Is the Holodeck Actually More Trouble Than It's Worth?

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[@davidjames468]

You left out the best use of the holodeck: When Scotty was able to walk onto the original Enterprise bridge! The look on his face was so lovely!

[@daveroche6522]

I'd have thought he'd have gone to engineering (but then he DID bring his soon-to-be-finished-in-this-movie nephew to the bridge rather than the sickbay in WoK). Bit of a bridge fetish perhaps?

[@excrono]

Beyond that, Scotty could easily write a holodeck program with the original crew to relive TOS missions. That would have training value. Though I’m pretty sure that was used at Starfleet Academy.

[@hd_inmemoriam]

My favorite holodeck-related moment totally went over my head when I was a kid: Riker has just been heavily hit on by woman he must not give in to. Having freed himself from her grasp and left her quarters, he contacts bridge to tell them "If you need me, I'm on Holodeck 4." Brilliant.

[@mindyp51a]

Yes, that was HILARIOUS!!!!! LOL!

[@fenwah1]

Not to mention when Riker is captured by the Romulans and mind probed, they mistake a "very special" holodeck character for his wife

[@AnArchyRulzz]

@@fenwah1 it isn't the romulans though, it was a lonely alien pretending to be Romulans.

[@WilliamPitcher]

@@AnArchyRulzz And the question is -- Did the lonely alien mistake it, or did he purposely create a story for he and Riker?

[@brucemorris3830]

You must have been, just, SUPER entertained for almost the first 100 episodes of DS9, when it’s just barely not said out loud that people go to Quark’s holo-suites to bang holograms. I mean, you did realize that aside from Sisko, nobody else was re-creating baseball games from the 2100s, right? 😂😂😂

[@OsirisMalkovich]

"Pre-owned." Do yourself a favor and never bring a black light in There.

[@v.sandrone4268]

Quarks' holosuite.

[@Katherine_The_Okay]

omfg, i had managed not to think it, but now i will never unsee...

[@RickReasonnz]

Especially if Riker has spent any time in there.

[@dynamicworlds1]

@@Katherine_The_Okay I'm sure the tech that makes the holograms could easily have a self-cleaning setting, turning off the safeties and briefly bathing the room in fire and intense UVs. Hopefully without you in it.

[@tylisirn]

Why do you think it can disintegrate non-holographic matter when shut down? ;)

[@StormAlterWorlds]

The only issue I have with the Holodeck is that it was never used for a classic sword-and-sorcery adventure. You're going to tell me there's no D&D nerds a few hundred years from now? I call shenanigans.

[@HepCatJack]

I was thinking one episode could have a D&D nerd coding Nethack so that it will work on a holodeck. The ship's crew would have to retrieve the amulet of Yendor in order to leave the simulation. Nethack is open source so copyright shouldn't be a problem.

[@Viertelhund]

The majority of the D&D nerds certainly still stick to good old pen & pad.

[@grifonecoronato]

Nah, once they discovered Vulcans, the idea of playing elves seemed a bit... politically incorrect...

[@wcoleman99]

Well Barclay would qualify as the D&D nerd as that was basically how he was introduced.

[@mightytaco123]

I think you forgot an episode where some guy actually did use it for sword fighting. He used it as a power fantasy about how everyone loved him and he was super amazing. Also Picard and whoopy goldbutg use it for fencing

[@francoislacombe9071]

The holodeck was first created as a budget saving device, allowing the production team to use already existing sets made for other Paramount projects, or so I've heard. The original series did the same thing by having Enterprise visit planets that had developped in ways closely similar to Earth's past history. Of course, the holodeck's scope was later expanded much beyond that initial cost saving purpose.

[@HepCatJack]

In Stargate SG1, they just had most planets look like the woods of British Columbia.

[@djosearth3618]

Like transporters initial purpose. Cheaper production.

[@absalomdraconis]

Just like the entire reason Doctor Who was made.

[@agsystems8220]

My personal favourite is the double episode of red dwarf built around the fact they could get a cheap CGI T-rex. Always amusing how often creativity is shaped by real world constraints being weird.

[@ALitleBitSpecial]

@jdslyman It's the other way around, TNG reused sets originally built for the movies (I believe the sets in question were even originally built for the aborted Phase Two)

[@pandoradoggle]

The holodeck is useful for reusing sets without having to arrive at another planet where they're literal Earth Nazis or Romans or gangsters for some reason.

[@h.l.malazan5782]

I've never thought of that.

[@jillpigott7959]

I thoroughly appreciated your "Picard disapproves of the matter replicator" explanation. I liked it so much I had to pause and comment less than 7 minutes in.

[@STNuevo]

Another notable event was the holodeck lung for Neelix. A very interesting application of holo technology.

[@Rimpelmans]

Sadly the holodeck chose exactly that time *not* to malfunction. I hate Neelix.

[@MegaZeta]

I liked that one too: a bit of minor body horror that acted to help the viewer understand a little bit about the Doctor's own existence in early seasons. The holo-emitters can create a working lung in Neelix's chest and a working doctor inside sick bay, but the miracle that creates either of them also imprisons them.

[@k1productions87]

and the EMH in general. A very practical and potentially life-saving function for this technology. You'd think Emergency Engineering Holograms would be a thing as well

[@kaitlyn__L]

@@k1productions87 so glad Picard made this canon (though maybe the EMH diagnostic program from Voyager counts too?)

