3 possible characters Robert Picardo could be playing in Star Trek: Starfleet Academy

Robert Picardo is back. Again. The legendary Star Trek: Voyager actor will once again reprise his role as The Doctor for the upcoming Star Trek: Starfleet Academy series. A series that is set after the events of Star Trek: Discovery, around 1,000 years during and after the events of Voyager. The leap in time has some of us, mainly me, wondering if we are getting the same version of The Doctor for Starfleet Academy that we did in Voyager.

It isn't outside of the box to assume he's back as the same character he was in Voyager. After all, he did appear in Star Trek: Prodigy as the same character, but that was an animated show. It's far easier to portray yourself as a younger person when people can't see how you've aged. As The Doctor is a hologram, he literally can't age. He's a projection.

So it's making me wonder if, due to the aging of the actual actor, they don't have a switch-up in mind. After all, The Doctor was just one of many holograms bearing his likeness. So there are endless possibilities to who the character is, and here are just three.

1. The Doctor from Voyager/Prodigy

It makes total sense that he's just reprising the same character and much like with Q, The Doctor will "change" how he appears to better fit in. It's completely plausible.

2. The Doctor from another ship, turned off for centuries

We know Picardo is playing "The Doctor" but is it the same EMH Mark I that we've seen for decades? The Doctor may play a different EMH Mark I that was uncovered at some point. Only now being re-awoken by accident (or something to that effect).

3. A new version of The Doctor

We know there were different versions of the EMH. Sadly, Andy Dick played the EMH Mark II model, and he'll never be back, thankfully, but maybe an EMH Mark III? If not, what about for the sake of the time jump, an EMH Mark C (100)? One that uses the image of the EMH Mark I, or more accurately Robert Zimmerman, the man who created the original EMH's. This one may be more advanced, more at ease, and maybe even more corporeal.