I Never Expected Jean-Luc Picard To Be Star Trek's First Cosplayer Captain, But It Really Happened

On Star Trek: The Next Generation, Captain Jean-Luc Picard (Patrick Stewart) occasionally cosplayed as his favorite hard-boiled detective, Dixon Hill. As captain of the USS Enterprise-D, Captain Picard was a serious man who rarely took time to himself. Picard had to be coerced by Dr. Beverly Crusher (Gates McFadden) to take a proper vacation, preferring to spend his time off in action-packed holodeck adventures that were anything but relaxing. Introduced in TNG's premiere, the holodeck gave the show a new way to explore genres and different forms of storytelling.

While the holodeck could be used for Starfleet training exercises, it was often used for recreational purposes. By the 24th century, holo novels had mostly replaced film and television as the next level of storytelling, allowing the viewer to physically participate in the story. Users could also craft their own holodeck programs, recreating their home planet, for example, or creating an entirely imagined world. Captain Picard's holodeck program of choice allowed him to take on the role of one of his childhood heroes, fictional detective Dixon Hill.

Captain Picard’s Dixon Hill Cosplay In Star Trek: TNG Explained

The Dixon Hill Holodeck Program Appeared In 3 TNG Episodes, As Well As Star Trek: First Contact

The character of Dixon Hill was created by screenwriter Tracy Tormé, who penned the episode in which the detective first appeared — TNG season 1, episode 12, "The Big Goodbye." Inspired by film noir, Tormé included numerous references to the genre within the episode, and specifically paid homage to 1941's The Maltese Falcon. Within the Star Trek universe, the Dixon Hill novels were originally published on Earth in the 1930s and were later adapted into holoprograms. Captain Picard first cosplays as Dixon Hill in "The Big Goodbye," accompanied by Dr. Crusher and Lt. Commander Data (Brent Spiner).

Playing Dixon Hill not only allows Captain Picard to solve intriguing mysteries, but also gives him a break from the much higher stakes that come with being captain of the Federation's flagship.

Captain Picard's holodeck adventure quickly turns deadly in "The Big Goodbye," when the holodeck safely protocols malfunction, marking the first of many Star Trek episodes featuring a malfunctioning holodeck. Picard plays Dixon Hill again in TNG season 2, episode 19, "Manhunt," retreating to the holodeck to avoid Lwaxana Troi (Majel Barrett). Dixon Hill's last appearance on TNG comes in season 4, episode 14, "Clues," in which Picard shows off the holodeck program to an unimpressed Guinan (Whoopi Goldberg). Picard's favorite detective also pops up in Star Trek: First Contact, as he and Lily Sloane (Alfre Woodard) fight to escape the Borg.

Picard Was The First Star Trek Cosplayer

Several Other Trek Characters Have Empraced Cosplaying

Other Star Trek characters have dressed up as fictional heroes, but Picard was the franchise's first true cosplayer. Picard took on the persona of Dixon Hill for fun, and his knowledge of the detective's stories helped him navigate that world. Although Captain James T. Kirk (William Shatner) and Spock (Leonard Nimoy) occasionally wore period costumes, it was always in service of a mission, and they did not portray specific fictional characters. On Star Trek: Deep Space Nine,Dr. Julian Bashir (Alexander Siddig) appeared in a series of Julian Bashir, Secret Agent holonovels, which riffed on James Bond.

Moriarty, Vic Fontaine and Vindicta in Star Trek's holodeck

Star Trek’s 20 Best Holodeck Episodes

Star Trek's holodecks entertain, fulfill fantasies, heal old wounds, train cadets, and malfunction badly, as seen in these 20 best episodes.

Posts

Star Trek: Voyager also had a few cosplayers, including Lt. Tom Paris (Robert Duncan McNeill) and Ensign Harry Kim (Garrett Wang), who enjoyed role playing as Captain Proton and his sidekick Buster Kincaid. Captain Kathryn Janeway (Kate Mulgrew) even joined them on occasion, as the villainous Queen Arachnia. Tom Paris created The Adventures of Captain Proton, which paid homage to 1930s sci-fi serials like Flash Gordon. Cosplaying has become a bit of a Star Trek tradition, but it all started with Captain Picard's Dixon Hill in Star Trek: The Next Generation.