system
Given the following post, respond as if you're commenting on Reddit:
human
[Star Trek] Why is it even possible to disable safety protocols on the holodeck?

Especially on a starships holodeck, it seems like disabling the protocols can only lead to bad things, like a damaged ship or injured/killed crewman. What are some positive examples that require the protocols to be off?
gpt
Starfleet is not a military organisation. We hear that time and again. Yeah - don't kid yourself.

Holodecks are used mostly for entertainment now, but in the early days they were developed as a research tool - and specifically a research tool for the officially non-existent military section of the fleet. And when you are simulating prototype weapons it is pretty much a given that some thing you will want to do will not be safe - so a safety override was essential.

Later on, when they are installed in just about every starship, they are still there for research among other things, and even in engineering research, you will need to simulate forces and mechanisms that are simply not possible to do fully without an element of hazard - so responsible officers are still able to deliberately disengage the protocols that are usually in place when the decks are being used for whatever sleazy holonovels are in fashion otherwise.

Of course, the software is pretty much universal, so even in civilian setups - the kind of thing that are used in bars on deep space stations or where ever - any self-respecting hacker can get into the settings and disable the safety protocols there too if they really want to.