The Doctor Becomes Star Trek: Voyager's Most Important Character Next Year

The most important character from Star Trek: Voyager is about to be the Doctor (Robert Picardo). After Star Trek: Strange New Worlds season 3, the next Star Trek show is Star Trek: Starfleet Academy, expected to premiere on Paramount+ in 2026. Most modern Star Trek shows are set in either Star Trek: The Original Series' mid-23rd century or Star Trek: The Next Generation's late 24th century, so they can easily feature legacy characters from classic Star Trek shows. Star Trek: Starfleet Academy, however, will be set in the 32nd century, making connections to Star Trek canon difficult, but not impossible.

Before Star Trek: Discovery's leap into the 32nd century, the furthest future point on the Star Trek timeline was in Star Trek: Voyager season 4, episode 23, "Living Witness". Set in the 31st century, "Living Witness" is about a backup version of the USS Voyager's Emergency Medical Hologram which is reactivated 700 years after Voyager's trip through the Delta Quadrant. After setting the record straight on Voyager's involvement in a conflict between two neighboring societies, the Doctor's firsthand knowledge of the 24th century makes him a noted 31st-century historian.

Starfleet Academy Will Make The Doctor Star Trek: Voyager’s Most Important Character In 2026

In 2026, Star Trek: Starfleet Academy will make the Doctor the most important Star Trek: Voyager character in modern Star Trek. While most of the Star Trek legacy characters in Starfleet Academy are from the streaming era's Star Trek: Discovery, Robert Picardo's Doctor stands out as hailing from Star Trek's 24th century. As the only character from Star Trek: Voyager who's active in a modern Star Trek show, the Doctor will also be the only source of TNG-era nostalgia for fans who loved the Voyager nods in Star Trek: Lower Decks, Star Trek: Picard, and Star Trek: Prodigy.

That might be a lot for one hologram to bear, but Picardo's Doctor is also the rare 24th-century Star Trek character who has a chance of still being around in the 32nd century. Starfleet Academy's Doctor may be another backup version, but it would also make a lot of sense for the EMH in Star Trek: Starfleet Academy to be the 31st-century version from Voyager's "Living Witness". That episode ended with the Doctor heading back to the Alpha Quadrant, so it could be interesting to see how the Burn from Star Trek: Discovery impacted the Doctor's journey home.

Star Trek: Voyager’s Other Characters Are Now In Limbo Without Prodigy & Lower Decks

Without a Star Trek show in the 24th century, Star Trek: Voyager's other characters are now in limbo. Star Trek: Prodigy was a worthy spiritual successor to Star Trek: Voyager, but even if Netflix renews the project, it will take at least 2 years for Star Trek: Prodigy season 3 to materialize. Star Trek: Lower Decks was the franchise's other best bet for returning Voyager characters, since Mike McMahan's recently canceled animated Trek comedy was set shortly after the ending of Star Trek: Voyager. And the hotly-demanded Star Trek: Legacy, starring Jeri Ryan as Captain Seven of Nine, still isn't happening.

While 2025 still looks good for Star Trek, the lack of a post-Voyager show is disappointing for fans who still want the franchise to continue its "present" in the late 24th and early 25th century. Nostalgia for 90s-era Trek, like Star Trek: Picard season 3's Next Generation reunion, and Star Trek: Lower Decks drawing heavily on TNG, DS9 and Voyager, earns praise from longtime fans. As a Star Trek: The Original Series prequel, Star Trek: Strange New Worlds can't mention Star Trek: Voyager, but Robert Picardo's EMH in Starfleet Academy may be just what the Doctor ordered.