Highlights
- The holodeck in Star Trek offers limitless potential for creativity, from questionable erotic novels to self-aware characters.
- Examples include Vulcan Love Slave, Minuet, James Moriarty, Julian Bashir’s Secret Agent program, and The Adventures of Captain Proton.
- The holodeck programs provide various entertainment, therapy, and even challenge the crew, showcasing the versatility and power of this technology.
The universe of Star Trek is home to some truly amazing technology, from the faster-than-light warp drive to the sophisticated universal translator. However, one of Star Trek‘s coolest gadgets is the holodeck. In this advanced form of virtual reality, users can experience and interact with a hyperrealistic simulation.
While the holodeck is famously prone to failure in just about every iteration of the franchise (holographic malfunctions are now a Star Trek trope), the technology offers limitless potential for creativity. From questionable erotic novels to self-aware versions of classic literary characters, the holodeck makes it all possible.
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8 Vulcan Love Slave
Deep Space 9
The large-lobed Ferengi were known across the galaxy for their avarice, schemes, and hatred of women. Prior to the 2370s, few Ferengi women were permitted to wear clothes or to partake in the culture’s ultra-capitalist society. With such a mindset, it’s unsurprising that a member of the species authored Vulcan Love Slave, a famously perverse holoprogam based on a Ferengi novel.
Although the contents of Vulcan Love Slave have never been depicted in the franchise, the holo-novel has been mentioned on multiple occasions. In Deep Space 9 Quark, recommended the story to Odo after learning that the Changeling enjoyed romantic fiction, while one entry in the Vulcan Love Slave saga appears in the video game Star Trek: Voyager Elite Force.
7 Minuet
The Next Generation
Commander William Riker of the Enterprise-D cultivated a reputation of going after any woman with a pulse, but in the case of the holographic seductress Minuet, he showed that a pulse wasn’t even required. Minuet was a hologram created by Riker in 2364, although modifications to the holodeck by the alien Bynar made her far more lifelike than most other programmable characters. This added realism allowed Minuet to distract Riker while the Bynar attempted to steal the Enterprise.
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Minuet beguiled Riker once again in 2367, when the powerful but lonely Barash created an illusive life for Riker in which he was married to a flesh-and-blood version of the hologram. However, his wife’s resemblance to Minuet tipped him off to the fact that something wasn’t right, and he was able to escape Barash’s dream-world.
6 James Moriarty
The Next Generation
Based on the nemesis of Arthur Conan Doyle’s Sherlock Holmes, James Moriarty was an intelligent hologram who featured in a program favored by Data and Geordi La Forge. In the program, the two friends assumed the roles of Holmes and Watson. The holographic Moriarty was designed to be a formidable foe for Data, but this modification caused the character to become dangerously self-aware.
Although he was beaten in his initial encounter with the Enterprise-D, the devious criminal came close to besting Captain Picard in their subsequent encounter. In 2369, the holographic Moriarty apparently discovered how to leave the ship’s holodeck. However, this was eventually revealed to be a ploy to gain control of the Galaxy-class starship’s computer.
5 Julian Bashir, Secret Agent
Deep Space 9
Even before Julian Bashir became an unwilling operative for the mysterious Section 31, the doctor liked to indulge in espionage-themed adventures on the holodeck. In 2372, he enjoyed a James Bond-style adventure with his friend Elim Garak, although technical difficulties involving the transporter caused members of Deep Space Nine’s command staff to assume pivotal roles in the narrative.
The similarities between the Julian Bashir, Secret Agent program and its literary inspiration were so blatant that Star Trek‘s production team received a legal challenge from MGM, who held the rights to the James Bond franchise. Imitation might be the highest form of flattery, but it’s possible to have too much of a good thing.
4 The Adventures Of Captain Proton
Voyager
Being stuck aboard the starship Voyager for seven long years no doubt played havoc with the crew’s mental health, so it is unsurprising that they turned to holographic scenarios to keep themselves entertained. From the quaint Irish village of Fair Haven to simulated orbital skydiving, Voyager’s holodeck had it all, but its most interesting program was The Adventures of Captain Proton.
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Designed by Tom Paris and based on classic science fiction serials like Flash Gordon, the Captain Proton holo-novel offered thrills and adventure (as well as a cute black and white filter) when it debuted in 2375. However, like all good holodeck experiences, Captain Proton sometimes caused trouble. Shortly after its creation, it was mistaken for reality and invaded by a race of photonic aliens.
3 Crisis Point: The Rise Of Vindicta
The Lower Decks
The USS Cerritos may not have been home to Starfleet’s best and brightest, but the California-class starship did have the honor of hosting one of Star Trek‘s best holoprograms. Crisis Point: The Rise of Vindicta was created in 2380 after Beckett Mariner reconfigured a training program developed by her friend, Brad Boimler.
The modifications transformed the program into an impressive holographic movie in which Mariner was able to work out some of her emotional problems. However, not every member of the Cerritos crew approved of The Rise of Vindicta, with the Orion Tendi complaining that it unfairly stereotyped her species.
2 Photons Be Free
Voyager
The starship Voyager’s Emergency Medical Hologram wore a lot of (holographic) hats during the vessel’s seven-year journey home from the Delta Quadrant: opera singer, surgeon, and, of course, esteemed writer of holo-novels. In 2378, the Doctor authored the groundbreaking Photons Be Free, a chronicle of the persecution he faced aboard Voyager as a hologram.
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Although Photons Be Free was a commercial smash hit, the Doctor’s crewmates were unimpressed to learn that he had characterized them as bigots dedicated to oppressing him. An amended draft of the holo-novel portrayed Voyager‘s crew in a more favorable light, although legal issues surrounding the EMH’s authorial rights complicated its publication.
1 Vic Fontaine
Deep Space 9
Vic Fontaine was the proprietor of Vic’s Las Vegas Lounge, a holographic recreation of a 1960s casino and club that was in hosted in Quark’s holosuites on Deep Space Nine. Unlike most holograms, Vic was aware of his artificial nature, and appeared to be far more sophisticated than other virtual characters. He was even able to turn his program on and off at will.
Vic’s increased self-awareness allowed him to act as an unofficial therapist to several of Deep Space Nine’s crew during the darkest days of the Dominion War. He counseled the injured Nog when the Ferengi suffered from PTSD, provided relationship advice to Kira Nerys and Odo, and boosted morale with his repertoire of Rat Pack musical numbers. The crew of Deep Space Nine even worked together to save the entertainer when the Mafia took over his club, demonstrating the respect that the character had earned.
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