[@samanthaharris2837]

"Sometimes a fantasy is all you need" If I didn't love you for your Trek videos already, that Billy Joel reference just won me over completely.

[@okayso1747]

Deep Space Nine is still one of my favorites thanks to its limited use of the Holodeck. And when they DID use it, it was uniquely written.

[@dataportdoll7918]

Even their use of character-driven elements was superior. Like, okay, we get that Picard loves crime novels, and Data loves Sherlock, but the "Our Man Bashir" subtext is so fucking brilliant. Like, Bashir probably doesn't really care about his setting, exactly. His fantasy is that, he doesn't have to hide his natural skills. He can be as strong, as deadly, as intelligent as he wants in a James Bond fic, because the story WANTS him to be superior to an average joe. And he doesn't need the program to cheat to let him win, he's just that coordinated that he can throw a pen and knock out a goon. While the specifics, that of his genetic engineering, probably wasn't a concrete fact in the production team's heads, by season 3 they had well established that Bashir had a secret, and that episode was marvelous at building it up in a way that comes together magnificently in hindsight.

[@gyozakeynsianism]

I think that's a brilliant observation, Anna Alu, but it sounds better in retrospect than it does at the point the episode was made. The whole Bashir-is-genetically-enhanced was a non-sequitur. Even Alexander Siddig didn't know it was going to happen until he saw the script. The truth is that Bashir's character was kind of crappy before we learned his secret. Some of the other characters were also kind of weak in the beginning but ended strong, specifically Dax in my opinion.

[@wildsmiley]

Deep Space Nine took a lot of time-worn elements and tropes from previous Star Trek shows and usually did interesting things with them. There has never been, nor will there ever be, a Star Trek series as great as DS9.

[@Vader47000]

It's a nice observation to retcon Bashir's love of the spy story as part of his way to not hide his abilities (which weren't revealed until a year later). But I think his interest in the 1960s is genuine nonetheless. It ties in nicely with why he brought in the Vic Fontaine program. Side note: In His Way, Vic mentions that he got Kira's image from Julian's spy program. But in Our Man Bashir, the characters weren't originally based on the crew members (hence Bashir and Garak's surprise when they see the agent that looks like Kira). They only took on those appearances once the computer put the crew's patterns into the system. Which must mean that Bashir liked the fact that his friends looked like the bad guys in his program, and he re-wrote the program to use their images (I suppose this also influenced why he had O'Brien play Falcon in a subsequent adventure).

[@MegaZeta]

One of my favorite uses of the holosuites is in "Rapture", where Sisko creates a 3D model of a structure in a 2D painting, and when he tries to save the file, it delivers a shock into his brain and turns him into an oracle for the Prophets. "As above, so below" might be the core concept of _Deep Space Nine._ I like the idea of patterns that shape reality when represented or recreated in a new form.

[@donsample1002]

As a Navy acquaintance of mine said, if some crewman's Nintendo game crashed the CiC computers, every Nintendo on the ship would be tossed in the ocean the next day.

[@danielyeshe]

@@squirrelnutboy Are you saying this happened?

[@NarwahlGaming]

Maybe someone was playing Super Mario Bros. and, somewhere else, a shipmate got stuck in a pipe - so, command being command, connected the two?

[@rkmugen]

Oh, just have the crew blow into the cartridges like everybody else used to do.

[@TheMAZZTer]

​@@danielyeshe Probably not. For one thing they run Linux. Also they are not standard desktop PCs, they are in custom enclosures bolted to the floor. You don't get access to ports (plus I doubt they have USB).

[@TorianTammas]

@@parad0xheart It is used 99% of the time to endanger the ship, put part of the crew in deadly danger and recreation.

[@stumpybear60]

If they eat on a holodeck, does the food disappear from their digestive systems when they leave? If so, what a way to binge without having to purge!

[@kaitlyn__L]

“It’s holographic wine, it doesn’t give you heartburn”

[@AdmiralBison]

Assume it's real food and drink created by replicator technology within the holodecks.

[@allangibson8494]

Lower Decks had an episode on having to clean out the Holodeck…

[@catprog]

I think in deep space 9 Quark brings in food from outside.

[@mindyp51a]

I would add that a holodeck was probably a lifesaver for the VOYAGER crew, considering their situation. On the other hand, it could also have disastrous effects on the emotional and mental health of the crew. Consider: Harry--who was always going on about his parents--creates a program where he can go "home" and interact with his parents. Great, right? But...every time Harry returns to the real world, where he is "stranded 70,000 light years from Earth", he is more and more depressed and morose, because of course he knows that his visits home are only "holographic." Or he becomes even more addicted to the holodeck program, out-Broccoli"ing even Reggie Barclay...which leads to a total psychotic break. Which leads to the Doctor and the Captain ordering NO holographic programs of personal family and/or friends. Better yet, changing the holodeck's mainframe computer so that no one can create holographic programs and/or friends. (That includes you and Mark, Katherine!) Interesting, huh? THAT would have made a great episode.

[@acrylicgodoy]

True, but DS9 dealt with the opposite premise with Nog healing over the traumatic loss of his leg.

