Dude, Where's My Holodeck?

We've been promised the Holodeck ever since we saw it in Star Trek in the late 1980s. Image from Star Trek The Next Generation The first use of a "holodeck" by that name in the Star Trek universe was in the pilot episode of Star Trek: The Next Generation, "Encounter at Farpoint", although a functionally identical 'recreation room' appeared in the Star Trek: the animated series episode "The Practical Joker" in 1974. The Holodeck was the ultimate escapism place for the crew of the Starship Enterpr...