Customer Reviews

Star Trek - The Next Generation, Episode 13: The Big Goodbye [VHS]

5 star:		(4)
4 star:		(4)
3 star:		(2)
2 star:		(0)
1 star:		(0)

 

 

One of the few good episodes from the show's first season! While waiting for a meeting with an alien race called the Jarada, Picard visits the Holodeck where he plays the fictional character Dixon Hill. Dr. Crusher, Data and the ship's historian also visit with Picard, but when the Enterprise is attacked, the Holodeck malfunctions and places Picard and crew in danger in 1941 San Francisco, with the safeguards off!

There some excellent scenes in this episode. 1. Picard discribing the new holodeck programme to his colleagues and Crusher's reaction to his invitation. 2. The holodeck programme scenes until Redblock appears. The Picard/Crusher scene is quite funny.

After that it slows down until picking up at the end.

Also watch out for one of the worst continuity mistakes in a st-tng episode. Why is there no one outside the holodeck to greet them?

The Enterprise is enroute to Korona IV to meet with a race of insectoids called the Jarada. The Jarada are very particular bugs - they speak Federation English just fine, but they expect the Captain to deliver a greeting to them in their own language - a language not easy for a human mouth, lacking a cloaca and mandibles and such. For some reason, Troi is his linguist coach - there is no other episode in which it is indicated that she has any gift in teaching or in linguistics at all, but they needed to give Counselor Cleavage (uh, I mean Counselor Troi) some screentime, and I guess this was the only way they could get her involved in this episode other than just saying, "Captain, I sense something."

Picard is stressed out to the max so he goes to the Holodeck with Dr. Crusher and Commander Data, as well as another crewmember we don't see again. Picard takes on the persona of Dixon Hill, a private dick (private detective) in 1940s San Francisco. He is apparently enthralled by the serial detective story and likes the idea of portraying the protagonist.

A scan gone bad causes a critical malfunction in the Holodecks - the safety protocols stop working (this means that Holographic bullets can kill), the Computer won't respond, and they can't find an exit. Not only do they have to literally fight for their lives with imaginary Holodeck characters, Picard is desperately needed in negotiations with the Jerada. If he fails to be punctual and pronounce the greeting just right, the Jerada might tell the Federation to shove their phasers where the Terran Sun don't shine.

Wesley Crusher gets to show off those extra big brains of his as he and Geordi collaborate to find a safe way to excise Picard from the Holodeck. Why they can't beam him out of there is beyond me.

It's amazing that so much space is devoted to the Holodeck in a ship that houses over a thousand people - but on the ass-end of space, even Ensigns need some recreation now and then. Considering that without "safeties," you could potentially die in a Holodeck, it is a wonder that there is no way to just pull out the D-Cell batteries in this big entertainment box to get people out. They can use a tractor beam from an un-anchored ship to change the orbit of a moon, but they can't beam Picard out of their own Holodeck. Yeah, right.

Despite the holes-a-plenty, the throwback to 20th Century earth is fun and reminiscent of "A Piece of the Action," a very fun episode in the Original Series.

Not only will we see Dixon Hill again in future episodes, "The Big Goodbye" makes a reappearance in the best Star Trek film to date, "Star Trek: First Contact."

