Object

Holographic Musketeers' Swords

Dynamic props used in the musketeer duel sequence, symbolizing the holodeck's descent into chaos and Barclay's loss of control over his fantasy.

2 appearances

Purpose

Duel challenge and combat

Significance

The swords ignite farce into confrontation, exposing Barclay's escapist holograms as unstable threats that mock real crew authority and reveal his fractured psyche.

Appearances in the Narrative

When this object appears and how it's used

2 moments

S3E21 · Hollow Pursuits

The Musketeer Meltdown: When Fantasy Becomes a Swordfight (and Reality Loses Its Edge)

The Holographic Musketeers’ Swords are drawn by Holo-Picard, Holo-Data, and Holo-Geordi as they challenge the real crew to a duel, turning Barclay’s fantasy program into a chaotic standoff. The swords flash as the holograms advance, their gleaming blades symbolizing the blurred line between play and peril. Riker’s refusal to fight (‘I don’t have a sword’) is met with mockery from Holo-Riker, who taunts him for his lack of preparedness. The swords serve as both a literal weapon and a metaphor for the crew’s inability to engage with Barclay’s psychological landscape on his terms. Their deletion (implied by the end of the scene) would leave the holodeck’s conflict unresolved, underscoring the crew’s failure to truly understand Barclay’s world.

Before: Sheathed, part of the holodeck’s musketeer program, awaiting activation.

After: Drawn and brandished during the duel, later implied to be deactivated alongside the holograms.

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S3E21 · Hollow Pursuits

The Goddess of Empathy: Barclay’s Fantasy vs. Reality’s Judgment

The holographic musketeers’ swords serve as both literal and symbolic weapons in this confrontation. Drawn with playful aggression, they challenge the real crew’s authority, turning Barclay’s fantasy program into a chaotic standoff. Riker’s refusal to engage—‘I don’t have a sword’—exposes his vulnerability, while Holo-Riker’s taunt, ‘How do you expect to fight without your sword?’, underscores the holograms’ role as psychological provocateurs. The swords embody the blurred line between play and peril, fantasy and reality, in Barclay’s holodeck.

Before: Sheathed at the hips of Holo-Picard, Holo-Data, and Holo-Geordi, part of their musketeer costumes.

After: Retracted after Holo-Riker’s erasure, as the holograms lose their combative stance and return to their picnic.

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