And no, I don’t mean myself. I mean the Ryan we read for class.
I was thinking quite a bit about the things we discussed yesterday in class, about VR and the ramifications thereof. It occurred to me that we discussed both VR as a concept, as a limitless pursuit of dream and imagination and the creation thereof, and as a physical manifestation of a virtual world. That had me thinking quite a bit about the holodeck from Star Trek and where it fit into yesterday’s presentation.
Learning that I may well be the only Trekkie (former, but still a fan) in the class made me realize that the holodeck and the use of the holodeck as a representative metaphor may not be the best for this class’ understanding of VR. In Star Trek, the holodeck acts as an advanced entertainment center. The room functions on the basis of being programmed and then being adaptable, much like the Primer in The Diamond Age. To begin with, a user enters the holodeck, basically a square room, often black with yellow lines creating grids along the walls and floor, though sometimes (in the god-awful redesign done for Star Trek: Voyager, the poorly constructed fourth Star Trek series) it is built of reflecting lights and metallic beams running the length of the room. Once inside the holodeck, the user calls up the computer and specifies perameters for the program they wish to create. Star Trek shows everything from a simple location (the character Geordi La Forge goes on a date with a woman where they use the holodeck to go to the beach) to well known theatrical works (the characters Data and Captain Picard both use the holodeck to act in Shakespearian plays- Tempest and Henry IV spring to mind) to completely imagined worlds (one crewman creates new adventures of the Three Musketeers, with him as the main character, while Data uses it to play out new Sherlock Holmes mysteries, and the captain actually creates an old-style pulp detective setting for himself). The holodeck can also, through accessing psychological and personality records, create a myriad of realistic people with completely realistic responses, and in some cases can create a historical person whose personality comes extremely close to the actual. Finally, there are numerous “holodeck episodes” where holodeck characters achieve self-awareness. They actually come into being and exist. They cannot leave the holodeck as they are only “phased light representations,” but they can feel, think, deduce, and actually have a full understanding of the world around them. It occurs to me that this is similar to the idea of having a VR house. It isn’t the code of a house, or the idea of a house, or the symbol of a house. It is a house. It exists because the virtual world is all about possibility. If the possibility can be, the reality can be. I think this is where Ryan presents the most interesting theory. But the thing of it is, virtual reality is hard to wrap one’s brain around. Even I, after that whole explanation I gave, can’t fully understand what is being talked about as the pure potential aspect of VR. I can see how there is VR that can become real, created, but I cannot conceive of it as an idea that becomes reality through the idea, if that makes sense. It’s a fascinating subject, and one I would hope to explore more in the future. Hopefully, by the time I’m sixty, we’ll have holodecks. Wouldn’t that be fun?
From Star Trek: Deep Space 9, Way of the Warrior
As we hear Dax and Kira arguing as they come down the
spiral stairs near the board. They’re dressed like
princesses from a medieval fairy tale, complete
with pointed hats and veils.
DAX
I can’t believe you did that.
KIRA
He didn’t leave me any choice.
BASHIR
What did she do?
DAX
She knocked out Lancelot.
KIRA
He kissed me.
DAX
He’s supposed to kiss you.
KIRA
But I was playing a married woman.
