LCARS

From HandWiki
Short description: Fictional computer operating system utilized in Star Trek

Template:Infobox fictional artifact

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

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.[1] This minimalized look was designed to give a sense that the technology was much more advanced than in the original Star Trek.[1]

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."[2]

PADD

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]

Legal

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

External links