And thus, it is born, the holodeck - which, outside of time travel, has got to be Star Trek's go-to plot device (who am I kidding, this is kind of a time travel story). But as cynical as that sounds, I'm sure this was pretty cool back in '88 before it became (almost) groan-inducing. And really, it's one of the reasons I dig the Enterprise-D. the wish-fulfillment possibilities are endless.
Anyhoo, stressed out while prepping for a diplomatic mission, Jean-Luc uses the holodeck to disappear into a detective novel; which means trading in a starship set for a dingy P.I. office, period suits (which everyone wears the hell out of) and '40s cliché dialogue. Naturally, the computer wigs out, a man is shot with no access to sickbay, and in walks the big bad guy (Lawrence Tierney, lending his signature terrifying toughness to the show).
Despite the mild silliness and the completely uneven pacing, I do like this episode. The pulp environment is a fun one and it does give Data an opportunity to overdo the period mannerisms while Dr. Crusher tries to blend in as a dame. And it's kinda nice to see Picard get really excited about something.
7/10
Anyhoo, stressed out while prepping for a diplomatic mission, Jean-Luc uses the holodeck to disappear into a detective novel; which means trading in a starship set for a dingy P.I. office, period suits (which everyone wears the hell out of) and '40s cliché dialogue. Naturally, the computer wigs out, a man is shot with no access to sickbay, and in walks the big bad guy (Lawrence Tierney, lending his signature terrifying toughness to the show).
Despite the mild silliness and the completely uneven pacing, I do like this episode. The pulp environment is a fun one and it does give Data an opportunity to overdo the period mannerisms while Dr. Crusher tries to blend in as a dame. And it's kinda nice to see Picard get really excited about something.
7/10