diff --git a/.ci/pipelines/env_variables.sh b/.ci/pipelines/env_variables.sh
index f018f4c9b4..bfe4456850 100755
--- a/.ci/pipelines/env_variables.sh
+++ b/.ci/pipelines/env_variables.sh
@@ -70,6 +70,16 @@ if [[ -n "${CATALOG_INDEX_IMAGE}" ]]; then
   unset _CI_WITHOUT_TAG
 fi
 
+# TEMPORARY (RHDH 1.10 RC validation): force the release-1.10 e2e jobs to deploy the
+# RHDH 1.10 RC image quay.io/rhdh/rhdh-hub-rhel9:1.10-132.
+# helm::get_image_params() (lib/helm.sh) injects IMAGE_REGISTRY/IMAGE_REPO/TAG_NAME via
+# `--set upstream.backstage.image.*`, which overrides the value files, so the image must be
+# forced here to take effect. Revert this block once RC testing is complete.
+IMAGE_REGISTRY="quay.io"
+IMAGE_REPO="rhdh/rhdh-hub-rhel9"
+QUAY_REPO="${IMAGE_REPO}"
+TAG_NAME="1.10-135"
+
 # =============================================================================
 # Release and Namespace Configuration
 # These can be overridden by CI environment or local configuration
diff --git a/.ci/pipelines/value_files/values_showcase-rbac.yaml b/.ci/pipelines/value_files/values_showcase-rbac.yaml
index 09f0e748ef..44c230226c 100644
--- a/.ci/pipelines/value_files/values_showcase-rbac.yaml
+++ b/.ci/pipelines/value_files/values_showcase-rbac.yaml
@@ -149,7 +149,11 @@ upstream:
               cert:
                 $file: /opt/app-root/src/postgres-crt.pem
     image:
-      # Note: registry, repository and tag are set via --set flags in helm upgrade -i commands
+      # Pinned to RHDH 1.10 RC image for release-1.10 testing.
+      # Note: CI may still override these via --set upstream.backstage.image.* (IMAGE_REGISTRY/IMAGE_REPO/TAG_NAME).
+      registry: quay.io
+      repository: rhdh/rhdh-hub-rhel9
+      tag: "1.10-135"
       pullPolicy: Always
 
     startupProbe:
diff --git a/.ci/pipelines/value_files/values_showcase.yaml b/.ci/pipelines/value_files/values_showcase.yaml
index 5aa5ffc8fc..df57fdb296 100644
--- a/.ci/pipelines/value_files/values_showcase.yaml
+++ b/.ci/pipelines/value_files/values_showcase.yaml
@@ -133,7 +133,11 @@ upstream:
                 token: test-token
                 subject: test-subject
     image:
-      # Note: registry, repository and tag are set via --set flags in helm upgrade -i commands
+      # Pinned to RHDH 1.10 RC image for release-1.10 testing.
+      # Note: CI may still override these via --set upstream.backstage.image.* (IMAGE_REGISTRY/IMAGE_REPO/TAG_NAME).
+      registry: quay.io
+      repository: rhdh/rhdh-hub-rhel9
+      tag: "1.10-135"
       pullPolicy: Always
 
     extraEnvVars: