What creative uses can you think of for Holographic tech?

This doesn’t make any sense. Of course planets will be explored if there are incentives to do so even if 100% safety isn’t assured and even if holomatter avatars couldn’t be used for some reason. But if they could be, and until there is a specific need to go there in person, how do you justify doing it?

Remember, we’re talking about procedures one could face disciplinary action over if it couldn’t be proven that all the necessary precautions had been taken. Vague appeals to “human nature” and “healthy middle ground” aren’t going to fly there. You’ll need to be very specific on why a member of your crew had to die from a spear wound if a holographic avatar would’ve worked in that situation. The same goes for sending an entire starship instead of using a transwarp beam.

 

Ok, on planet I get. The starship no, that makes no sense.

 

What about a starship?

 

You need ships in case stargates go funky

 

We said that, and besides, it’s transwarp beaming of your holomatter avatar, not a stargate. You could also beam the drone close to a star (with the hologram turned off) and enjoy a 3D view from orbit while sensor data is coming in all around you.

 

Okay so imagine you meet your date on the holodeck and things get sexy. What's to stop everyone wearing snapchat-like holographic filters over their own bodies? 10" captain's log, enourmous boobs, flat tummies, rippling muscles, thicker hair... and with portable emitters a la Voyager coming along, nobody would be "real" anymore.

 

They aren’t now…I don’t hear my voice on an old tape recorder for instance.

 

Because in Trek, humans and other species in UFP behave differently.
They would have no need to hide themselves behind filters or enhance their private parts as such notions would have been binned a long time ago and the society in which they live in is not consumer/capitalist/superficial.

Now if you're referring to real life... atm, some people would in fact be doing just that because we still live in a system that prompts highly superficial behavior... but if you're planning on meeting someone live, then what's the point in hiding what you look like behind a holo-filter?

The trust factor would not be present, and that's a huge deal for many people.