Star Trek: The Next Generation: The Big Goodbye (1988)

Date of Original Broadcast: 11 January 1988
Running Times: 45 mins
Format: colour
Sound: Dolby

CREDITS

PRODUCTION
Executive Producer: Gene Roddenberry
Supervising Producers: Rick Berman, Robert H. Justman
Producer: Maurice Hurley
Co-Producers: Robert Lewin, Herbert Wright
Associate Producers: D.C. Fontana, Peter Lauritson
Unit Production Manager: David Livingston
Production Coordinator: Diane Overdiek

SCRIPT
Script: Tracy Torme

DIRECTION
Director: Joseph L. Scanlon
1st Assistant Director: Babu (T.R.) Subramaniam
2nd Assistant Directors: Bruce A. Simon, Brenda Kalosh

PHOTOGRAPHY
Director of Photography: Edward R. Brown
Chief Lighting Technician: Richard Cronn
1st Company Grip: Brian Mills
Cameras and Lenses: Panavision

EDITING AND POST-PRODUCTION
Editor: Tom Benko
Editing Facilities: Unitel Video
Post Production Supervisor: Brooke Breton

MUSIC
Music: Dennis McCarthy
Main Title Theme: Jerry Goldsmith, Alexander Courage
Music Editor: John LaSalandra

SOUND
Sound Mixer: Alan Bernard
Supervising Sound Editor: Bill Wistrom
Sound Editors: James Wolvington, Mace Matiosian, Wilson Dyer
Post Production Sound: Modern Sound

MAKE UP AND COSTUMES
Make Up Supervisor: Michael Westmore
Make Up: Werner Keppler
Hair Designer: Richard Sabre
Hair: Carolyn Ferguson
Costume Designer: William Ware Theiss
Costume Supervisor: Elaine Scheideman

SPECIAL EFFECTS
Special Effects: Dick Brownfield

VISUAL EFFECTS
Special Visual Effects: Industrial Light and Magic
Visual Effects Coordinator: Robert Legato
Video Optical Effects: The Post Group
Special Video Compositing: Composite Image Systems

DESIGN AND SET CONSTRUCTION
Production Designer: Herman Zimmerman
Art Director: Brooke Breton
Assistant Art Director: Gregory Pickrell
Set Designer: Richard McKenzie
Set Decorator: John Dwyer
Props Master: Alan Sims
Construction Coordinator: Al Smutko
Consultant Senior Illustrator: Andrew Probert
Illustrator: Rick Sternbach
Scenic Artist: Michael Okuda

MISCELLANEOUS
Script Supervisor: Cosmo Genovese
Programme Consultant: David Gerrold
Production Associate: Susan Sackett

CASTING
Casting Executive: Helen Mossler
Casting: Junie Lowry

CAST
Patrick Stewart (Captain Jean-Luc Picard)
Jonathan Frakes (Commander William T. Riker)
LeVar Burton (Lt Geordie LaForge)
Denise Crosby (Lt Tasha Yar)
Brent Spiner (Lt Commander Data)
Gates McFadden (Dr Beverly Crusher)
Marina Sirtis (Counsellor Deanna Troi)
Michael Dorn (Lt Worf)
Wil Wheaten (Wesley Crusher)
Lawrence Tierney (Cyrus Redblock)
Harvey Jason (Felix Leech)
William Boyett (Lt Daniel Bell)
David Selburg (Literature Historian Whalen)
Gary Armagnac (Lt McNary)
Mike Genovese (desk sergeant)
Dick Miller (vendor)
Carolyn Allport (Jessica Bradley)
Rhonda Aldrich (secretary)
Erik Cord (thug)
Majel Barret (computer voice)

SUMMARY

The Enterprise is on its way to meet the insectoid Jarada, a reclusive race "known for their
idiosyncratic attitude towards protocol." Picard is struggling to learn the precise and intricate language of the pedantic Jarada and takes a much needed break in the holodeck, entering the virtual world of Dixon Hill, a 1940s pulp detective character admired by Picard since childhood. Taking the Enterprise's 20th century historian and "fiction expert" Whalen and Data with him, Picard immerses himself fully in the fantasy scenario - but the trio find themselves trapped in a highly dangerous gangster scenario when an alien scan damages the holodeck and leaves them stranded.

CAPSULE REVIEW

The dreaded holodeck gets its first dedicated episode and - surprise, surprise - it actually works, against all the odds. Of course, giving Patrick Stewart centre stage helped no end, though again it all seems rather contrived and a little rushed. The Big Goodbye was a fun change of fortunes for The Next Generation, breaking the losing streak it had been stuck in since it began and gave the first indication of just what the show would be capable of when it finally got itself together. (Full Review)

KEYWORDS

androids, bars, bartenders, computers, detectives, fictional characters come to life, holograms, police, space, spaceships, space travel, star trek

Last Updated: 15 October, 2008