Holodeck safety protocol The holographic safety protocols ( also known as mortality failsafes or holodeck safeguards ) were a safety subsystem of the holodeck computer and designed to protect the participants of a holoprogram . Safety protocols were present to prevent serious injury of the people inside a simulation . This meant that weapon s fired within the simulation would not be able to kill or that the computer could prevent dangerous situations when testing a new ship design . Safety protocols could be overruled if the person in question had the correct access codes . It was also possible for a holoprogram to disable the safety protocols if it was programmed to do so . ( ) A malfunction in the ship ' s main computer could render the safety protocols inoperative . ( ) In 2364 , when a Jaradan probe inadvertently caused a malfunction in the safety protocols Whalen was shot and seriously wounded by Cyrus Redblock ' s henchman Felix Leech who also struck Jean - Luc Picard with his Pistol busting his lip for striking him earlier . ( ) In 2369 , the holodeck safety protocols were rendered inoperative due to a malfunction in the ' s main computer . This resulted in injury to Lieutenant Worf and placed him , Counselor Deanna Troi and Worf ' s son , Alexander Rozhenko , in continued jeopardy , as the computer also did not respond to their request to terminate the Ancient West simulation that they were engaged in . ( ) That same year , Data attempted , but was unsuccessful , to override the holodeck safety protocols while recreating an unusual Borg attack on the Ohniaka III Research Station where Data became , seemingly spontaneously , angry . After attempting to increase the simulated Borg ' s strength by 30 percent , Data informed Geordi La Forge that the computer required the voice authorization of two senior officers to disable the safety routine and asked for his help in overriding the it . La Forge refused , but this was the only instance where two individuals were needed to disable the protocols . Data ' s rank was presumably insufficient to complete the procedure alone , even though Lieutenant commander was sufficient aboard other vessels like ( ) . It may have been a requirement unique to the , or the requirement may have changed between this and other points in time . ( ) In 2372 , Julian Bashir and Elim Garak ran the holoprogram " Julian Bashir , Secret Agent " together . While fighting Falcon and his men , Bashir noticed that Garak was bleeding . Garak noted that the holosuite ' s safety protocols must have been turned off . ( ) While trying to evade the Borg on the , Captain Jean - Luc Picard and Lily Sloane retreated into one of the ship ' s holodecks , where Picard ran a holoprogram of the Dixon Hill series . He was able to kill both of the Borg who were following him with a submachine gun after turning off the holodeck safety protocols . ( ) In 2373 , General Martok told Julian Bashir he had deactivated the safety protocols of a holosuite on Deep Space 9 , leading to an injury , although he had in fact been injured by Worf . ( ) In 2373 , the safety protocols were disabled as part of Ensign Seska ' s revised " Insurrection Alpha " program . Her holographic form informed Lieutenant s Tuvok and Tom Paris of this at the beginning of the program stating that it meant " " . . . if I shoot you , and I am going to shoot you , you ' ll die . " " Later , after Paris stated that nothing that was happening in the program was real , she had a holographic Chakotay phaser him in the arm and taunted " " Next time , you ' ll believe me when I tell you the safety protocols are off . " " ( ) In 2374 , the holographic safety protocols were disabled by the Hirogen when they subjected the " Voyager " crew to a number of dangerous simulations . The Doctor urged that they be reactivated , as a number the ship ' s crew had been seriously injured . Karr , however , refused , as he felt it would eliminate the challenge of the hunt . ( ) Later , when Captain Kathryn Janeway came up with a plan to disable the neural interface s that were controlling the crew by using holographic explosives , she noted that with the safety protocols offline they were as good as the real thing . Later , as a number of Hirogen had been killed , the Hirogen medic urged Karr to enable the safety protocols , but at this point it was no longer possible , as the holodeck had been too badly damaged . ( ) In 2375 , Seven of Nine deactivated the safety protocols on " The Adventures of Captain Proton " holoprogram so she could fire a holographic ray gun at a Night Alien and stun him . ( ) In 2375 , after learning of the Maquis ' destruction in the Alpha Quadrant , B ' Elanna Torres began running dangerous holodeck programs on the with the safety protocols turned off . ( ) On " Voyager " s holodeck , Ensign Tom Paris noted a particular limitation when Captain Kathryn Janeway posed as Queen Arachnia , that the safety protocols couldn ' t prevent her from being restrained , nor from being thrown in Chaotica ' s Dungeon of Pain . ( ) In 2377 , the holograms created by a group of Hirogen s got control of the system and deactivated the safety protocols . ( )