Red Dwarf/Holograms
From The TV IV
Contents |
[edit] Overview
In the first episode we learn that when someone in the Red Dwarf universe dies they aren't "dead dead". If they're important enough, they can be brought back as a hologram.
Generated and sustained by the ship's computer, the hologram of a deceased individual can move about the ship freely and talk with the living, but they are unable to feel or touch anything. It is customary for a hologram to have a large letter "H" on their forehead. It is considered rude to walk through a hologram.
Another important limitation that comes into play is that the Red Dwarf computer, Holly, can only sustain one hologram at a time. Since the essence of each person is stored on a holo-disc, whoever's disc is in the computer will be the ship's hologram.
[edit] The Light Bee
Even though a hologram cannot touch anything, they do have a small physical presence: the light bee (a small cylinder about 4 cm long). This nifty bit of technology floats along with the hologram, projecting that person's image and voice.
[edit] Hard Light
A more advanced verison of holograms is the hard light hologram. A hard light hologram can touch things and physically interact with the world just as a normal person would with the added bonus that they are virtually indestructible.
[edit] Disorders
Holograms are susceptible to various disorders:
- Holodisc Corruption - can cause mixing of physical and psychological attributes from discs other than the primary hologram disc.
- Holo-Viruses - computer viruses that affect the hologram computer.
- Algorithmic Degradation - When the hologram died (originally) they were reduced to an algorithm designed to simulate the deceased individual. If there was a flaw in that algorithm, it could eventually cause problems, up to and including death of the hologram.