[@surferbeto]

I think the running DS9 storyline with Vic Montaine's Las Vegas lounge was especially high value storytelling. I really liked the way Vic's character evolved and grew over time. The self awareness he demonstrated over time was fascinating. Isn't there an episode where Vic specifically asks Sisko that the program be left running between play dates so Vic can maintain consciousness and have something more like a regular life and get some holo-work done? I really like how Vic comes to assume a role similar to a counselor or therapist to the crew, dispensing compassionate, wise and emotionally intelligent advice to a number of characters over time. Vic basically saves Nog's life by helping him work through his PTSD issues. And the episode where the crew goes on an 'Oceans Eleven' heist to save Vic from a dangerous mobster is one of the best DS9 episodes of them all.

[@brakyeller]

Thank you for mentioning "It's Only A Paper Moon." That one tends to get overlooked as a positive example of a holodeck episode, and I'll be damned if it doesn't make me tear up every time.

[@rmdodsonbills]

Yes, totally agree. And also the character of Nog grew three sizes that day.

[@robertmcginty4146]

I loved how Enterprise ran into a civilization that already had holographic technology, long before Starfleet adopted it.

[@Ragnarok345]

God, yeah, and the idea just occurred to me, reading your comment: When they sent word of that back to Earth, there was probably some scientist that went “Holy shit, that sounds _awesome!_ I’m going to make achieving this technology my life’s work!” That thought just made me laugh, for some reason.

[@Erik17071990]

I think the Orville S02E02 had very realistic take on what humans would do with a holodeck....

[@RomanPhilosopher]

The Orville isn't Trek, actually.

[@AprilGabrielle]

YES! I love that episode.

[@dataslul]

Lt. Barkely tends to agree.

[@MegaZeta]

I'd say they had a satirical take on _Next Generation_ story ideas, which is the entire premise of the show.

[@jerryharris876]

Star Trek: Lower Decks showed the cleaning crew for the Holodeck.

[@ApoloNM]

I am not a merry man

[@zennistrad]

"I don't think I'll have much to say." *Keeps talking about the Holodeck for 15 minutes*

[@h.l.malazan5782]

You know the dude wanna hop into one like yesterday.

[@heidikickhouse-]

@@h.l.malazan5782 Trying to think of someone who wouldn't be in that line.

[@Nerd_Detective]

Some of my favorite moments in DS9 were in etpisodes where Avery Brooks was allowed to go all out, take a character in a different direction, and demonstrate his range. Mirror universe, evil hologram, time traveling activist, old timey writer delusion, etc.

[@Captain_Reaper]

I loved that you pointed out the sheer limitless potential for the holodeck to be an actual tool, I feel like that isn't touched on enough that it works for training or research or anything at all.

[@MegaZeta]

The shows that spun off from _Next Generation_ did a bit more with that. There's "Rapture", where Sisko uses a holosuite to recreate a 3D structure from a 2D painting with enough fidelity that some sort of occult event happens. "Worst Case Scenario" presents a security chief using a holodeck for an in-depth training simulation against a potential mutiny, though the episode is kind of a mess.

[@acrylicgodoy]

I liked the episode where Jordi used the holodeck to learn more about the ship for that very reason

[@brynshannon6692]

See, if I were a holodeck program writer, and I'd heard about the insane thing where the program would require the users to reach a conclusion before they could leave instead of shutting down normally, I'd build a backdoor exit system so that stuff like that wouldn't last long. Like, one of the exit conditions would be... *win*, or another exit condition could be "put the orange from this fruit bowl into this basket". Then that would count as an "ending" and the program would end instantly.

[@MegaBearsFan]

RE: "If we invent convincing, totally immersive virtual reality [before artificial intelligence] first, we might just stop [before artificial intelligence]." I would think a robust artificial intelligence would be a pretty necessary prerequisite for a "convincing, totally immersive virtual reality", especially if that reality has to convincingly simulate people.

[@GoranXII]

Mm, not really, fictional characters could be just really big programs, since they don't have to be truly adaptive.

[@dynamicworlds1]

If you ignore the last "if" and just network a bunch of them for different users to interact on a massive scale then you're pretty good for a lot of entertainment right there.

[@nucleargandhi2709]

Let's be honest and recognize that the holodeck is for porn.

[@jamesvincent8983]

:-)

[@jonathanhirst6997]

At least the Orville acknowledged it! :)

[@edkwon]

The Orville goes straight to the point in the Holo porn addiction ep

[@ginnyjollykidd]

That's on DS9.

[@bellvnv2000]

Thank you !

[@kommodore6691]

The removing objects from the holodeck thing could have also been a user/program setting, like having a option to replicate some items for added realism that not everyone uses. The system could even be plumbed in for water use or users bring/replicate their own extra materials if they chose. Since none of these things are holographic it still follows the rule that holographic items can't leave the holodeck. Some company developed a device that would release various smells (like gunpowder after firing a gun) for PC a few years back, obviously it never took off but some people used it.

[@guitarmansegovia]

As to the issue of objects leaving the holodeck, it could be easily explained by the safety protocols that make sure bullets stay as light, etc.

[@mindyp51a]

@@kinyutaka Yes, he did. And, actually (no pun intended), he must have had a specific "holographic" horse, too; as an equestrian, I can tell you that, for those who own their own horses--not me, I can't afford it, it's incredibly expensive--the saddles are made specifically for individual horses, AND specifically for the rider.

