 Tierney was well known for playing villains in 1940s film noirs , including Dillinger ( 1945 ) and The Devil Thumbs a Ride ( 1947 ) . After his performance in Star Trek : The Next Generation , Tierney gained new fame playing Joe Cabot in Quentin Tarantino 's film , Reservoir Dogs ( 1992 ) . Wheaton later recalled he felt intimidated by Tierney during filming , as he was 15 and Tierney had a reputation for having a character similar to the tough guys he typically played . Tierney returned to Star Trek in 1997 to play an alien Regent in the Deep Space Nine episode , " Business as Usual " . Wheaton said that after 12 previous episodes in the series at the time , he and the cast and crew preferred " The Big Goodbye " as it allowed them to play a period piece . The Dixon Hill holoprogram reappeared in the second series episode " Manhunt " , the fourth season episode " Clues " and the film Star Trek : First Contact ( 1996 ) . The Dixon Hill characters are also featured in the licensed novel , A Hard Rain . 
