Redblock’s Treacherous Gambit and Data’s Quick Intervention
Plot Beats
The narrative micro-steps within this event
Redblock pulls a pistol and orders his thug to kill Picard and the others after they leave; Leech nervously questions the plan, but Redblock confidently leads him toward the portal.
Redblock and Leech dramatically step through the portal; Data disables the thug’s gun and subdues him as the fictional villains attempt to escape, escalating the imminent threat.
Who Was There
Characters present in this moment
Unflappable and focused, maintaining calm logic under threat.
Data delivers a precise, clinical definition of the computer to clarify Picard’s plan, points out the reappearance of the exit portal, then physically neutralizes the thug’s lethal threat by pinching the pistol’s muzzle and decking him with calculated efficiency.
- • Protect Picard and crew from lethal danger
- • Clarify technical information to others
- • Control the escalating situation
- • Believes that the thug’s violence must be stopped immediately
- • Trusts the portal’s existence but doubts unauthorized crossing
Concentrated and resolute, aware of the high stakes.
Wesley works intensely outside the Holodeck, triggering a blue flash that causes a dramatic environmental shift, indirectly setting off the chain of events leading to the portal’s reappearance and the deadly confrontation inside.
- • Repair the malfunctioning systems
- • Support the crew trapped inside
- • Resolve the Holodeck crisis
- • Believes technical intervention can restore order
- • Trusts his expertise to aid the team
Frustrated caution with a growing sense of impending danger and frustration at being disregarded.
Picard passionately argues with Redblock about fixing the computer to get Whalen to Sickbay, then negotiates with Redblock while eyeing the reappeared exit portal as a possible escape route. He warns Redblock against stepping through but is frustrated as his warnings are ignored.
- • Find a way to save Whalen and get him to Sickbay
- • Negotiate with Redblock for safe passage
- • Prevent Redblock from crossing into reality
- • Believes the exit portal is dangerous for the fictional characters
- • Believes he can reason with Redblock to avoid violence
Greedy amusement shifting to confident exhilaration and dramatic self-importance.
Redblock reveals his ignorance of the word 'computer,' becomes amused and intrigued by the reappeared exit portal. He laughs maniacally, orders his thug to kill Picard and companions after they leave, then boldly steps through the portal with Leech, dismissing Picard's warnings and Data's caution.
- • Obtain the 'item' from the real world
- • Eliminate witnesses by ordering the thug to kill everyone
- • Cross into the real world through the portal
- • Believes the portal is a two-way passage allowing free travel
- • Believes he can succeed where others have not, dismissing warnings as irrelevant
Irritation mixed with deep fear and paranoia after the environment glitch, but tentatively following Redblock.
Leech becomes infuriated with Data's rambling definition of 'computer,' offers to kill Data, trembles and looks paranoid after the sudden climate shift, then joins Redblock in stepping through the portal, albeit tentatively, following his boss.
- • Silence Data by killing him
- • Escape the simulation with Redblock
- • Avoid being left alone in the frozen hellscape
- • Believes Data is irritating and should be killed
- • Believes following Redblock is the safest course of action
Aggressive compliance and readiness to follow orders without hesitation.
The thug pulls a large pistol on Picard on Redblock's command, prepares to shoot after Redblock and Leech leave, but before he can act, Data steps forward and pinches the gun muzzle closed, then decks him, neutralizing the threat.
- • Follow Redblock's order to kill everyone after they leave
- • Prevent anyone from stopping their escape
- • Believes in following orders without question
- • Believes his gun will work and he can kill the captives
Focused and determined to fix the holodeck malfunction.
Outside the holodeck, Wesley works intently, causing a blue flash that triggers the sudden environment shift to the snowy alien landscape and back, affecting the confrontation inside.
- • Resolve the holodeck malfunction
- • Restore normal operation
- • Believes his technical actions can help resolve the crisis
- • Believes the holodeck can be fixed from outside
Objects Involved
Significant items in this scene
The large pistol, wielded by the thug on Redblock’s command, symbolizes imminent lethal threat; it is aimed at Picard to enforce Redblock’s lethal orders but is swiftly neutralized when Data physically pinches the muzzle closed and incapacitates its bearer, highlighting the tension between violence and control.
Location Details
Places and their significance in this event
Dixon Hill's Office serves as the claustrophobic battleground where the fragile boundary between Holodeck fiction and ship reality collapses, heightening tension as Redblock and Leech confront Picard and crew, culminating in a violent escalation at the exit portal.
The Snowy Alien Landscape manifests transiently due to a Holodeck glitch, violently disorienting all inside with its howling winds and biting cold, symbolizing chaos and the fragility of the Holodeck environment before the group is abruptly returned to the office, shaken and vulnerable.
Narrative Connections
How this event relates to others in the story
Across episodes
"Data's direct physical confrontation with the thug recurs: in Episode 13, Data pinches the thug's pistol muzzle to neutralize him; in Episode 203, Data threatens the thug with a severe thrashing when the thug grabs his coat. Both moments show Data unflinchingly handling holographic aggression."
Deduction & DeterrencePart of Larger Arcs
Key Dialogue
"REDBLOCK: "Stand back, Mister Hill. I would shoot you myself, but I don't want to rob my assistant of his greatest pleasure.""
"REDBLOCK: "After we've gone, kill them all. Make sure no one ever finds the bodies.""
"DATA: (pinching the thug's pistol muzzle) *[action, no words]*"