[@dataportdoll7918]

I know it's popular to hate on Christie Golden, but she assumed, quite logically, that the holodeck would have a sort of "Waste disposal" system for all the sweat, tears, and fluids excreted by humans inside the holodeck. So if it is built out of transporter technology, it might actually just be replicating things when it's easier to replicate them than to mimic them with forcefields, especially if the program is a "deluxe" program, you know, "Dixon Hill: The Full Immersion Version"

[@DarkExcalibur42]

I imagine that note that Data was able to take off the holodeck was considered "plot significant." For a more immersive game, I would certainly choose to replicate specific "quest items" for the participants to take back with them. This, from a game design perspective, would help keep the players more emotionally invested in their holodeck experience. Even though a holodeck seems like a cheap and easy way to create high quality entertainment... ohhh man, just imagine how icky it'd feel running a program that's constant uncanny valley with poor writing and characters. A cheap holoprogram, or a college student quality submission from an apathetic student, would be NIGHTMARE FUEL of social anxiety and awkward sensations. In fact, i hope Steve Shives stops to imagine what that would look like in an episode of Trek! Because that's something we've really only seen in DS9: imperfection and shades of gray in Trek's future utopia.

[@ginnyjollykidd]

@@mindyp51a That makes sense. As does using your own saddle because your butt has carved its own niche into the leather which retains that shape. And the horse must be comfortable, too, since they will throw riders when they are irritated and angry. And I'll bet that a well - formed saddle that is comfortable to horse and rider helps keep a horse calm and warm - fuzzy - feeling. I know if I have to walk all day with something uncomfortable on my back, I'd want to slip my load ASAP.

[@alexkaen1701]

I think we need an episode on AI in Star Trek, not only including Data but holographic characters. Moriarty and Vic Fontaine come to mind, and whether or not they should have the same rights Data enjoys. There's even Picard's holographic partner from The Big Goodbye, who asks something along the lines of "When you leave, will I still exist?" The fact is that every example of AI in Star Trek seems to be treated differently, entirely based on the situation, as though it were a rare occurrence, which is crazy. Why doesn't the Federation have a Directive for or against creating sentient machines?

[@Malt454]

It's a very good question - much like "why wasn't the holodeck thoroughly hazard tested before being released?" - and I think the answer is Star Trek hasn't really acknowledged the existence of sentient AI beyond Data in "The Measure of a Man". It completely makes no sense, but the Enterprise is always front-and-center when any of these questions are asked, much less answered, somehow for the very first time (which is usually what key points of the stories revolve around), much like the Enterprise is always on the cutting edge of finding out what (else) can go wrong with a holodeck.

[@AnalystPrime]

EMH from Voyager is a holographic expert program that developed a personality and eventually became a full AI, i.e. a person. This became something of an issue when Voyager returned and Star Fleet realizes that the only difference between Voyager's Doctor and the regular EMH on each modern starship is how long they have been running...

[@TKDWILSON]

They address it in voyager a lot. On several episodes. One with the federation even.

[@donedennison9237]

I totally lolled over the Worf/Heman Skeletor bit!!

[@marsneedstowels]

I laughed out loud because i've always thought that creature was so wtf and wondered if there were actual aliens with that appearance in Trek.

[@coriolass]

I could totally see 7 year old Worf as a He-Man fanboy.

[@Troubleshooter125]

I particularly enjoyed the third-season episode, "Booby Trap," where Geordi researches solutions to the trap problem with a simulacrum of Enterprise-D designer Leah Brahms. What is particularly significant in that episode is, after the problem is solved and Leah and Geordi kiss, Geordi very purposefully walks away from it and back to his duties. Which gives me to wonder: could it be that even the best simulation can't compare to the real world *If You KNOW It's A Simulation?!?* Maybe a question for another time.

[@christelheadington1136]

Is it like dreaming, but you can choose the what, when where and how of it?

[@MegaZeta]

Followed up by the episode where La Forge meets Brahms in real life... which could have been an interesting story about fantasy vs. reality, except that, completely unrealistically, Brahms _apologizes_ for getting angry that La Forge made out with a fantasy holodeck version of her. Whether or not Brahms was "justified", that part's pretty unbelievable, if she was ever angry at all about it.

[@AttentiveDragon]

I’m glad Vic Fontaine got a mention. His episodes were so unexpectedly delightful.

[@RomanPhilosopher]

The Rec Room in TAS and the shooting range simulator in DIS are both pre-cursors to the technology first rolled out on the Galaxy Class Starships. The main difference being the older versions had mere holograms in a fairly confined area. In Encounter at Farpoint they made a point about how it used Force Fields to simulate distance and depth, how the flowers smelled real, and food and drink tasted real. It wasnt a mere illusion of reality but a simulated reality. The next leap past a visual only medium to something that tricked all 5 senses into thinking it is real. RIKER: "I didn't believe these simulations could be this real."

[@Croftice1]

Force fields that simulate distance and depth is a nice concept and I see how it would work for a single person, or a pair of people walking the same way. But what if two people used the holodeck at the same time and both walked the opposite ways. Wouldn't they reach the walls at some point? How would they be kept separate and still having simulated different distances for them? That's the big problem with the holodeck. It can work for an individual, or a small group with the same goal/direction, but not for more people with different goals in mind.

