In this episode, a holographic adversary is created on the holodeck of the Enterprise when Data and Geordi take some time off to play a Sherlock Holmes game.

In 1989, "Elementary, Dear Data" was nominated for two Emmy Awards: Outstanding Art Direction for a Series, Richard D. James, Art Director; Jim Mees, Set Decorator and Outstanding Costume Design for a Series, Durinda Wood, Costume Designer; William Ware Theiss, Starfleet Uniforms Creator.

Overhearing their conversation, Chief Medical Officer Dr. Pulaski asserts that Data is incapable of solving a mystery to which he does not already know the outcome.

There, Geordi instructs the computer to create a unique Sherlock Holmes mystery with an adversary who is capable of defeating Data.

Picard meets Moriarty, who demonstrates that he has evolved beyond his original programming and asks to continue to exist in the real world.

Furthermore, Moriarty's creation being a result of Geordi La Forge requesting an opponent capable of defeating Data references Arthur Conan Doyle's creation of the same character for the short story The Final Problem – specifically, as an opponent capable of defeating Sherlock Holmes who, at the time, Doyle wanted to kill off.

Davis was auditioning for the role of Moriarty alongside another actor in the room Brian Bedford directly in front of director Rob Bowman.

"[4] The episode also features Anne Elizabeth Ramsay, making her first Star Trek: The Next Generation appearance as Ensign Clancy.

She co-starred as Lisa Stemple, the dysfunctional sister of Helen Hunt's character, in 123 episodes of Mad About You, for which she shared a Screen Actors Guild Award nomination.