The Enterprise is on route to make contact with the Jarada, an insect-like species who demand a ritual greeting from the captain of the ship. It is a very difficult greeting for humans to pronounce and the Jarada are very exacting in their expectations. A single mispronounced syllable could have interplanetary consequences. Captain Picard has been practicing the greeting, but it is starting to wear on him. Since it will be several hours until contact is made, he decides to engage in a diversion in the holodeck. He will assume the role of the fictional private detective Dixon Hill and Dr. Crusher, Data and crewman Whalen accompany him.
However, a scan of the Enterprise causes the holodeck to malfunction, they are unable to disengage the program, they cannot exit and all safety protocols are turned off. Some gangsters arrive to settle a score with Hill and Whalen is seriously injured. Furthermore, the time of the rendezvous is approaching and Captain Picard cannot deliver the greeting from the holodeck. Wesley finally manages to open the exit and Picard and his group are able to leave the holodeck in the nick of time.
What makes this episode work are the characters they interact with in the holodeck. In many ways they are self-aware and the title of the episode is derived from the conversation that Picard has with a fabricated police officer. The officer asks what will happen to him when the program terminates and Picard is forced to answer that he doesn't know. Hence, from the perspective of the officer, their parting is the big goodbye. The gangsters are also excellent characters, especially the leader. Even though he is on the verge of having Picard's party killed, he demonstrates that he is more than a thug. He insists on good manners and his dialog with Picard is excellent.
In general, I do not like the episodes based on a holodeck malfunction. In my opinion, that plot device was far too overused in the series. Any technology used on the Enterprise that prone to malfunction would not be used on the Enterprise. What I found most difficult to believe is that there was no priority override to the holodeck. There would be a switch or button that would immediately disengage the holodeck, no matter what it was doing. However, the story was so well done that I override my usual objections and give the episode four stars.

I was originally quite skeptical about Paramount producing a new Trek television series along with many others. My dubious instinct proved to be prophetic as ST:TNG began it's network run. I found the first several episodes were hardly worth sitting through and I was ready to write the series off. But show's like "The Battle" and "Hide And Q" kept me coming back the next week and hoping for more excellence. "The Big Goodbye" is the episode that singlehandedly won my allegiance as a fan.

Though the holodeck would be returned to for several more 'star-turns' in other shows, this one remains my favorite. This parody of the film noir classic "The Maltese Falcon" is expertly written and faultlessly performed. The Enterprise crew members reactions to the holodeck characters are played mostly for laughs and therefore to great effect. "The Big Goodbye" also features one of Next Generation's finest ensemble supporting casts. Harvey Jason, as Felix Leach, is an absolute riot as a poor man's Peter Lorre; Lawrence Tierney, doubling for Sydney Greenstreet, is commanding as the proper but nefarious Cyrus Redblock - his best role in years prior to being in "Reservoir Dogs"; cult film star Dick Miller appears as a newstand vendor; William Boyett, who appeared in several episodes of television's "Dragnet, shows up as a brow-beating police detective.

Tracy Torme, who scripted this Peabody Award winning episode, created a totally unique and ingenious plot by having Enterprise crew members get trapped in the past without even leaving the ship. The Star Trek production team also does a marvelous job of creating the effect of the holodeck as well the attention to period detail. Arguably the best episode from the inaugural TNG season but most certainly the best looking one.

It was the first season of Star Trek. And the show had its shakey beginnings. But despite the show's struggles in the first season, a few gems came out from the first 15 episodes, such as Where No One Has Gone Before and Datalore. This episode, The Big Goodbye, is my First Season show, and one of my personal favorites from the show's entire 7 year run. It was the first "holodeck goes wrong" storylines. The coolest part of the show is of course the costumes. There is nothing cooler than Captain Picard and Data in 1940 detective suits. It looked accurate to what some people wore at the time. Also the guest apperance of Lawerance Tierny was a plus. This show won many awards for TNG, including the Peabody Award, the Hugo Award for best dramatic presentation and a couple emmys. And of course, who can forget Picard's line of trying to explain Data's apperance "He's from South America" This is one the best episodes of the first season. It was an episode that I grew up loving as a kid. And any trekkie, will love this episode as well.

The holodeck premise has led to the creation of many horrendous Star Trek: The Next Generation and Star Trek: Voyager episodes. It has brought about so much misery and confusion to loyal Trek viewers that it is easy to forget that there actually have been quality holodeck episodes. "The Big Goodbye" is one of them.

