Directed by Jonathan Frakes with a script written by Dana Horgan and Kathryn Lyn, Star Trek: Strange New Worlds season 3, episode 4, "A Space Adventure Hour," delivers a classic holodeck episode centered on a 1960s murder mystery. The episode tells a fun story filled with references to past Trek, but it also answers some questions about holodeck technology in the 23rd century.
When Captain Christopher Pike (Anson Mount) assigns Lt. La'an Noonien Singh (Christina Chong) to test out the new holodeck (or recreation room), she channels her inner detective. What follows is a fun murder mystery that offers insight into La'an as a character, while also giving the Strange New Worlds cast members the chance to play someone different.
Strange New Worlds Finally Answered Star Trek’s Enterprise Holodeck Question 52 Years After The Animated Series
La'an Embarks On A Holodeck Adventure That Quickly Turns Dangerous
In Star Trek: The Animated Series season 2, episode 3, "The Practical Joker," the Starship Enterprise computer plays practical jokes on Captain James T. Kirk (William Shatner) and his crew. Several of the crew members hide out in the ship's recreation room, which is essentially a holodeck in everything but name.
In order for the holographic characters in La'an's simulation to be detailed enough, they must use the bio-signatures that are already in the Enterprise's transporter buffer. This nicely explains why all of the characters are portrayed by the regular cast members.
Meanwhile, Lt. Scotty (Martin Quinn) keeps the rest of the Enterprise's systems running, as the holodeck draws massive amounts of power. Before long, the holodeck malfunctions, disabling the safety protocols and communications, and preventing La'an from exiting the program. After successfully solving the mystery, La'an and Scotty report that: "While holodeck technology certainly holds promise, the risks outweigh the potential benefits."
Why Kirk’s Enterprise Had No Holodeck In The Star Trek Movies
Holodeck Technology Wasn't Reliable In The 23rd Century
Not only did the holodeck endanger La'an's life, but the power it took from the rest of the Enterprise's systems nearly resulted in the ship's destruction. In light of this, Captain Pike has no interest in keeping the technology on his ship. Based on the appearance of the recreation room in Star Trek: The Original Series, Captain Kirk apparently had the technology added to his ship sometime after he took command.
By the time of Star Trek: The Next Generation, the holodeck had become standard on Galaxy-class ships, but the Enterprise-D crew still suffered their fair share of holodeck malfunctions. Clearly, the technology still had its problems, but the holodeck allowed the writers of TNG to tell more genre stories without having the crew visit so many planets with surprising parallels to Earth's past.
Captain Pike Removing Enterprise’s Holodeck Calls Back To Star Trek: Discovery
Pike Prefers A More Old-School Approach To Technology
At the end of "A Space Adventure Hour," La'an and Scotty inform Captain Pike about the various problems with holodeck technology. Considering the malfunctioning holodeck almost led to the destruction of the Enterprise, Pike suggests locking the technology "in a box deep underground somewhere." When Scotty proposes a potential solution to the power drain problem, Pike says to add it as a footnote, "in small print."
Captain Pike has no interest in holodeck technology and wants it removed from his ship, just as he did in Star Trek: Discovery season 2. The Enterprise had been outfitted with holographic communications technology, which Captain Pike ordered be removed after it began wreaking havoc on the ship's systems.
