Why didn't Starfleet dismantle holodecks on all starships after.....

[Steven P Bastien]

You’ve never been stuck 70K light years from home without knowing if you’ll ever SEE home again.

I think you are on target with there being a need for something like a holodeck on a ship. Lack of nature, cramped quarters, boredom and other factors can contribute to depression. I know for myself just getting sunlight in the winter can help my mood. And, I'm sure for some people a holodeck could help quite a bit with loneliness. Still, we should distinguish between loneliness and depression. Loneliness is usually a result of loss of interaction with people. It seems to me that interaction with real people is the best cure for that. If that is not available, I would certainly take a holodeck as the next best thing. I can't help thinking of Wilson in "Castaway".

I can only speak for myself, and I have to acknowledge that I never tried a holodeck (because they don't exist yet), but for me, if I'm lonely, I will seek out other real people. If I'm depressed or bored, I'm heading to the holodeck fast.

 

[The Wormhole]

Holodecks are vital to the mood and even the mental health of the crew. This is especially true with long duration missions, or when a ship is stranded far from home (a la Voyager).

Truth be told, Starfleet ships are surprisingly Spartan, recreationally speaking compared to naval vessels of today. Aside from holodecks, the only thing on board a Galaxy class ship for recreation is Ten Forward. An aircraft carrier, for example has a bowling alley and a movie theatre. Although, Constitution class starships are supposed to have bowling alleys and swimming pools. Considering the millions of dollars militaries of today spend on entertainment for its personnel, Starfleet really skimps on entertainment.. Even DS9 didn't seem to have to go for it aside from Quark's.

I mean, crow all you like about how the holodecks on VOY always worked and had power,

It was a bit silly in the episode Night when the entire ship lost power, but the holodeck continued to run.

 

[Steven P Bastien]

Truth be told, Starfleet ships are surprisingly Spartan, recreationally speaking compared to naval vessels of today.

Yes, but that's because the holodeck is the "Swiss Army Knife" of recreational facilities. If there were no holodeck then other facilities would be there, at least on the bigger ships. In "Enterprise", the ship did not have all that much because it is small, so we can compare that to a submarine where space is too limited, but TNG's enterprise is more like a carrier. Bowling alley is no problem, but the bowling alley is already in the holodeck. How come nobody uses it?

 

[The Wormhole]

Yes, but that's because the holodeck is the "Swiss Army Knife" of recreational facilities. If there were no holodeck then other facilities would be there, at least on the bigger ships. In "Enterprise", the ship did not have all that much because it is small, so we can compare that to a submarine where space is too limited, but TNG's enterprise is more like a carrier. Bowling alley is no problem, but the bowling alley is already in the holodeck. How come nobody uses it?

Well, I was going to point out there is a limited amount of holodecks, Voyager only had two for example, but then a Google search reveals a Galaxy class has sixteen holodecks. Yeah, I guess that would take care of most recreational needs.

 

[dahj]

They tried dismantling them... but there was an accident.

 

[Boomstick]

The US won't ban guns, and their recreational capacity is much lower than a holodeck.

 

[Prax]

In "Night" I like how the holodeck just froze. I'm sure it requires energy to disintegrate all that stuff.

Anyways, if Vger didn't have a holodeck to stave off the restlessness, they'd probably start killing aliens and shoving them into the warp core.

 

[The Wormhole]

In "Night" I like how the holodeck just froze. I'm sure it requires energy to disintegrate all that stuff.

Actually, it didn't really freeze, the lights just shut off, but the program was still running. It still rendered everything within in monochrome, and the holodeck computer still responded to commands, like when Seven requested the safeties be disengaged so she could use Captain Proton's ray gun on the intruding alien.

 

[Shawnster]

Which was dumb. It's always dumb when the holodeck program loses power and still generates imagery that requires power generate.

 

[Prax]

Much of the stuff in the holodeck simulation is actual matter, yes?

 

[F. King Daniel]

Actually, it didn't really freeze, the lights just shut off, but the program was still running. It still rendered everything within in monochrome, and the holodeck computer still responded to commands, like when Seven requested the safeties be disengaged so she could use Captain Proton's ray gun on the intruding alien.

Which was dumb. It's always dumb when the holodeck program loses power and still generates imagery that requires power generate.

Remember guys, Voyager was the show where the writers and producers didn't get that The Doctor was actually an AI wearing a holographic avatar.

 

[Shawnster]

Much of the stuff in the holodeck simulation is actual matter, yes?

That seems to vary based on plot. Everything seems to go from solid to not on a moments notice.

 

[Prax]

like dirty dishes

 

[Mr. Laser Beam]

Much of the stuff in the holodeck simulation is actual matter, yes?

Correct.

If stuff needs to be real (like food), the program will replicate it, as opposed to projecting it.

 

[Laura Cynthia Chambers]

Whether the decks' primary intention is training/design/simulation, and secondary is rec, or vice versa, it allows for a change in scenery and escape from boredom. So medical might consider it a form of mental health treatment. I will also add that loneliness is not required; many hologames are/can be cooperative.

That raises the issue of memories, though. As far as I know, nobody now reads a novel and mis-remembers having actually lived the main character's life, or done something like that in the real world. Unless they develop dementia or some other neurological condition, that is. (In cases of incurable such condtitions, I could see Star Trek-era retirement/nursing homes allowing patients to live in a holoprogram of whatever era they think they're stuck in, much like some have 50's style neighbourhoods for their patients to dwell in.)

But a sane, mentally healthy person can be fooled into believing what happened on the holodeck actually happened, with real-life consequences. I guess the closest parallel is waking from a bad dream and thinking it's real.