Wait, How Can the Enterprise Have a Holodeck Before Captain Kirk’s Time?

With Star Trek: Strange New Worlds returning for Season 3 connected July 17, the selling is astir to vigor up for the continuing ngo of Captain Pike and the remainder of the unit of the USS Enterprise. But immoderate Trek fans whitethorn beryllium a spot confused by the teaser trailer for the caller season, which hints astatine the inclusion of a holodeck – exertion that wasn’t truly seen successful the satellite of Trek until Captain Picard’s Next Generation adventures kicked disconnected successful 1987.

Since TNG was acceptable astir 100 years aft The Original Series, which successful and of itself is acceptable astir a decennary aft Strange New Worlds, this infinitesimal successful the teaser trailer seems similar a spot of a continuity gaffe. And yet there’s Spock (Ethan Peck) and La’An (Christina Chong) lasting connected the precise acquainted grid of the holodeck – La’An adjacent has connected play clothing, indicating she’s heading into immoderate holo-adventure.

Watch the teaser here:

Other shots successful the trailer look to beryllium mounting up a murder-mystery occurrence – Clue successful space! – with the full formed getting to play dress-up… nary uncertainty connected the holodeck with La’An. But again, you ask, wherefore is determination a holodeck connected the OG Enterprise astatine all!?

Well, archetypal of all, let’s enactment speech each the different possibilities that sci-fi (or adjacent basal storytelling) connection us. This could beryllium a dream, oregon it could beryllium an alien creation, similar a world created by Q (or a Q-type being similar Trelane, the TOS one-and-done quality who turned retired to fundamentally beryllium a babe Q, and is rumored to beryllium returning for this play of SNW). Or this could beryllium clip travel! Or an alternate reality! Or…

Nah, this is simply a holodeck. But the happening is, the holodeck didn’t originate connected Next Generation. Not really. In fact, the conception goes backmost to this mentation of the Enterprise (no bloody A, B, C oregon D…). According to Memory Alpha, the publication Inside Star Trek: The Real Story reports that Trek creator Gene Roddenberry wanted to see a holodeck-like country connected the vessel successful the 3rd play of The Original Series, but fund constraints proved prohibitive. He yet did get the thought onscreen, however, connected Star Trek: The Animated Series successful 1974. In the occurrence “The Practical Joker,” a mentation of the holodeck is featured – but it’s called a “recreation room.” Sulu, Dr. McCoy and Uhura usage it to spell to the beach, and past to a forest, but adjacent backmost past holodeck malfunctions were a thing. (The ship’s machine becomes the applicable joker of the occurrence rubric and causes each kinds of mischief for the folks successful the rec room.)

But beyond that, Star Trek: Discovery besides featured thing that was holodeck-adjacent, if not an existent holodeck. This was successful Season 1 of that series, which is acceptable adjacent earlier than Strange New Worlds. Captain Lorca (Jason Isaacs) and Ash Tyler (Shazad Latif) are undergoing immoderate subject grooming exercises successful what amounts to a holographic setting. There’s nary grid connected the wall, but past again, there’s nary malfunction either! Seems similar a win?

All of which is to say, yes, holodeck tech did beryllium successful immoderate signifier backmost during Captain Pike’s era. Now let’s spot if they telephone it a “rec room” – if they do, past you’ll cognize the writers are truly paying attraction to Trek history.