Editing Holodeck (section)

{{short description|Star Trek device}}
{{more citations needed|date=September 2021}}
{{Infobox fictional artifact
|name      = Holodeck
|image     = Holodeck2.jpg
|imagesize = 
|caption   = A vacant holodeck on the [[USS Enterprise (NCC-1701-D)|''Enterprise''-D]]; the [[arch]] and exit are prominent.
}}

The '''Holodeck''' is a fictional device from the television franchise ''[[Star Trek]]'' which uses "holograms" (projected light and electromagnetic energy which create the illusion of solid objects) to create a [[Virtual reality|realistic 3D simulation]] of a real or imaginary setting, in which participants can freely interact with the environment as well as objects and characters, and sometimes a predefined narrative.

In several series, holodecks are an amenity available to the crew of starships. In the series ''[[Star Trek: Deep Space Nine]]'', a similar device is referred to as a '''holosuite''', operated by the owner of the space station's bar, [[Quark (Star Trek)|Quark]], who rents them out to customers.

From a storytelling point of view, the holodeck permits the introduction of a wide variety of locations and characters, such as events and persons in the [[Earth]]'s past, or imaginary places or beings, that would otherwise require the use of plot mechanisms such as time-travel or dream sequences. Writers often use it as a way to pose philosophical questions.