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| name = LCARS
| name = LCARS
| image = Lcars wallpaper.svg
| image = Lcars wallpaper.svg
| image_size =
| caption = LCARS-style desktop
| caption = LCARS-style desktop
| alt =
| alt =
| source = [[Star Trek]]
| source = [[Star Trek]]
| source_type = franchise
| source_type = franchise
| company =
| first = [[Star Trek: The Next Generation]]
| first = [[Star Trek: The Next Generation]]
| first_ep =
| first_type =
| date =
| creator = [[Michael Okuda]]<ref name=techmanual>{{cite book |title=[[Star Trek: The Next Generation Technical Manual]] |publisher=Pocket Books |first1=Rick |last1=Sternbach |first2=Michael |last2=Okuda |date=1991 |isbn=0-671-70427-3}}</ref>
| creator = [[Michael Okuda]]<ref name=techmanual>{{cite book |title=[[Star Trek: The Next Generation Technical Manual]] |publisher=Pocket Books |first1=Rick |last1=Sternbach |first2=Michael |last2=Okuda |date=1991 |isbn=0-671-70427-3}}</ref>
| episode_creator =
| type = Computer operating system
| type = Computer operating system
| genre = Science fiction
| genre = Science fiction
| uses =
| affiliation = [[Starfleet]]
| affilitation = [[Starfleet]]
}}
}}

[[File:LCARS panel from Star Trek Voyager at Filmwelt Center.jpg|thumb|An LCARS panel from ''[[Star Trek: Voyager]]'', similar to one shown in the third-season episode ''[[Displaced (Star Trek: Voyager)|Displaced]]''. The colors of the backlit artwork have faded over time; the panel looks more yellow and blue in the episode.]]
[[File:LCARS panel from Star Trek Voyager at Filmwelt Center.jpg|thumb|An LCARS panel from ''[[Star Trek: Voyager]]'', similar to one shown in the third-season episode "[[Displaced (Star Trek: Voyager)|Displaced]]". The colors of the backlit artwork have faded over time; the panel looks more yellow and blue in the episode.]]
In the ''[[Star Trek]]'' [[fictional universe]], '''LCARS''' ({{IPAc-en|ˈ|ɛ|l|k|ɑr|z}}; an [[acronym]] for '''Library Computer Access/Retrieval System''') is a computer [[operating system]]. Within ''Star Trek'' chronology, the term was first used in the ''[[Star Trek: The Next Generation]]'' series.
In the ''[[Star Trek]]'' [[fictional universe]], '''LCARS''' ({{IPAc-en|ˈ|ɛ|l|k|ɑr|z}}; an [[acronym]] for '''Library Computer Access/Retrieval System''') is a computer [[operating system]]. Within ''Star Trek'' chronology, the term was first used in the ''[[Star Trek: The Next Generation]]'' series.


==Production==
==Production==
The LCARS [[graphical user interface]] was designed by scenic art supervisor and technical consultant [[Michael Okuda]]. The original design concept was influenced by a request from [[Gene Roddenberry]] that the instrument panels not have a great deal of activity on them.<ref name="ReferenceA">{{cite magazine |title=Michael Okuda interview |magazine=[[Star Trek: The Magazine]] |volume=1 |issue=7 |page=22 |date=November 1999}}</ref> This minimalized look was designed to give a sense that the technology was much more advanced than in the original ''Star Trek''.<ref name="ReferenceA"/> The early display panels were made out of colored [[plexiglass]] with light behind them, a technique that can produce complex-looking displays cheaply. At times, pieces of green material were used on control panels so that complex animations could be added in post-production via the [[chroma key]] process.
The LCARS [[graphical user interface]] was designed by scenic art supervisor and technical consultant [[Michael Okuda]]. The original design concept was influenced by a request from [[Gene Roddenberry]] that the instrument panels not have a great deal of activity on them.<ref name="ReferenceA">{{cite magazine |title=Michael Okuda interview |magazine=[[Star Trek: The Magazine]] |volume=1 |issue=7 |page=22 |date=November 1999}}</ref> This minimalized look was designed to give a sense that the technology was much more advanced than in the original ''Star Trek''.<ref name="ReferenceA"/>

As the show progressed, use of animations increased. Most were displayed on video equipment built into the sets. Depending on the camera angle, the animated LCARS graphic might appear curved due to the use of [[cathode-ray tube]] (CRT) screens. As [[flat-panel display]] technology became available, set design moved away from the CRT displays, giving the animated LCARS graphics a closer appearance to the static graphics.


