The Doctor is Yoda?
The Doctor’s presence in Star Trek: Starfleet Academy isn’t just fan service. Because of The Burn, entire generations have grown up in a galaxy barely holding on. The Doctor remembers a time when the Federation was strong, not just in power but in its ideals, and Picardo wants to carry that to the show. Picardo even likened himself to an iconic Star Wars character during the same interview. The actor said:
"I decided that the character was a deeper version of himself, but he still had the same humor, the same disdain for people he felt were not keeping up with the discussion, but also the deeper aspect of generations of life experience. I suppose I’m the Yoda of the Star Trek franchise – except I’m not green and hopefully my ears are not quite as big."
His wanting to look older also fits with The Doctor’s arc of trying to understand and be more human. Hopefully, he still has that sardonic sense of humor and even the old arrogance that made the Doctor so loved by fans.
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Star Trek: Starfleet Academy premieres on Paramount+ Jan. 15.