STAR TREK: Tracing the Holodeck's History

Geek Girl Authority

20-05-2025

The Star Trek Franchise displays a plethora of impressive technology. However, one of the most interesting and versatile technologies of all is the holodeck. The holodeck affords Starfleet crew members a chance to enjoy various environments and entertainments during deep space missions. But it also opens up a variety of versatile narrative possibilities.
For this week's Trek Tuesday, we're trcing the chronology of the holodeck in Starfleet. Did we include your favorite Star Trek holodeck episode? Be sure and let us know in the comment section. 'Unexpected'
When it comes to the holodeck, the earliest version of the technology we see seems to have originated with the Xyrillians. This pre-Starfleet tech appeared in the Star Trek: Enterprise Season 1 episode 'Unexpected.' The Xyrillians have technology that is superior to that which was possessed by humans at the time. This includes cloaking devices for their ship in addition to the holodeck.
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The episode sees Trip Tucker (Connor Trinneer) visiting a Xyrillian ship in order to assist them with some repairs. During the sojourn to the ship, Trip befriends one of the Xyrillians. She shows him their holodeck, which is deeply impressive to him. But something so impressive must come with strings attached, no? After visiting the Xyrillian holodeck, Trip returns to the NX-01 Enterprise to discover he's been impregnated by his Xyrillian friend. Whoops! 'Lethe' Photo Cr: Jan Thijs/CBS © 2017 CBS Interactive. All Rights Reserved.
Chronologically speaking, the next time the holodeck appears is in the Star Trek: Discovery Season 1 episode 'Lethe.' In this episode, Gabriel Lorca (Jason Isaacs) and Ash Tyler (Shazad Latif) are seen engaging in a tactical drill on the U.S.S. Discovery's holodeck.
While this is the earliest appearance of the holodeck on a Starfleet ship, it's worth noting that Discovery was a science vessel that possessed bespoke technology, including the Spore Drive. It's possible that it was still unusual for Starfleet vessels to possess a holodeck at this time. However, a scene in the Star Trek: Strange New Worlds Season 3 trailer suggests we could see the installation of the U.S.S. Enterprise's holodeck in the show's fast-approaching third season. 'The Practical Joker'
The first time we see a holodeck on the Enterprise is also the earliest appearance of the technology (from the viewer's perspective). This takes place in the Star Trek: The Animated Series Season 2 episode 'The Practical Joker.' In this episode, the Enterprise computer is possessed by an artificial intelligence that beings playing 'practical jokes' on the crew. One of these involves Hikaru Sulu (George Takei), Nyota Uhura (Nichelle Nichols) and Leonard 'Bones' McCoy (DeForest Kelley) becoming trapped in the 'recreation room.' This seems to possess the holographic technology of the holodeck.
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Does this mean that the Enterprise had a holodeck throughout the timeline of Star Trek: The Original Series? It's possible. 'Recreation rooms' are mentioned throughout The Original Series. Rec rooms did occasionally appear onscreen in The Original Series. However they did not resemble the apparent holodeck we see in 'The Practical Joker.' 'Encounter at Farpoint'
While a holodeck appeared in The Animated Series, the Saturday morning cartoon was not watched by as many viewers as The Original Series or its associated movies. As a result, the holodeck had to be 'reintroduced' when it appeared on Star Trek: The Next Generation. This took place in the show's pilot episode, 'Encounter at Farpoint.'
In 'Encounter at Farpoint,' William T. Riker (Jonathan Frakes) is welcomed aboard the U.S.S. Enterprise-D. When Riker first meets Data (Brent Spiner), the android officer is honing his whistling in the holodeck. The episode takes care to introduce the idea of the holodeck to viewers. Over the course of The Next Generation's seven season run, many episodes would utilize the holodeck, in a variety of different ways. 'It's Only a Paper Moon'
Holodecks played an important role over the course of the seven seasons of Star Trek: Deep Space Nine, as well. Or rather, holosuites did. These are the civilian versions of the technology. Several of these were owned, maintained and operated by Quark (Armin Shimerman) as a recreational service available at Quark's Bar and Grill. For a modest fee, of course.
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While there were many holosuite episodes over the course of the show, one Deep Space Nine Season 7 episode stands out. In 'It's Only a Paper Moon,' Nog (Aron Eisenberg) returns to Deep Space 9 after being treated for his amputated leg (see Season 7's 'The Siege of AR-558'). Soon, he retreats into the holosuite program for Vic Fontaine (James Darren), a 1960s lounge singer programmed by Julian Bashir (Alexander Siddig).
'It's Only a Paper Moon' episode examines the complex relationship between PTSD and escapism. Plus, at the episode's conclusion, Nog arranges for Vic's holosuite to run twenty-four/seven. This creates a fascinating scenario regarding the evolution of holograms, since most holodeck programs do not have the opportunity to continue running nonstop. 'Fair Haven'/'Spirit People'
