Given thatStar Trek: Starfleet Academywill be bringing back the Doctor (Robert Picardo) as a main character, I want the show to resurrect a lost storyline fromStar Trek: Voyager. The Doctor originally debuted as a member ofVoyager’s cast of charactersin 1995 and quickly became popular with viewers. As a long-timeVoyagerfan, the Doctor has always been one of my favorite characters, soI was ecstatic to hear that he would be returning for the upcomingStarfleet Academyafter his triumphant return to the franchise inStar Trek: Prodigyseason 2.
Whilelittle is known aboutStarfleet Academy’s main plot, it’s hard to not to speculate how the Doctor might play a role, especially given that the show will be set in the 32nd century.As the Doctor is a hologram, it’s not inconceivable that he could still be active nearly 1000 years from when he was last seen, but the character’s inclusion still raises questions about what version of the Doctor might be around. However the character is involved, I hopeStarfleet Academybrings back a scrapped storyline from season 4 as part of his arc.
Starfleet Academy Should Bring Back The Doctor’s Lost Voyager Story
A scrapped storyline from season 4 would be perfect for Starfleet Academy
InVoyagerseason 4, the Doctor was the main character of the episode “Living Witness,” which saw a backup program of his reactivated in the 31st century on an alien planet. However,the original storyline for “Living Witness” involved the real Doctor being reactivated in the far future, only to discover that he had inspired a movement among sentient artificial intelligenceto be considered real people. The idea was ultimately scrapped and reworked for the episode, but with the Doctor’s upcoming role, I think it would be the perfect B-plot forStarfleet Academy.
With the Doctor as a main character,Starfleet Academycould and should include a look at how sentient non-organic life has evolved.
As the second series to explore the 32nd century,Starfleet Academyhas the chance to expand the period and provide new perspectives on how things have changed inStar Trek’s future.With the Doctor as a main character,Starfleet Academycould and should include a look at how sentient non-organic life has evolved. WhileDiscoveryaddressed this a little with Zora (Annabelle Wallis), the franchise hasn’t explored it much in the far future. In my opinion, the Doctor’s return is the perfect opportunity to do this, and “Living Witness’s” original storyline would be an excellent way to pull it off.
Why Star Trek: Voyager’s “Living Witness” May Already Be Important To The Doctor In Starfleet Academy
“Living Witness” may be the key to the Doctor appearing in Starfleet Academy
Interestingly, “Living Witness” may already be important toStarfleet Academy’s story, depending on what version of the Doctor the show is going to feature. During the episode, the Doctor’s backup program was reactivated on a planet in the Delta Quadrant, and that version of the Doctor left the planet at the end of the episode to try and return home.There has already been speculation that the version of the Doctor inStarfleet Academymay be this backup program, given that “Living Witness” was set much closer to the 32nd century than any otherStar Trekepisodesat the time.
Star Trek: Voyager Already Set Up Robert Picardo’s Doctor In Starfleet Academy
Star Trek: Voyager set up Robert Picardo’s Doctor as both a great teacher and a 31st-century citizen. Will Starfleet Academy continue this story?
IfStarfleet Academy’s Doctor is in fact the one from “Living Witness,” then in my opinion, it makes even more sense to incorporate theVoyagerepisode’s original premise.Starfleet Academycould feature the backup Doctor’s return to Earth, which would bethe perfect opportunity for him to learn about the potential impact that his counterpart’s legacy may have had on non-organic sentient lifeforms. A show likeStar Trek: Starfleet AcademyreferencingVoyagerso directly would also show how much the franchise still cares aboutVoyager, and continueStar Trek’s tradition of interconnectedness even so many years after the show ended.
