Star Trek: The Next Generation 1.11

The Big Goodbye

Stressed out over an upcoming meeting with the a very picky alien race, the Jaradans, Captain Picard takes some time off and spends it on the Holodeck. It takes his mind off his work but things get a bit messy in the environment into which he steps: San Francisco, CA in 1941. He assumes the identity of Private Investigator Dixon Hill and gets hired by Jessica Bradley, who believes someone is planning to kill her.

Picard leaves the Holodeck to see how things are going aboard the Enterprise. He returns to the Holodeck with Data and Whalen, a historian. Police detectives Bell and McNary bring Picard / Hill in for questioning because Jessica Bradley was murdered and she had in her possession one of Hill's business cards. Doctor Crusher joins Captain Picard, Data, and Whalen on the Holodeck. The police release Hill after giving him a thorough grilling.

Picard and the others return to Hill's office. Cyrus Redblock, a gangster who believes that Hill has something he desires, and a couple of his thugs accost the team from the Enterprise. Whalen gets shot and badly injured. Picard and the others are unable to leave due to a problem with the Holodeck.

Riker, aware of the problem with the Holodeck, has Geordi LaForge and Wesley Crusher working on the issue. They fix it just in time for the team from the Enterprise to deal with Redblock and his thugs and get Whalen to sick bay before it is too late. Captain Picard gets back to the bridge of the Enterprise just in time greet the impatient Jaradans.

Thoughts

I don't recall if I have seen this episode before.

All of the regular members of the cast of the show are in this episode but Tasha and Worf don't get very much to do.

There are definitely nods to The Maltese Falcon (1941) and possibly other movies in this episode. One that leapt out at me was the name Cyrus Redblock is clearly a nod to the actor Sidney Greenstreet.

I enjoyed this episode. I don't think it is great but it is a good one, better than average in many ways. The subplot with the Jaradans, who never appeared on screen, did nothing for me. Maybe the episode would have been better if it had happened a few seasons later but who knows. 

Notes

Lawrence Tierney played te part of Cyrus Redblock. This is the only episode of this show in which he appeared. He appeared in one episode of Deep Space Nine, playing a different character. He also appeared in an episode of The Alfred Hitchcock Hour. I have seen him in at least two movies, one of which was Born to Kill (1947).

David Selburg played the part of Whalen. This is the first of two episodes of this show in which he appeared. The second episode was 6.21 Frame of Mind, in which he played a different character. He also appeared in one episode each of Voyager and Enterprise.

William Boyett played the part of Detective Bell. This is the first of two episodes of this show in which he appeared. The second was 6.01 Time's Arrow, Part 2. He appeared in three episodes of Four Star Playhouse, the first of which was 1.01 My Wife Geraldine. He appeared in one episode of The Six Million Dollar Man, 1.06 Doomsday, and Counting. He appeared in one episode of Amazing Stories (1985), 1.03 Alamo Jobe. He also appeared in episodes of Alfred Hitchcock Presents, Kraft Suspense theatre, The Invaders, and Tales of the Unexpected. 

Dick Miller had a small part in this episode as a newspaper vendor. This is the only episode of this show in which he appeared. He also appeared in two episodes of Deep Space Nine. He has been in at least 10 movies I have watched including Little Shop of Horrors (1960) and After Hours (1985). He also appeared in episodes of Amazing Stories (1985) and Moonlighting.

This is the second of 13 episodes which Tracy Tormé wrote by himself or in collaboration with others. The first one he wrote was 1.10 Haven.

This is the first of four episodes of this show that was directed by Joseph L. Scanlan.