Bloodied Exit — Persona as a Shield
Plot Beats
The narrative micro-steps within this event
Dixon Hill’s secretary rushes out at the noise and spots the blood, calling out that 'Dixon' is hurt.
Picard shrugs off the injury, declares he’s going for a drink, and exits as the secretary watches with admiration.
Who Was There
Characters present in this moment
Feigned nonchalance masking acute pain; resolute and protective of the illusion, using bravado to contain alarm and keep others reassured.
Struck on the side of the head by a thug's swung handgun, Picard immediately seizes the thug by his necktie, pulls the hood up, lands a chopping overhand right to render him unconscious, discovers real blood on his temple, and deliberately minimizes the injury while exiting in character.
- • Neutralize immediate physical threat quickly to prevent escalation.
- • Contain knowledge of the holodeck's dangerous realism and avoid alarming onlookers.
- • Preserve the Dixon Hill persona as an emotional shield and exit the scene without drawing scrutiny.
- • Holodeck safety is supposed to be reliable (the mortality failsafe should protect users).
- • Maintaining calm and competence prevents panic among crew and preserves diplomatic/operational order.
- • Assuming Dixon Hill's posture will both soothe the secretary and allow him to conceal vulnerability.
Startled and worried upon seeing blood, then quickly impressed and admiring as Picard refuses to be fazed—her concern softens into reverence.
Hears the shot, rushes into the corridor, immediately identifies blood on Picard's head, addresses him as 'Dixon' with alarm, then shifts quickly to admiration as he downplays the injury and swagger-exits the hallway.
- • Assess and respond to her boss's apparent injury with appropriate concern.
- • Protect the illusion and support 'Dixon' by responding admiringly, not alarmingly.
- • Ensure the scene remains controlled and the simulated narrative continues uninterrupted.
- • The man she serves (Dixon) is competent and stoic under pressure.
- • Physical harm should be downplayed for the dignity of the protagonist and for dramatic continuity.
- • The holonovel's participants are expected to maintain their roles even when things go wrong.
Objects Involved
Significant items in this scene
Referenced explicitly by Picard as the holodeck's mortality failsafe: its supposed presence is meant to prevent real harm, but the emergence of blood and a concussion-like blow calls that assurance into question and heightens the scene's tension.
The Dixon Hill holodeck program supplies the Chandlerland Hallway setting and its props; the program's hyper-realism facilitates a violent encounter that produces tangible harm and frames Picard's decision to embody Dixon Hill as a coping strategy.
The concealed handgun is invoked as the instrument of apparent violence: the thug claims to have fired it, Picard states it misfired, and then the thug wields it as a blunt object—swinging it and striking Picard on the temple, producing a real wound that punctures the holodeck's presumed safety.
The thug's necktie becomes an improvised handle: Picard seizes the tie to pull the hood forward, forcibly expose the assailant's face and control his balance, enabling the knockout—the tie converts from costume accessory to tactical leverage.
Location Details
Places and their significance in this event
The Chandlerland Hallway within the holodeck serves as the immediate battleground: its compressed, noir-lined corridor collapses privacy and turns the scripted confrontation into a public spectacle when real violence occurs. The space amplifies action, channels pursuit, and makes Picard's performance highly visible.
Narrative Connections
How this event relates to others in the story
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Key Dialogue
"TOUGHGUY: "Come on, drop! I shot ya.""
"PICARD: "But in some ways, the program is almost too accurate.""
"SECRETARY: "Dixon, you're hurt!""
"PICARD: "Don't worry about it. I'm going out for a drink.""