What do you get when you cross a legacy Star Trek character, who has an infinite lifespan, with a brand-new franchise series? You get Robert Picardo as The Doctor, one of Star Trek: Voyager and Prodigy's most popular characters, reprising his role in Star Trek: Starfleet Academy. The series is now streaming on Paramount+, and Picardo had plenty to say about The Doctor during the show's blue carpet premiere in New York City.
While Picardo is playing the same character, he noted that there would be some changes, especially when it comes to making new friends like he did on Voyager. Picardo said via TrekNews.net:
"The Doctor mentored Seven of Nine. It was one of the most fun relationships I had on the show, trying to help her, this former Borg, reclaim her humanity. And... and it was, uh, what was most fun about it is that he's not human, but he believes he's the best teacher of how to be human."
Picardo continued by saying:
"So there was certain comic potential in that [ . . .] but what made — and you'll see it in the pilot tonight — all right, well after 800 years of having different [...] For 32 generations of organic colleagues dying next to you, how interested are you in forming personal relationships? Not so much. So I would say The Doctor is, uh, courteous and professional but not really interested in forming friendships, but that gets, uh, there's one student who is bound and determined to break that."
While Picardo certainly couldn't drop any spoilers regarding The Doctor's future as a Starfleet Academy physician on campus and on board the beautiful USS Athena, the school's teaching ship, it's not difficult to guess that cadet SAM (Series Acclimation Mil) is the student who will seek his advice and mentorship.
Picardo also revealed in other interviews that there are actually two people who challenge his friendship rule in Starfleet Academy. The second character is anyone's guess.
Played by Kerrice Brooks, SAM is a holographic life form known as a Kasqian and the first of her species to attend Starfleet Academy. SAM is naive and wants to learn as much as she can, and, eventually, The Doctor won't be able to help himself when it comes to teaching someone how to fit in with their fellow humanoid shipmates.
Which characters would you like to see interact with The Doctor the most during Starfleet Academy's upcoming episodes? Share your thoughts and comments with us on the Redshirts Always Die Facebook and X pages.