Leech's Violent Betrayal and Whalen’s Fatal Wounding

Felix Leech escalates the simmering tension into deadly violence by threatening the group with a gun, demanding a mysterious object. Whalen, confident and taunting, attempts to disarm Leech but is suddenly shot, delivering a fatal wound that shatters the illusion of safety within the Holodeck. Beverly Crusher immediately recognizes the gravity of Whalen's injury, urging urgent medical aid, while Picard's attempt to regain control by disarming Leech triggers a dangerous escalation. When Leech flees, the group discovers the Holodeck exits are unresponsive, revealing that their entrapment is now deadly and total—this event marks a brutal turning point from simulated intrigue to life-threatening reality.

Plot Beats

The narrative micro-steps within this event

2

Leech menaces everyone with a gun, demanding the location of a certain object, escalating tension as Whalen taunts him before moving to disarm him.

threat to defiance ["Dixon Hill's office within the Holodeck …

Beverly diagnoses Whalen's massive internal bleeding and warns the group of the lethal stakes; Picard questions how this lethal breach occurred as the dangerous game escalates.

shock to urgent dread ["Dixon Hill's office, post-injury"]

Who Was There

Characters present in this moment

5

Furious and determined yet increasingly frustrated by the malfunctioning Holodeck, masking a growing sense of desperation.

Captain Picard attempts first a verbal de-escalation of the crisis but, upon witnessing Whalen's shooting, responds with physical force to disarm Leech. He exhibits mounting frustration and urgency as he seeks an escape, pounding the walls and commanding the computer to reveal an exit.

Goals in this moment
  • Protect crew members and confront Leech to end violence
  • Find a way out of the Holodeck and secure safety
Active beliefs
  • Violence can be ended through decisive action and authority
  • The Holodeck should allow safe egress under normal operations
Character traits
authoritative resolute impulsive protective
Follow Jean-Luc Picard's journey

Calm and focused, masking concern over the severity of the malfunction.

Data responds swiftly by checking the Holodeck exits, discovering a programming malfunction that prevents egress. His calm, analytical demeanor provides critical information about their entrapment and adds urgency to the crisis.

Goals in this moment
  • Diagnose the Holodeck malfunction accurately
  • Inform the crew to find a solution or alternative escape method
Active beliefs
  • Technical systems should function reliably to ensure safety
  • Knowledge and logic are essential to resolving crises
Character traits
analytical alert logical reliable
Follow Data's journey

Urgent and worried, maintaining clinical focus amid chaos.

Dr. Beverly Crusher immediately shifts into emergency medical mode, rushing to tend Whalen's fatal gunshot wound, urgently calling for transport to Sickbay and expressing worry over his deteriorating condition.

Goals in this moment
  • Stabilize Whalen's condition and prevent death
  • Facilitate rapid evacuation to medical facilities
Active beliefs
  • Immediate medical intervention can save lives
  • The situation is dangerously escalating and requires swift action
Character traits
compassionate calm under pressure decisive focused
Follow Beverly Crusher's journey

Perturbed shifting rapidly to hyperventilating fear and panic, masking a simmering violent desperation.

Felix Leech brandishes a gun threateningly, urgently demanding a mysterious object. After shooting Whalen, he becomes startled and fearful following Picard's physical disarmament, escalating into frantic retreat and issuing ominous threats while hyperventilating.

Goals in this moment
  • Obtain the mysterious object by intimidation or force
  • Escape the confrontation alive and evade capture
Active beliefs
  • Possession of the object is critical to his survival or mission
  • Physical aggression will coerce compliance or prevent opposition
Character traits
volatile paranoid desperate menacing fearful
Follow Felix Leech's journey

Initially confident and mocking, abruptly shifting to shocked and mortally wounded despair.

Charles Whalen confidently taunts Leech and attempts to disarm him, demonstrating bravado that turns to shock and vulnerability as he is suddenly shot and begins to bleed out, transforming from a spirited participant to a tragic victim.

Goals in this moment
  • Disarm Leech to neutralize threat
  • Maintain control of the situation through bravado
Active beliefs
  • The gun and threat are part of a simulation, not real
  • His intervention can defuse the danger
Character traits
confident taunting naive vulnerable
Follow Charles Whalen's journey

Objects Involved

Significant items in this scene

1
Felix Leech's Gun

Felix Leech wields this firearm aggressively to threaten the group and enforce his demands. It is the instrument of the fatal shooting of Whalen, abruptly transforming the nature of their predicament from simulation to deadly reality.

