Hello all, Ric here! In this video, I want to look into the nature of holographic characters
and see if I can determine the line between what makes a truly sentient AI, and what is
merely a simulated intelligence, still bound by programming.
Holodecks are essentially the video games of the Star Trek universe and, like games;
they are tailored for a myriad of demographics. Most characters in a holodeck are effectively
the equivalent of NPCs, non-player characters, while the individuals playing the program
are the, well, players. These NPCs are programmed to operate as part of the narrative and cannot
perform beyond the parameters that the software allows. In most of these cases, holodeck characters
are programmed to ignore mentions to the real world outside their program, or at least interpret
such references as best they can before hand-waving them away.
However, an accident in 2365 showed just how advanced a holoporgram can become when the
unexpected occurred and the Moriarty character in a Sherlock Holmes program was granted increased
access to features beyond its programing. A complete fluke, from what I can only fathom
was a programmer who never expected his holo-adaptation of Sherlock Holmes to be compared to a real
AI. This resulted him developing the realisation that he was indeed a hologram, capable of
accessing the computer’s systems. Nonetheless, from the accident came the realisation
that Holoprograms can be developed into actual sentient characters, and engineer Lewis Zimmerman
began to develop his own Emergency hologram experiments, beginning with his medical variety,
the EMH. We all see what the Doctor could do, over the course of Voyager, and this was
down to a central fact, that the Artificial Intelligence of the Doctor could learn, adapt
and more importantly, was granted the ability to alter his own programing. This is sort
of uncharted technology for the Federation, in fact the EMH Doctor took some time before
being accepted by the crew as truly a sentient individual.
But there is another prominent character that was also aware they were a holoprogram, that
of Vic Fontaine. But what I want to know is that although he was self-aware, was he on
the same level as the Doctor? Before this, we also saw the program of Minuet, who was
also aware she was a holoprogram, but the whole point of that storyline was that she
was a fiction. Fontaine, however earned a special place in the hearts of the crew of
Deep Space Nine, and played an active role in the lives of several characters. He also
displayed his own desires and motivations, but is he still, at the end of the day, a
program? In the universes of Halo and Mass Effect,
there is a distinction made between true AI and something that merely imitates it. In
Halo, Dumb AI, or Mass Effect’s Virtual Intelligence basically are incredibly advance
programs that simulate true sentience, but cannot operate beyond the confines of their
programming while Smart AI, like Cortana or Edi can grow and evolve.
So Vic Fontaine was created by a holodeck programmer called Felix, and made from day
one to be aware that he was a holodeck character. He was also programmed to remain a part of
his own setting, 1962 Las Vegas, Vic’s Lounge and colloquially and culturally adapted to
fit that setting. He had access to long term memory for aspects beyond his programing too,
so that when the inhabitants of DS9 spoke to him, he would remember their interactions.
He also describes himself as a “heuristic, fully interactive hologram”. This means
that he is capable of adapting on the fly, and is very astute, perceptive and incredibly
emotionally intelligent. This results in many of the crew seeing him as a sort of counsellor,
and he seems up to the task for the most part. Additionally, he had access to his own program
and could alter the lounge to suit his whims, which was simply to be an entertainer and
host. He can populate the lounge at will and prepare sets and performances, again at will.
All other parts of the program are more akin to the simple holo character NPCs and abide
by the same laws; they ignore or shrug-off references to things beyond their programming.
Fontaine can even choose to deactivate himself and refuse to be reactivated at all.
He can even have his own program isolated and instigated into other holodeck programs
to allow him to effectively travel with the players into other games, all the while, aware
of his own existence and original setting. A curveball to his abilities comes into play
when Felix’s Jack-in-the-Box activates and Vic’s Lounge is taken over by a hostile
NPC called Frankie Eyes and his mob boss, Carl Zeemo. And it is in this episode, that
I think the answer lies as to the true nature of Vic Fontaine. When the lounge is converted
into a casino, he is unable to make changes to the program, even though he retains his
self-aware state, memories and his opposition displays none of his special nature. This
shows that Vic is indeed still bound by his own program, unlike someone like the EMH Doctor,
who can alter his own parameters, and more importantly, displayed a desire to do so.
The Frankie Eyes program was most definitely still a simple program, a game, Felix said
as much, and the evidence in the show falls in line with this. When the players (the crew
of DS9) hatch a plan to combat Frankie Eyes, Vic Fontaine just so happens to have everything
they need to pull it off. He has inside information relevant to the heist and a convenient stash
of money set aside for Sisko’s inclusion. It is as if a holoprogram is reacting to the
player’s plan, and facilitating its completion. Sure, there are hiccups in pulling it off,
but what is a game without a little challenge? Incidentally, look to how Frankie Eyes treats
Vic, and any action that Fontaine attempts to make to the narrative of the program and
how harshly he’s treated by his in-universe rival, then look at the actions that the crew
(the player’s) take, and see how the program allows them to progress the plot. For example,
Ezri is hired on the spot as a waitress on Odo’s suggestion, because the holoprogram
treated it as player input. It’s not until Kira interjects, that Frankie allows Vic to
be rehired and an NPC just accepts Bashir, a man he’s never seen before at his word
that he’s needed out back. Even in the midst of this large scale alteration to the program,
it is still the holodeck’s users that are the focus and driving force for what is effectively
the “game”. Vic Fontaine ended up meaning a lot to the
crew, and was perceived as a friend. To them, this emotional investment was not something
to be cast aside, but despite all this, I think that Vic Fontaine is effectively just
a very cleverly written simulated intelligence. His level of awareness, memory and high emotional
perception make him seem far more real than other programs, which ignore anything beyond
their programmed understanding, but nonetheless, he is still bound by the confines of his setting,
and expresses no desire to grow beyond it, aside from the occasional foray into other
settings, at the persistence of those he is programmed to entertain.
What is confusing, is that in the mirror universe, Vic Fontaine seems to be a real person, flesh
and blood and wielding twin disruptors. Which would suggest that the Holo-Vic might actually
be based on a real person in the Trek Mythos. That and his numerous comments to hanging
out with his contemporaries in 1962 Vegas make me unsure if Vic is based on a real singer
(in-universe), or a person Felix knows, or even Felix himself.
He is an incredibly well-made character, both in terms of the show and in universe by this
mysterious Felix. The line between true Artificial Intelligence and a sophisticated program is
really blurred and effectively the same argument that had to be brought to light concerning
Data, and eventually the EMH Doctor too, so it makes an interesting topic. All I know
for sure, is that there is a side story I found on Memory Beta where Mourn found out
about the Doctor’s mobile emitter after Voyager returned and wanted to find one for
Fontaine for his “birthday”, unaware that it was a unique item from the far future,
and that is adorable. So, unlike the Doctor, Vic Fontaine is only
programed to seem like a truly sentient individual, at least in my opinion, but there is a hell
of a strong argument that can be made to oppose this, so if you agree or disagree, let me
know your reasoning below. At the end of the day, he may be a collection of photons and
forcefields, but he means a lot to the crew and that is what matters. Just because a character
is fiction doesn’t mean that they can’t matter to someone, I mean look at the whole
premise of this video and the aid Vic Fontaine provide to Nog, Odo, Bashir, Kira and many
others. Thanks for watching this video on Fontaine,
I’ve been Ric and until the next video, computer, end program.