Let's not forget that one time in Angel One when the holodeck was on the fritz, it created an airborne virus that infected the crew out of Wesley's skiing lesson program.
That episode points out that what we think of consciousness might just be a random occurrence born out of a complex system. You don't have to explain how that can even happen because we can't explain how it even happens in us. At least, that was the thought that the thought-provoking episode...provoked, for me.
Holodeck uses AI to simulate characters, which in turn must be very humanlike, it follows that every character sufficiently developed should become as smart and independent thinking as a human It's actually a major ethical dilemma. There's going to be a point when AI in games is going to be as versatile and intelligent as a human, and then more so.
TNG had to many holodeck stories. One would have sufficed to deal with the technology. When you start wrapping imaginary realities inside an already imaginary reality, my suspension of disbelief becomes strained.
I'd gladly substitute all borg, silly children and diana troy's mother episodes for more holodeck episodes
Diana Troy, lol.. I dunno, Rascals is still one of my favorite episodes of all Star Trek ever. "He's my number one dad!"
J. Michael Straczynski summed up the biggest issue with the holodeck perfectly: "Note that the original Enterprise never needed a holo-deck so that the characters could have exciting adventures because there were more than enough adventures, more than enough excitement, to be found in the real world they occupied every day. If you need a holo-deck to make an interstellar starship on the bleeding edge of the unknown interesting, something is seriously amiss."
I love Straczynski, but he was really finding ways to criticize Trek whenever he could... In this instance, he is so wrong... The holodeck providing some of the greatest Trek stories, and it was a very clever piece of technology with so many (some would say TOO many) story possibilities. He is the only one that claims they NEEDED a holodeck to make the unknown interesting, but I imagine that aboard a starship weeks can pass by with just going to uneventful space, and the holodeck was the equivalent of movies, books, etc.
How many great stories came from the use of the holodeck? I know everyone raves about The Big Goodbye but I always thought it was pretty boring and so full of holes (the aforementioned idea of turning off the holodeck erasing the occupants) that it's not anything special when compared with later holodeck stories. Fore every Bride of Chaotica! there are two Fair Havens, do we need more of that? But how is the tale of the crew when they're bored a good basis for drama? Why should a fantasy story be telling the story of the crew's fantasies?
In universe, the holodeck makes perfect sense. Lots of time spent in real space exploration would be boring as hell. But as a story source on a TV show? It's basically building 'it was all a dream' into your premise in advance. That's why the things break down so much - working correctly, there's no jeopardy at all.
It would have worked best as, say, one full episode per 2-3 seasons and otherwise as short snippets of background (as part of the setting showing high tech--in the 80s, it seemed that way). IMO, of course.
I LOVED the holodeck when it was used in a very realistiv way. I love it in "Schisms" and "Lonely among us" when Riker/Geordi used it to recreate real-life enviroments of their memories step-by-step. I loved it as a tool that can be manipulated to manipulate people (TNG:"11001001"). I liked it as a stand-in for entertainment/addiction to a fantasy over the real-world (many Barclay-stories in TNG/Voyager). I thought it was a nice touch to use the Holodeck to run simulations, like when they built the Delta-Flyer and made test-runs in the holodeck. I loved it to have it as some sort of "danger room" for combat (various Worf's battle programs, VOY "Dark Frontiers"). Hell, I liked it as a small refugee for the crew to relax before something big happens (VOY "Scorpion"). I really liked some of the "holodeck malfunction" episodes, specifically "A fistfull of Datas" and "Our man Bashir". And I LOVED it for some winks at the audience, specifically Voyagers recurring "Captain Proton" program! The only times I didn't like the holodeck was when it was used to substitute a great story, insted of expanding one. Like some of the malfunction stories, Dixon Hill, or Voyagers horrible Irish village episodes. But those were on the writers, not on the holodeck as a story tool. But all in all? The holodeck was a great addition to the Trek franchise! It's one of the view things, like beaming and phasers, that really has entered pop-culture as a whole, and has been influential not just for other scifi-series, but real world technology as well.
I would not go that far, but I certainly can appreciate JMS's criticisms about the holodeck. It just started feeling like it was overused, and often became a "malfunction of the week" Like any story device, it can be well used or mismanaged. And I think that became more difficult as the series went on.
I think what he was getting at was that with all the wonders of the universe, why do the characters need to go on imaginary adventures and why do we need to watch it?
Come on... It's Only A Paper Moon buries this easily... So does Hollow Pursuits... Two perfect examples where the holodeck is used to such great effect, and they're both terrific stories about very human subjects... Best example perhaps Author, Author... In all three episodes, the holodeck plays a crucial part... And I haven't even mentioned Ship In A Bottle...
Yeah, well the world is full of wonders too, yet people find time to lose themselves in books, movies, tv series... It's part of being human I guess.
Those are good examples of how it can work well in small doses. When it's used too often, and as a way of putting the crew in danger, it almost always becomes contrived and just feels like an excuse to put the familiar characters in different settings and costumes.