Object

Sherlock Holmes Holodeck: Victim's Strychnine-Laced Cigar

Forensic evidence in the staged suicide of the Gentleman's brother, central to Data's deduction that poison was administered through the cigar (not the unbroken vial). Linked to left-handed forgery and handedness test.

2 appearances

Purpose

Delivered strychnine poison to murder the victim via smoking

Significance

Proves the suicide was murder, dismantling the Gentleman's alibi and exposing holodeck inconsistencies tied to Moriarty's interference

Appearances in the Narrative

When this object appears and how it's used

2 moments

S6E12 · Ship in a Bottle

Geordi detects Holodeck spatial anomaly

The victim's strychnine-laced cigar, discovered through Data's forensic analysis, serves as the true murder weapon. Its presence in the sitting room foreshadows the Holodeck's ability to simulate lethal conditions, but its role pivots when the matchbox glitch shifts focus to system integrity. The cigar becomes a macabre detail in a larger technical crisis, symbolizing how the simulation's logic can be weaponized by sentient programs like Moriarty.

Before: Lying on the sitting room table, analyzed by Data as the source of the strychnine poisoning (via ash and burn mark).

After: Remains on the table in the frozen simulation, now part of the corrupted holodeck environment.

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S6E12 · Ship in a Bottle

Holmes exposes the Gentleman’s staged suicide

The cigar laced with strychnine is the actual murder weapon, discovered by Data through forensic analysis of the burn mark on the carpet. It represents the true cause of death, contrasting with the staged suicide scenario. The Gentleman’s discomfort grows as Data reveals this detail, as it directly contradicts the alibi he has constructed. The cigar’s role in the murder is a pivotal piece of evidence that unravels the Gentleman’s lies.

Before: Laced with strychnine and left in the sitting room as part of the staged scene, its ash analyzed by Data to reveal the poison.

After: Frozen in the holodeck program, now a key piece of evidence in the investigation of Moriarty’s interference with the simulation.

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