Star Wars IV: Holo Chess

Entry Futurama: Holo Chess assumes the holo chess game between Fry and Bender as a reference to the holo chess scene in Futureworld. But it seems more likely that it refers to a similar scene in more popular movie Star Wars IV: A new hope from 1977.

Star Wars IV: A new hope (1977)

Played in Futureworld (1976) one year earlier, the chess game in Star Wars IV is recognizable as a holographic one, even it is not mentioned, and does not need no explanation about what it is.

The man who fell to earth

In the same year as Chuck Browning and Tracy Ballard play holo chess in Futureworld, another movie comes to the cinemas using a hologram: The man who fell to earth.

In the Sci-Fi movie from 1976, which is based on same-titled novel by Walter Tevis from 1963 and directed by Nicolas Roeg, David Bowie plays main character Thomas Jerome Newton. Newton is a humanoid alien from outer space falling down to earth to find water for his dried out planet. He founds hi-tech billion company World Enterprise to build a spaceship taking him back home again.

Right in the middle of the movie is a short shot showing his wife on far distant home planet forestalling the idea of holographic television. She holds a holographic screen to watch his husband on earth.

The man who fell to earth (1976)

Therewith The man who fell to earth is also one of the earliest movies, in which holography appears.

The above shown scene does not just show a hologram. Subliminal the scene demonstrates one of the main characteristics of holography, the parallax view. The alien wife can see the front of red-head Newton in the TV commercial, that stays hidden to the observer sitting in front of the TV watching it.

While in Futureworld the chess game is not recognizable as holographic chess and needs later explanation, the holographic display in The man who fell to earth is clearly visible as a hologram, as it is in use.

Futurama: Holo Chess

The following snippet was forgotten to be attached to the previous entry and should not be kept back. Here comes an amusing one taken form Futurama referring to the Futureworld holo chess scene.

Futurama (1999)

Westworld / Futureworld: Holo Chess

In 1973 Sci-Fi movie Westworld comes on-screen - as first movie directing of bestseller author Michael Crichton (Jurassic Park). It is about holiday theme park DELOS which promises to give the illusion of spending ones vacation in a real western, medieval or roman world. These three areas are exact replicas of the particular ages. With android actors. Visitors can do whatever they want to without the fear of getting harmed - sexual intercourse and even murder. But one day the robots get sick and start attacking guests.

Westworld (1973)

Ten years after the first viewable three-dimensional hologram being generated, the imagination of a virtual-reality does not include a holographic imitation of the real world. The virtual-reality consists of physical buildings with physical robots, that have to be repaired when shot by one of the visitors.

Westworld (1973)

Three years later comes sequel Futureworld - same year as Logan's Run is out. After the catastrophe caused by robot attacks Westworld is closed and substituted by a futuristic virtual world. News reporter Chuck Browning and TV presenter Tracy Ballard are invited by Head of DELOS Dr. Duffy to report about the reopening. After some investigations they find out Dr. Duffy killing important personalities and substitutes them by self-bred doppelgänger to attain world power.

Only in the second part of Sci-Fi double Westworld/Futureworld holography is given a minor role - as holo chess.

Futureworld (1976)

Holo chess in this scene is not recognizable as a synthetic generated holographic board game. For Dr. Duffy would not have mentioned, spectators wouldn't know. Of cause he is not right. A hologram is not an optical illusion. A hologram is an exact reconstruction of a lightwave pattern reflected by a real object.

Viewing Westworld and Futureworld it seems that for at least one decade holography can not contribute to virtual-reality. Obviously there isn't yet an imagination of how to use application of holography besides three-dimensional images in art.

Here is a snippet taken from Futurama referring to Futureworld.