Star Trek: Starfleet Academy is finally here, which includes the return of Robert Picardo as The Doctor, one of the franchise's most popular characters!
If you're wondering if The Doctor has changed during the 800 years or so that he's been active, TrekMovie dropped a clip (below) that answers this question, and then some.
In the video, The Doctor scanned and vaccinated several cadets. His comments ranged from those edged with sarcasm, such as calling Caleb Mir "pouty," to disgusted as the EMH treated him for a parasite while asking, "You bathe in a bog?" Ah, there's that bedside manner we Voyager and Prodigy fans know so well!
One of my favorite moments in this clip is when a cadet steps up to The Doctor and tells him that she accidentally swallowed her com badge. He sighs, "Already?"
There's also a great callback in this scene that Voyager fans will enjoy. When The Doctor calls for a tricorder, his assistant hands him a device, to which he rolls his eyes and scoffs, "Medical tricorder!" This line, of course, was an exchange between The Doctor and Harry Kim on Voyager decades earlier, when the former was first activated. With nods to legacy shows like Voyager, Starfleet Academy should have no problems fitting into the family.
Have you seen the premiere yet? Share your thoughts and comments with us on the Redshirts Always Die Facebook and X pages. And the first two episodes of Star Trek: Starfleet Academy are now available to stream on Paramount+.