A vacant holodeck on the Enterprise-D; the arch and exit are prominent.
The Holodeck is a fictional device from the television franchise Star Trek which uses "holograms" (projected light and electromagnetic energy which create the illusion of solid objects) to create a realistic 3D simulation of a real or imaginary setting, in which participants can freely interact with the environment as well as objects and characters, and sometimes a predefined narrative.
In several series, holodecks are an amenity available to the crew of starships. In the series Star Trek: Deep Space Nine, a similar device is referred to as a holosuite, operated by the owner of the space station's bar, Quark, who rents them out to customers.
From a storytelling point of view, the holodeck permits the introduction of a wide variety of locations and characters, such as events and persons in the Earth's past, or imaginary places or beings, that would otherwise require the use of plot mechanisms such as time-travel or dream sequences. Writers often use it as a way to pose philosophical questions.
Origins
Two photographs of a single hologram taken from different viewpoints. Holograms provide a real-world starting point for the fictional holodeck of Star Trek.
The Star Trek holodeck was inspired by inventor Gene Dolgoff, who owned a holography laboratory in New York City.[1]Star Trek creator Gene Roddenberry met Dolgoff in 1973.
The first appearance of a holodeck-type technology in Star Trek came in the Star Trek: The Animated Series episode "The Practical Joker", where it was called the "recreation room". In the episode's story, Dr. McCoy, Sulu and Uhura are trapped inside it by the ship's computer.
Prior to Star Trek, science-fiction writer Ray Bradbury wrote about a technology-powered "nursery", a virtual reality room able to reproduce any place one imagines, in his 1950 story "The Veldt".
The word holograph comes from the Greek words ὅλος (holos; "whole") and γραφή (graphē; "writing" or "drawing"). Hungarian-British physicist Dennis Gabor received the Nobel Prize in Physics in 1971 "for his invention and development of the holographic method", work done in the late 1940s. The discovery was an unexpected result of research into improving electron microscopes; the original technique is still used and is known as electron holography. Optical holography was made possible by the development of the laser in 1960. The first practical optical holograms recording 3D objects were made in 1962 by Yuri Denisyuk in the Soviet Union and by Emmett Leith and Juris Upatnieks at the University of Michigan in the United States.
Depiction
In most Star Trek episodes, the holodeck is a normal room within a starship. A panel outside the entrance offers the user various settings to select a program or adjust the experience.
The inside of the holodeck, when not running a program, is typically shown as an empty room of medium size. The floor and walls are depicted in different ways, either covered in a bright yellow grid on a black background (in Star Trek: The Next Generation), a metallic grid structure (in Star Trek: Voyager), or various other mechanisms.
When the holodeck is activated, the room disappears, replaced by a realistic, interactive simulation of a physical world. The door also disappears until the program ends or the user requests an exit verbally. The holodeck can be controlled by voice commands, or a computer terminal called the "Arch" which can be summoned by verbal command to provide manual controls. Some simulations are preprogrammed, while others are constructed on the fly by the user describing objects to be simulated to the computer.
The simulated environment is not limited to the size of the room, but can be any conceivable size, and participants can move freely, as far as they like. In some cases, the holodeck is shown to create an internal space at least as large as a starship. The opening scene of the 1994 film Star Trek Generations features a holodeck simulation of a sailing ship including a surrounding ocean.[3]
The environment, objects and people are created from a combination of projected light, force fields, and replicated matter (using the same technique as the food replicators). Holographic projections are solid within the holodeck, and can be interacted with as if they were real, but disappear instantly when the program ends, or degrade rapidly if removed from the holodeck. However, some episodes do show simulated matter persisting beyond the confines of the holodeck, such as in "Encounter at Farpoint", in which Wesley Crusher falls into a holographic stream, and remains wet after leaving the holodeck.[4]
Living characters within the holodeck can be given varying levels of intelligence, from total lack of animation, to fully interactive, convincing simulations of human beings and other sapient beings, even including self-awareness. Users can observe a scenario passively, with none of the simulated characters recognizing their presence, or can take an active role, playing the part of one of the characters in the narrative.
The metaphysical questions raised by self-aware simulated characters are explored in several Star Trek episodes, including "Elementary, Dear Data", in which a holodeck recreation of Professor Moriarty becomes self-aware and demands a life outside of the holodeck; unable to meet his demands, Captain Picard saves Moriarty's program against the day when that will be possible.[5] A story arc spanning the entire series of Star Trek: Voyager is the development of a holographic emergency medical program, known as The Doctor, from an intelligent but limited holographic tool into a fully realized sapient being. Originally restricted to sickbay, the character is eventually given a portable holographic projector that allows him to move freely and even leave the ship.
The holodeck is often depicted being used for practical purposes by Starfleet officers in the pursuit of their duties; it is used by the Enterprise's tactical officers to create simulated opponents for combat training, and the holodeck is sometimes used to recreate real events for the purposes of criminal investigation.
