Summary
- The first Star Trek holodeck episode, "The Big Goodbye," introduces a cliché of future holodeck episodes, but is still highly entertaining.
- Despite its illogical mechanics, the holodeck is an incredible technology that allows people to visit their favorite fictional worlds and eras.
- Holodeck episodes in Star Trek offer actors a chance to play alternate versions of their characters and provide insight into their development.
The first Star Trek episode to prominently feature the holodeck comes in Star Trek: The Next Generation season 1, and while the episode itself is great, it introduces an element that becomes a cliché in future holodeck episodes. In TNG season 1, episode 12, "The Big Goodbye," Captain Jean-Luc Picard (Patrick Stewart) takes a break from his duties as captain of the USS Enterprise-D to try out the ship's newly upgraded holodeck. Picard takes on the persona of fictional hard-boiled detective Dixon Hill and invites a few of his crew along for the ride.
Captain Picard, Lt. Commander Data (Brent Spiner), Dr. Beverly Crusher (Gates McFadden), and ship's historian Whalen (David Selburg) don their period-accurate mobster gear and step into San Francisco of the 1940s. They marvel at how real the holographic environment around them looks, from the cars on the street to the people who populate the program. Everyone gets caught up in the story of Dixon Hill and everything seems to be going well until Whalen is shot with a very real bullet. Dr. Crusher states that his injury could prove fatal if he is not taken to sickbay soon, but the holodeck refuses to respond to any commands, leaving the crew trapped inside.
Star Trek: TNG’s First Holodeck Episode Created Its Biggest Cliche
"The Big Goodbye" is an incredibly fun episode with great performances from the main cast, but some of the mechanics of the holodeck do not make sense. The holodeck malfunctions after an alien probe scans the Enterprise, which somehow turns off the safety features, traps Picard and the others inside, and cuts off communications to and from the holodeck. For one thing, it's unclear why the holodeck would have safety features that can be turned off or why it would be able to craft real bullets. Logically, the holodeck should shut off when any malfunctions occur, reverting back to a regular room.
As Ensign Wesley Crusher (Wil Wheaton) works with Lt. Geordi La Forge (LeVar Burton) to repair the holodeck, he says that shutting the holodeck down could cause the crew inside to "vanish." This makes even less sense and raises a whole host of questions about the nature of the holodeck. In future Star Trek holodeck episodes, the safety protocols would continue to malfunction, although the danger of the people inside dematerializing is never mentioned again. Still, if one ignores the illogical inconsistencies of the holodeck technology, "The Big Goodbye" is an immensely entertaining episode that allows the characters (and the actors) to have a little fun.
Why Star Trek Holodeck Episodes Are So Popular
Despite its frequent malfunctions, the holodeck is an incredible piece of technology the likes of which people of the 21st century can only dream about. It's clear why it would be such a popular feature on starships and starbases, as it allows people to visit their favorite fictional worlds or eras of history. While Star Trek: The Original Series had genre episodes such as the very fun "A Piece of the Action," they had to create an often thin explanation for why an alien planet resembled Earth of the past. The holodeck removes any limitations, opening up the doors for the creative teams behind Star Trek to do all kinds of fun genre episodes.
"The Big Goodbye" recreates the hard-boiled detective genre, but later holodeck episodes would dive into Westerns, spy thrillers, and old-school sci-fi serials, among others. Episodes on the holodeck give the actors a chance to wear something other than their Starfleet uniforms and play alternate versions of their characters. The best holodeck episodes offer insight into the characters and help them work through their problems. While the first-ever holodeck episode in Star Trek: The Next Generation may have introduced some cliches, it also led to a long line of fun and entertaining Star Trek episodes.