On ''[[Star Trek: The Next Generation]]'', many of the buttons were labeled with the initials of members of the production crew and were referred to as "Okudagrams."<ref name=techmanual />
On ''[[Star Trek: The Next Generation]]'', many of the buttons were labeled with the initials of members of the production crew and were referred to as "Okudagrams."<ref name=techmanual />

When Michael Okuda was asked about the design of the LCARS display, he responded "I came up with the LCARS style in part because of Gene Roddenberry's directive that he wanted his new ''Enterprise'' to be so advanced that it looked simple and clean. The other part of the LCARS style was that it had to be something that could be manufactured quickly and easily on a television budget."


==PADD==
==PADD==
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[[File:Star Trek PADD.jpg|thumb|Close-up of a PADD, as seen in ''[[Star Trek: Deep Space Nine]]'']]
[[File:Star Trek PADD.jpg|thumb|Close-up of a PADD, as seen in ''[[Star Trek: Deep Space Nine]]'']]


In the ''Star Trek'' franchise, the LCARS interface is often seen used on a '''PADD''' (''Personal Access Display Device''), a hand-held computer.<ref>{{cite book |title=Star Trek: The Next Generation Officer's Manual |publisher=FASA Corporation |first1=Rick D. |last1=Stuart |first2=John |last2=Terra |date=September 1988 |isbn=1-55560-079-4}}</ref> Both the hardware and software components of TNG displays were the result of TNG design staff's familiarity with the [[Ubiquitous computing]] project at [[PARC (company)|PARC (Palo Alto Research Center)]]. This led to the seamless depiction of three categories of interactive display: large boards mounted on bulkheads and work consoles, medium-sized easily portable padds, and small-sized tabs such as the NextGen communicator, informational readouts on phasers, etc.
The LCARS interface is often seen used on a '''PADD''' (''Personal Access Display Device''), a hand-held computer.<ref>{{cite book |title=Star Trek: The Next Generation Officer's Manual |publisher=FASA Corporation |first1=Rick D. |last1=Stuart |first2=John |last2=Terra |date=September 1988 |isbn=1-55560-079-4}}</ref>


⚫
At {{convert|7|in|spell=in|adj=on}}, similarly sized modern [[tablet computer]]s such as the [[Nexus 7 (2012)|Nexus 7]], [[Amazon Fire tablet|Amazon Fire]], [[BlackBerry PlayBook]], and [[iPad Mini]] have been compared with the PADD.<ref>{{cite news |url=https://www.theatlantic.com/technology/archive/2012/07/make-it-so-what-star-trek-tells-us-about-how-to-make-tablets/260337/ |title=Make It So: What ''Star Trek'' Tells Us About How to Make Tablets |work=[[The Atlantic]] |first=Brian |last=Fung |date=26 July 2012}}</ref><ref>{{cite news |url=https://arstechnica.com/gadgets/2016/09/how-star-trek-artists-imagined-the-ipad-23-years-ago/ |title=How ''Star Trek'' artists imagined the iPad… nearly 30 years ago |work=[[Ars Technica]] |first=Chris |last=Foresman |date=September 10, 2016}}</ref> Several [[mobile app]]s were created which offered an LCARS-style interface.<ref>{{cite news |url=https://trekmovie.com/2010/04/11/new-lcars-ipad-application-released/ |title=New 'LCARS' iPad Application Released |website=[[TrekMovie.com]] |first=Anthony |last=Pascale |date=April 11, 2010}}</ref><ref>{{cite news |url=https://www.wired.com/2011/07/star-trek-padd-ipad/ |title=Make It So: Hands-On With Official ''Star Trek'' iPad App |magazine=[[Wired (magazine)|Wired]] |first=Ryan |last=Paul |date=July 16, 2011}}</ref>
PADDs of various designs and interfaces are used throughout the ''Star Trek'' universe by such species as Humans, [[Klingon]]s, [[Romulan]]s, [[Vulcan (Star Trek)|Vulcans]], [[Andorian]]s, [[Bajoran]]s, and [[Cardassian]]s. They are common to cultures even as distant as the [[Delta Quadrant]].