It also serves a recreational function; "holonovelists" produce programs with real or fictional scenarios for entertainment, and in several episodes of Star Trek: The Next Generation, Captain Jean-Luc Picard takes part in stories in which he plays the role of one of his boyhood heroes, fictional detective Dixon Hill.
Multiple Star Trek series suggest the use of holodecks for sexual experiences. In Star Trek: Deep Space Nine, patrons of Quark's bar pay for hourly rentals of "holosuites" and pornographic holoprograms. The Holodecks in the animated comedy series Star Trek: Lower Decks possess "bodily fluid filters", also insinuating that the holodecks are used for sexual purposes.
Some users develop a pathological obsession with the holodeck, a condition known to the characters as holo-addiction. Star Trek: Voyager also introduces alien beings known as photonic lifeforms who believe holodeck programs are real, rather than computer-driven simulations.
Although the Holodeck is supposed to be safe, preventing users from being injured even by realistic violence, many Star Trek shows feature plots in which the holodeck malfunctions and creates genuine dangers, or if the safety protocols have been disabled, which requires the authorization of two senior officers.[6]
By 2399, when Star Trek: Picard begins, holomatrix guest rooms have become a familiar amenity. On board Rios' ship, La Sirena, the hospitality hologram (one of Rios' holographic doppelgängers) escorts Picard to a perfect re-creation of the study in his chateau in France. According to the hologram, who came with the ship's basic installation, Zhaban provided the holoscans, thinking Picard might feel more at home. The view outside the window is a projection—Picard says "Hold" to pause the display and the birdsong—but all the objects within have been materialized, including Dahj's necklace.
Russian science-fiction movie Moscow-Cassiopeia (1973) shows a "Surprise Room" which operates in a similar way to a holodeck.
Japanese TV series Space Battleship Yamato (1974) features a "resort room" capable of creating simulated environments.
The X-Men comic book series depicts a training room which was originally depicted as a mechanical affair (1963), but later as using holograms and other sensory simulation (1983).
The “imaging chamber” that Admiral Al Calavicci uses to communicate with Dr. Sam Beckett in Quantum Leap.
The HoloShed aboard the Nimbus in Futurama's fourth televised season resembles the holodeck in function and aesthetic, though the holograms have the ability to become real.
Abed Nadir's "dreamatorium" from the third season of the U.S. television sitcom Community is inspired by the holodeck both in its function and in its aesthetic, though the simulations are a product of imagination rather than actual projections.
The Doctor, an Emergency Medical Hologram, is a fictional character portrayed by actor Robert Picardo on the television series Star Trek: Voyager, which aired on UPN between 1995 and 2001. He is an artificial intelligence manifesting as a holographic projection, designed to act as a short-term supplement to the medical staff of a starship during emergency situations. However, when the starship Voyager is stranded on the far side of the galaxy with no surviving medical personnel, he is forced to act as the ship's chief medical officer for several years. In an example of the Star Trek franchise's exploration of artificial intelligence, a simple software program becomes a major character in the show.
Reginald Endicott Barclay III is a fictional engineer from the Star Trek media franchise. On television and in film, he has been portrayed by Dwight Schultz since the character's introduction in the Star Trek: The Next Generation third season episode "Hollow Pursuits." Schultz played the character for five episodes and one feature film of The Next Generation, as well as six episodes of the series Star Trek: Voyager. Barclay also appears in non-canon Star Trek novels and video games.
Vic Fontaine is a fictional character who appeared in the sixth and seventh seasons of the American science fiction television series Star Trek: Deep Space Nine. Portrayed by James Darren, he is a holographic representation of a 1960s-era Las Vegas Rat Pack–style singer and entertainer, as part of a program run in the holosuites at Quark's bar. The character was developed from an idea by executive producer Ira Steven Behr, who had sought to introduce a character of that type during the fourth season to be played by Frank Sinatra, Jr. After Sinatra turned down the role, it was considered during the following season, to be played by Steve Lawrence, but once again was not used. Darren landed the role after Behr met him at a memorabilia show in North Hollywood and had him invited to audition.
"Elementary, Dear Data" is the third episode of the second season of the American science fiction television series Star Trek: The Next Generation, the 29th episode overall. It was written by Brian Alan Lane and directed by Rob Bowman. It was originally released on December 5, 1988, in broadcast syndication.
"Ship in a Bottle" is the 138th episode of the American science fiction television series Star Trek: The Next Generation, the 12th episode of the sixth season.
"11001001" is the fifteenth episode of the first season of the American science fiction television series Star Trek: The Next Generation. It was first broadcast on February 1, 1988, in the United States in broadcast syndication. It was written by Maurice Hurley and Robert Lewin, and directed by Paul Lynch.
