this post was submitted on 28 Feb 2025
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Why aren't all rooms holodecks? (lemmy.dbzer0.com)
submitted 1 day ago* (last edited 1 day ago) by Krik@lemmy.dbzer0.com to c/startrek@startrek.website
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It just popped up in my mind.

  • You could decorate any room as you like. You don't even need to step out of it most of the times.
  • Other people can be projected inside it like Voyager's doctor.
  • Also rooms could be much smaller. They only need to be big enough a human(oid) can fit inside.
  • In emergency cases most holograms can be shut off to match increased energy demands by weapons and shields. You only really need seating/bed and a (non-exploding) console screen.
  • Much of the specialized rooms like a bar, med bay, etc. won't be needed anymore as a holodeck can imitate all of them.

It irritated me a bit that a Discovery gets fancy floating warp nacelles but holodecks are... wait, does Discovery has a holodeck? I don't remember seeing one.

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[–] pjwestin@lemmy.world 9 points 22 hours ago (1 children)
  1. Energy. In TNG, the holodecks burn a lot of energy. Can't imagine what would happen if you turned every room into one.
  2. The holodeck isn't a Tardis. The space inside the holodeck is an illusion created by the room. The room can make the space look infinite, and the floor can function as a hard-light treadmill that let's you explore that infinite space, but the room still needs to be large enough to accommodate all the real-world things in it. That's why they're so large in TNG and Voyager. Holo-quarters would still need to be roughly the size of regular quarters.
  3. Same problem with the bar. Sure, you could make anyone's quarters look like Ten Forward, but if your quarters fit 3 people, that's how many people can drink there.
  4. The sickbay would still be essential because the problem isn't medical equipment, it's staff. Unless you're going to have the medical staff running all over the ship making house calls, having that staff in a centralized location and having the crew come to them just makes more sense, especially in an emergency. Emergencies are also why that equipment should never be holographic. If the ship is under attack, the last thing you want is sickbay disappearing because of a phaser hit or having to turn off the medical equipment to power the sheilds.
[–] Krik@lemmy.dbzer0.com 4 points 21 hours ago (2 children)
  1. Some episodes and movies show ships that are essentially flying holodecks. Energy doesn't seems to be a problem.
  2. That's the point: You don't need real-world things. The reason the holodeck is so large is to accommodate dozens of people at the same time.
  3. Some kind of multiplayer function across several holodecks should be possible.
  4. You either have a holodoctor for everyone who needs one or the few medical practitioners see a holo of their patient on which they operate. The holoroom the patient is in then replicates what the doctors are doing.
[–] SARGE@startrek.website 2 points 20 hours ago (1 children)

1 the things that have extra holodecks that I've seen are just space stations, which can have larger power stations. The ship in insurrection was purpose built to trick people into thinking it was their small village that they don't leave often. It can have all the power it needs dedicated to the holodeck and be slow with a Son'a escort for protection.

2 with you on that one.

3 also with you on this one. It just makes sense. Two people on opposite sides of the system could have dinner together in a holodeck. Easiest sell in the world after the holodeck itself.

4 the only issue I have with medical areas being holodecks is how often we see power issues in star trek. If they lose power, no med bay, no holo-docs. But if you're already doing it, I see no reason there can't be all the holographic doctors you need, and if the entire interior of the ship is filled with holo-emmitters then the EMH isn't an issue.

For the record, I'm with you. I think by the end of the 2380s they should definitely be having entire swathes of ships dedicated to holographic rooms.

In Voyager, The USS Prometheus had holo-emmitters all over, so the EMH was able to walk around and take the ship back from romulans.

Incidentally I was listening to some Certifiably Ingame ship breakdowns and they touched on a ship that has holographic interiors for a lot of spaces, but since I was falling asleep at the time I am unsure which ship it is. I'm trying to peruse the Playlist to see if anything looks familiar.

[–] thessnake03@lemmy.world 2 points 18 hours ago

There was the VOY episode where the hirogen had converted alot of voyager over to holodecks to hunt the crew. The WW2 and klingon settings. The left Kim around to keep it running. Wasn't that a huge drain on all the other systems?

[–] pjwestin@lemmy.world 1 points 20 hours ago

I mean, the largest holodeck ship I can think of was the one from Insurrection, and that was specifically designed to secretly abduct a whole population without their knowledge. I don't think it would work for exploration or combat, just transport. I think they started incorporating holoemiters into systems on all decks by the time of the Enterprise-E, but they were supposed to be supplemental systems, not replacements.

I just don't see how these holoquarters would improve much. Like, what real-world things are you replacing? You've already said that they need to have real-world seating and beds (and I'm going to go ahead and add bathrooms to that list), so what are we phasing out? Clothes and personal effects? Sure, you can replicate a new uniform every day, but it's probably a waste of energy, and you wouldn't have space for sentimental possessions.

Being able to go on some sort if multi-player adventure sounds cool, but I think most people would prefer to able go out to a real bar with their friends rather than go to a virtual bar from their bedroom. This is starting to feel like how Zuckerberg tried to replace meeting rooms with VR meetings. I think most people would rather go to a place and see someone real face-to-face.

And holodoctor or a holographic patient interface is even more risky. Even if you assume that a holodoctor is just as good as a real doctor (and there's really only been one EMH that was), or that a holographic version of your patient is exactly like the real thing, all of the problems with holographic medicine I mentioned get even worse. Imagine being halfway through surgery when your doctor just dematerializes.