[@benjamimapancake6429]

That's exactly my problem with it.

[@davidcolby167]

@@Croftice1 Ya know what's SUPER bizarre to me? So, a warp field works by warping space-time so that the space infront of you is smaller than the space behind you - and thus, allowing you to travel immense distances faster than the speed of light. So, why not just have the holodeck use an inverted warp field that makes the space *inside* the ship larger than the space *outside* the ship? Boom, now you know why the holodeck can seemingly go on forever.

[@MichaelHaneline]

@@Croftice1 If two people get significantly far from each other, the holodeck could theoretically use forcefields and holograms to divide the room in two with each person in their own holocubicle until they got close enough again. If they are far from each other but should still be able to see each other, like on opposite sides of a football field, the holograms on the dividing wall just replicate the view of the other person adjusted for perspective.

[@robbybobby82]

“Alexa?” Lmao! You are a treasure, Steve.

[@DefGoldblumComedy]

The moment you called for the arch. Then in desperation said "Alexa?" ...I wanted it to happen. And it just pulled me in that much more. Great way to continue the narrative. I appreciate your writing sir

[@BrodieBr0]

Haha perfect intro. As I think back to as many episodes I can, THIS comes to mind: Geordi: ''Computer, create a character capable of defeating DATA... '' oops they don't have a fail-safe for the computer taking you literally. hahaha

[@radicalbacon]

I imagine that the holodeck would be used a lot for training, tbh

[@radicalbacon]

That's what you get for commenting before watching the whole video.

[@MuttFitness]

Or like Bortis used it on Orville.

[@pufthemajicdragon]

In-universe, tho I don't think it's specified anywhere, I expect that the holodeck is used almost exclusively for training for the majority of crew members and that senior staff would be the only ones who get any significant amount of recreational time with it. While it would exist on a galaxy class starship in large part for the sanity of the crew as a recreational tool, the "lower decks" would have to reserve the holodecks in advance during their off-duty hours. I'd also propose that a ship with multiple holodecks would have "crew holodecks" and "senior staff holodecks", the former being rigidly scheduled with tighter restrictions on what it could do (no replicating ship functions, for example) and the latter being strictly reserved for senior staff use and capable of running more advanced or dangerous programs (intended mostly for training, troubleshooting, etc). And all this holodeck talk makes me think... A "Lower Decks" type episode where a few ensigns get trapped in a holodeck during an emergency would have been interesting.

[@Brahmsonite]

And for ceremonies like Worf's promotion.

[@xheralt]

"Training"? Is that what the kids are calling it these days?

[@paolof.6899]

So the rank and file crewmen of any federation ship knows that the holo deck is just a dead trap. That is why it's always open for senior staff

[@Storin_of_Kel]

lol. I like this episode. At work I once said: Computer Start. The computer turned on. People looked surprised but nobody bothered to look at the floor where the computer is and my foot touching the power button.

[@eekee6034]

Nice one!

[@MofoMan2000]

If you need to fix your washer and drier, why don't you load up a tutorial program that shows you how to fix the problem?

[@ThetaReactor]

"Computer, add a laundry nook to the east wing of the closet."

[@Rikard_Nilsson]

or load up a new house inside the closet.

[@msthalamus2172]

"Much of it is real," said Data. So, yeah, I think there's some reason to believe that some of the objects were real early on.

[@yaldabaoth2]

Let's take holo technology to the extreme: The entire ship is just an engine, weapons, shields, sensors and other essential, technical stuff for interaction with the outside. Everything else is just small rooms. Quarters are 3x3 feet and are shared by 3 crewmen (one for each 8 hour shift). But they are holo technology equipped, making them as big as you want with as much furniture as you want. Or if you don't want to sleep and chill, you order the computer to make your quarter a beach. Or whatever. If no one is home, the computer switches off and saves energy. You can probably cut down on internal space 75% or even more. In one episode of Voyager, the Hirogen had the entire crew in 2 holodecks. Space no longer matters if you have holo tech. A holodoc can do everything. Limited holograms could take over all maintenance work, so cut down on crew as well. All in all, holo technology breaks all reality.

[@p00kietanuki]

"inescapable murder box" perfectly sums up the holodeck. Thank you Steve. This is the content I love seeing from you. You really know how to reach your audience!

[@earpunpaso]

I remember that one episode DS9 a O'Brien use a holodeck and two Klingons walk in and say they have a reservation of it. So least in that episode there was a waiting list of holodeck.

[@HopelessRomanticGuy]

LOVED this episode and the execution on the malfunctioning simulator plotline. And thanks for the shout out! Don’t forget in that terrible snowball to the face episode of Next Gen, Dr. Crusher actually battles a plague that almost WIPES OUT the entire population of the ship, and it turns out it came FROM THE HOLODECK! It didn’t just make simple snow, or water, or paper. It created a living, viable LIFE FORM with DnA and cells, able to consume, reproduce and be a threat so virulent even 24th century medicine almost couldn’t defeat it. Separate point: the Animated series holodeck can be reconciled with canon by both Riker’s AND Picard’s lines about the simulations they’d experienced before, and how they were relatively simple (like the forest, the beach, and the snow. We saw “advanced” holodecks like that in Enterprise). The big leap in Next Gen seems to be the ability to have complex and adaptable NPCs that react and even feel like real people, as well as interactive “choose your own adventure” style plots that can adapt to your choices and still, more or less lead you to the correct ending (unless you go WILDLY off script like Julian Bashir, Man of Mystery and Destroyer of Worlds). But even in DS9 we see people continuing to be impressed with the quality of the simulations. Haggath is seriously IMPRESSED that Quark’s holosuits replicate his weapons so well that they even “pull a little to the left”. I imagine its like how we all saw Mario on N64 and thought, “holy crap! 3D Mario!” But graphics have CONTINUED to improv since then and will definitely continue to do so.

