Holodeck safety protocol
Safety protocol controls
The holographic safety protocols (also known as mortality failsafes , holodeck safeguards , or safety routines ) were a safety subsystem of the holodeck computer and designed to protect the participants of a holoprogram .
Safety protocols were present to prevent serious injury of the people inside a simulation . This meant that weapons fired within the simulation would not be able to kill or that the computer could prevent dangerous situations when testing a new ship design.
Safety protocols could be overruled if the person in question had the correct access codes . It was also possible for a holoprogram to disable the safety protocols if it was programmed to do so. ( VOY : " Worst Case Scenario ") A malfunction in the ship 's main computer could render the safety protocols inoperative. ( TNG : " A Fistful of Datas ")
In 2364 , when a Jaradan probe inadvertently caused a malfunction in the safety protocols Whalen was shot and seriously wounded by Cyrus Redblock 's henchman Felix Leech who also struck Jean-Luc Picard with his Pistol , busting his lip for striking him earlier. ( TNG : " The Big Goodbye ")
In 2369 , the holodeck safety protocols were rendered inoperative due to a malfunction in the USS Enterprise -D 's main computer. This resulted in injury to Lieutenant Worf and placed him, Counselor Deanna Troi and Worf 's son, Alexander Rozhenko , in continued jeopardy, as the computer also did not respond to their request to terminate the Ancient West simulation that they were engaged in. ( TNG : " A Fistful of Datas ")
That same year, Data attempted, but was unsuccessful, to override the holodeck safety protocols while recreating an unusual Borg attack on the Ohniaka III Research Station where Data became, seemingly spontaneously, angry. After attempting to increase the simulated Borg's strength by 30 percent, Data informed Geordi La Forge that the computer required the voice authorization of two senior officers to disable the safety routine and asked for his help in overriding the it. La Forge refused, but this was the only instance where two individuals were needed to disable the protocols. Data's rank was presumably insufficient to complete the procedure alone, even though Lieutenant commander was sufficient aboard other vessels like USS Voyager ( VOY : " Extreme Risk "). It may have been a requirement unique to the USS Enterprise -D , or the requirement may have changed between this and other points in time. ( TNG : " Descent ")
In 2371 , when Tuvok and Chakotay investigated a malfunction with a holographic novel of Beowulf being run by Harry Kim , they discovered that the holodeck command systems were down after a failed attempt to delete the holographic character Freya . This led Tuvok to suspect that the safety protocols might be malfunctioning as well, a suspicion that was borne out with further exploration of the program. ( VOY : " Heroes and Demons ")
In 2372 , Julian Bashir and Elim Garak ran the holoprogram Julian Bashir, Secret Agent together. While fighting Falcon and his men, Bashir noticed that Garak was bleeding. Garak noted that the holosuite 's safety protocols must have been turned off. ( DS9 : " Our Man Bashir ")
While trying to evade the Borg on the USS Enterprise -E , Captain Jean-Luc Picard and Lily Sloane retreated into one of the ship's holodecks, where Picard ran a holoprogram of the Dixon Hill series . He was able to kill both of the Borg who were following him with a submachine gun after turning off the holodeck safety protocols. ( Star Trek: First Contact )
In 2373 , General Martok told Julian Bashir he had deactivated the safety protocols of a holosuite on Deep Space 9 , leading to an injury, although he had in fact been injured by Worf . ( DS9 : " Soldiers of the Empire ")
In 2373, the safety protocols were disabled as part of Ensign Seska 's revised Insurrection Alpha program. Her holographic form informed Lieutenants Tuvok and Tom Paris of this at the beginning of the program stating that it meant " …if I shoot you, and I am going to shoot you, you'll die. " Later, after Paris stated that nothing that was happening in the program was real, she had a holographic Chakotay phaser him in the arm and taunted " Next time, you'll believe me when I tell you the safety protocols are off. " ( VOY : " Worst Case Scenario ")
In 2374 , the holographic safety protocols were disabled by the Hirogen when they subjected the Voyager crew to a number of dangerous simulations. The Doctor urged that they be reactivated, as a number the ship's crew had been seriously injured. Karr , however, refused, as he felt it would eliminate the challenge of the hunt. ( VOY : " The Killing Game ") Later, when Captain Kathryn Janeway came up with a plan to disable the neural interfaces that were controlling the crew by using holographic explosives, she noted that with the safety protocols offline they were as good as the real thing. Later, as a number of Hirogen had been killed, the Hirogen medic urged Karr to enable the safety protocols, but at this point it was no longer possible, as the holodeck had been too badly damaged. ( VOY : " The Killing Game, Part II ")
In 2375 , Seven of Nine deactivated the safety protocols on The Adventures of Captain Proton holoprogram so she could fire a holographic ray gun at a Night Alien and stun him. ( VOY : " Night ")
In 2375, after learning of the Maquis ' destruction in the Alpha Quadrant , B'Elanna Torres began running dangerous holodeck programs on the USS Voyager with the safety protocols turned off. ( VOY : " Extreme Risk ")
