What about using the holodeck for the bridge?

[Romulan_spy]

I had this idea for Star Trek to use the holodeck for the bridge. The holodeck would allow you to customize your stations to anything you want. You could also change your bridge layout on demand to meet different needs. If you needed another science station, just have the holodeck add one. You could also project sensor data on the ceiling like a planetarium. The bridge could "float" in 3D space where the crew could just look around to see what is around the ship. It would provide the ultimate in situational awareness, especially in space combat.

Why not?

 

[DonIago]

Because if the holodeck's power gets disrupted you suddenly have no bridge (at least until things are rerouted)?

 

[Romulan_spy]

Because if the holodeck's power gets disrupted you suddenly have no bridge (at least until things are rerouted)?

I thought of that. To address this problem, the holo-bridge could have it's own independent power source as a back up. If the main power gets cut, the holo-bridge automatically goes to its back up power.

 

[Tosk]

Wouldn't it be easier just to have holo-emitters on the bridge? Then you could do all the things you listed and still have a normal functioning bridge too.

 

[DonIago]

Given that with LCARS interfaces all consoles can theoretically be reconfigured as needed/desired, I'm not sure I'm seeing any advantage here. Also what Tosk said.

Also if the holobridge malfunctions then suddenly you're sticking your hand through your console.

 

[Richard Baker]

The Matrix films showed an interesting 'holo' control room for Dock management.
Regarding a virtual weapons control, the Babylon 5 spinoff movie, "The Legend of the Rangers" used one where the weapons officer entered a special chamber and as they gloated in space they threw punches at replicas of nearby enemy craft which in turn fired the ships guns matching the move.
It looked both practical and silly

 

[Bry_Sinclair]

Stations can already be reconfigured for whatever function is needed, as we saw in "Chain of Command", though if they really needed extra stations then the ships battle bridge/auxiliary control room could be used with overflow functions being handled by them.

 

[DonIago]

^Main Engineering as well.

 

[Richard Baker]

It was conceived that the Enterprise D could be controlled by a crewman walking down a corridor using a reconfigured PADD.

 

[Relayer1]

Had an idea for a fanfic years ago - kind of Voyager scenario, a ship stranded way "out there" but with only one survivor.

Said survivor used automation wherever possible and installed holoprojectors where needed so that "crew" could perform essential functions. Then configured the holodeck itself as the bridge/sickbay/recroom so they could maintain as normal an environment as possible (with company) for the voyage home.

 

[DonIago]

That sounds incredibly lonely. :/

 

[TommyR01D]

You could probably replace the entire ship that way - though of course any serious power outage would be crippling.

 

[Bry_Sinclair]

@Relayer1 interesting concept, was that lone survivor Reg Barclay perchance?

 

[Relayer1]

@Relayer1 interesting concept, was that lone survivor Reg Barclay perchance?

That sounds incredibly lonely. :/

The character was more of a Ryker type - very competent but sociable and equally concerned with keeping it together mentally and avoiding isolation.

I always thought Thomas Riker would have been more traumatised by his stranding than he was in TNG.

 

[DonIago]

I agree, Tom Riker seemed remarkably well put-together given years of isolation.

Almost...too remarkably well put-together...dun dun DUNNNNNN!!!

Now I'm imagining "Second Chances" revolving around Tom surreptitiously beaming Will down to the planet and replacing him. "Let's see how you like it."

 

[Mark_Nguyen]

The key fallacy of holodeck tech is that if you lose power, whatever you're interacting with disappears. Even with a backup power supply, this idea would still be terribly vulnerable to any number of anomalies or what-have-yous out there that would suck dry ALL the power sources on the ship.

Instead, why not consider a bridge that is effectively a big replicator chamber - you would still be able to call up stations, furniture, and reconfigure everything you have from known console templates. You can even tag the created elements somehow as fit for de-rezzing when you no longer need them (so you don't accidentally make the crew disappear as well).

That way, all the controls would remain tangible (and plugged in) even when the power goes out, so at least you won't fall to the decking on a holo-bridge when your chairs disappear.

Mark

 

[DonIago]

I'm not sure how that's significantly better than consoles that can already be reconfigured as needed?

 

[Kamen Rider Blade]

Imagine if somebody hacked your HoloDeck bridge, oh the number of ways you can turn off Holodeck safeties to kill the crew.

 

[DonIago]

It would be ironic if you created a holobridge for a ship where the viewscreen is a window, and then died from explosive decompression when the safeties failed and the window broke.

Of course, "Spirit Folk" had the nonsensical development of holodeck-created bullets hitting the panel that would oh-so-conveniently disable the safeties...

 

[Richard Baker]

I was thinking a while back about using holographic ship's security. With emitters scattered around modern vessels like the Prometheus you could have a number of them anywhere instantly. The really cool thing though is that they could be any form which would be advantageous, instead of a red shirt they could be an armored spider or a stack of whirling knives...