Star Trek’s First Holodeck Really Happened 110 Years Before Strange New Worlds

Starfleet's first encounter with holodeck technology happened 110 years before Star Trek: Strange New Worlds. Directed by Jonathan Frakes, and written by Dana Horgan and Kathryn Lyn, Star Trek: Strange New Worlds season 3, episode 4, "A Space Adventure Hour," creates a holodeck murder mystery for Lt. La'an Noonien-Singh (Christina Chong) to solve.

Star Trek: The Next Generation's series premiere, "Encounter at Farpoint," introduced the holodeck as it became popularly known. Holodeck episodes in multiple Star Trek series became a fan-favorite staple, and holodeck technology was also spotlighted in Star Trek: The Next Generation's movies, all of which are set in the 24th century.

Star Trek: Strange New Worlds season 3, episode 4, reveals that Captain Christopher Pike's (Anson Mount) USS Enterprise was tasked with testing out holodecks on starships in 2261. This predates holodecks in TNG's era by a century. However, one Starfleet Officer experienced a holodeck 110 years before La'an on Strange New Worlds.

Starfleet’s First Encounter With A Holodeck In Star Trek’s Timeline Was In Enterprise

Trip Tucker Was The First Starfleet Officer To Experience Holodeck Technology

Star Trek: Enterprise season 1, episode 5, "Unexpected," was the first time a member of Starfleet set foot in what was essentially a holodeck. In this early Enterprise episode, Commander Trip Tucker (Connor Trinneer) comes aboard a Xyrillian ship, where its engineer, Ah'len (Julianne Christie), shows Trip the wonders of a changeable holographic environment.

Taking place in 2151, Star Trek: Enterprise season 1, episode 5, happens 110 years before Star Trek: Strange New Worlds season 3, episode 4. However, this Enterprise outing isn't remembered as a holodeck episode, although "Unexpected" lets the first Star Trek prequel series toy with showing an ersatz holodeck in the 22nd century.

Star Trek: Enterprise's "Unexpected" is, rather, a forgettable romp centering on Trip Tucker getting pregnant by the Xyrillian despite being male. Yet the introduction of holodeck technology on Enterprise can be considered a seed that would later lead Starfleet to embrace holodecks on starships and starbases.

When Was Star Trek’s Real First Holodeck Episode?

It Was In Star Trek: The Animated Series

Star Trek's first holodeck episode technically happened 13 years before Star Trek: The Next Generation's series premiere in 1987. Star Trek: The Animated Series season 2, episode 3, "The Practical Joker," introduced the 'recreation room,' essentially a proto-holodeck, aboard the USS Enterprise.

Star Trek: The Animated Series' "The Practical Joker" is also the first instance of a holodeck malfunction that endangered the crew of Captain Kirk's Starship Enterprise. Star Trek: Strange New Worlds season 3, episode 4, nodded to TAS when Captain Pike called the holodeck the "recreation room," and Strange New Worlds' holodeck malfunction now predates TAS's by 9 years.

Star Trek: Strange New Worlds introducing the holodeck, even if it didn't catch on in 2261, essentially sets up the holodeck/recreation room in Star Trek: The Animated Series, which continued the voyages of Star Trek: The Original Series. But in Star Trek's timeline, Trip Tucker was the first known human to marvel at holodeck technology on Star Trek: Enterprise.