The Enterprise-D is traveling to quadrant Korona IV which is home to the Jarada. In order to get on their good side, Captain Jean-Luc Picard (Patrick Stewart) has been asked by the alien race to deliver a precise greeting that cannot deviate in any way from its specifications. To ease his stress, the captain visits the holodeck along with Data (Brent Spiner), Doctor Beverly Crusher (Gates McFadden), and ship historian Whalen (David Selsburg). The group participates in an adventure set in twentieth-century San Francisco but a malfunction occurs which traps them in the holodeck with the safety features deactivated. A race against time ensues to save the lives of the trapped crewmembers and to free Captain Picard in time for his meeting with the Jarada.

Yes, Wesley once again helps to save the day but let's concentrate on the more positive aspects of this episode, shall we? The Star Trek franchise has always been at its best when it explored profound ideas. In keeping with this approach, the holodeck has been a wonderful device to comment upon the nature of reality and our perceptions of it. When it is utilized correctly as a storytelling tool, it has posed some intriguing questions about who we really are and what exactly is this world that we occupy. This was the first Star Trek: The Next Generation episode that hinted at the better things yet to come in later seasons. It is not as smooth or polished as later entries but it still holds up rather well when measured against the other noteworthy episodes in the series. And who knew that the job of Enterprise-D historian could be so hazardous?

Another one of my favorite episodes. It's sooo funny to see the modern-day Jean-Luc, Beverly, and Data dressed in 1940's gear. I laughed out loud (and still do today) when Beverly has trouble walking in the narrow "women's" shoes (Beverly has rather wide, short feet) and nearly trips coming into the holodeck and keeps touching the curly wig she has on over her straight red hair. I think she was really embarrassed. It was hysterical when someone passed her gum and she winds up swallowing it whole with a noisy GULP; that was a timeless scene! There's also a touching scene where Picard meets Beverly in the police lobby and Beverly softly asks if he's having a good time. Jean-Luc says how glad he is that she came and Beverly blushes a bright red; that scene shows Beverly's shyness in an endearing way. Things get scary when the holodeck malfunctions and the safety feature fails, then one of the gang members threatens Beverly taunting her with archiac sexist words. The scenery was real and gave a feel of that era of impending war, tough times and the backwards living of people back then. I could see that the crew was taken slightly aback by the ignorance and primitiveness of characters in Dixon Hill's time. Especially sensitive Beverly was shocked by the rampant violence and callous disregard for humanity of that time.

This highly underrated first season episode of TNG is actually the best of the holodeck episodes. Looking for a break in the goings-on of the Federation, Captain Picard seeks refuge in the guise of Detective Dixon Hill. In the meantime, the crew is preparing for peace talks with the hostile Jerada. When the ship is scanned by the Jeradan flagship, Picard, Data, Dr. Crusher, and Expendable Crewman #13h are trapped in the holodeck and the safety has been turned off, making fake bullets real! The suspense mounts up to the creative ending. All of the guest stars do very well and provide a neat contrast with 1930s literature and 24th century universe. It's a great, fun episode with Trek lore perfectly in tact.

The Big Good-bye ......or Trek Fiction

Where's Bogie when you need em'? The hard boiled detective named Dixon Hill. He's a character created from the Next Generation's holodeck. It enables the crew to live out experiences without harm to themselves or anyone else. This one is based on Picard's readings of an ancient fictional detective.

This one happens to be Picard's favorite. From a guy who's reading goes from Shakespeare to pulp fiction. This episode might've worked if it were filmed in black and white. All the camera work was attempting to capture that film noir feel. Naturally, as with all the holodeck episodes something goes horribly wrong! The bad guys become as lethal as they do in real time! Data,Crusher and Whalen join Dixon Hill to figure out how to open the holo-door to their Enterprise again.

Lawrence Tierney, of the old time gangster movies, plays the baddie in this one. I wish he returned for another Dixon Hill adventure. His character gave credibility to an otherwise surreal episode.