Why Robert Picardo’s Doctor Is More Important To Star Trek 23 Years After Voyager Ended

23 years after Star Trek: Voyager ended, Robert Picardo's Doctor is more important to Star Trek than ever. Robert Picardo will be returning to Star Trek to make the Doctor one of four legacy Star Trek characters joining the Star Trek: Starfleet Academy cast. This comes right on the heels of Netflix dropping all of Star Trek: Prodigy season 2, in which the Doctor appears as the Chief Medical Officer of the Lamarr-class USS Voyager-A. In Star Trek: Prodigy, the Emergency Medical Hologram also moonlights as the aptly-renamed Emergency Mentorship Hologram, proving that the Doctor has once again expanded the reach of his original programming.

The Doctor served an important function in the Star Trek: Voyager ensemble that was originally popularized by Leonard Nimoy's Spock in Star Trek: The Original Series. Like Spock, the Doctor represents "the other": someone who isn't quite part of humanity, but observes the human condition from the outside in order to comment on it. As a hologram, Robert Picardo's Doctor is functionally immortal, so the EMH has the benefit of observing centuries of human (and alien) behavior. As a physician, the Doctor learned to use those observations to heal others. And as a character, the Doctor is all about change.

Why Robert Picardo’s Doctor Has Become So Important To Star Trek On Paramount Plus

The Doctor Is A Living Historical Figure That Unites Star Trek Eras

Robert Picardo's Doctor has become important to new Star Trek shows on Paramount+, which have been built on the foundation of legacy Star Trek shows. Star Trek: Starfleet Academy takes place in Star Trek's 32nd century, and features Star Trek: Discovery characters who originated in the 23rd century, including Lieutenant Sylvia Tilly (Mary Wiseman) and Commander Jett Reno (Tig Notaro). By appearing in Star Trek: Starfleet Academy, Robert Picardo's Doctor creates a link between Star Trek's 24th century and 32nd century, and effectively completes the circuit that ties each Star Trek era to the others.

The Doctor's wealth of knowledge, gleaned as a firsthand observer of 24th and 25th-century events, can serve to clarify history. In Star Trek: Voyager season 4, episode 23, "Living Witness", a backup version of the Doctor's program was reactivated in the 31st century and recontextualized known facts into a meaningful — and truthful — narrative. The Doctor expanded what it means to heal others by repairing a deep cultural rift. With a new definition of healing, and Robert Picardo's talent for both comedic and dramatic work, the Doctor may just be a defining feature of new Star Trek shows.

The Doctor’s Comeback In Star Trek: Prodigy & Starfleet Academy Explained

Robert Picardo's Doctor Continues To Learn And To Teach

The Doctor's comeback in Star Trek: Prodigy and Star Trek: Starfleet Academy is a natural extension of the Doctor's character arc in Star Trek: Voyager. On the original USS Voyager, the Doctor learned to grow beyond his programming, taking up hobbies like opera and writing holonovels, while teaching ex-Borg Seven of Nine (Jeri Ryan) how to reclaim her humanity. In Star Trek: Prodigy, the Doctor builds on his prior work with Seven, and becomes a mentor to the USS Protostar crew. Chances are the Doctor will continue this trend in Starfleet Academy as an Academy instructor.

Robert Picardo's Doctor is a nearly immortal mentor who fully embodies core Star Trek ideals like growth and self-discovery, and learns compassion as a skill. The concepts of growing beyond one's programming and discovering a new purpose are important messages to the Doctor's teenage charges in Star Trek: Prodigy and the young adult cast of Star Trek: Starfleet Academy. The Doctor's lessons learned easily become lessons taught, showing that problems are solved when we embrace change. No wonder Robert Picardo's Doctor is an important part of both the legacy and the future of Star Trek.