Star Trek: Starfleet Academy is the start of a new era for the franchise, but that doesn't mean it should turn away from the saga's rich history. A member of Starfleet Academy's cast was originally one of the stars of Star Trek: Voyager, and their upcoming return to live-action could end up being even more substantial than it already is.
Set in Star Trek's 32nd century, Starfleet Academy is a soft sequel to Discovery after the show ended in 2024. That said, as well as technically serving as the third Discovery sequel, Starfleet Academy is set so far in the future that it's essentially a follow-up to every Star Trek show to date. The huge period of time between the 32nd century and the franchise's more well-trodden periods makes it tricky for most franchise legends to return, but it makes sense that some are still around.
One of the most exciting parts of Starfleet Academy is Robert Picardo's presence among the cast. The actor played Voyager's EMH in every season of the classic show and has also recently reprised the role via voice performances in Star Trek: Prodigy season 2. So, it's the Doctor's second comeback, but the first time he has shown up in live-action since Voyager's finale back in 2001.
The Doctor had several great Voyager episodes that revolved around him. The holographic nature of his character meant the writers could get especially creative with those scripts, and one effort from 1998 immediately started to become a central topic when Picardo's role in Starfleet Academy was announced. Star Trek has semi-smoothed over one of the fans' wildest Doctor theories for the upcoming show, but that doesn't necessarily rule it out completely.
The mystery of the EMH backup module in Star Trek: Voyager's "Living Witness" explained
While the entire Star Trek: Voyager cast did appear in season 4, episode 23, "Living Witness," Picardo was the only one reprising his regular role, and even he wasn't quite the usual Doctor. The episode is largely set 700 years after the events of Voyager, which is set in the 24th century. A Delta Quadrant race called the Vaskans had recovered and activated the EMH backup module, which stored a version of the Doctor that had been inert for seven centuries.
As such, this version of the Doctor was brought out of his unplanned dormancy and was exactly the same as the "real" Doctor until he started to have different experiences. Said experiences involved attempting to clear the names of the Voyager crew, who had been incorrectly remembered as villains. Ultimately, the Doctor left the story unchanged, deeming it reckless to uproot such a central tale from an alien society. While he did remain with the Vaskans for a while after, the closing seconds of "Living Witness" reveal what he did next.
The Doctor "had a longing for home," and took a small craft in an attempt to reach the Alpha Quadrant. While his former crew would be long dead by the end of his decades-long journey, he would at least be back among Starfleet personnel and discover if Voyager ever made it back to Earth. That was the last piece of canon information Star Trek gave on this version of the Doctor.
How Starfleet Academy can address the fate of Voyager's backup EMH
The length of the journey that the Doctor from "Living Witness" was about to embark upon marries up surprisingly well with when Starfleet Academy is set. In other words, he could easily have reached the Alpha Quadrant by the time of the upcoming show's premiere. However, comments from Picardo himself (via TrekMovie ) confirm that the Doctor appearing in Starfleet Academy is "900 years old," as the actor talks about how his character has changed through the centuries.
The backup Doctor was activated in the 31st century after being inert since the 24th, and then tried to reach Earth via a journey that, if successful, would have been roughly a century long. So, while the "Living Witness" Doctor is technically very old, he doesn't have any memory of most of that period, so it's very unlikely that Picardo is talking about returning to the role of anyone but the USS Voyager's main Doctor — the one who reached home with his crew in the show's finale.
So, I think it's a good bet that Picardo isn't reprising the role of the backup Doctor, but that doesn't mean he can't show up at all. Mathematically, there's a decent chance that the backup Doctor reached Earth long before Starfleet Academy. Upon his arrival, he would have technically been surplus to requirements, with another Doctor already present and entrenched in a spot that was already taken. It would be cool if this were the case. If this is canon, I'd like it to be acknowledged.
Alternatively, the backup Doctor's return to the Alpha Quadrant could happen during Starfleet Academy as the core concept of at least one episode. This would require Picardo to play two roles, which I would love to see. It would raise fascinating subjects like the sense of self, which Star Trek always does very well. The third option is that the backup Doctor never appears, and if so, we can probably assume he either settled down elsewhere or sadly perished on his trip leading up to the events of Star Trek: Starfleet Academy.
Star Trek: Starfleet Academy will air a two-episode premiere on January 15, 2026. The show will be streaming on Paramount+.