On Voyager 's holodeck, Ensign Tom Paris noted a particular limitation when Captain Kathryn Janeway posed as Queen Arachnia , that the safety protocols couldn't prevent her from being restrained, nor from being thrown in Doctor Chaotica 's Dungeon of Pain . ( VOY : " Bride of Chaotica! ")
In 2377 , the holograms created by a group of Hirogens got control of the system and deactivated the safety protocols. ( VOY : " Flesh and Blood ")
In 2380 , damage to the USS Cerritos by a Drookmani ship caused the safety protocols to fail while Ensigns Sam Rutherford and D'Vana Tendi were operating Rutherford Training Beta 2.5 , freeing virtual tutor Badgey from his behavioral restraints and causing a dangerous emotional processing flaw to come to light. ( LD : " Terminal Provocations ") Later that year, Rutherford intentionally deactivated the safety protocols to enable Badgey to create a computer virus to disable Jackabog's ship . ( LD : " No Small Parts ")
In 2381 , T'Ana disengaged the safety protocols during a romantic tryst with Shaxs in which they played early 20th century bank robbers engaged in a gun battle with the Feds . ( LD : " Room for Growth ")
In 2401 , Admiral Jean-Luc Picard surreptitiously deactivated the safety protocols after he was forced, at phaser -point, into Ten Forward, 2024 on the USS Titan by Commander Ro Laren . This allowed him to pull a phaser hidden behind the bar on her. ( PIC : " Imposters ")
It is the tradition of Star Trek script writers to "deactivate" the safeties when the holodeck malfunctions.
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Star Trek: How Does The Holodeck Actually Work?
When listing the most iconic pieces of tech from the various "Star Trek" shows and movies, the transporter, phaser, and tricorder all rise to the top of any survey. But we'd be remiss not to mention the holodeck. Made famous in "Star Trek: The Next Generation" and appearing even on shows like the animated "Star Trek: Lower Decks," the virtual space has become a pillar of the franchise and prompted some of the best "Star Trek" episodes ever .
Holodeck adventures are often fan favorites, but "Star Trek" has spent notably less time exploring how the device actually works. The worlds it conjures are so lifelike and expansive in scale that they seem impossible, which, of course, they are, at least in our world. In the "Trek" universe, however, we do know at least a bit about what makes the holodeck tick.
The mechanics of the holodeck are similar to those of two other big pieces of "Trek" tech — the transporter and the replicator. The things created within the virtual room are a combination of generated matter (using replicator technology) and photons encased in force fields that create the impression of physical matter. This is also why material from within the holodeck occasionally appears to exit and exist beyond its virtual walls for a brief period of time.
How the holodeck changed over the years
Watching the various "Star Trek" series, you'll see the subtle evolution of holodeck technology. In "Star Trek: Enterprise," before humans have access to the technology, it's revealed that similar holographic tech was used by the Xyrillians. A more rudimentary version of a holodeck also appears in "Star Trek: The Animated Series." "Star Trek: Voyager" expands the perception of holograms in "Star Trek" immensely through its Doctor character, a holographic medical officer who is able to learn, love, achieve sentience, and even evolve.
Visually, holodecks have also changed quite a bit over the years. In "The Next Generation," the inactive room basically just looks like a cyber grid. This design was fleshed out more in the holosuites of "Star Trek: Deep Space Nine" due to larger budget allowances.
"When we did 'Next Generation' we were in a budget constraint that made us do a set that is a wireframe look; it's a grid of squares when the holodeck is not activated and they just see a black void with yellow grids," production designer Herman Zimmerman revealed in "The Deep Space Log Book," a companion piece to the show's second season. "In the Cardassian holodeck when the lights go off, so to speak, you see the machinery that creates the imagery. It's a step forward for us and it's something we've always wanted to do on 'Next Generation' and we were never able to achieve."
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Star trek: 10 questions about the holodeck, answered.
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In the ongoing debate between fans of Star Trek and Star Wars over which sci-fi giant is the superior franchise , a huge point in Star Trek ’s favor is the consistency of its fictitious science and technology. While Star Wars throws its audience curveballs like midichlorians and the Holdo Maneuver , Star Trek has kept its scientific lore intact for over half a century.
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One of the most curious pieces of futuristic tech in the franchise is the holodeck, a highly advanced virtual reality environment on board the Enterprise where literally anything can happen. Here are 10 questions about the Holodeck, answered.
What makes the holographic images feel solid?
The distinction between real-life virtual reality and the one that Enterprise crew members can immerse themselves in using the holodeck is that in real life, we can’t feel VR images to the touch and in the holodeck, they can. The holographic images are solid to the touch, and this is due to something called “holomatter.”
