The Star Trek: Starfleet Academy trailer introduces a new era for the iconic sci-fi franchise, but there's something about the first extended look at the show that will surely have Voyager fans very concerned. Made as a soft sequel to Star Trek: Discovery, the space opera's upcoming project will chronicle the re-opening of Starfleet Academy in San Francisco for the first time in generations.
Starfleet Academy's 32nd-century setting makes it tricky for many legacy stars to show up without some clever sci-fi writing. That said, it's been common knowledge among Trekkies for a while now that one Voyager star will factor into Starfleet Academy's story as a "series regular." It makes perfect sense that they would be involved, but the trailer implies an incredibly small role rather than the more significant one that was announced in 2024.
Robert Picardo's Doctor has no lines in the first Starfleet Academy trailer
The holographic nature of Robert Picardo's Star Trek: Voyager character, the Doctor, makes him a logical choice to still be around centuries after his return to Earth. It also makes perfect sense that he's still part of Starfleet, as he was programmed to serve the organization when he was brought into existence by his creator. Starfleet Academy has thankfully acknowledged these traits of Voyager's EMH by including him, but the first trailer doesn't look promising for how much of a role he'll ultimately have.
The Doctor is in the trailer for only a handful of seconds, and he doesn't utter a single word in either of his brief shots. Instead, most of the focus is placed on the incoming Star Trek debutants. I understand the need to introduce these new characters is more pressing than shining the spotlight on Picardo too much, but his presence in the trailer feels more like a way of hooking long-standing Trekkies rather than giving the Doctor any kind of worthwhile attention.
For Voyager fans who have been waiting patiently for their first glimpse of the Doctor in the 32nd century, it must be incredibly disappointing for him to be pretty much left out of the trailer's edit. With any luck, Picardo's role in the show itself won't be quite so minor. I am hoping for him to have a significant input throughout Starfleet Academy, and I'm sure I'm not the only one.
Thankfully, Picardo's Doctor has already had a Star Trek comeback
If the Doctor does turn out to just be a background character in Starfleet Academy, as the trailer implies, it's at least a relief to know that Picardo has already been handed the comeback he so deserves. He returned to voice Voyager's EMH as part of the Star Trek: Prodigy season 2 cast in 2024, continuing to serve alongside Kate Mulgrew's Admiral Janeway in the era of their careers that followed Voyager's finale.
Although largely criticized when it originally aired, Voyager has since become one of the most beloved shows in the Star Trek franchise. Characters like the Doctor helped set it apart from other installments in the saga, and Picardo certainly deserved his 2024 comeback in Prodigy, as well as being welcomed back again for Starfleet Academy. I just hope the Star Trek higher-ups give him the chance to shine again in his long-awaited live-action return.