It’s been roughly 25 years since fans last saw the Emergency Medical Hologram (EMH) on Star Trek: Voyager, but for Robert Picardo, the journey into the 32nd century is only just the beginning.
Live from the Red Carpet of the Toronto premiere of Star Trek: Starfleet Academy, Picardo opened up to The TV Watercooler about reprising his iconic role, his character’s new role as a mentor, and why 800 years of digital memory has changed the Doctor we know and love.
Bridging the Generation Gap
Picardo is acutely aware of his unique position in the franchise. “I guess I’m the glue between the old and the new,” he says of joining the cast of Starfleet Academy. But stepping 800 years into the future came with a few “culture shocks” – specifically regarding how people talk.
“In the old days, we spoke in ‘Star Trek talk’ – sort of mid-galactic speech,” Picardo notes. “Now it’s all in present-day vernacular. I thought, ‘Will it fit?’”
Fans can rest easy: Picardo says showrunners Alex Kurtzman and Noga Landau “got the character” immediately. While the Doctor has picked up some of the modern slang from his young students, his core essence remains intact.
A New Kind of Student: Meet “SAM”
The Doctor is no stranger to mentoring – fans fondly remember his lessons on humanity for Seven of Nine (Jeri Ryan). However, this season introduces a new dynamic: the Doctor’s first holographic student.
Kerrice Brooks joins the franchise as SAM (an acronym for Series Acclimation Mill). While Picardo describes Broks as “electrifying,” the Doctor isn’t quite as smitten initially. “She annoys the crap out of the Doctor because she locks on to him right away as her mentor,” Picardo teases. But there’s a deeper, more exciting reason for his reticence. “It’s an arc that really pays off,” he promises.
800 Years of Digital Heartbreak
One of the most profound aspects of the Doctor’s return is the sheer weight of time. Unlike his organic colleagues, the Doctor has watched generations of his friends and coworkers pass away.
“What does that mean? How does that affect your interest?” Picardo asks. “He is reticent to invest [in others] for a while different reason than he was early on in Voyager.”
It’s a poignant evolution for a character who spent his early years fighting for the right to be seen as a person; now he’s a person who has seen perhaps too much.
Real-Life Impact: AI and Medicine
Outside of the Star Trek universe, the Doctor has become a symbol for the future of medical technology. Picardo shared a story about a Harvard researcher who credited the character as his inspiration for studying AI in medicine.
The researcher realized that while an AI can have all the knowledge in the world, it needs “the capacity to have empathy” and a bedside manner to truly be a healer. It’s a lesson Picardo knows well, having played doctors for most of his career (including on China Beach). “Those two years pre-med really paid off for me!” he jokes.
With a wife and sister who are both real-life physicians, Picardo is surrounded by medicine – even if he only plays a doctor on TV. But as Starfleet Academy launches, his role as a teacher of both medicine and humanity has never felt more relevant.
A Legacy of Hope
As our conversation wound down, I asked Robert what human value he hopes today’s viewers take away from the show, especially given the “turbulent times” we find ourselves in. For an actor who has spent thirty years portraying a character who literally had to learn how to be human, his answer was simply resolute.
He didn’t point to technology or the wonders of the 32nd century. Instead, he pointed to the spirit of the academy itself.
“Optimism,” Picardo said with a smile. “That’s what our show is about.”
In a world full of gritty reboots and dystopian futures, the Doctor is back to remind us that no matter how many centuries pass, the most important thing we can carry forward is our hope for a better tomorrow.
Star Trek: Starfleet Academy is now streaming on Paramount+.
