History Main / HologramProjectionImperfection

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** Through Emergency Program One and Security Protocol 712, shimmering holograms of the Ninth, Tenth, and Twelfth Doctors appear and waver throughout their projection. Oddly enough, holograms from the TARDIS in [[Recap/DoctorWhoS32E8LetsKillHitler "Let's Kill Hitler"]] are perfect, opaque replications.

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* In ''Series/{{Continuum}}'', the only sign that the therapist is a hologram is that he can walk through walls.
* In ''Series/DoctorWho'', the hologram that the Doctor projects through a hole in the universe to [[Recap/DoctorWhoS28E13Doomsday say goodbye to Rose]] is clearly just David Tennant standing on the beach with her. Normally, there wouldn't be much of a problem, [[SpecialEffectsFailure except for the strong wind on the beach making his hair move in every shot.]]
* Subverted in ''Series/AgentsOfSHIELD'': the holograms look perfect, but Coulson mentions that due to the lag, people using them cannot react as fast to whatever is happening on the receiving end as they would in person. [[spoiler: This is a plot point when Coulson and Lincoln are looking for the leader of the Watchdogs - Coulson realizes that Agent Blake they are talking to is a hologram, and next scene reveals the real Blake being in a wheelchair.]]

* This was initially played straight in ''WesternAnimation/StarWarsTheCloneWars,'' where every hologram communication was the same shade of blue, had the same scan lines, and the same static, even if it was just being sent across the street. Later seasons introduced more advanced hologram technology that avoided these traits and only faltered when disturbed. These types of holograms were often used for disguises (a Clawdite bounty hunter used one to complement her shape-shifting) or setting up traps. This technology would appear in later works from the rebooted canon such as ''WesternAnimation/StarWarsRebels'' and ''Film/TheForceAwakens'', suggesting this technology was still relatively new at the time.

* ''WesternAnimation/TheFairlyOddParents'': They've done riffs on Franchise/StarWars, so those holograms are the trope played straight. But when JimmyNeutron shows up for the Jimmy/Timmy Power Hour, Jimmy is convinced the fairies are just really good holograms.

* In ''VideoGame/WorldOfWarcraft'', there is one example. In the Burning Crusade expansion, the draenei and blood elf races were introduced. There is one [[http://wow.gamepedia.com/Quest:The_Emitter quest]] in the draenei starting zone where you help Technician Zhanaa fix a hologram so you can contact Technician Dyvuun. When you complete the quest, it becomes pretty clear the device has it's fair share of damage from the [[spoiler: ship crashing into Ammen Vale]].

* ''WesternAnimation/AmericanDragonJakeLong''. Similar to the tactic used by Lex Luthor from the Superman sequel mentioned above, one of Jake's enemies, a dragon who once belonged to the Dragon Council but made a {{Face Heel Turn}} to aid the [[BigBad Dark Dragon]], used this as part of her powers common to all dragons by creating a magical doppleganger capable of fooling the guards while she escaped out of her prison cell, until the spell was broken by Jake's former new animal companion, [[ManiacMonkeys Bananas]] (who also joined and became Chang's new companion out of cowardice).

** Unless it's disturbed, Snoke's hologram in ''Film/TheForceAwakens'' is only distinguishable from reality by its lack of a shadow (a beam of light can be seen going straight through it) and monstrous size (60 feet tall).

* In ''Film/GalaxyQuest'', tight before the team is beamed on board, Laliari is revealed to be a holographic image when her projection goes through some flickering.

* In ''Series/DoctorWho'', the hologram that the Doctor projects through a hole in the universe to [[DoctorWhoS28E13Doomsday say goodbye to Rose]] is clearly just David Tennant standing on the beach with her. Normally, there wouldn't be much of a problem, [[SpecialEffectsFailure except for the strong wind on the beach making his hair move in every shot.]]

** In episode "[[Recap/DoctorWhoS32E6TheAlmostPeople The Almost People]]", though there is a lot of interference anyway (the hologram only really gets through because the plot wants it to).
** Towards the end of episode "[[Recap/DoctorWhoS27E9TheEmptyChild The Empty Child]]", Jack presents a holographic image of the object they are chasing. The projection goes through some flickering.
** Through Emergency Program One and Security Protocol 712, shimmering holograms of the Ninth, Tenth, and Twelfth Doctors appear and waver throughout their projection. Oddly enough, holograms from the TARDIS in "Let's Kill Hitler" are perfect, opaque replications.
** The holograms of all of the different Doctors from "The Day of the Doctor" have a fuzzy, monochrome quality to them. This was done to make sure that the black-and-white archive footage of the first two Doctors and the non-HD-ness of the rest of the archive footage Doctors wouldn't stand out against the brand-new footage of the Tenth, Eleventh and War Doctors.
%%* Used in an episode of ''Series/{{Torchwood}}'', then {{Lampshaded}}.

