Star Trek TNG, S7E13, from the Memory Alpha Article on the Episode:
Rozhenko reveals that he did not beam up the Boraalans without a plan; he plans to find a new class M planet for the Boraalans and to gradually change the terrain on the holodeck so it will appear that the Boraalans are traveling through the caves towards their new home. Although he is still very unhappy about the whole situation, Picard is forced to conclude that there isn't any other alternatives so they'll give the plan a try.
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Finally settling on Vacca VI, the Enterprise will reach the planet in 42 hours. I
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As he is noticing them, Vorin is drawing a chronicle, which documents the history of his village, including Worf and Rozhenko leading them to safety. Worf then announces that they must leave now. Vorin then realizes that he is missing one of his chronicles. Worf asks him to leave it behind, but Vorin says that without it, the village's future means nothing. Worf allows him to go. An elder Boraalan asks Worf to help him with his gear and asks him that if he does not make it to the Boraalans' new home, he wants Worf to become his daughter's husband. Worf assures the elder that they will make it.
So, the Boraalans are able to walk during 42 hours through the same holodeck in the same direction (they would notice if they were to walk in a cirlce for 2 days. So, Holodeck needs to be able to move the people from one side of the holodeck to the other? Otherwise, they'd walk into a wall after a few seconds. However, if the holodeck where to "really" move them, the Boraalans would sense the acceleration / deceleration. So, how does the Holodeck handle it that people can move for hours in the same direction without them noticing?
Furthermore, they are not only able to walk in the same direction for a long time, they are also able to split up and the Holodeck has to handle two different environments, where the bulk of the Boraalans are and where Vorin is. How is this handled?
Let's also consider Voyager - Fair Haven (S6E11). Paris built a whole Irish town, some people are in the pub, some are walking through the streets and Janeways goes out of the town with Sullivan (and to him, as she wakes up in bed with him). How is this handled with the perspectives (i.e. people being far away from an in hologram point of view but very close to each other on the holodeck)?
So, there are 3 questions:
- How does Holodeck move people for them to be able to walk in the same direction for some time?
- How does Holodeck handle people being in different locations 'in the hologram' but in the same holodeck?
- How does Holodeck handle perspectives of people being physically close to each other but far from each other in the hologram?
