Star Trek: Questions you always wanted answers to

[Treadwell]

What would happen if two people sprinted in opposite directions in a holodeck? Wouldn't they eventually run into the real physical walls?

I think it would put each of them on their own (forcefield equivalent of a) treadmill, and when they stopped and looked back at each other they'd actually be seeing holodeck versions of each other "far away", blocking their view of the actual much closer person.

 

[Strikerkc]

Speaking of "implementing the advances," was it ever made clear if V'Ger ever actually transmitted all the data it stored? It seems like getting all the stuff V'Ger learned would be a revolutionary change in how the Federation viewed and knew the universe.

I assumed it opted to "transmit" it's data by having a kid. That's why it came back to earth and . So there's some poor kid out there that's half "all that trippy stuff V'Ger found", and half "annoying preppy starship captain", annoying other developed worlds out in the cosmos.

 

[Bigdaddy]

The lack of consistency is part of telling about a thousand individual stories that need tenuous connections. It happens with every concept that becomes a "franchise".
One of the things I like about Trek is being able to watch an episode without getting bogged down with canon.

 

[Sluis Van Shipyards]

Given what Picard said at the end about the knowledge that they got taking decades to examine, it seems unlikely that they would have purged the ship's computer of the records of what Barclay did to the ship. (Beefing up the shields 300% would definitely come in handy.)

That could have ended some of the Borg episodes like hitting a wall. I don't know if the Borg could adapt to shields that strong or not.

 

[blewis17]

I think it would put each of them on their own (forcefield equivalent of a) treadmill, and when they stopped and looked back at each other they'd actually be seeing holodeck versions of each other "far away", blocking their view of the actual much closer person.

Early TNG episodes showed that they would reach the edge of the Holodeck room, and essentially be "stopped" by a forcefield, letting the participants know they were up against the physical edge of the simulation.

I think they never got the scale of the holodeck right for TV in TNG. Different "decks" seemed to vary in size. Realistically, this should not be a 30' x 30' space. You need a gymnasium or warehouse sized room that is 10,000 square feet and at least 3 stories tall, to give participants room to move around.
ALSO: crew members had intimate "romantic interludes" on the holodeck, with holographic people. Can't see how, even in the ST Universe, you could make love to a hologram and have it remotely seem real at all. Unless the holodeck uses the same technology as the Voyager EMH, but then again???!!!
So my question is: are some of the NPC "people" on the holodeck actually robots/droids of some kind, computer controlled? Again, not advanced androids like DATA, but physically materialized synthetic beings (think how the food replicators work) with a robotic endoskeleton and artificial skin, that can interact with crew members in a more convincing way? An advanced love doll, if you will, that is PHYSICALLY PRESENT in the holodeck with the crew member, generated from protomatter (the same way the food replicators work) and constituted/materialized by the transporter, to be a real, physical "body" in the space, not just force fields and light?

First episode of TNG/Encounter at Farpoint. What strikes me here is that Riker has apparently NEVER seen a holodeck?!
DATA explains it to him, how much of it "is real" using transporter technology to create "real" rocks, plants, and trees in the space. Also, they get up against the wall.

So.... if two people tried to run in opposite directions in a holodeck, I feel that you would each reach the edge of the room, and not be able to run any further, rather than have the room put you in a "forcefield treadmill" to make you think you were running forward.

 

[robn1]

From the TNG tech manual, which was based on the writer's guide.

 

[Zombie_61]

...First episode of TNG/Encounter at Farpoint. What strikes me here is that Riker has apparently NEVER seen a holodeck?!
DATA explains it to him, how much of it "is real" using transporter technology to create "real" rocks, plants, and trees in the space...

Well, that explains your "romantic interlude" scenario. The ship's transporter technology creates temporary human/alien companions in the same way that it creates rock, plants, trees, etc.. Considering the number of beings the Enterprise's transporters have beamed here and there it's memory would surely have the "blueprints" for any number of beings/species.

 

[Caveneau]

The transporter was even used to remove a virus by separating it from the host's DNA by using older DNA found in a hair follicle. I always thought that was an awesome concept.

 

[Strikerkc]

Transporters are still the devil.