The holomatter usually disintegrates at the end of a holodeck simulation, although it has sometimes been shown to exist outside the confines of the holo-chamber, like when Wesley Crusher emerged from a simulation, visibly wet. Exactly how scientifically accurate the concept of “holomatter” is remains unclear.
Why is there an option to turn off the safety protocols?
In every holodeck, there is actually an option to turn off the safety protocols and remove everything that is keeping the user safe. One might wonder why such an option would exist, since surely nothing good can come from turning them off, save for, say, the thrill of being unprotected.
As disappointing as this answer is, it can be explained as a simple plot device. It’s a Chekov’s gun for the Star Trek narrative – if the safety protocols can be turned off, then at some point, someone needs to turn them off – and it allows the writers to escalate the tension.
Why are there safety protocols in the first place?
If one was wondering why the holodeck would have an installed option to switch off all the safety protocols, then one might also wonder why a virtual reality simulator needs safety protocols in the first place, but that might just be for the user’s peace of mind. You have to put yourself in the shoes of someone using a holodeck.
This isn’t just very realistic VR – it’s basically an entirely accurate recreation of real life. If you didn’t have the comfort of knowing that there was some kind of safety protocol keeping you out of danger, you might go stir crazy in there.
When did the Federation start equipping its ships with holodecks?
Every Federation ship includes at least one holodeck, but the Federation didn’t always equip its ships with holodecks. It was only in around the late 24th century (an era that it feels strange to refer to in the past tense) that they started installing holodecks on their ships.
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Depending on the size and purpose of each ship, they might include more than one holodeck, but one is the standard. The USS Discovery is shown to have had holographic technology on board in the 23rd century , but that was a rarity (again, referring to the distant future in the past tense feels odd).
Why do Federation starships even need holodecks?
While having a holodeck on board the Enterprise is unquestionably useful in coming up with story ideas, what is its actual purpose on Federation starships and in other Starfleet establishments? Well, it can be used by space-faring Federation crew members for a number of different reasons.
It can be used for training exercises (a little like the Danger Room in X-Men comics ), recreations of crime scenes for investigative purposes, and entertainment – because let’s face it, even in the distant future aboard a starship drifting through space, people still need to be entertained. It can also be used for therapeutic reasons, like Tony Stark’s B.A.R.F. tech .
How did the holodeck’s simulation of Moriarty gain a consciousness?
While playing a holodeck game based on the Sherlock Holmes mysteries, Geordi La Forge complained that since Date had read all the Holmes stories, he always knew who the culprit was, so he told the holodeck to create a villain that even Data couldn’t defeat .
La Forge meant he wanted the holodeck to create an adversary for Holmes that Data would not be able to defeat in the game, but since he specified Data, the holodeck created a version of James Moriarty that was self-aware . This was because La Forge told the holodeck to simulate a villain for Data, a real person.
What is the holodeck’s full name?
Although it is the most common name for the device, a holodeck is not technically called a holodeck. Its full name is “Holographic Environment Simulator.” Calling it a “holodeck” is like calling a refrigerator a “fridge” or calling a television set a “TV” – it’s just a shorter name for it that’s easier to say and saves the speaker some time.
It’s fair to say that the holodeck wouldn’t be nearly as iconic or memorable in science fiction lore if it was only ever referred to as the “Holographic Environment Simulator.” Of course, the actual technology would still be just as impressive and awe-inspiring.
What are the different modes of using the holodeck?
There are two different modes of using the holodeck: one in which the user is actually inside the holodeck, experiencing the VR simulation first-hand, and another in which the user observes a simulation from a viewing platform without actually getting involved.
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The latter mode is, by far, the least used one, since the former would obviously be the most fun and immersive. Most users of the holodeck are there to live out their most outlandish or depraved fantasies, so if they had the option to live it over merely watching it from a distance, they would obviously choose to live it.
Are there limitations to what the holodeck can simulate?
The only limitation to the holographic technology of the holodeck is the user’s imagination. As long as the imagination is there, the sky’s the limit. Whatever needs to be simulated for a training procedure or an investigation or simply for personal enjoyment, the holodeck has got you covered.
The writers of the Star Trek franchise have used this to terrific effect in terms of storytelling , as the holodeck can be used to visualize what would otherwise be a character’s internal conflict or struggle. Plus, when holodeck technology goes awry, it can lead to some pretty spooky cautionary tales, which is what Star Trek was all about in the beginning .
Could technology like the holodeck exist in real life?
Before introducing the holodeck into the Star Trek universe, Gene Roddenberry met with inventor Gene Dolgoff, owner of a holography laboratory, so there is some basis in real science . While holograms have existed in the real world since the late 20th century and virtual reality technology and augmented reality glasses already exist , we don’t have the deeply immersive holodeck technology that Star Trek predicted would be on all of Earth’s starships by the 24th century (although that’s fair enough, because the 24th century is still a long way away).
Scientists have estimated that, if a holodeck could ever exist, without the use of glasses and with the feeling of solid matter on holograph imagery, it’s hundreds of years away.
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