"The Big Goodbye" is the twelfth episode of the American science fiction television series Star Trek: The Next Generation. The episode first aired in broadcast syndication on January 11, 1988. This was the second writing credit of the series for Tracy Tormé following the episode "Haven". Rob Bowman planned to direct the episode, but he was switched to "Datalore" due to delays in its production. With Bowman working on another episode, Joseph L. Scanlan became the director.
"Booby Trap" is the sixth episode of the third season of the American science fiction television series Star Trek: The Next Generation, the 54th episode overall, first broadcast on October 30, 1989. It is the first episode of any Star Trek series to be directed by a woman.
"Hollow Pursuits" is the 21st episode of the third season of the American science fiction television series Star Trek: The Next Generation, and the 69th episode of the series overall. The episode introduces the character Lieutenant Reginald "Reg" Barclay, who would go on to appear frequently in The Next Generation and Star Trek: Voyager, as well as in the film Star Trek: First Contact.
"Kif Gets Knocked Up a Notch" is the first episode in the fourth season of the American animated television series Futurama, and the 55th episode of the series overall. It first aired on Fox in the United States on January 12, 2003. The episode was written by Bill Odenkirk and directed by Wes Archer. The plot centers on Kif and Amy's relationship; Kif is suddenly impregnated so he returns to his homeworld to give birth. The episode was generally well received by critics.
"Badda-Bing Badda-Bang" is the 165th episode of the syndicated American science fiction television series Star Trek: Deep Space Nine, the 15th episode of the seventh season.
"Emergence" is an episode of the American science fiction television series Star Trek: The Next Generation. It is the 175th episode of the series, and the 23rd episode of the seventh season. Set in the 24th century, the series follows the adventures of the Starfleet crew of the Federation starship Enterprise-D. The crew has a bizarre experience on the holodeck and trouble with the Enterprise. The episode explores the relationship between technology and its creators.
"Our Man Bashir" is the 82nd episode of the American science fiction television series Star Trek: Deep Space Nine, the tenth of the fourth season. It originally aired on November 27, 1995, in broadcast syndication. Directed by Winrich Kolbe, the story originated from a pitch by Assistant Script Coordinator Robert Gillan and was turned into a script by producer Ronald D. Moore. Both hairdressing in the episode and the score by Jay Chattaway were later nominated for Emmy Awards. The episode's plot involves the combination of two much-used Star Trek plot devices: a transporter accident and a holodeck malfunction.
"His Way" is the 144th episode of the television series Star Trek: Deep Space Nine, the 20th episode of the sixth season. It originally aired on April 20, 1998, on syndicated television, and received Nielsen ratings of 4.3 points, corresponding to about 4.2 million viewers.
"Projections" is the 19th episode of the American science fiction television program Star Trek: Voyager. Originally slated for the first season, the episode originally aired on UPN on September 11, 1995, and tells the story of Voyager's holographic doctor having an identity crisis on the holodeck regarding whether he or the world around him is the illusion.
Inside Man is the 152nd episode of the science fiction television series Star Trek: Voyager, and the sixth episode of its seventh season. This continues the story arc previously established in "Pathfinder" and "Life Line", Voyager episodes featuring the Star Trek franchise characters Reginald Barclay and Deanna Troi.
"Flesh and Blood" is a two-part episode from the seventh season of the science fiction television series Star Trek: Voyager. The crew of USS Voyager must contend with violent Delta Quadrant aliens the Hirogen, who use the holodeck technology with a horrific amoral twist.
A holographic display is a type of 3D display that utilizes light diffraction to display a three-dimensional image to the viewer. Holographic displays are distinguished from other forms of 3D displays in that they do not require the viewer to wear any special glasses or use external equipment to be able to see the image, and do not cause the vergence-accommodation conflict.
Holography is often used as a plot device in science fiction, appearing in a wide range of books, films, television series, animation and video games. Probably the first reference is by Isaac Asimov in his Foundation series staritng in 1951.
↑ Thomas Richards, The Meaning of Star Trek. New York: Doubleday (1997): 108–109. The Enterprise-D "has two mechanisms aboard that seem especially prone to failure... the transporter and the holodeck."
↑ Sutherland, I. (1965). The ultimate display. Proceedings of IFIP Congress 1965, 506–508.
P. Farrand, Nitpicker's Guide for Deep space Nine Trekkers New York: Dell (1996): 44–47
Lois H. Gresh & Robert Weinberg, Chapter 7, "The Holodeck" The Computers of Star Trek. New York: Basic Books (1999): 127–144
R. Sternbach & M. Okuda, Star Trek: The Next Generation Technical Manual New York: Bantam Books (1991)
Gene Dolgoff, "Reproduction of Transmitted, Pre-recorded, Holographic Television Signals in Color" New York: Institute of Electrical and Electronics Engineers (IEEE)(July, 1968)
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