As the self-styled clairvoyant, Criswell, famously put it in Ed Wood’s classic Plan 9 From Outer Space, we are all very interested in the future for that is where we will be spending the rest of our lives. To be sure, he has a point. We all have an abiding desire to know what the future has in store for us.
Given the pervasive Avatar phenomenon, one is left to ponder why it is so popular. It seems we must accept its popularity is predicated upon the superlative world building on Mr. Cameron’s part. Additionally, perhaps we should take into consideration how completely the film seeks to immerse the viewer in the world of Pandora. To be sure, this goes to the point of issuing 3D glasses to select Imax theaters.
Where once a simple night’s entertainment was enough to pacify and placate the populace, now we demand more. Audiences, weaned on first-person video games and the popularity of Second Life, seem to be increasingly dissatisfied with merely watching. They want to participate in their distractions.
Not being above being labeled a so-called “Trekkie” it seems the promise of the Holodeck — wherein one enters a virtual reality that is tangible and substantive — is the promise of the future direction of entertainment. As many enjoy the near-complete control of their video game characters, we will become less and less satisfied with how little control over the outcome of any said film.
Should we entertain the popularity of the devices being sold by companies like Yoostar is any indicator, the desire to be transported has never been pronounced. To be sure, nor has the technology been so poised to deliver a complete, virtual experience. This is understandable, as indeed we seek to live our lives in future, for indeed, that is where we will be spending the rest of our lives.
At Captain Picard’s leisure, you can enter you own version of the Holodeck, thanks to the resourceful crew at Yoostar. Seldom has a Trekkie been more privileged.