So the material created by the holodecks is only simulated matter, if you get dunked in a pool and then leave the holodeck, shouldn’t you dry out instantaneously? Also, what happens to the food you might eat while in there? Does it have any flavor or nutritional value? And when you leave, shouldn’t you become immediately hungry again?
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I’d wager that for food and such there would be a built in replicator in the room for food. Specifically so that the holodeck can be used as a restaurant at times, since dining/dating locations would be a big use for it.
The holodeck uses a combination of projected light, force fields, and replicated matter. These three in combination creates the environments, objects, and characters within the simulation.
What this basically means is that food and liquids are replicated to create an as real environment as possible, and when the program is terminated, these are recycled back. Meanwhile, the character is just light projected onto a forcefield to create a person. The person may or may not feel real to the touch depending on the fidelity of the program.
The basic objects (like a chair) are “holomatter”. They are most likely matter being held within a forcefield to create the feel of a real object without the energy consumption needed to replicated an object.
A character or holo chair would cease to exist outside of a holodeck, lacking holoprojectors to maintain them. A margarita you had in your hand and forgot to put down as you walked out was already a replicated glass with replicated ingredients.
This is also why a person can eat on the holodeck. They are eating food. A person could also throw a snowball out the door or still be wet after falling in water, because it’s replicated matter.
It’s a mix of holograms, force fields, transporters, and replicators. Not really simulated matter.
It will just beam replicated food onto your plate underneath the hologram when you are about to eat it.
If there’s a river in the holodeck, it’s probably real replicated water you’re feeling.
I can not imagine anything more frightening than a huge replicator. For all the problems the holodeck creates, they never talk about the fact that they are standing in a molecular shredder. They are lucky that there has never been a glitch that causes the holodeck to accidentally reclaim all real matter inside. Or have someone stuck inside during a cleaning cycle and instantly disintegrated.
Replicators are low-key, the most powerful and scarry technology in trek. It can make anything. They seem like 1000% safer than any other tech for no reason. Anything going wrong with a molecular/atomic assembly machine could cause things like: expelling toxic gas, extremely reactive materials, poisonous food/drink, scalding hot to dangerously cold materials, stong acid/ base materials, radioactive materials, and many more.
It’s just bonkers that replicators are so safe when almost nothing else has shown this capability.
As an example: the kazon stole a voyager replicator and caused a horrible accident where several of their crew got fused partially through a command console, and others got horribly maimed by misusing it.
The holodeck uses a combination of replicated matter, textured forcefields and projected imagery to create a scene. The details vary among different holodeck models, and also the specific program.