History Recap / StarTrekTheNextGenerationS1E11TheBigGoodbye

* TheVoice: The Jarada; they're never actually seen, in spite of the episode's buildup.

* {{Expy}}: The gangsters in the holodeck program are thinly veiled copies of the villains from ''Film/TheMalteseFalcon''.

* FadingAway:Two holodeck characters, not believing that they aren't real, step out of the holodeck and onto an ''Enterprise'' corridor. They congratulate themselves, and then fade away from the feet up.

* ClicheStorm: Invoked with the Dixon Hill stories. [[invoked]]
* DreamApocalypse: After the reality of the situation is revealed to the holodeck characters:
-->'''[=McNary=]:''' So this is [[TitleDrop the big goodbye]]. Tell me something, Dixon. When you've gone. will this world still exist? Will my wife and kids still be waiting for me at home?\\

** As the first Next Gen holodeck story, the script established rules that were contradicted in later episodes, most noticeably the Moriarty episodes. One major thing that never comes up again is the revelation that, if not shut down properly, the holodeck will kill anyone inside at the time, although it's kind of understandable why Starfleet may have issued a software patch for ''that'' little problem.

** Picard gets made fun of by the holodeck characters for wearing his Starfleet uniform, which from their perception is some sort of Halloween costume, and he has to tell them that he "lost a bet." He talks about making sure to get changed before coming into the simulation again. In future installments, the holodeck would dress the characters in period-appropriate costume either automatically or on demand, depending on the situation. For example, in ''Film/StarTrekFirstContact'', Picard suggests "Perhaps something in satin?" before entering the holodeck with Lily, and she is dressed in a satin shimmering evening gown for the program. Also, in later installments when the cast ''do'' enter the holodeck in Starfleet uniforms, the characters are programmed to not notice or care.

* FriendOnTheForce: Within the simulation, Lieutenant [=McNary=] for Dixon Hill.
* HardboiledDetective: The introduction of Dixon Hill.
* HolodeckMalfunction: The very first in ''Franchise/StarTrek'', unless you count [[Recap/StarTrekTheAnimatedSeriesS2E3ThePracticalJoker an episode]] of [[WesternAnimation/StarTrekTheAnimatedSeries the animated series]]. Or [[Recap/StarTrekS1E15ShoreLeave one of the original series]].

* MomentKiller: Picard and Crusher have a brief romantic moment when she turns up after his interrogation, and she asks to see "his" (Dixon Hill's) office... but Whalen and Data ask to tag along too. (The Doctor is visibly ''not'' pleased.)

* NoodleIncident: It's heavily hinted that, the last time Starfleet encountered the Jarada, the results were gruesome to say the least. The ''Enterprise'' has a log of the incident, but NO ONE except Data wants to see it or listen to it, leaving everything that happened entirely up to the viewer's imagination.
* OfCourseISmoke: Picard has obviously never smoked a day in his life when he puffs on a cigarette while in character as Dixon Hill. Also notable for being the first time that ''any'' crew member in ''Franchise/StarTrek'' ever smokes, as Roddenberry wanted to show that the habit had died out in Earth's future.

* TheVoice: The Jarada; we never actually see them, in spite of the episode's build up.

'''Picard:''' I honestly don't know. Good-bye my friend.

** As the first Next Gen holodeck story, the script established rules that were contradicted in later episodes, most noticeably the Moriarty episodes. One major thing that never comes up again is the revelation that if not shut down properly, the holodeck will kill anyone inside at the time, although it's kind of understandable why Starfleet may have issued a software patch for ''that'' little problem.
** Characters that step off the holodeck exist for about ten seconds before they slowly dematerialize. Later episodes would show that anything from the holodeck instantly vanishes once it leaves the grid. This discrepency is never explained.
** Picard gets made fun of by the holodeck characters for wearing his Starfleet uniform, which from their perception is some sort of Halloween costume, and he has to tell them that he "lost a bet." He talks about making sure to get changed before coming into the simulation again. In future installments, the holodeck would dress the characters in period-appropriate costume either automatically, or on demand depending on the situation. For example, in ''Film/StarTrekFirstContact'', Picard suggests "Perhaps something in satin?" before entering the holodeck with Lily, and she is dressed in a satin shimmering evening gown for the program. Also, in latter installments when the cast ''do'' enter the holodeck in Starfleet uniforms, the characters are programmed to not notice or care.

* LampshadeHanging: A newspaper seller character picks up that Data's "not from round here" and Picard (as Dixon Hill) passes him off as "from South America." Being a holodeck character, the newsman obliviously responds "nice tan!" (Data's skin is white.)

* NoirEpisode: The holodeck simulation's based on a 1940s detective novel, so naturally it has a "noir" feel.
* NoodleIncident: It's heavily hinted that the last time Starfleet encountered the Jarada, the results were gruesome to say the least. The Enterprise has a log of the incident, but NO ONE wants to see it or listen to it, leaving everything that happened entirely up to the viewers imagination.
* OfCourseISmoke: Picard has obviously never smoked a day in his life when he puffs on a cigarette while in character as Dixon Hill. Also notable for being the first time ''any'' crewmember in ''Franchise/StarTrek'' ever smokes, as Roddenberry wanted to show the habit had died out in Earth's future.

* RuleOfFunny: Anything from the holodeck fades away if it's taken out -- except the lipstick mark the FemmeFatale leaves on Picard's cheek, because it's more fun to see the crew react as he obliviously wanders around with it.

* TheVoice: The Jarada, we never actually see them, in spite of the episode's build up.

** Characters that step off the holodeck exist for about ten seconds before they slowly dematerialize. Later episodes would show that anything from the holodeck instantly vanishes once it leaves the grid. This descrepency is never explained.

* {{Zeerust}}: Data mentions the "tape of the last starship to come into contact with [the Jarada]", which either may be an idea from the olden days of TOS, or it may be that Star Trek TNG hadn't yet caught on that our current technology of the time would be obsolete.