said by rradina:...but it won't be like Star Trek. From an imagination perspective, the concept is incredible but unless all that we know about physics is wrong, a holodeck that converts energy to matter as easily as a modern flat-panel creates 2D images is all but impossible. In nature, exploding stars create heavy elements. To think that we can connect dilithium crystals to holodeck emitters and get matter or even generate fields that feel, smell and act like matter is pretty far fetched.
I may be showing my geek here, but that's not quite how the holodecks are described as working in Star Trek. A holodeck supposedly creates a visual hologram that is customized for the individual eyes of each user. Matter or forcefields are only used for props and set pieces the user actually touches (with material objects supposedly seamlessly introduced and removed by transporter as needed). But yeah, it's pretty much all fantasy without the real-world physics to back it up.
You are probably right that regardless of how it's created, it would mean the end of civilization.
On that we can agree.