Robert Picardo kills it as The Doctor in 'The Life of the Stars'
I love how episode 8 of Star Trek: Starfleet Academy, “The Life of the Stars,” includes Easter egg footage of The Doctor remembering daughter Belle from the hologram family he created in Voyager’s “Real Life" episode. However, it’s Robert Picardo’s performance that takes “The Life of the Stars” to another level and ultimately ranks the episode as one of Starfleet Academy’s shining moments.
The way Picardo portrays The Doctor’s heartache, as he wrestles with his inability to save Belle after Voyager’s Klingon crewmember B'Elanna Torres (Roxann Dawson) altered his hologram program to create a more realistic familial experience, will have even the hardest of hearts sobbing and reaching for tissues.
And then the Starfleet Academy episode pays off the initial anguish as The Doctor confronts his painful past in order to save SAM’s life and become her father, as a means of repairing the mortally wounded photonic cadet. Watching Picardo’s acting as SAM grows from a baby back to her 17-year-old self is my favorite moment of the entire first season… easily!
Did you enjoy seeing The Doctor become a father again as much as I did? Share your thoughts and comments with us on the Redshirts Always Die Facebook and X pages. And new episodes of Star Trek: Starfleet Academy drop every Thursday on Paramount+ through March 12.
Live long and prosper, Trekkies!