 

[Sluis Van Shipyards]

The transporter was even used to remove a virus by separating it from the host's DNA by using older DNA found in a hair follicle. I always thought that was an awesome concept.

Well I guess we have an explanation for where the "results" of the "romantic interlude" goes... That would get rid of the Internet questions about who has to clean the holodeck as well.

 

[Strikerkc]

I'm sure the transporters that clear the place up just dump it in tanks that they may some poor ensign clean out. I'm sure there's galactic dumping laws that prevent them from just transporting every errant bit of awfulness out into space as they wizz by. If there's galactic speed limits, there's "brown water" dumping laws...

 

[Riceball]

I'm sure the transporters that clear the place up just dump it in tanks that they may some poor ensign clean out. I'm sure there's galactic dumping laws that prevent them from just transporting every errant bit of awfulness out into space as they wizz by. If there's galactic speed limits, there's "brown water" dumping laws...

That or they simply get recycled for use in the replicators or back into the holodeck. But, if you go by Lower Decks they're stored in tanks that have to be cleaned out by some poor Ensign. At least, that's the case for California class ships.

 

[blewis17]

From the TNG tech manual, which was based on the writer's guide.

View attachment 1353087

That explains one crew member in the room, and the room "scrolls" around them. But I still think that 2 crew members moving away from each other would bump into the wall. Hypothetically speaking, of course.

...and another thing. We know that Quark's Holosuites on DS9 were legalized brothels. I would think Starfleet would have some set of rules about the types of "experiences" allowable on fleet ship Holodecks. Perhaps the computer would not go past first base, if you know what I mean.

What would happen to your mind/psyche, if you could have a "romantic interlude" with any being that you wanted, whenever you wanted? Wouldn't that just destroy any chance of a having a sustainable, meaningful relationship outside of the Holodeck? If you could construct a digital version of, say, your ex, then have them talk, act, and respond to you exactly as you dictate in the simulation.... it would warp your sense of reality when you left the Holodeck. You would be able to spoil yourself to the nth degree. I can imagine the addiction rate must be extremely high. We're getting into Matrix territory here, where you could live you life in a simulation.

We know from our reality, that giving humans their every desire is NEVER a good thing.

 

[Sluis Van Shipyards]

Well they do have holodeck addiction or something because they had the episode with Barclay. I would think anything would be okay, but obviously you could have rape scenarios and some real sick stuff that I'm sure the computer wouldn't allow. Now Quark's holosuites, I don't know.

 

[Strikerkc]

That's why they had a psychic shrink on board. Not to deal with the exploding wall lighting and watching friends get vented into space... To deal with the trauma of how you deal with that other **** on the holodeck.

 

[Strikerkc]

Anyways, I've got one that doesn't involve sketchy concepts and holograms.

What the heck was the energy source in the ship? Weren't the dilithium crystals just related to the warp core/field? Was there another thing that ran all the other crazy tech? I don't remember that coming up.

 

[Zombie_61]

...What would happen to your mind/psyche, if you could have a "romantic interlude" with any being that you wanted, whenever you wanted? Wouldn't that just destroy any chance of a having a sustainable, meaningful relationship outside of the Holodeck?...

It would certainly destroy any chance of having a sustainable, meaningful crew on duty, at least until the novelty wore off.

 

[Caveneau]

Deuterium and tritium. I think the TNG manual says deuterium in slush form.

 

[Treadwell]

DS9 is owned by the Bajorans, so I don't know if that would make a difference. And is it a brothel if the talent isn't real?

 

[robn1]

Anyways, I've got one that doesn't involve sketchy concepts and holograms.

What the heck was the energy source in the ship? Weren't the dilithium crystals just related to the warp core/field? Was there another thing that ran all the other crazy tech? I don't remember that coming up.

That's also in the manual. The warp reactor supplies power for all systems on the ship. There are fusion reactors that take over in an emergency, they can power everything but warp drive.

Deuterium and tritium. I think the TNG manual says deuterium in slush form.

Deuterium, basically a super form of hydrogen, is the "matter", anti-deuterium is the "anti-matter" that fuel the warp reactor. Deuterium also fuels the fusion reactors.