Dixon Hill: Calm Hand on a Loaded Moment
Plot Beats
The narrative micro-steps within this event
Picard, wearing Dixon Hill’s skin, hedges on finding Slade’s missing sister until Rex’s cackle nearly ignites a brawl; Rex backpedals fast, and Slade recommits to hiring Dixon to find her.
Riker and Data slip into the bar; Slade reaches to draw, and Picard clamps his arm and vouches for them, bleeding the threat out of the room.
Who Was There
Characters present in this moment
Neutral and functional — a constructed persona serving social needs rather than expressing inner life.
Exists in this event as the verbal identity Data supplies ('Carlos, from South America') during introductions to make the barroom cover story coherent and period-appropriate.
- • buttress the credibility of the team’s cover story
- • seamlessly integrate Data into social ritual
- • brief, plausible backstories aid believability
- • names and origins are social currency in this setting
Not directly observable; functions as a rhetorical prop to reinforce Picard's social credibility.
Named by Picard in introductions as 'Nails, from Chicago' — invoked to lend color and implied backup though the character does not appear physically in the scene.
- • serve as fictional reinforcement of Picard's street credentials
- • help pacify Slade through implied network
- • name-dropping allies increases perceived influence
- • stories of connections reduce likelihood of challenge
Amused and opportunistic — using levity to defuse tension and keep the bar's social rhythm intact.
Middles the barroom energy with banter, laughs loudly, offers a comicride line about dames and dimes, pours drinks and opens a new bottle when Picard relents to another round, then invites the newcomers to sit as tensions cool.
- • keep the atmosphere convivial and prevent escalation
- • serve customers (and keep the simulation believable)
- • use humor to redirect Slade's anger into conversation
- • social ritual and drink can smooth over conflicts
- • blunt confrontation is less useful than sarcasm in calming Slade
- • the bar should remain a neutral gathering place
Agitated and wounded — a mixture of fear, anger, and desperate protectiveness over his missing sister.
Sits beside Picard at the bar, grows steamed and suddenly rises, reaches beneath his coat in a threatening gesture when Riker and Data enter; does not draw a weapon but remains tense and earnest, insisting Picard find his sister.
- • compel Picard/Dixon to actively search for his sister
- • test Picard's sincerity and resolve through intimidation
- • maintain personal dignity while seeking help
- • Picard (Dixon) is the only person who can find his sister
- • demonstrating readiness for violence will force commitment
- • people who treat him lightly are not to be trusted
- • his sister would reach out if she knew he was looking
Eagerly attentive — interested in the period authenticity and cooperative in supporting Picard's social maneuvering.
Follows Riker into the bar, quietly comments on a previous cover (South America), examines the period money brought out for the simulation and pronounces it 'very accurate', and supplies the alias 'Carlos' during introductions to bolster the cover.
- • maintain the credibility of the holodeck cover identity
- • support Picard socially and avoid escalating tension
- • gather sensory data about props and environment
- • period accuracy strengthens social cover and reduces suspicion
- • observing and commenting on details is useful social participation
- • cooperation with Picard advances the mission
Practical and mildly embarrassed — concerned about the passengers but wanting to preserve Picard's holodeck comfort and the social cover.
Enters with Data and informs Picard in a subdued aside that the ship's two passengers are awakening; accepts Picard's persona exchange with a touch of banter, then listens as the group decides to leave.
- • inform Picard of the mission-critical update (passengers awakening)
- • ensure the safety and timely retrieval of the passengers
- • deflect awkward social situations with humor
- • mission timeline supersedes leisure role-play
- • Picard will respond responsibly when told the situation
- • lightening the moment helps maintain morale and discretion
Objects Involved
Significant items in this scene
The detective trench coat is part of Picard's Dixon Hill costume and anchors his authoritative posture; though not explicitly detailed in every line, the coat helps him inhabit the persona used to physically and verbally restrain Slade and reassert control.
A period-style fedora functions as a costume prop: Picard 'pushes his hat back' after deciding on another round, a small physical beat that signals relaxation and social authority; Data also has a fedora as part of his persona, reinforcing the setting's authenticity.
A bottle (held by Rex) functions as a social lubricant and a tension softener: Rex is bottle-in-hand as he mocks and reassures Slade, opens a new bottle when Picard agrees to another round, and offers drinks to prolong the convivial cover while the group defuses the confrontation.
A concealed handgun is strongly implied when Slade reaches beneath his coat; it serves narratively as the threat vector that forces Picard into a physical restraint and immediate de-escalation, though the weapon is not drawn or fired in the scene.
Location Details
Places and their significance in this event
Rex's Bar serves as the staged holodeck noir dive where role-play and real stakes collide: its intimate counter, bottles, and barroom banter create cover for Picard's persona while simultaneously providing the crucible for Slade's threat to surface and be defused.
Narrative Connections
How this event relates to others in the story
"Upon learning the passengers are awake, Picard decides it's time to leave the fantasy."
"Upon learning the passengers are awake, Picard decides it's time to leave the fantasy."
"Data's declared mastery of the era flows into his entrance in Rex's bar within the Dixon Hill sim."
Themes This Exemplifies
Thematic resonance and meaning
Key Dialogue
"SLADE: It's been three days."
"PICARD: Easy Slade. They're friends of mine."
"RIKER: -- Sorry to bother you, Dixon, but our two "passengers" are awakening."