[@cf84mnN]

I don’t usually comment on videos but I really appreciate and enjoy these. Thank you! I love your insights into Star Trek

[@Gabdube]

A better explanation for being able to take stuff out of the holodeck in earlier episodes would be that the small bit of corridor where all of this stuff happened was also fitted with photonic emitters that allowed limited holographic functions, so as to create a transition zone between the holodeck and the rest of the ship. This would make the act of exiting the holodeck in an hurry slightly less jarring than just "poofing" back into totally different surroundings.

[@steveneilsut]

Hotel Royale, in TNG's second season, could qualify as a holodeck episode without a holodeck. A selection of regular cast enters an environment that has people in it who aren't alive. The whole place is a purpose built fiction that traps our heroes, and the only way to escape? Play the scenario to its conclusion.

[@kurisu7885]

thing with the water is that possibly could have been real created by the replicator and either frozen or contained in a holographic pool type thing. And in Voyager there was a waiting list for the holodeck, granted the Voyager was a smaller ship and only had one until they installed a second.

[@roy1701d]

Your thorough analyses of Trek minutia are unparalleled, Steve. Thanks!

[@BADDOGBOY18]

I remember on Voyager that turned the whole ship into a Holodeck set in France during the Nazi Occupation using an Alien race of Hunters as the Nazis and the Crew as the Resistance.

[@DrTssha]

Multiple holodecks, St. Claire was just the piece de resistance. :P Other simulations were a Klingon historical war drama...and possibly others I can't remember. In any case, it was hilarious to see Klingons taking bat'leths to the Nazis in France.

[@tariqabdulkarim8724]

Yeah I member

[@yaldabaoth2]

Yeah, that was dumb to the extreme.

[@MegaZeta]

"The Killing Game". A surprisingly good two-parter, better than it had any right to be, and in some unique ways. It's not shocking that Seven of Nine gets some good moments in season four episodes, but it _is_ a shock that _these_ episodes not only feature _two_ complex, dynamic Hirogen characters but also provide an exciting saboteur/action-hero narrative for Harry Kim.

[@MegaZeta]

Other reasons "The Killing Game", pts. I and II, are such astoundingly good episodes is because what happened to the Hirogen characters stuck. That did two things you'd almost never expect from _Voyager:_ events from an episode had a major impact on a "bad guy" alien society, and the episodes even inspired a sequel episode that addressed one of the potential issues raised.

[@MichaelJShaffer]

Control - Alt - Delete. HILARIOUS!!!!!!!!! Nicely done, sir. LLAP

[@SteveShives]

Aww! Thank you.

[@stratagama]

@@SteveShives should have used control shift escape

[@silentotto5099]

@@SteveShives Dude... You need to hit Alt+F4 to kill the program...

[@jamesodell9611]

I would think the holodeck would be great for mental health(let's keep porn out of this since there are other posts already about that). It's likely the crew is stuck in a starship much of the time and even though they may visit planets they might not always get to have shore leave(or get to be part of an away team). So, navigating through endless space, the holodeck is where you don't have to see the same thing over and over again on your ship. Of course the episodes about mishaps and save the day situations probably amount to less than 1% of holodeck situations. I suspect most of the time things go smoothly.

[@donkink3114]

Good video, and your sense of self is not overblown like so many other KZbinrs 😁 Keep up the good work.

[@theworldissquare719]

Your Trek videos always keep getting better. Never woulda guessed someone could do 30 minutes of talking about the physics of holodecks.

[@PocketBrain]

The Holodeck is a death trap!! I have always said that my first action as captain would be to swing by the sun and beam the holodeck right into the sun itself. Even when it is correctly functioning, it is often used for nefarious purposes. Install a gym and rec. room, and if they really want danger, a Parrises Squares court. Also, props for the Billy Joel quote.

[@ClareAngel78]

I thought that the one with Nog was that he had ptsd from losing friends in the war not his leg

[@acrylicgodoy]

It was both things...losing his leg mad him come to.grips with his mortality

[@jacksonroykirk1631]

Very good video.... congrats Steve for your work. The next topic is very interesting. Thanks.

[@Cathrac]

Your work is just awesome, dude! Thank you for such great content!

[@Jennifer_Elliott]

More Trek Actually! *tosses confetti*

[@movie0007]

All I have to say is, give me a holodeck, and I will see you later. I would make sure that door can never be opened again. I mean, you practically have everything you need. Create a city, or a house on a field, or whatever you want to. Go to lavish restaurants, always fully stock yourself up with exquisite foods, I mean for me, nothing would beat the holodeck because you would literally have it all in one tiny 6 x 6 room that can go on for eternity. The holodeck would be the next step up from today's VR, because you don't need special glasses or some headset to be able to see the world around you. AND you can touch, taste, smell and even possibly eat those items (if they're edible that is).

