Summary
- Robert Picardo's return as the Doctor in Prodigy season 2 was enjoyable, but the Mars Attack fallout raises concern for his future.
- The Doctor's status as a synthetic life form could lead to him being shut down due to Starfleet's new xenophobia against synthetics.
- Future Star Trek projects could confirm the Doctor's fate, especially in a potential show or movie about Captain Seven of Nine.
I've been worried about the Doctor (Robert Picardo) ever since Star Trek: Picard season 1, and Star Trek: Prodigy season 2 did nothing to assuage my fears for him post-Mars Attack. As a long-time Star Trek: Voyager fan, the Doctor has always been one of my favorite characters. His unique status as a sentient hologram coupled with his singular brand of humor and sincerity have endeared many people to him, myself included. When it was announced that Picardo would be reprising his role as the Doctor in Star Trek: Prodigy season 2, I could not have been more excited.
Although Prodigy season 2 didn't focus on the Doctor heavily, his return to the franchise was highly enjoyable. The Doctor acted as great comic relief throughout the season, and his close relationships with his former Voyager cast members were on full display. However, the ending of Prodigy season 2 also coincided with a huge event from Star Trek: Picard — the android attack on Mars that resulted in the crippling of Starfleet during the Romulan evacuation and would eventually lead to a Federation-wide ban on synthetic life. It is this event that has me particularly worried about the Doctor's future.
Why Star Trek: Voyager's Doctor Is In Danger After Picard's Mars Attack
The Doctor is on shaky ground in the synth debate
As an artificial life form, the Doctor could be classified as a "synth" in the future, which may lead to him being taken offline indefinitely. Star Trek has never made it clear whether holograms were classified as synthetics after the synth ban was enacted. While it's true that Picard season 1 did still show active holograms on multiple occasions, they were mostly part of the crew of La Sirena under Cristóbal Rios (Santiago Cabrera), a non-Federation ship. It's possible that holograms began to be just as distrusted as androids after the Mars Attack.
Thanks to Starfleet's new xenophobia against synthetic life, and the fact that the Doctor and sentient androids share a lot of the same traits, it may be only a matter of time before he is forced to shut down.
My fears for the Doctor were somewhat lifted when I saw him still active during Prodigy season 2's ending. However, the portion of the finale that took place after the Mars Attack was brief, and came directly after the attack happened. Prodigy season 2 showed the immediate fallout, but not the synth ban being enacted. This has left me feeling uneasy. Thanks to Starfleet's new xenophobia against synthetic life, and the fact that the Doctor and sentient androids share a lot of the same traits, it may be only a matter of time before he is forced to shut down.
Star Trek Could Confirm The Doctor’s 25th-Century Status
Live-action Star Trek should bring the Doctor back in the future
However, given that Picard also showed the synth ban lifted, Star Trek has the chance to confirm the Doctor's status in future live-action projects. Right now, there aren't any confirmed upcoming projects set in the post-Picard 25th century, but that era of the franchise is ripe with possibilities after Picard season 3. Among these possibilities is a show or movie focusing on the new crew of the newly minted USS Enterprise-G under the command of Captain Seven of Nine (Jeri Ryan).
Seven of Nine was promoted to Captain in Star Trek: Picard 's series finale, and was given the promotion by another former Voyager character: the now Captain Tuvok (Tim Russ).
Although the proposed Star Trek: Legacy is looking slimmer and slimmer, it seems only inevitable to me that a future Star Trek project will focus on Captain Seven and her crew. If that happens, bringing back the Doctor would only make sense in my opinion. Seven and the Doctor were very close on Voyager, so the franchise using a project about her as a chance to confirm the Doctor's status would go a long way to assuage the fears of those who love his character. After his latest appearance in Star Trek: Prodigy, the Doctor deserves to be seen again soon.
