Star Trek: 10 Things We NOW Know About The Holodeck
1. Called It
When the traditional holodeck set was designed for The Next Generation, finance was the decider when it came to the black and yellow box. A standard case of cost-saving creativity, this became an iconic image, one recently resurrected (and sent back through time) to appear in Strange New Worlds.
The downside of cost-saving is a lack of detail, so it wasn't until the holosuites of Deep Space Nine that the audience got to have a look at the mechanics behind those walls. The Cardassian-designed pleasure rooms would then inspire those found aboard Voyager, and that secret location used by Section 31 in 2374.
All of these versions together combine to become yet another example of Star Trek predicting technology of the modern day. Where The Original Series offered mobile phone technology (or at least a variation of) and The Next Generation predicted the iPad, the holodeck was a precursor to (and technically a descendant of) virtual reality technology, such as VR headsets, widely available in 2025.
Perhaps companies like Apple or Samsung watched Sulu and Uhura in the Recreation Room, or Wesley Crusher fall into a creek on the holodeck, and thought: that's what we need! The advent of computer technology and imaging, combined with VR headsets, can effectively place the user in their very own holodeck, right down to the uncertainty of up, down, or left and right.
Star Trek has been ahead of the curve since the '60s, though one hopes that when the black and yellow holodeck becomes slightly more affordable, there are more ethical guidelines for the use of individuals' appearances than seem to have been in place in Hollow Pursuits.