Editing Elementary, Dear Data (section)

==Reception==
In 1989, the episode was nominated for two Emmy awards.<ref name="Anniversary" />

In 2016, ''[[The Hollywood Reporter]]'' rated "Elementary, Dear Data" the 10th best episode of ''Star Trek: The Next Generation'',<ref>{{cite web |author1=Aaron Couch |author2=Graeme McMillan |title='Star Trek: The Next Generation' — The 25 Greatest Episodes |url=https://www.hollywoodreporter.com/lists/star-trek-next-generation-episodes-930854 |website=The Hollywood Reporter |access-date=February 22, 2019 |date=September 21, 2016}}</ref> and the 26th best of all ''Star Trek'' episodes to date.<ref>{{Cite web|url=https://www.hollywoodreporter.com/lists/star-trek-episodes-best-100-924455/item/emissary-star-trek-100-925069|title="Emissary" - 'Star Trek': 100 Greatest Episodes|website=[[The Hollywood Reporter]] |date=September 8, 2016 |access-date=February 23, 2019}}</ref> James Hunt of ''[[Den of Geek]]'' gave it a 100% watch rating and remarked it was "fantastic episode". In particular he praised concepts explored about computers and artificial intelligence as well as the Data and Geordi character sequences.<ref>{{Cite web |date=May 3, 2013 |author=James Hunt |url=https://www.denofgeek.com/tv/revisiting-star-trek-tng-elementary-dear-data/ |title=Revisiting Star Trek TNG: Elementary Dear Data |website=[[Den of Geek]] |access-date=January 27, 2022 }}</ref> [[Keith DeCandido]], writing for ''[[Reactor (magazine)|Reactor]]'', rated it 7 out of 10.<ref name="TorRewatch" />

The episode's title "Elementary, Dear Data" was noted as a play on the iconic but false Sherlock Holmes phrase "[[Elementary, my dear Watson]]".<ref>{{cite book |date=2011 |last1=Steiff |first1=Josef |title=Sherlock Holmes and Philosophy: The Footprints of a Gigantic Mind |publisher=Open Court Publishing |isbn=978-0-8126-9731-5 |url=https://books.google.com/books?id=Vq24xAyfoq0C }}</ref>

In 2011, this episode was noted by ''[[Forbes]]'' as one that explores the implications of advanced technology, in this case for exploring an apparently self-aware software program.<ref name="forbes">{{Cite web|url=https://www.forbes.com/sites/alexknapp/2011/04/08/the-10-best-singularity-themed-star-trek-episodes/|title=The 10 Best Singularity Themed Star Trek Episodes|last=Knapp|first=Alex|website=Forbes |access-date=March 27, 2019}}</ref>

In 2016, ''[[Time (magazine)|Time]]'' magazine rated the holographic Professor Moriarty as the 5th best villain of the ''Star Trek'' franchise.<ref>{{Cite magazine |date=September 6, 2016 |first=Alex |last=Fitzpatrick |url=https://time.com/4477514/best-star-trek-villains-ever/ |title= From Q to Khan: The 10 Best Star Trek Villains Ever |magazine=[[Time (magazine)|Time]] |access-date=January 27, 2022}}</ref>

In 2020, ''[[Static Media|Looper]]'' listed this as one of the best episodes for Data, remarking that it is "''The Next Generation'' having a whole lot of fun"; Geordi and Data tackle a holodeck gone wrong plot, with a Sherlock Holmes theme.<ref>{{Cite web|url=https://www.looper.com/187063/the-best-data-episodes-of-star-trek-the-next-generation/ |title=The best Data available episodes of Star Trek: The Next Generation|last=Martin|first=Michileen|date=February 5, 2020|website=[[Static Media|Looper]]|access-date=February 12, 2020}}</ref>