Warning: SPOILERS for Star Trek: Prodigy Season 2
Summary
I’ve been worried about the Doctor (Robert Picardo) ever sinceStar Trek: Picardseason 1, andStar Trek: Prodigyseason 2 did nothing to assuage my fears for him post-Mars Attack. As a long-timeStar Trek: Voyagerfan, 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 asthe Doctor inStar Trek: Prodigyseason 2, I could not have been more excited.
AlthoughProdigyseason 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 formerVoyagercast memberswere on full display.However, the ending ofProdigyseason 2 also coincided with a huge event fromStar Trek: Picard— the android attack on Marsthat 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.
The Complete Star Trek Timeline Explained
Star Trek’s timeline spans a thousand years of Starfleet and the United Federation of Planets, with alternate realities and time travel galore.
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 Trekhas never made it clear whether holograms were classified as synthetics after the synth ban was enacted. While it’s true thatPicardseason 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 duringProdigyseason 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.Prodigyseason 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 thatPicardalso showed the synth ban lifted,Star Trekhas 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-Picard25th century, but that era of the franchise is ripe with possibilities afterPicardseason 3. Among these possibilities is a show or movie focusing on the new crew of the newly minted USS Enterprise-G under the command ofCaptain Seven of Nine (Jeri Ryan).
Seven of Nine was promoted to Captain inStar Trek: Picard’s series finale, and was given the promotion by another formerVoyagercharacter: the now Captain Tuvok (Tim Russ).
Although the proposedStar Trek: Legacyis looking slimmer and slimmer, it seems only inevitable to me that a futureStar Trekproject 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 onVoyager, sothe 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 inStar Trek: Prodigy, the Doctor deserves to be seen again soon.
