Star Trek: Discovery's Real-Life "Holodeck"
Star Trek: Discovery has ushered in a new era for Star Trek television shows, allowing them to create any strange new world and environment imaginable thanks to their real-life "Holodeck."
Past Star Trek series and movies created strange new worlds using matte paintings, styrofoam sets, and CGI. However, Star Trek: Discovery introduced the Ar Wall, which is similar to The Volume used by Star Wars shows like The Mandalorian. The AR Wall is a massive 270-degree LED screen located in Toronto that can digitally and realistically create any environment - which is as close to an actual Holodeck as Star Trek has achieved in real life so far.
Paramount+ released a behind-the-scenes video compilation called Star Trek: Discovery: The Making of Season 5, where executive producer and director Olatunde Osunsanmi discussed how Star Trek: Discovery innovated the use of LED lights on set before implementing the Ar Wall, which was dubbed "the holodeck," starting in Star Trek: Discovery season 4.
"The other thing that’s fascinating is how we’ve innovated the sets," said Osunsanmi. "The Virtual Production wall, which we call the holodeck, it just expands the universe in ways that are incalculable."
Star Trek: Discovery series lead and producer Sonequa Martin-Green, who plays Captain Michael Burnham, also spoke about what it's like acting with the Ar Wall's virtual environment.
Star Trek: Discovery Also Changed The Holodeck In The 32nd Century
Reflecting advancements in 32nd-century technology in-universe, Star Trek: Discovery also upgraded the holodeck. Like personal transporters and equipment made of programmable matter, holodecks in Star Trek: Discovery are now portable. Holodecks and holosuites used to be huge rooms aboard starships and space stations, but, starting in Star Trek: Discovery season 4, Captain Michael Burnham could create a holographic environment inside her own Captain's quarters.
Star Trek: Discovery season 5 also created another portable kind of holodeck with Dr. Kovich's (David Cronenberg) Infinity Room.
One issue with personal holodecks that Star Trek: Discovery failed to address is the furniture in Burnham's quarters when she's using a holodeck environment, and how she doesn't bump into things when moving around her room.
Star Trek's AR wall is also used by other live-action series and movies like Star Trek: Strange New Worlds, Star Trek: Section 31, and soon, Star Trek: Starfleet Academy. Strange New Worlds has used the AR wall to create environs like Rigel VII, expand the USS Enterprise's Engineering section, and create the otherworldly space of the Kerkovians.
Star Trek on Paramount+'s visual effects are state of the art and keep pushing the envelope, with Star Trek's real-life "holodeck" able to create any planet or environment Star Trek: Discovery and other series need to tell its story.
