Dixon Hill Novels - Detective pulp novels (and short stories) depicting the adventures of Dixon Hill, a San Francisco gumshoe featured on the sci-fi series STAR TREK: THE NEXT GENERATION/SYN/1987-94. The first Dixon Hill story "The Big Goodbye" was published on Earth in 1934 in Amazing Detectives Stories magazine. Its protagonist Dixon Hill was similar to the detective character, Philip Marlowe who appeared in the classic mystery thriller The Big Sleep written by Raymond Chandler.

On episode No. 13 "The Big Goodbye" (written by Tracy Torme Stardate 41997.7) Captain Jean Luc Picard (Patrick Stewart), the commander of the starship USS Enterprise became fascinated with the Dixon Hill character and programmed a holodeck simulation of the fictional detective stories so he could act out an adventure.

Dressed in the clothes of the period including a slant brim hat, the Captain entered the holodeck to find Dixon Hill's office (Office 312)  and his sexy secretary, Madeline. However, due to a holodeck malfunction, and compromised safety overrides, his life was temporarily endangered by the actions of the holodeck simulated characters.

Dixon Hill charged $20.00 a day plus expenses. His phone number was Prospect-4631. He preferred his scotch whiskey served "neat."

Other Dixon Hill novels were The Long Dark Tunnel (1936); and The Parrot's Claw (1940) which involved a character named Jimmy Cuzzo, who killed a man named Marty O'Fallan.

Picard introduced Guinan (Whoopi Goldberg) to the Dixon Hill adventures on episode No. 88 "Clues" (Stardate 44502.7).

The Dixon Hill characters were also accessed on episode No.  45 "Manhunt" (Stardate 42859.2) when Betazed ambassador Lwaxana Troi (Majel Barrett) wandered into the holodeck program and became infatuated with one of the Dixon Hill characters.

The holodeck simulation program was also used to recreate Sherlock Holmes mysteries based on the stories of Arthur Conan Doyle on episodes No. 29 "Elementary, Dear Data" (Stardate 42286.3) and No. 138 "Ship in a Bottle" (Stardate 46424.1).

TRIVIA NOTE: The Star Trek motion picture First Contact (1996) cameoed the holodeck program when Captain Jean Luc Picard requests "Chapter 13" of the Dixon Hill novel to battle invading Borg aliens. Disengaging the safety protocols of the holodeck program, Picard began to kill invading Borg aliens with a sub-machine gun loaded with now lethal holodeck bullets.