It took most of Star Trek: Voyager's crew seven years to get back home, but the Doctor (Robert Picardo) made it to and from the Alpha Quadrant twice before anyone else. As a hologram, the Doctor was unique among Voyager's cast of characters and became one of the show's most popular additions as a result. Although the Doctor started Voyager with a very limited scope, by later seasons he had not only gained sentience but the ability to travel independently and even participate in away missions, two of which included risky trips to the Alpha Quadrant.
Most Star Trek TV shows already take place in the Alpha Quadrant, but Voyager's setting in the Delta Quadrant helped breathe new life into the franchise with a completely new region of space to explore. Being stranded in the Delta Quadrant also gave the USS Voyager and her crew a core mission to strive towards throughout the entire show, instead of their only mission being exploration. This drive to return to the Alpha Quadrant, however, only came to fruition in the series finale for everyone but the Doctor.
The Doctor Is Star Trek: Voyager's Only Character To Return To The Alpha Quadrant Twice
The Doctor made it home before anyone else did
Thanks to his holographic status, the Doctor was able to return to the Alpha Quadrant twice and accomplished some major victories while he was there. The first time the Doctor was sent home was in Voyager season 4, episode 14, "Message in a Bottle," where he found himself on a top-secret Starfleet ship near the Romulan Neutral Zone. Not only was the Doctor able to keep the ship out of Romulan hands, but he also set the record straight with Starfleet about Voyager being lost, a huge turning point for the crew in their mission to find a way home.
Despite Voyager attempting numerous other ways to contact Starfleet in earlier seasons, "Message in a Bottle" was the first time they made direct contact and confirmed their status after being declared dead 14 months previously.
The second time the Doctor returned to the Alpha Quadrant, in Voyager season 6, episode 24, "Life Line," his victory was more personal. The Doctor was sent as a compressed data stream to Jupiter Station to treat the supposedly life-threatening condition of his creator, Dr. Lewis Zimmerman (Robert Picardo). Thankfully, the Doctor succeeded in saving the life of the closest thing he had to a father, and his return also allowed for "Life Line" to feature some incredible guest characters like Reginald Barclay (Dwight Schultz) and Deanna Troi (Marina Sirtis).
Other Star Trek: Voyager Characters Only Returned To The Alpha Quadrant In Alternate Timelines
Voyager never returned home in the right time or universe
While it is true that other Voyager characters returned to the Alpha Quadrant and even got back to Earth, the Doctor is the only character to make it back in real time. The entire Voyager crew made it back to Earth in the 1990s during the two-part episode "Future's End," and Harry Kim (Garrett Wang) actually returned home on two separate occasions: once during the season 2 episode "Non Sequitur," and once with Commander Chakotay (Robert Beltran) in Voyager's 100th episode "Timeless." However, both of these instances were alternate timelines that were erased by the episodes' end.
As a hologram, the Doctor's physical body was non-corporeal and could be transmitted across greater distances without the need for something like a transporter.
Having the Doctor be the only character to return to the Alpha Quadrant makes the most sense out of everyone on the show. As a hologram, the Doctor's physical body was non-corporeal and could be transmitted across greater distances without the need for something like a transporter. However, the Doctor's record for making it back to the Alpha Quadrant on Star Trek: Voyager is still notable and not something that's discussed often, despite the character's popular status.
