Time, gentlemen please!

In modern Star Trek, the crew of a starship or space station may spend spare time relaxing in a Starfleet bar. From The Next Generation, through Deep Space Nine, and onto Voyager, no crew is without access to such a recreational facility. Without them, life would be very boring for the regimented Starfleet officer.

The viewer is first introduced to the starship bar in The Next Generation episode ''The Child''. Called ''Ten Forward'', it is situated on Deck 10 at the front of the Enterprise D's Saucer section and is tended by the ever-wise Guinan (Whoopi Goldberg).

It is the place where off duty personnel can relax, sip synthehol (fake alcohol) based beverages, and eat to their heart's content, all while enjoying spectacular views of space. Even Riker (Jonathan Frakes) has been known to try out his latest chat-up lines in 'Ten Forward'.

Deep Space Nine offers a different perspective on the Starfleet bar, in that ''Quark's'' is a commercial establishment. Run by everyone's favourite bartender Quark (Armin Shimerman), it is a place where officers can mix with station residents, travellers, Ferengi, Quark's associates, and barfly Morn. It also doubles as a gaming facility, with Dabo tables, electronic dartboard, and holo-suites at a patron's disposal. ''Quark's'' offers a much livelier atmosphere than 'Ten Forward', as noted by Worf (Michael Dorn) who would rather spend his time on the Defiant.

The starship Voyager as such does not have a purpose built bar, with only the mess hall serving as a social environment. Given the crew's predicament, Tom Paris (Robert Duncan McNeill) decided that they needed a morale booster and used the Holodeck to recreate the Marseilles Poolroom where he once hung out. The crew now spend a lot of quality time in this authentic environment, with its original decor, pool hustler, flirtatious landlady, and bar patrons. It is more like a traditional Earth pub than 'Ten Forward' and 'Quark's'.

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