The holosuite reminded Sisko of a particular time and place in Human history he personally wasn't very fond of.
Sisko's dislike of the Vic Fontaine holosuite program
- Thread starter Vanyel
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So what exactly differentiates Data from Vic or The Doctor? While Vic and the Doctor are holograms whose programming comes from an outsider source, it is still programming. Like I mentioned Data's only difference is that he is a physical being, a walking pile of programming who even refers to making subroutines (programming changes and/or additions) in order to deal with new situations, something the Doctor could also do. But for whatever reason, Data couldn't create a subroutine to bypass his programming and allow him to say "can't" or "they're" or "it's" or any other contraction. He is both more and less limited than Vic or the Doctor; yet he was considered a being, a life form by those who knew him or knew of him. So why not Vic and the Doctor?
That's not even holding any water. If the holosuite reminded him of a period in history he didn't like, then it doesn't matter if he was never there because he still didn't like that period.
quite a bit, actually. Data was deliberately created to have the capacity for growth and self-awareness, to develop beyond the boundaries of his program.
The EMH was designed as a very limited program that was highly specialized to do one task. It's "personality" was basically a copy of Dr. Zimmerman. It was more like a holodeck character than true AI.
Doesn't explain then how the EMH developed over 7 years, became infinitely more than a very limited program.
Not even remotely, because you're saying that Sisko isn't entitled to dislike something he finds disagreeable.
Sure he is but that someone living that far in the future wouldn't resonate with something so completely socially irrelevant to him. Watching a film about historical social injustice would not stir up personal feelings of injustice unless there was something wrong with the self-worth of future person. So we can watch Schindler's List and weep for the tragedy of humanity but not feel as though the act of watching it makes us directly complicit in Kristallnacht.
Why wouldn't it be relevant to him? You think that Sisko is ignorant about Earth history or the history of his ancestors? If Sisko is even remotely aware that he would have faced discrimination and persecution at a particular place and time in Earth's history just because of the color of his skin, that's more than enough reason for him not to like that particular place and time.
That makes no sense whatsoever. If you're enraged by something despicable that happened in the past, it's only because you have a self-esteem problem? That's the dumbest thing I've heard in a long time.
Sisko was angry at the general idea, angry at that period in earth's history - not personally offended because it affected him, but disgusted that it happened at all. "Personal feelings of injustice" had little or nothing to do with it.
I'm not saying his reaction was completely justified or realistic, but saying he only reacted that way because of low self-esteem is incredibly stupid.
Sisko was angry at the general idea, angry at that period in earth's history - not personally offended because it affected him, but disgusted that it happened at all. "Personal feelings of injustice" had little or nothing to do with it.
I'm not saying his reaction was completely justified or realistic, but saying he only reacted that way because of low self-esteem is incredibly stupid.
So if an entity that wasn't intended to become sentient does so anyway, it shouldn't count?
Tell it to the nanites and exocomps.
I just took a moment to imagine how Trek fans might react if Janeway had told Torres to fresh-boot the EMH because it was never designed to develop sentience.
There's nothing to suggest it was poorly scripted. Sisko merely expressed his personal dislike of a particular era in history. Why is he "flawed" for that? Heck, he even put his personal feelings about the era aside and was okay with the holosuite program in the end.
Well there's the fact that from his perspective it'd be like you being personally, deeply against a TV programme about the early 1700s. Then there's the fact that he doesn't care about other holodeck fantasies at all. Not bothered about the rape and murder white washed out of the Viking conquests of Julian and Miles, or any number of other things he could object to in other popular holodeck programmes. Just a fantasy Vagas playground people like.
It's bizarre just how big a mountain fans have made out of this molehill. It's not like Sisko spent the whole episode ranting and raving about how racist the program was and how everyone who uses it is racist, and how he won't allow that filth on his space station. His only rebuke was the entirely appropriate one over the crew using their on duty time and Ops resources to, in essence, play a video game.
Why did he think the entertainment program had anything to do with history? And why did he think participating in an entertainment program compromised his integrity? And what did it say about his disconnect with his entire senior staff who had no problem with it? That's the embarrassing bit. Poor scripting.
Although Brett is correct. The whole episode was infantile.
Although Brett is correct. The whole episode was infantile.