* SELMA from ''Series/TimeTrax''; despite being a 22nd century, self aware, supercomputer her holographic "visual mode" suffered this trope. In one episode she managed to make herself appear perfectly for a brief time but implied it was too much of a strain on her power systems to maintain this for long.
** CINDI is a poor man's version of SELMA, and its projection is even worse.
* The hologram of Slartibartfast in the TV version of ''Series/TheHitchhikersGuideToTheGalaxy'' is a fuzzy, white monochrome image.

* Several examples on ''Series/BabylonFive'', particularly a hologram of Londo Molari in one episode which appears slightly blueish and blurry. In this case, as it is a pre-recorded message, and Londo paces quite a bit, the hologram ends up walking through another character, facing the wrong direction (at one point, you can see the message's recipient smirking as Londo just barely manages to miss pointing accusingly at him.) [[spoiler: Londo's hologram does manage to end the message facing Lord Refa and bidding him farewell, before the message ends and the gathered group of Narn witnesses beat Refa to death.]]

* In one episode of ''Anime/NeonGenesisEvangelion'', a hologram of Asuka appears out of her HumongousMecha, and it flickers when it [[ArmorPiercingSlap slaps]] Shinji, who [[CrowningMomentOfFunny evidently feels it]].

* ''StarTrekDiscovery'' features a variety of holographic projections used for long-distance communication, allowing two people to share the room and walk around each other during a discussion. The holograms are still transparent and have a digital grainy quality, with various distortions presumably caused by interference. [[spoiler: When USS ''Europa'' is rammed by a Klingon warship, Admiral Anderson's hologram starts skipping and spazzing before [[DisconnectedByDeath being cut off suddenly]].]]

* ''VideoGame/StarWarsEmpireAtWar'', ''Forces of Corruption'' expansion. In the opening sequence, the holograms of Jabba the Hutt and Urai Fen both flicker while Tyber Zann is talking to them.

* In contrast to Imperial holograms (see below), Tau holography in the Literature/CiaphasCain series is always portrayed as lifelike and in perfect focus at all times. This is, naturally, [[UncannyValley rather unsettling]] to anyone used to the fuzzier, more "analog" Imperial systems.

* Holos are ''always'' like this in Literature/CiaphasCain, requiring PercussiveMaintenance to work properly.

* Used in an episode of ''Series/{{Torchwood}}'', then {{Lampshaded}}.

[[quoteright:350:[[Film/GalaxyQuest http://static.tvtropes.org/pmwiki/pub/images/galaxy_quest.jpg]]]]

Many holograms falling under this trope are completely blue, perhaps a result of the famous ''Film/ANewHope'' example below. RasterVision is also common.

** ''Videogame/StarWarsTheOldRepublic'', not surprisingly, has a pretty similar high-quality hologram effect. There is an odd bit of SpecialEffectsFailure, though; rather than the holograms' "scan lines" lining up with the projector, it lines up with the player's screen, always exactly horizontal.

Many holograms falling under this trope are completely blue, perhaps a result of the famous ''Film/ANewHope'' example below.

* In ''Series/Continuum'', the only sign that the therapist is a hologram is that he can walk through walls.

* ''Series/StarTrekDeepSpaceNine'': For a little while Starfleet experimented with holographic communicators, where it looked like the other character was actually in the same room with Sisko et al. (because the actors were). It was quietly dropped after a couple episodes. Note that it played the trope slightly straight; the person being projected would usually be oddly lit, to show they weren't really there.

* Conspicuously averted in ''Literature/TheNakedSun''. Elijah was surprised to find out he was talking to a hologram because the Earth holograms did have HologramProjectionImperfection. (The planet he was on was still settled by humans; This wasn't an alien technology thing.)

* ''VideoGame/StarWarsForcesOfCorruption''. In the opening sequence, the holograms of Jabba the Hutt and Urai Fen both flicker while Tyber Zann is talking to them.