In Star Trek, what computer interface is represented by the acronym LCARS?

In Star Trek, LCARS stands for Library Computer Access and Retrieval System.

LCARS is the graphical computer interface associated especially with 24th-century Starfleet vessels and facilities. It presents information through colorful panels, touch-sensitive controls, menus, and responsive displays. The interface appears on bridge consoles, engineering stations, sickbay equipment, tricorder-like devices, and many other systems.

The name describes a computer access system rather than a particular physical screen. In the fictional setting, LCARS can provide access to ship operations, databases, communications, navigation, scientific data, and library records. Its visual design was created for Star Trek: The Next Generation and became one of the franchise’s most recognizable technology styles.

Fans and real-world designers have sometimes created LCARS-inspired interfaces, but those replicas are not official Starfleet systems. The acronym is also occasionally expanded incorrectly because the displays look like command consoles. The canonical expansion begins with “Library,” reflecting its information-retrieval origins.