==Contemporary comparisons==
⚫
At {{convert|7|in|cm}}, similarly sized modern tablets such as the [[Nexus 7 (2012)|Nexus 7]], [[Amazon Fire tablet|Amazon Fire]], [[BlackBerry PlayBook]], and [[iPad Mini]] have been compared with the PADD.<ref>{{cite news |url=https://www.theatlantic.com/technology/archive/2012/07/make-it-so-what-star-trek-tells-us-about-how-to-make-tablets/260337/ |title=Make It So: What ''Star Trek'' Tells Us About How to Make Tablets |work=[[The Atlantic]] |first=Brian |last=Fung |date=26 July 2012}}</ref><ref>{{cite news |url=https://arstechnica.com/gadgets/2016/09/how-star-trek-artists-imagined-the-ipad-23-years-ago/ |title=How ''Star Trek'' artists imagined the iPad… nearly 30 years ago |work=[[Ars Technica]] |first=Chris |last=Foresman |date=September 10, 2016}}</ref> Several mobile apps were created which offered an LCARS-style interface.<ref>{{cite news |url=https://trekmovie.com/2010/04/11/new-lcars-ipad-application-released/ |title=New 'LCARS' iPad Application Released |website=[[TrekMovie.com]] |first=Anthony |last=Pascale |date=April 11, 2010}}</ref><ref>{{cite news |url=https://www.wired.com/2011/07/star-trek-padd-ipad/ |title=Make It So: Hands-On With Official ''Star Trek'' iPad App |magazine=[[Wired (magazine)|Wired]] |first=Ryan |last=Paul |date=July 16, 2011}}</ref>


==Legal==
==Legal==
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{{Star Trek}}
{{Star Trek}}


⚫
[[Category:Star Trek terminology]]
[[Category:Fictional software]]
[[Category:Fictional software]]
[[Category:Operating systems]]
[[Category:Operating systems]]
⚫
[[Category:Star Trek terminology]]

Latest revision as of 18:17, 9 July 2023

LCARS
Star Trek franchise element
LCARS-style desktop
First appearanceStar Trek: The Next Generation
Created byMichael Okuda[1]
GenreScience fiction
In-universe information
TypeComputer operating system
AffiliationStarfleet
An LCARS panel from Star Trek: Voyager, similar to one shown in the third-season episode "Displaced". The colors of the backlit artwork have faded over time; the panel looks more yellow and blue in the episode.

In the Star Trek fictional universe, LCARS (/ˈɛlkɑːrz/; an acronym for Library Computer Access/Retrieval System) is a computer operating system. Within Star Trek chronology, the term was first used in the Star Trek: The Next Generation series.

Production

[edit]

The LCARS graphical user interface was designed by scenic art supervisor and technical consultant Michael Okuda. The original design concept was influenced by a request from Gene Roddenberry that the instrument panels not have a great deal of activity on them.[2] This minimalized look was designed to give a sense that the technology was much more advanced than in the original Star Trek.[2]

On Star Trek: The Next Generation, many of the buttons were labeled with the initials of members of the production crew and were referred to as "Okudagrams."[1]

PADD

[edit]
"PADD" redirects here. For "PADD" in the U.S. petroleum industry, see Petroleum Administration for Defense Districts.
Close-up of a PADD, as seen in Star Trek: Deep Space Nine

The LCARS interface is often seen used on a PADD (Personal Access Display Device), a hand-held computer.[3]

At seven-inch (180 mm), similarly sized modern tablet computers such as the Nexus 7, Amazon Fire, BlackBerry PlayBook, and iPad Mini have been compared with the PADD.[4][5] Several mobile apps were created which offered an LCARS-style interface.[6][7]

[edit]

CBS Television Studios claims to hold the copyright on LCARS. Google was sent a DMCA letter to remove the Android app called Tricorder since its use of the LCARS interface was un-licensed. The application was later re-uploaded under a different title, but it was removed again.[8]

References

[edit]
  1. ^ a b Sternbach, Rick; Okuda, Michael (1991). Star Trek: The Next Generation Technical Manual. Pocket Books. ISBN 0-671-70427-3.
  2. ^ a b "Michael Okuda interview". Star Trek: The Magazine. Vol. 1, no. 7. November 1999. p. 22.
  3. ^ Stuart, Rick D.; Terra, John (September 1988). Star Trek: The Next Generation Officer's Manual. FASA Corporation. ISBN 1-55560-079-4.
  4. ^ Fung, Brian (26 July 2012). "Make It So: What Star Trek Tells Us About How to Make Tablets". The Atlantic.
  5. ^ Foresman, Chris (September 10, 2016). "How Star Trek artists imagined the iPad… nearly 30 years ago". Ars Technica.
  6. ^ Pascale, Anthony (April 11, 2010). "New 'LCARS' iPad Application Released". TrekMovie.com.
  7. ^ Paul, Ryan (July 16, 2011). "Make It So: Hands-On With Official Star Trek iPad App". Wired.
  8. ^ "Tricorder - Android Projects by Moonblink". Google Project Hosting. Archived from the original on October 27, 2012.
[edit]
Wikimedia Commons has media related to LCARS.
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