[@TheRomanticDarkness]

Dude. You just filled in the holodeck potholes so damn well. Thanks.

[@atherahmed6397]

I've been really enjoying your channel lately, and this episode is next level. That is all. My supportive comment is over.

[@mulletboater]

nerdy theory time: Steves favorite Trek; Voyager gives some information on how the holodeck works by par replicating inanimate objects as we can see when it loses power suddenly. Of course THAT is frustrating because Voyager had to limit replicator use, but anyway; the holodeck is intuitive, the holodeck knows Picard is making a demonstration and sets the book to dematerialize instantly to prove his point. On the other hand: the holodeck compensates for if someone eats something or gets wet or intends to keep a holodeck object by completing its replication.

[@Vader47000]

Voyager also tried to explain that the Holodeck had some magical power source that both couldn't be used to augment the ship's power and would allow it to be used even though the ship had to ration power. Like, there are scenes where they are gambling with replicator rations while they're at a holographic bar. Is no one drinking at Sandrine's. Or is Neelix stocking booze on the holodeck?

[@scaper8]

That explanation for how stuff was taken off the holodeck was perfect! That is so my head canon now! Thank you. :-)

[@kellykarjola1886]

My favorite Star Trek episodes are: Holodeck episodes, time travel episodes and cross over ones where characters from other Trek shows makes a special guest appearance..

[@chin_maya]

man, very well written episode! Your storytelling is getting better and better!

[@gurthus9540]

Is there any known way to tell if you’re in a holodeck or not. I mean the way it works is due to image manipulation so surely ripping your shirt and spreading it out across the deck would work since the rooms length doesn’t change

[@Arbarano]

You mentioned the HD was used for training. As a matter of fact, I always wondered how little Starfleet members trained - if you remember there are not genetically altered. In fact, landing parties members should train all the time, in all sort of weathers, from blizzard to tropical or desert heat. And train to front all sorts of sentient or non-sentient enemies. In fact, they don't even train for fitness! In the original series ship, the only sport or fitness possibility was bowling - and they never used it or showed it!

[@christ.7594]

This self-reflexive setup was really smart and funny! Well done, Steve!

[@nicspits9876]

So many chuckles in 2 minutes!

[@p.bamygdala2139]

Great episode!!! Are you sure you’re out of your simulation room? What if you’re in a simulation INSIDE a simulation? (Rick & Morty) Other fun facets of the Trek holideck: - sims worrying about whether they will continue to exist after the program ends (TNG, the Big Goodbye) - creating new life forms (TNG season 7, one of the last few episodes, on the train. “Tickets, please!” - privacy rights on personal image used for sex-slave purposes (DS9, guy who wanted a Kira sim; an actual problem today with realistic sex dolls! And of course Geordi. In retrospect, yeah, he was a perv.) - circumventing the law on big crimes (DS9, Quark does a sales deal in the holosuite with simulated weapons) - simulated characters getting access to the real world (DS9, Vic hacks the comm to call Odo to set up a date with Kira) - consequences of being a dick to holideck characters (STV, Tom Paris, often) I bet there’s lots more! The one thing never dealt with in detail throughout Trekdom as an ethical and psychological issue (only hinted at) was confirming that characters had actually exited the simulation and were back in the real world. At the end of ‘Ship in a Bottle’ Barclay whimsically calls out “computer, end program” to confirm his own reality. The fear of being actually inside a simulation that you can’t prove or escape, and the accompanying perennial uncertainty is called ‘simulation psychosis”. We as a species will have to deal with that en mass very soon, when VR reaches the quality of reality and holidecks become a thing. A great paper to read on the topic is “Are we living in a simulation?” By philosophy professor Nick Bostrom. Reader beware, it can have a powerful effect on your very sense of reality. Read it on a weekend!

[@fuuzgaming5534]

A Holodeck is like a roller coaster, even if someone dies on it, they're not going to shut it down :)

[@ModernRelik]

What a fantastic episode full of Easter eggs and funny bits. A big thank you from a uk trekky!

[@CmdrKeene]

Literally the only big reason I like Alexa better than a Google home is I can say "computer" to wake it up and issue commands. Makes me feel like I'm in TNG

[@DenitaArnold]

I'm one of those rare folks who like the animated series. It introduced me to the Original Series characters.

[@kaitlyn__L]

I watched it for the first time and a few of them were really good. Like Bem. Heck, they were almost proto-TNG. If TNG had done “The Practical Joker” it would’ve been some energy lifeform in that nebula instead of just a computer glitch.

[@MartianInAHumansBody]

Steve: "won't have much to say..." (looks down at 27min left on video) me: hmmm...

[@Oonagh72]

It’s Only a Paper Moon is perfect. The emotion, the science, the reality. It is amazing.

[@practicalmagic9]

Awesome video! One of my favorite recurring stories involve holodeck adventures. Plus: Love the results of the poll for February!

[@MatthewCaunsfield]

Love the TAS reference at the end there. TAS is canon!!!

[@MatthewCaunsfield]

@@MKDumas1981 Gene also considered ST5 and ST6 non canonical, FWIW. Fortunately, that's not what "canon" means

[@ExploringFate]

Forgot to cover when characters from the holodeck use The Doctors Holo-Emitter.

