Star Trek regularly relies on the recreational simulator to explore genres outside the sci-fi constraints of the franchise, and here are 20 of the very best holodeck episodes. During Star Trek: The Original Series, if the writers wanted to tell a gangster story or restage the gunfight at the OK Corral, there had to be a convoluted sci-fi explanation. The introduction of the holodeck changed all that, allowing various Star Trek shows to put a sci-fi spin on sports movies, spy thrillers, and World War 2 movies.
First introduced in Star Trek: The Next Generation, the holodeck has provided Star Trek with some of the most enjoyable and emotional episodes of all time. While holodeck episodes are often an excuse to cut loose, they can also be a means to explore mental health or the existential concept of reality itself. Here are 20 of the best holodeck episodes from across the entire Star Trek franchise.
