty made clear to Picard that he was well aware of his surroundings , and shook the " Enterprise " by means of his self - made machinery . When Moriarty asked Picard if he could leave the holodeck , Picard informed him of the limitations of the holodeck and that the matter and energy created by the holodeck could not exist outside of it . Rights as a sentient being . Unpersuaded , Moriarty argued that he found himself alive , and as such had a right to live , to exist . He used Data as an argument – Data after all was a machine and yet considered alive , and he made the argument , " " I think , therefore I am " . " Picard told Moriarty that at this time they would not be able to give him what he wanted , because they did not know how to convert holodeck matter into a permanent form . Moriarty continued to press his case and told Picard that he did not want to die , who replied that he did not want to kill him . After Moriarty said goodbye to Dr . Pulaski , he summoned the arch and returned the holodeck controls to the main computer , and put his fate in Captain Picard ' s hands . Moriarty knew the " Enterprise " had a vast library memory , and Picard told him that they would use it to save his program , and that they would continue to try to find a way for him to exist outside of the holodeck . The program was saved and stored in the ship ' s protected memory . Moriarty ' s drawing of the " Enterprise " was given to Picard in the conference lounge . ( ) Return and leaving the holodeck . In 2369 , four years after Moriarty ' s program was stored , Data and La Forge were again running a Sherlock Holmes holonovel , when they found some discrepancies and asked Lieutenant Reginald Barclay to check on the program and the holodeck . When Barclay found the protected memory , he unlocked it and ran the program it contained . Moriarty appeared and asked Barclay if Captain Picard was still in command of the " Enterprise " . A confused Barclay listened as Moriarty explained who and where he was , and asked Barclay if Picard had found a way to enable him to leave the holodeck . Barclay responded that Moriarty could still only exist inside the holodeck . Surprisingly , it seemed that Moriarty was aware of the passing of time while he was stored in protected memory . Moriarty asked how long he had been away , remarking that it had seemed longer than four years and asked to speak with Captain Picard . When he was told by Barclay that he had to store him in memory again , Moriarty appeared to cooperate , but in fact remained active after Barclay left the holodeck . Moriarty did not know if Picard would help him this time and devised a ruse . He met Picard in Holmes ' room at 221B Baker Street . Moriarty did not believe Picard when told that he had not been forgotten and that Starfleet ' s finest scientist s had not found a way to allow him to leave the holodeck . He told Picard that it was a matter of willpower , and when Picard summoned the holodeck exit , Moriarty walked through it before anyone realized what he had done . A stunned Picard and Data walked up to him and could not understand how this was possible . Moriarty was told by Picard that he needed to be examined and was taken to Doctor Beverly Crusher , who found nothing wrong with him and that other than unusual DNA , he was Human . ( ) Help in bringing out the Countess . The newly liberated Moriarty was given a tour of the " Enterprise " by Captain Picard and looked at the stars when they entered Ten Forward . When Picard expressed concerns about the criminal behavior his character was known for , Moriarty told him that this was all fictional and had nothing to do with real life . Moriarty asked Picard if the Countess Regina Barthalomew , the love of his life , could also be brought off of the holodeck like himself . Picard told the Professor that they did not understand why Moriarty could leave the holodeck and had no idea how to replicate the feat . Despite Picard ' s assurances that Barclay and Data would investigate the possibility of bringing the Countess off of the holodeck , Moriarty decided to force the issue and took control of the " Enterprise " . Unknown to Picard , Moriarty had already changed the command code s into his own so he could override every command entered . The situation was made more critical by the impending collision of two planet s in the Detrian system , which the " Enterprise " had been monitoring . After making his demands , Moriarty returned to Baker Street , where he found the Countess Barthalomew together with Barclay , who placed pattern enhancer s around a chair to test whether they could use the transporter to beam something off the holodeck into the real world . The attempt failed , but it gave Data the clue he needed to realize how Moriarty had left the holodeck ; he had instead created a holographic representation of the ship , with Picard , Data and Barclay – the only people who had been in the holodeck when he created this illusion – real people . Unaware of Picard ' s discovery of his deception , Moriarty contacted Commander Riker on the bridge , and asked about their progress in getting him off of the holodeck . When Riker replied that they had made no progress , Moriarty informed them of the experiment with the transporter and reminded Riker that he had nothing to lose by allowing the " Enterprise " to be destroyed by the planetary collision . When Moriarty returned to Baker Street , he was informed by the Countess Barthalomew that Picard had told her that it might be possible to bring them off the holodeck by un - coupling the Heisenberg compensator s before transport . Moriarty asked her if she had heard it correctly , and when she confirmed it he grinned . She told him that before Picard would try this , however , he wanted control of his ship back . Moriarty summoned the arch and told Commander Riker about Picard ' s plan . Moriarty and the Countess Barthalomew stood between activated pattern enhancers to be beamed off the holodeck . After the transport , they met Commander Riker , and Moriarty told him that he would only return the command codes when he and the Countess were off the " Enterprise " , and he demanded a shuttle . Riker reluctantly agreed . Moriarty entered the shuttle together with his beloved Countess , and Riker suggested they head for Meles II , as the range of the shuttle was not unlimited . When the shuttle departed the " Enterprise " shuttlebay , Moriarty released the command codes to the " Enterprise " main computer . When the Countess asked him if one day they would return to Earth he assured her they would . Unknown to Moriarty , Data and Picard had created a program within the program , allowing Moriarty to believe he had departed the holodeck despite actually remaining within it . Picard and Data then ended the program the moment the command lockouts were removed , and left the holodeck a few minutes later . Moriarty and the Countess Regina Barthalomew would spend the rest of their lives inside a memory module , unaware of their situation , for as far as they were concerned they had left the " Enterprise " to live their lives in the real world . ( ) Aftermath . The events surrounding Moriarty ' s re - emergence were ultimately taught at Starfleet Academy . Before his graduation in 2370 , Harry Kim was one of the Academy cadet s to learn of Moriarty . ( ) Moriarty ' s history would be covered in the Starfleet database and included on all starship s . In 2373 , Chakotay looked up the information on the ' s database when investigating the possibility of another sentient holodeck character ( although the character was later revealed to have come under the control of an outside intelligence rather than having become sentient herself ) . ( ) Memorable quotes . " " It has described a great monstrous shape on which I am like a fly – stuck on a turtle ' s back – adrift in a great emptiness . " " " " I think , therefore I am " " Appendices . Background information . Moriarty was played by Daniel Davis . René Echevarria , Ronald D . Moore and Brannon Braga were very eager to bring the Moriarty hologram back in a seventh season episode of . Though Echevarria later forgot what happened to Moriarty in the proposed story pitch , he reckoned the character would likely have realized he had been duped , thereafter managing to escape from the memory module and yet again threaten the " Enterprise " - D . The notion of reusing Moriarty for this plot was disallowed by Michael Piller . Echevarria explained , " " I think Michael ' s idea was , ' You ' re never gonna get a better ending for that character than you did in ' Ship in a Bottle ' , you know , so let ' s leave him there . " " In response , though , Michael Okuda stated , " " He was such a charismatic and fun character . " " ( audio commentary , TNG Season 7 Blu - ray special features ) The holographic Moriarty served as the basis for The Doctor on . This was evidenced in a specific note , handwritten by Jeri Taylor during the conceptual development of that series and dated . The note read , " " Holo - Moriarty " " . Further notes , dated , suggested the holographic doctor as a regular character " who , like Moriarty , has ' awareness ' of himself as a holodeck fiction . " ( " " , pp . 179 , 175 & 177 )