Can't they knock?

[Ottens]

Why is it OK for people to walk in on the holo-programs of others?

I'm rewatching "11001001" and Picard just walks in while Riker is kissing Minuet.

In "Hollow Pursuits", Riker, Troi and LaForge walk in on Barclay's fantasies without announcing themselves.

In both cases it's embarrassing. It's also just rude. We always see people ringing the bell before they enter someone's quarters of the captain's ready room. Why do they treat the holodeck differently?

 

[NewHeavensNewEarth]

The holodeck is probably treated more as a public space rather than private quarters. But we did see Data politely call Picard on the phone in his detective program.

 

[shapeshifter]

Because "evolved sensibilities" prohibit embassament for getting caught with your pants down, or whatever....

 

[NCC-73515]

You can probably lock it, which would make people suspicious, which is why they don't do it XD

 

[Ray Hardgrit]

My theory is that at the start of TNG it's still brand new technology and people are still working out what is and isn't acceptable.

By the midpoint of Deep Space Nine it's become illegal to just break in during someone's program. Well, according to Our Man Bashir anyway.

 

[The Wormhole]

It's especially odd given that people have to reserve the holodeck time. If they have to reserve it, they should be entitled to privacy. Though I guess in the case of Hollow Pursuits, Barclay was in the holodeck when he was supposed to be on duty, an argument can be made his superiors had a right to bust in on him.

By the midpoint of Deep Space Nine it's become illegal to just break in during someone's program. Well, according to Our Man Bashir anyway.

Maybe that has something to do with the fact that people on DS9 are paying to use the holodeck, or it could be a Bajor sector law. People still intrude into the holodeck while others are using it all the time on Voyager anyway.

 

[Ottens]

My theory is that at the start of TNG it's still brand new technology and people are still working out what is and isn't acceptable.

By the midpoint of Deep Space Nine it's become illegal to just break in during someone's program. Well, according to Our Man Bashir anyway.

This makes some sense. Especially since people are commenting on Season 1 of TNG on how new the holodeck is. It seems that for most it's a fairly new experience, so it makes some sense there wouldn't be social conventions around it yet.

On the other hand, it's not that hard to imagine from the start people might be using the holodeck to live out romantic and sexual fantasies, and as @NewHeavensNewEarth points out Data did politely call Picard when he was playing a program rather than barge in. And as @The Wormhole points out, people still intrude by the time of Voyager...

 

[Ray Hardgrit]

Voyager left the Alpha Quadrant before Our Man Bashir, so they might be a little behind the times.

 

[Tosk]

By the midpoint of Deep Space Nine it's become illegal to just break in during someone's program. Well, according to Our Man Bashir anyway.

I think the specificity of Bashir's dialogue is potentially key. He says that breaking into a holosuite is illegal. A holosuite, well suited to an individual using it as opposed to a holodeck, designed for much larger numbers at once. It's perhaps like the difference between someone getting dressed in a changing room at a clothing store or doing so in the changing room at the gym. One expects a high level of privacy in one location, but less so in the other.

 

[ThankQ]

On the other hand, it's not that hard to imagine from the start people might be using the holodeck to live out romantic and sexual fantasies

Forget that. It's impossible to imagine people wouldn't be using it for that from day one. It's not like have to wait for the first perv to realize, "Hey, I could use this for fucking."

Because "evolved sensibilities" prohibit embassament for getting caught with your pants down, or whatever....

Who knew that Louis C.K. was centuries ahead of us all in social evolution?

 

[Mojochi]

How many times have we really seen someone entering without permission? Like a handful or so in 7 years? That's not a very numerous sample size of all the people using it. I'd even say it would run nearly continuously, except for whenever Geordi, Barclay, or whoever just happen to need it for some plot convenience in a science or engineering model or something, it's always empty, the second they go there. lol

Point being, the handful of times we see people enter unannounced, could be explainable by just personal preference, general lack of concern or interest in blocking entrance, relaxed social conventions around its use, or at a general society level. Even in Scotty's case, when Picard comes in unannounced, it's likely because Scotty wouldn't have even known to block entrance.

