Ever since I heard thatStar Trek: Voyager’s Robert Picardo would be appearing in the upcomingStar Trek: Starfleet Academy, I’ve wondered which version ofVoyager’s Doctor Picardo would be playing in thenewStar Trekshow. As a spin-off ofStar Trek: Discovery,Star Trek: Starfleet Academyis set in the 32nd century, but also features 22nd century transplants from the USS Discovery, like Mary Wiseman’s Lieutenant Sylvia Tilly and Tig Notaro’s Commander Jett Reno. The legacyStar Trekcharacters inStarfleet Academywill be helping to rebuild Starfleet after the Burn devastated warp-capable starships 100 years earlier.
Star Trek: Starfleet Academy’s far-future setting meant there was a possibility thatRobert Picardo might be the backup EMHfromStar Trek: Voyagerseason 4, episode 23, “Living Witness.” In that episode, the Emergency Medical Hologram is reactivated after being dormant for centuries, and clarifies what the USS Voyager was truly like to a 31st century society that’s got it all wrong. While discussing Picardo’s appearance on theTrekTalksstreaming fundraiser,TrekCulture’s Ellie Littlechild saidRobert Picardo confirmed he’d be playing the original version ofStar Trek: Voyager’s Doctor—not the backup—and I love that.
I Love That Star Trek: Voyager’s Doctor Will Be 800 Years Old In Starfleet Academy
How Will Robert Picardo’s Doctor Change After 800 Years?
I love thatStar Trek: Voyager’s Doctor will be the 800-year-old original version inStar Trek: Starfleet Academy, instead of a recently reactivated backup. We’ve already seen how just a few years have expanded the Doctor’s program inStar Trek: VoyagerandStar Trek: Prodigy, soit’s almost unfathomable to imagine how much more advanced the Doctor will be after 800 years. Perfect recall will makeStarfleet Academy’s Doctor a true jack of all trades. Being alive for so long would theoretically make the Doctor wiser than anyone else on campus, too—like this generation’sGroundskeeper Boothby (Ray Walston).
Being 800 years old inStarfleet Academywill make the Doctor one ofStar Trek’s oldest main characters, much likeStar Trek: Strange New Worlds' Lanthanite engineer, Commander Pelia (Carole Kane).
Even with 800 years of expanded programming, the Doctor’s personality inStarfleet Academymight actually be closer to what we saw inStar Trek: Voyagerseason 1. Instead of being a shortcoming of limited programming, though,the Doctor’s personality could cycle all the way around to irritable again, after watching “36 generations” of friends live and die. Picardo’s Doctor will still have his signature dry wit, according to TrekCulture, but being alive for 800 years might make the Doctor less willing to make new friends. He’d appear standoffish to the new Academy class, even if he’s dispensing much-needed wisdom.
What Was Star Trek: Voyager’s Doctor Doing For 800 Years?
And How Did The Doctor Survive The Burn?
There’s a lot of time to account for between the Doctor’s most recent appearance inStar Trek: ProdigyandStar Trek: Starfleet Academy’s 32nd century, so I hope we find out whatStar Trek: Voyager’s Doctor was doing for 800 years.Because the Doctor was continuously active during those 800 years, the Doctor couldn’t have been on a starshipwhenStar Trek: Discovery’s Burnhappened in the 31st century; otherwise, he’d have been destroyed along with it. As much as I like the idea of the Doctor being on every USS Voyager since the 2370s, the Burn rules it out.
2371
2378
2384
2387
3069
3189
The USS Discovery arrives in the future
3190s
Starfleet Academy re-opens
With only 10 episodes,Star Trek: Starfleet Academymight not get too deep into the Doctor’s personal backstory, but we could still see how the Doctor survived so long. The Doctor might have been stuck on an isolationist Earth with no way in or out until Earth rejoined the Federation. Or the Doctor might have been safe working in theEternal Gallery and Archive. Most likely, the Doctor was at Federation Headquarters for centuries. Whatever happened in those 800 years, I’m even more excited to seeStar Trek: Voyager’s Doctor inStar Trek: Starfleet Academyknowing he’s the original.
Star Trek: Starfleet Academy
Cast
Star Trek: Starfleet Academy follows a group of cadets as they embark on their journey to become Starfleet officers. Facing the challenges of friendship, rivalry, and romance, they confront a new enemy endangering the Academy and the Federation under the guidance of their rigorous instructors.
