As a huge Star Trek fan, I was thrilled to hear Robert Picardo himself finally clarify which version of The Doctor he portrays in Star Trek: Starfleet Academy! It’s so exciting that Alex Kurtzman and Noga Landau are executive producing this new series, and I’ve already marked January 15, 2026, on my calendar – two episodes on Paramount+! I can’t wait to see what they’ve created.
During CCXP, Paul Giamatti, an Academy Award nominee and the actor playing the villain Nus Braka, showed a four-minute preview of the first episode of Star Trek: Starfleet Academy. The clip featured Robert Picardo reprising his role as the Emergency Medical Hologram – now known as The Doctor and serving as Chief Medical Officer of the USS Athena.
Robert Picardo recently responded to a fan on Threads who wondered if he portrayed the original Doctor or the Emergency Medical Hologram (EMH) from the Star Trek: Voyager episode “Living Witness.” Picardo called it a “great question”—one he’d pondered himself—but clarified which Doctor he plays in Star Trek: Starfleet Academy. You can see his response below.
Post by @robert_picardoView on Threads
The Star Trek: Voyager episode “Living Witness” (season 4, episode 23) takes place 700 years in the future. It centers around an emergency holographic doctor program that’s brought online to document the story of the USS Voyager. This doctor eventually becomes a highly respected surgeon for two alien species, the Kyrians and Vaskans, before finally returning to Earth.
The new series, Star Trek: Starfleet Academy, takes place in the late 32nd century, after the events of Star Trek: Discovery. Many Star Trek: Voyager fans, including Robert Picardo, wondered if the show would feature the EMH character as he appeared in the ‘Living Witness’ storyline. However, Starfleet Academy actually includes the original Doctor character from the earlier series.
The show Star Trek: Starfleet Academy raises an interesting point about The Doctor: why does he appear to have aged? As a holographic character, he should be able to control his appearance. It’s also unclear whether the series will acknowledge his experiences on Star Trek: Prodigy, which took place a few years after the USS Voyager’s return to Earth.
Robert Picardo has compared his character, The Doctor, to Yoda from Star Wars, explaining that The Doctor’s age of 800 years in Star Trek: Starfleet Academy gives him a similar wise, ancient role within the Star Trek universe. Picardo feels his portrayal of the Emergency Medical Hologram (EMH) helps connect the well-loved 24th-century setting of Star Trek: Voyager with the new direction Star Trek: Starfleet Academy is taking.
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2025-12-09 05:28