Generally, when we see someone go in there unannounced, it's because they know who's using it, are looking for them, & know they're in there anyhow. All of them are using a public, employer provided utility, while serving together. There's FAR less civilian population milling about there than on DS9. I like @Tosk's comparison upthread of a gym changing room vs a clothing store one.

I imagine that anyone coming to make use of it do actually check the controls to see if it's in use before entering, but otherwise, socially, they might not care.

 

[Ottens]

How many times have we really seen someone entering without permission? Like a handful or so in 7 years? That's not a very numerous sample size of all the people using it.

That's a fair point!

But how many times have we seen people announcing themselves, or ringing the door, or otherwise making contact with people on the holodeck without barging in?

Off the top of my head, the only time I can think of is Data phoning Picard, the example @NewHeavensNewEarth gave earlier. There may be others, though!

 

[jackoverfull]

It’s like when you go to the toilet and walk in on someone that hasn’t locked the door. Why?!

 

[Oddish]

Hopefully, there's some sort of failsafe. If Riker decides he'd rather make the kind of beautiful music you don't need a trombone for with Minuet, one hopes he can at least say "computer, secure holodeck doors" before peeling off his uniform.

 

[JesterFace]

In 'Night Terrors' Beverly and Deanna know how to knock when Picard doesn't answer the door.

 

[F. King Daniel]

I don't think the writers ever thought through the implications of their technology. How we view internet history and porn now is very different to how it was in the late 80's and early 90's. It was a lot more taboo back then. I imagine should we get modern episodes exploring this kind of stuff, there will be much more in the way of privacy.

 

[Takeru]

Forget that. It's impossible to imagine people wouldn't be using it for that from day one. It's not like have to wait for the first perv to realize, "Hey, I could use this for fucking."

We've all seen that episode

 

[jackoverfull]

I don't think the writers ever thought through the implications of their technology. How we view internet history and porn now is very different to how it was in the late 80's and early 90's. It was a lot more taboo back then. I imagine should we get modern episodes exploring this kind of stuff, there will be much more in the way of privacy.

it doesn’t take much experience to guess how the holodeck would be used. In fact in the perfect mate after the metamorp tries to seduce Riker he retreats in the holodeck…

 

[Nerys Myk]

Why is it OK for people to walk in on the holo-programs of others?

I'm rewatching "11001001" and Picard just walks in while Riker is kissing Minuet.

In "Hollow Pursuits", Riker, Troi and LaForge walk in on Barclay's fantasies without announcing themselves.

In both cases it's embarrassing. It's also just rude. We always see people ringing the bell before they enter someone's quarters of the captain's ready room. Why do they treat the holodeck differently?

Perhaps as the XO, Counselor ad Department Head they have override commands?

 

[XCV330]

I don't think the writers ever thought through the implications of their technology. How we view internet history and porn now is very different to how it was in the late 80's and early 90's. It was a lot more taboo back then. I imagine should we get modern episodes exploring this kind of stuff, there will be much more in the way of privacy.

Some of the first .com domains were porn sites.

The first "killer app" of 19th century home electrification was not just the lightbulb, there was also the vibrator. A flying boat pilot and a wealthy socialite inaugurated the Mile High Club in 1916, if it hadn't already been done in a balloon. Holographic pornography, including a simulated fellatio machine was being tested in the 1970's. Debatably, pornographic movie makers opting for VHS over Betamax distribution helped (But not totally decided)VHS's victory in the format war. When I worked at Prodigy in the 90's within a week of launching Chat, management had to start banning child porn chat rooms and pulled customer service people and idle techs into policing the other chat rooms.

The moment any technology is invented, someone figures out a way use it to get off. There's no way the Holodeck wouldn't have been used for that from minute one. Maybe the ship's computer was smart enough to know to put up a privacy screen if anything REALLY raunchy was going on, or maybe it was just understood the holodeck was a public space and you took your risks there.

 

[Ottens]

Perhaps as the XO, Counselor ad Department Head they have override commands?

They probably do, but then you'd expect them to have to voice that override, just like security officers actually have to say "override" in order to gain access to someone else's crew quarters.

Why would the override to enter the holodeck be automatic and the override to enter quarters not?