On Star Trek: Voyager, the holodeck played an important role. This is because the U.S.S. Voyager was trapped in the Delta Quadrant, far from home. For this reason, the holodeck provided an especially valuable release for the ship's crew, who were confined aboard the ship for much longer than they had expected. In the Voyager Season 6 episode 'Fair Haven,' Tom Paris (Robert Duncan McNeill) programmed an idealized Irish village to provide the crew with an escape from reality. However, due to various — ahem — complications, the program ultimately has to be shut down to be retooled.
In Voyager Season 6's 'Spirit People,' Paris has completed the repairs to the program and it is brought online once again. However, the situation once again becomes complicated when the hologram citizens of Fair Haven begin to suspect the Voyager crew of being the titular 'spirit people.' This episode provides the particularly fascinating (and at times unsettling) perspective of the holograms as they grapple with their understanding of their existence as holograms. Star Trek: Lower Decks Photo Cr: 2020 CBS Interactive, Inc. All Rights Reserved.
Because the series is set just after Voyager returned from the Delta Quadrant, Star Trek: Lower Decks has the next chronological appearances of the holodeck in the Franchise. Thanks to its focus on crew downtime aboard Starfleet vessels, the holodeck appears throughout Lower Decks.
In Lower Decks Season 1's 'Moist Vessel,' Beckett Mariner (Tawny Newsome) is assigned the 'worst jobs on the ship.' These include emptying the holodeck's holofilters. This task demonstrates one of the practical elements of holodeck tech. And it also allows Jack Ransom (Jerry O'Connell) to reveal that the holodecks are used 'mostly' for sexual gratification. This functionality is further confirmed by Doctor T'Ana (Gillian Vigman) and Shaxs (Fred Tatasciore), who frequently utilize the holodeck for erotic purposes. This can be seen in Lower Decks Season 3's 'Room for Growth,' Season 4's 'I Have No Bones, Yet I Must Flee' and Season 5's 'The New Next Generation.'
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Later in Lower Decks Season 1, in the episode 'Terminal Provocations,' Samathan Rutherford (Eugene Cordero) uses the holodeck to program Badgey (Jack McBrayer), a training hologram. This demonstrates another function of the holodeck. However, Badgey possesses patricidal tendencies that will haunt the California class crew for seasons to come.
Another function of the holodeck is demonstrated in the Lower Decks Season 1 episode 'Crisis Point.' 'Crisis Point' involves a program created by Bradward Boimler (Jack Quaid) to be serve as training. However, Mariner hijacks the holodeck program and transforms it into a 'movie.' This allows our lower deckers to take part in fourth-wall breaking 'upper decks' adventures. These include a sequel programmed by Boimler in Lower Decks Season 3's 'Crisis Point 2: Paradoxus.' 'Kobayashi Maru'
Even those who know almost nothing about Star Trek have heard of the Kobayashi Maru. This intense Starfleet Academy exercise can be seen in Star Trek II: The Wrath of Khan. It also appears in the Kelvin Universe timeline, as seen in Star Trek (2009). But the first time the memorable program appeared on the small screen was in Star Trek: Prodigy Season 1's episode 'Kobayashi Maru.' In this episode, we see Dal R'El (Brett Gray) use the holodeck to test his mettle in the titular legendary exam.
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But the U.S.S. Protostar crew would learn about the dangers of the holodeck in a subsequent Prodigy Season 1 episode, 'Ghost in the Machine.' When the holodeck malfunctions, the crew is left to navigate a series of program fragments. The varied nature and settings of these programs demonstrate just how versatile the holodeck can prove to be. Star Trek: Picard Photo Credit: Trae Patton/Paramount+. ©2021 Viacom, International Inc. All Rights Reserved.
Because the holodeck is not a focus on Discovery's latter seasons, which are set in the 32nd century, the latest appearances of holodeck technology on the Franchise timeline take place in Star Trek: Picard.
Set during the end of the 24th century and the beginning of the 25th, Picard demonstrates just how far hologram tech has advanced since The Next Generation began. This includes ships with holoemitters throughout their interiors. And there's also the wider availability of the 'mobile emitter.' This future technology allows holograms to move freely in a non-holographic environment. It first debuted in Voyager Season 3's 'Future's End, Part II.'
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In Picard Season 3's 'No Win Scenario,' another function of the holodeck is demonstrated. This episode sees Jean-Luc Picard (Patrick Stewart) and his son, Jack Crusher (Ed Speleers), visiting a holodeck version of the Los Angeles edition of Ten Forward aboard the U.S.S. Titan-A. As Picard explains to Crusher, the holodecks are given a separate battery circuit. This allows crew members to utilize the technology for necessary relaxation even when a ship is in the most dire or circumstances.
Most of the Star Trek episodes discussed above are currently available for streaming on Paramount+. However, Star Trek: Prodigy is currently available for streaming on Netflix.
Computer, End Program: 7 Dark STAR TREK: VOYAGER Holodeck Episodes Avery Kaplan is the author of several books and the Features Editor at Comics Beat. She was honored to serve as a judge for the 2021 Cartoonist Studio Prize Award and the 2021 Prism Awards. She lives in the mountains of Southern California with her partner and a pile of cats, and her favorite place to visit is the cemetery. You can also find her writing on Comics Bookcase, NeoText, Shelfdust, the Mary Sue, StarTrek.com, in many issues of PanelxPanel, and in the margins of the books in her personal library.