Star Trek: Picard introduced a new starship feature, the Hospitality Hologram, which may have evolved from Star Trek: Deep Space Nine's Vic Fontaine (James Darren). Star Trek has a long tradition of holograms; the holodeck was introduced in Star Trek: The Next Generation and it became a vital source of recreation for boosting crew morale (although holodeck malfunctions endangered the U.S.S. Enterprise-D on several occasions). Star Trek: Discovery revealed that holograms were briefly in use in the 23rd-century, although Captain Christopher Pike (Anson Mount) had the holograms removed from the Starship Enterprise. But DS9 upped the ante with Vic Fontaine, a hologram unlike any other, and Vic could have influenced the creation of starships' hospitality hologram.
Vic Fontaine was introduced in Star Trek: Deep Space Nine season 6, and to say he became a highly unusual but integral part of the series is an understatement. Originally holoprogram Bashir 62, Vic was created for Dr. Julian Bashir (Alexander Siddig), who loved to indulge in Quark's Bar's holosuites; Bashir favored virtual realities based upon Earth in the 1960s, such as his Julian Bashir: Secret Agent roleplays. Vic was modeled as a '60s Las Vegas lounge singer but with a twist: Fontaine was fully sentient and aware he was a hologram. He could turn his own program on and off and he could also run indefinitely, thereby actually living his virtual life in real-time. What's more, Vic was a fantastic character; the tuxedoed crooner was a wise and compassionate charmer who became a true friend to the DS9 crew.
Fontaine helped Odo (Rene Auberjonois) find his romantic side so he could finally declare his love for Major Kira (Nana Visitor) and, in a memorable episode, Vic counseled a grieving Nog (Aron Eisenberg) after he lost his leg in battle during the Dominion War. When Vic found himself in trouble (mobsters took over his hotel), the entire crew of DS9 rallied to perform a casino heist that saved Fontaine. And, although Captain Sisko (Avery Brooks), initially frowned on his staff relying so much on the hologram, he finally joined Vic on stage and performed Frank Sinatra's "The Best Is Yet To Come" with Fontaine, which brought down the house, as a crescendo to DS9 season 7.
Star Trek: Picard, which is set 24 years after DS9 ended, seems to have integrated the idea of Vic Fontaine into the Hospitality Hologram aboard Cristobal Rios' starship, La Sirena. Rios' vessel already came with an EMH (Emergency Medical Hologram), which was introduced on Star Trek: Voyager, though Chris' holographic doctor curiously resembles him, albeit speaking with a different accent. However, La Sirena's Hospitality Hologram talks to and offers counsel to Rios; the HH even reminded him of just who exactly Jean-Luc Picard (Patrick Stewart) is so that Chris agreed to take the former Starfleet Admiral on as his passenger. Since he's usually alone in space, Rios seems to have adapted his ships' holograms to keep him company, although why they all look exactly like their captain is certainly curious.
In Star Trek: Picard episode 4, "Absolute Candor," the Hospitality Hologram perfectly recreated Picard's study from his French chateau on La Sirena's holodeck so that Jean-Luc would feel at home on his mission. This kind of care and attention for the wellbeing of humans isn't far off from how Vic Fontaine treated the DS9 crew. The fact that a non-Starfleet-commissioned ship like La Sirena even "comes standard" with a Hospitality Hologram could be a result of how successful and well-regarded Vic Fontaine was, as word spread about him in the years after the Dominion War ended. However, Rios blurted out how much he "hates that f*#$ng hologram!" which could also echo how some Star Trek fans never warmed up to Vic Fontaine, who was a favorite of DS9's writing staff.
Along with the EMH evolving beyond resembling Dr. Louis Zimmerman (Robert Picardo), the Hospitality Hologram could have found its origins in Deep Space Nine's Vegas crooner. It's not clear whether Vic Fontaine's program remained on DS9 or if Dr. Bashir took Vic with him to his next assignment, but starships in Star Trek: Picard's era coming equipped with a holographic "host" for entertainment purposes has to come from the legendary success of none other than Vic Fontaine, pally.
Star Trek: Picard streams Thursdays on CBS All-Access and Fridays internationally on Amazon Prime Video.
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