Starfleet officers are under a lot of pressure. When they want to unwind, they like to travel into the serenity—or the adventures that await them—in the holodeck.

Some fans have asked why it is necessary for the crew to dress up in costumes in order to do this, when the holodeck could be programmed to project clothes onto them. The obvious answer is... it’s just more fun!

With that in mind, let’s take a look back at the most fashionable, extravagant and downright dashing Star Trek holodeck costumes of all time. Did your favorite make the list?

Dixon Hill is a 1940s detective from a series of novels. He is a hero of Captain Jean-Luc Picard, who plays the brawling gumshoe in the holodeck program from time to time throughout The Next Generation. 

Doctor Beverly Crusher is convinced by Picard to join the Dixon Hill program in the episode “The Big Goodbye,” and she plays the part well. 

Data decides to join in on the 1940s dress up when Geordi La Forge mentions Dixon Hill is a bit like Sherlock Holmes, the detective Data tries to model his own deductive reasoning skills after. 

La Forge, shown here playing John Watson, invites Data to take part in a Sherlock Holmes-inspired holodeck program in “Elementary, Dear Data.”

In the next episode, “The Outrageous Okona,” Data decides to use the holodeck to investigate humor. This, of course, ends with Data in full 1980s stand-up comic garb. Although he looks the part, the delivery is as bad as you would expect it to be. It’s a tough business, Data. 

Picard is known to relax by riding an Arabian horse in the holodeck, and it wouldn’t be quite as relaxing if he weren’t also wearing his countryside jockey attire. 

The Next Generation episode “Hollow Pursuits” sees the crew dealing with Lieutenant Reginald Barclay’s fantasies inside the holodeck. Fortunately for us, those fantasies include programming Data, Picard and La Forge to be The Three Musketeers. And yes, that’s a hologram of Wesley Crusher in the back eating pie. 

Barclay also programmed a Riker replacement, except the double is much shorter than the real-life commander, much to the amusement of Deanna Troi.

Troi didn’t escape uncostumed, however, as Barclay created a hologram in her likeness set as the “Goddess of Empathy.”

Ever wanted to see Klingons in the Old West? Look no further than “A Fistful of Datas.” Lieutenant Worf and his son, Alexander Rozhenko, enter the Deadwood holodeck program as the law enforcement in a lawless town. 

When Alexander dials up the difficulty of the holoprogram, Troi takes it upon herself to help the Klingons deal with the outlaws in style. 

Data plays the quick-drawing, mustache-twirling Frank Hollander that Worf must duel at sundown. 

Data is only dressed as Prospero at the very beginning of the episode “Emergence,” but it makes one wish there was a full holodeck episode built around The Tempest.

How does the crew of the Enterprise-D celebrate a promotion? Why by dressing as 19th-century sailors of course. 

Worf is made to walk the plank in a holodeck simulation as a right of passage for being promoted to Lieutenant Commander at the beginning of Star Trek Generations.

Doctor Julian Bashir indulges his espionage fantasies in the Deep Space Nine episode “Our Man Bashir.” Elim Garak joins him too, tuxedo and all.

Bashir’s love interest, and secret KGB spy, Anastasia Komananov is modeled after Colonel Kira Nerys.

The eyepatch-wearing villain trying to disrupt Bashir’s plans takes on the appearance of Chief Miles O’Brien. 

It wouldn’t be a Bond homage without a little high-stakes gambling. The holoprogram character Duchamps is temporarily given the physical characteristics of Worf, who looks darn good in a white tuxedo. 

Lieutenant Commander Jadzia Dax makes an appearance as the evil villain’s scientist, Professor Honey Bare.

And of course, the evil genius of the holoprogram, Hippocrates Noah, takes on the physical image of Captain Benjamin Sisko.

One of the DS9 crew’s favorite holoprograms was Vic Fontaine’s Las Vegas lounge that brought them back to 1960s Vegas. Sisko didn’t like the crooner at first, but eventually warmed up to share a duet with him in the episode “Badda-Bing, Badda-Bang.”

Here is Sisko and the crew all dressed up and ready to drive pesky gangsters out of Vic’s club in Vegas.

Nog empties the intrusive mob’s money disguised in a 1960’s maintenance outfit. 

O’Brien and Bashir play their part from the bar. 

Here is Lieutenant Ezri Dax disguised as a cocktail waitress.

In the episode “His Way,” Constable Odo must confront his feelings for Kira, especially after her sultry performance atop the piano inside Vic’s lounge. 

Deep Space Nine had a baseball-themed episode called “Take Me Out to the Holosuite,” where Captain Solok of the Vulcan starship T’Kumbra challenges Sisko and crew to a game of the American—and apparently, galactic—pastime. 

Sisko sits in the stands after being ejected by Umpire Odo for arguing a call. 

Captain Kathryn Janeway has a lot on her mind. To get away, she plays inside the Lucille Davenport holo-novels as the Governess for the handsome Lord Burleigh in the Voyager episodes “Cathexis,” Learning Curve” and “Persistence of Vision.”

When the Hirogen take over the Voyager in “The Killing Game,” they force the crew to partake in deadly holodeck simulations. Janeway and company are sent to one that recreates Nazi-occupied France. 

Seven of Nine plays the lounge singer and French Resistance member Mademoiselle de Neuf (“Miss of Nine.”)

Janeway and Seven of Nine infiltrate the Nazi bunker in all-black turtlenecks. 

In order to find some inner peace, Tom Paris creates a holodeck program about the quaint Irish village “Fair Haven.”

Janeway ends up falling in love with the local pub owner, Michael Sullivan.

The Doctor is cast as the priest of Fair Haven.

Tom Paris also created the holo-novel The Adventures of Captain Proton, where he plays the titular Captain, which is inspired by 1930s science fiction films. He first appeared in the episode “Night.”

Ensign Kim as Proton’s sidekick Buster Kincaid. 

Janeway, reluctantly, agrees to play the femme fatale Queen Arachnia.

From Captain Proton to James Bond, these are the outfits that are set to stun!

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The Greatest Star Trek Holodeck Costumes

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