Holodeck

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A holodeck on the Enterprise-D; the arch and exit are prominent.

A holodeck is a simulated reality facility located on starships and starbases in the fictional Star Trek universe. The holodeck was first seen in the pilot episode of Star Trek: The Next Generation, "Encounter at Farpoint". An episode of Star Trek: The Animated Series, "The Practical Joker", anticipated the idea in the 1970s by portraying a recreation room capable of holographic simulations. The concept of a holodeck was first shown to humans through an encounter with the Xyrillan race in the Star Trek: Enterprise episode "Unexpected".

1 Features
2 Applications
3 Notable appearances of the holodeck
4 Similar technology in other works
5 See also
6 References
7 External links

[edit] Features

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The holodeck is depicted as an enclosed room in which objects and people are simulated by a combination of replicated matter, tractor beams, and shaped force fields onto which holographic images are projected. Sounds and smells are simulated by speakers and fragranced fluid atomizers, respectively. The feel of a large environment is simulated by suspending the participants on force fields which move with their feet, keeping them from reaching the walls of the room (a virtual treadmill). Perspective is retained through use of sound damping fields and graviton lenses, which make objects, people, and sounds appear to be more distant. The effect is an ultra-realistic simulation of an environment, with which the user can interact.

Most holodeck programs shown in the episodes run in first person "subjective mode", in which the user actively interacts with the program and its characters. The user may also employ third-person "objective mode", in which he or she is "apart" from the actual running of the program and does not interact with it (all of the program's characters will ignore the user as if they were not there—this was shown in the Enterprise episode "These Are the Voyages..."). The user may then take more time to observe the trappings of the program, and even have conversations with other users, without interrupting the flow of the program itself.

Matter created on the holodeck ("holomatter") requires the holoemitters to remain stable and will quickly disintegrate if it is removed from the holodeck without a mobile emitter to sustain it (although this principle has been overlooked in some episodes). According to the Starfleet Survival Manual, holomatter within the holodeck can be disrupted using an inverse photonic pulse from a phaser, leaving real matter unharmed, as was demonstrated in Star Trek: Insurrection.

User controls for a holodeck are typically located near its door (inside and out); on the inside an arch surrounds the exit and can be revealed by a user to start, modify, or stop a simulation (as shown on the Enterprise-D in TNG). The holodeck also responds to a limited range of voice commands. The holodeck includes safety protocols to protect the users. While it does not entirely shield users from minor injury (such as strained muscles or dislocated joints), it has protocols designed to prevent more serious injuries and fatalities, even when the simulation appears to present real jeopardy. The safety mechanism can, however, be disabled by a simple command to the computer, or as a result of malfunction.

Holodecks appear to be vulnerable when damage occurs to the computer controlling the holodeck. Malfunctions have at times resulted in the safety protocols being inadvertently disabled. Some malfunctions have also been known to trap users inside the holodeck.

[edit] Applications

Starfleet personnel use holodecks for both recreation and training. They are used to recreate or simulate settings and events for analysis, such as to explore the forensics and logistics of a crime scene for law enforcement purposes, or for scientific experimentation. The Emergency Medical Hologram on ships such as USS Voyager applies holodeck technology to present a single "character" within the otherwise natural environment of the ship's sickbay.

An example of the holodeck's recreational functions would be the holosuites that are owned and rented out – often for sexual purposes – by Quark on Deep Space Nine.

Writing stories and plotlines for the holodeck is an activity pursued by people known as holonovelists. It was the chosen profession of Lt. Tom Paris of the USS Voyager, and he pursued it when the ship finally returned from the Delta Quadrant in the show's finale.

[edit] Notable appearances of the holodeck

The first episode featuring a holodeck was "The Practical Joker", a non-canon animated episode in which it was called a "recreation room". Due to interference with the ship's computers, several crew members were trapped in it.

There were several incidents of crew being trapped or injured by holodeck malfunctions in later episodes. One resulted in the shooting of the ship's historian on board Enterprise. In the episode "A Fistful of Datas", Lt. Worf, his son Alexander, and Counselor Troi were trapped in an 19th century American West adventure with the safety protocols disabled when a computer experiment involving Lt. Cmdr. Data went awry. Worf received a minor gunshot wound when the computer began remaking all the characters as replicas of Data. However he was able to safely play out the story, and once the story ended the trio was able to leave the holodeck.

The disabling of a holodeck's safety protocols was used as a tactical advantage in Star Trek: First Contact, when under attack from the Borg, Jean-Luc Picard disables the security protocols and grabs a holographic tommy gun, shooting and killing several Borg drones.

The holodeck was used as a plot device to explore metaphysical questions, such as "Elementary, Dear Data" and "Ship in a Bottle", in which a holodeck character becomes self-aware and contemplates the nature of his identity and continued existence.

[edit] Similar technology in other works

Ray Bradbury was perhaps the first science fiction author to envision a simulated environment similar to the holodeck. His 1951 book of short stories, The Illustrated Man, includes a story called The Veldt, in which a childrens' nursery can create material objects based on thought.
The 1974 Japanese TV series Space Battleship Yamato (Star Blazers in English syndication) features a "resort room" which allowed the crew to combat homesickness by immersing themselves in simulated scenes of Earth.
In the X-Men comic series, the X-Men train in the Danger Room. In the film X-Men: The Last Stand, the Danger Room is shown as holographic.
In the science fiction television series Stargate SG-1 and Stargate Atlantis, some advanced races (such as the Asgard and the Ancients) have holo technology.
In the series Jake 2.0, the protagonist was seen training in a holographic room in one of the early episodes.
In the series Power Rangers: SPD, the rangers train in a similar room on at least two occasions.
In Futurama, the Nimbus is equipped with a "holoshed", a parody of the holodeck.
Madden NFL 09 features a "holographic environment" for players to train.

[edit] See also

[edit] References

P. Farrand, Nitpicker's Guide for Deep space Nine Trekkers New York: Dell (1996): 44 - 47
R. Sternbach & M. Okuda, Star Trek: The Next Generation Technical Manual New York: Bantam Books (1991)