Holodeck

In the Star Trek fictional universe, the holodeck is a virtual reality facility, generally on starships and starbases.

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Otherwise known as a holographic environment simulator, the holodeck is an enclosed room in which objects and people are simulated by a combination of replicated matter animated with weak tractor beams as well as shaped force fields onto which holographic images are projected. Sounds and smells are simulated by speakers and fragranced fluid atomizers. The feel of a large environment is simulated by having the participants suspended on force fields which move with their feet, keeping them in one place (a virtual treadmill); perspective is retained through use of sound dampening fields and graviton lenses which make objects, people and sound and appear more distant. The effect is realistic simulation of environments, with which the user can interact.

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Two of the main purposes of the holodeck are recreation and training. They are also sometimes used to recreate a crime or questionable incident to determine the forensics and logistics of it for law enforcement purposes. However, the technology is also used for morally questionable ends, as the holosuites owned and rented out, often for sexual purposes, by Quark on Deep Space Nine.

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User controls for a holodeck are typically located near its door (inside and out); an arch surrounds the exit and can be summoned by a user to start, modify, or stop a simulation. The holodeck includes safeguards known as safety protocols that attempt to protect the safety of the user or users. While it does not entirely shield users from minor injury (such as strained muscles or dislocated joints), it does prevent more serious injuries and fatalities. The protocols were designed so that users could derive maximum use from the holodeck with a high degree of realism and perceived jeopardy.

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Holodecks are 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. This resulted in the shooting of the ship's historian on board Enterprise in one instance, and several crew members were trapped. In another incident Lt. Worf, his son Alexander Rozhenko, 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.

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

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Despite malfunctions, holodecks are a highly valued technology in Starfleet because of educational and recreational impact, enabling users to partake in scenarios that would otherwise be difficult to enact under normal circumstances.

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Star Trek: Star Trek collectively refers to six science fiction television series spanning 726 episodes, ten motion pictures, and hundreds of novels, video games, and other works of fiction, all set within the same fictional universe created by Gene Roddenberry in the early- to mid-1960s....

Fictional universe: A fictional universe is a cohesive imaginary world that serves as the setting or backdrop for one or (more commonly) multiple works of fiction. Fictional universes are most common in, but not exclusive to, the science fiction and fantasy genres. Many universes written in one or both of these genres...

Virtual reality: Virtual reality (VR) is an environment that is simulated by a computer. Most virtual reality environments are primarily visual experiences, displayed either on a computer screen or through special stereoscopic displays, but some simulations include additional sensory information, such as sound throu...