Before: In Leech's possession, loaded and ready to use …
After: Disarmed from Leech by Picard after the shooting, …
Before: In Leech's possession, loaded and ready to use as a threatening weapon within the Holodeck simulation.
After: Disarmed from Leech by Picard after the shooting, temporarily left on the floor as Leech retreats.

Location Details

Places and their significance in this event

1
Dixon Hill's Office Hallway

Dixon Hill's Office serves as the confined setting where the escalating confrontation unfolds, containing the characters within a shadowed, noir-inspired space. Its physical boundaries become a trap, particularly as the Holodeck malfunctions and blocks all exits, heightening tension and claustrophobia.

Atmosphere Tense, ominous, and claustrophobic, with an oppressive weight of imminent danger and shattered illusion.
Function Battleground for confrontation and the trap that ensnares the crew in deadly stakes.
Symbolism Represents the fragile boundary between simulated fantasy and brutal reality.
Access Normal Holodeck programming limits apply; exits are expected but become inaccessible due to malfunction.
Shadowed corners and vintage office decor Gunshots echoing sharply in the enclosed space

Narrative Connections

How this event relates to others in the story

What led here 3
Causal

"Whalen's fatal shooting by Felix Leech shatters the illusion of the Holodeck as safe fiction, forcing Beverly to confront real medical emergencies inside the simulation."

Picard Disarms Leech as Holodeck Entrapment Becomes Deadly
S1E13 · The Big Goodbye
Causal

"Whalen's fatal shooting by Felix Leech shatters the illusion of the Holodeck as safe fiction, forcing Beverly to confront real medical emergencies inside the simulation."

Holodeck Turns Deadly as Exit Seals Shut
S1E13 · The Big Goodbye
Escalation

"Whalen's insistence that it's just a game is violently contradicted by his shooting, signaling the narrative's pivot from playful immersion to deadly reality."

Beverly Confronts the Reality of Picard’s Murder Accusation
S1E13 · The Big Goodbye
What this causes 7
Causal

"Whalen's fatal shooting by Felix Leech shatters the illusion of the Holodeck as safe fiction, forcing Beverly to confront real medical emergencies inside the simulation."

Picard Disarms Leech as Holodeck Entrapment Becomes Deadly
S1E13 · The Big Goodbye
Causal

"Whalen's fatal shooting by Felix Leech shatters the illusion of the Holodeck as safe fiction, forcing Beverly to confront real medical emergencies inside the simulation."

Holodeck Turns Deadly as Exit Seals Shut
S1E13 · The Big Goodbye
Escalation

"The realization of lethal stakes causes Picard and Data to confront the invading Redblock gang, heightening danger and transforming the scenario into a fight for survival."

Redblock's Hostile Takeover and the Deadly Ultimatum
S1E13 · The Big Goodbye
Escalation

"The realization of lethal stakes causes Picard and Data to confront the invading Redblock gang, heightening danger and transforming the scenario into a fight for survival."

Redblock's Brutal Takeover and the Grim Ultimatum
S1E13 · The Big Goodbye
Escalation

"The realization of lethal stakes causes Picard and Data to confront the invading Redblock gang, heightening danger and transforming the scenario into a fight for survival."

Picard Unmasks Fiction, Provokes Villainous Breakdown
S1E13 · The Big Goodbye
Escalation

"The realization of lethal stakes causes Picard and Data to confront the invading Redblock gang, heightening danger and transforming the scenario into a fight for survival."

Leech's Deadly Ultimatum and Picard's Price for Survival
S1E13 · The Big Goodbye
Escalation

"The realization of lethal stakes causes Picard and Data to confront the invading Redblock gang, heightening danger and transforming the scenario into a fight for survival."

Picard’s Calculated Gamble: Trading Whalen’s Life to Save Beverly
S1E13 · The Big Goodbye

Key Dialogue

"LEECH: I'm not a man to be toyed with, Mister Hill. You were hired to locate a certain object. I demand to know what you've done with it."
"WHALEN: Take it from me Leech, you'll never find it. Now... give me the gun."
"WHALEN: But... they're not real."
"BEVERLY: This man has been shot. If we don't get him to Sickbay, he'll die."
"LEECH: It'll happen again if you don't cooperate."
"LEECH: You struck me! How dare you! You'll be sorry! The Fat Man isn't going to like this!"