[@MegaZeta]

Helpful tip for you to sound more like a grown-up: when you want to bring up a topic, just bring it up yourself. Don't whine that someone "forgot" some other topic you want to discuss; it's 100% certain this channel didn't "forget" that particular topic.

[@EmoryM]

The EMH is one of my favorite characters, loved seeing him in First Contact.

[@coreydonaldson3303]

Very fascinating Trek , Actually episode about the Holodeck Steve !

[@alexwright4930]

I think the Physics of Star Trek author found it rather unbelievable that the crew seemingly weren't using the holodeck for what it would mostly be used for. Well Barclay's holo addiction and a few other throwaway lines hint at holosex I guess. And Deep Space Nine's holosuites and its use during Tuvok's Pon Far in Voyager make it more explicit.

[@scaper8]

I always thought that it must suck to be the poor sod that has to mop up the holodeck…

[@progKansas]

I hate to the guy who has to clean that up.

[@benjamindorothy5667]

@@scaper8 That's actually where they get all the proteins that the reconstitute into food via the matter replicator.

[@ChannelSwan]

To start, WOW! I've often enjoyed you videos for what is covered, your thought provoking views, and your presentation, this one was amazing. I wasnt as sold on the Fizbit bit but the holosuite setup was very cool. For all the downsides and lazy ways it can/has been used I overall really like it. The great stories alone make it cool but also sometimes seeing the characters or actors doing something else is just fun.

[@johngingras]

Great video, Steve! I'm really looking forward to February's video now.

[@jacobktan]

I know you aren't very enthusiastic about Voyager but The Killing Game was always one of my favourite episodes.

[@MegaZeta]

"The Killing Game" is certainly a couple of the best episodes of the entire show. Seven gets some great moments, no surprises there for season four, but "The Killing Game" also provides a tense, exciting role for Harry Kim as an outmatched saboteur and creates in its Hirogen villains two separate "bad guy" aliens with their own arcs and their own conflict with each other.

[@krim7]

This is a great episode

[@johncampbell4389]

At one job a manager called a conference room “the holodeck” because we’d go in there to fantasize that our product actually worked.

[@patrickbate3050]

I've been watching your stuff for a while, but the framing device for this video convinced me to subscribe :)

[@SteveShives]

Thanks!

[@ralphellis4569]

I realize this is a bit of an older video, but let me point something out. Tactical Trainers would kill to have this technology. You could PERFECT all of the tactical skills necessary to ensure you have a top-tier military force without all of the risks typically associated with analog ("real world") training. Then there is the use for various other crew drill and training scenarios. I dont see how, in the Star Trek universe, this thing is primarily used for recreation. It just seems like too good a training resource to spend its primary life-cycle on simulating Risa. I'd like to pretend that Starfleet uses these 90% of the time as a training resource.

[@jadelsb]

Now that was a wonderfully obscure Billy Joel reference

[@sethobannion3149]

Caught that too. Loved it!

[@mindyp51a]

One of the very best vids you've ever done, Steve!

[@JoeSwim]

Brilliant episode, nice call out to the TAS at the end as you walked away.

[@joebyrum9241]

I know you can't cover it all but how could you not at least give a little shout-out to the Bynar enhanced holographic character and love interest of First Officer Riker, Minuet?

[@MegaZeta]

Because the video is of the length needed to cover the topic while still being approachable, which means that some aspect of the topic that you or other people find personally important will possibly not be covered in it.

[@SomeIdiota]

Sorry, I'm writing this a bit early into your video (which I am already loving). Virtual reality addiction is a "future" problem that many people discuss today, especially now that we have VR that is a bit better than Nintendo giving us bright-red lines in a bulky visor. I'm a sufferer of addiction. Escape is the true name of the game. No matter how far I distance myself from my problem, it will always be there. Something like the Holodeck is far above and beyond any substance I could fathom. Those wear off. Those have limitations. With ease, I could see myself wasting away physically in the real world, as I'm still jacked in to my other existence. I will never be one to impede technology, but I can see the dark side of this particular aspect of it.

[@eekee6034]

Uh... I'm not naming the game in case it gets to you, but there's a certain social game which people have been suffering a degree of addiction to for 18 years now, and all it needs is a half-decent graphics card, monitor and keyboard. It's just so liberating, but that liberation isn't always a good thing.

[@gyozakeynsianism]

Great video sir. Really your writing just gets better and better.

[@TheVideoRaf]

You killed it!!! That was awesome!!!😆😆😆

[@kaitlyn__L]

Nice DS9 pilot episode holodeck. :D

[@ShipMonster]

Computer! Run program porn...... Safety parameters off.

[@MateDrinker33]

@@MKDumas1981 Holographic herpes! :D

[@DrTssha]

Guess it's not sex for you if there aren't bruises at the end of it. Who are you, Mr. Worf? :P

[@tparadox88]

Holodeck episode template: Characters come out to the holodeck expecting to have a good time. Characters are feeling so attacked right now.

[@xheralt]

This brings to mind that post that was circulated on social media, about how Treknology is Weird Science, and Federation engineers are all Doc Brown...the Vulcan Science Academy perspective on humans is especially hilarious. The thesis of the post is, _this only happens to human technology,_ because shit never went off the rails like that on Cardassian-built DS9. Until a _human_ decided to dump the contents of a transporter buffer into the holodeck processors and hope for the best!