Robert Picardo's Doctor is easily the biggest returning Star Trek actor to appear as part of the Starfleet Academy cast, but early promotional material caused me great concern about his role in the show. Most known for appearing in all seven seasons of Star Trek: Voyager, the Doctor is approaching 1,000 years old in Starfleet Academy and is therefore rich with potential for sci-fi storytelling.
Despite this, I became progressively more worried as Starfleet Academy's premiere drew near, and Paramount seemingly refused to establish just how heavily the Doctor would be used. He appeared on posters and in trailers, but the focus was understandably on the show's new characters rather than its big legacy casting. Now that I've seen Starfleet Academy's double-episode premiere, I know the answer to my questions.
SPOILERS AHEAD for Star Trek: Starfleet Academy season 1, episodes 1 & 2
The Doctor has a prominent role in Star Trek: Starfleet Academy
The Doctor is probably my favorite Voyager character, but definitely one of my favorite Star Trek characters overall. While I was elated he would be enjoying a live-action comeback after also appearing in Star Trek: Prodigy, I was also worried that he was being used as nostalgia bait more than anything else. He had almost no lines in the trailers, which put me on red alert. Sure, it made sense that he was still alive in the 32nd century, but what was the point if he was just window dressing?
Thankfully, after Starfleet Academy introduces its central premise, it gives Picardo's live-action Star Trek comeback the attention and reverence it deserves. Even in just the first two episodes, the Doctor has several great character moments that prove he's the same old Emergency Medical Hologram. It's also clear he's experienced a compelling arc over the off-screen centuries.
Of course, to the younger Starfleet Academy characters, the Doctor is a larger-than-life legend of the organization. But as his role of Chief Medical Officer aboard the USS Athena — which also doubles up as a part of the new San Francisco campus — Picardo's character slips right back into his old duties from the 24th century. It was a tricky balance the writers had to find to not let the Voyager star's presence overshadow Starfleet Academy, but they pulled it off.
Star Trek: Voyager has already been referenced in ways other than the Doctor's presence
The Doctor is obviously the biggest nod to Voyager in Star Trek: Starfleet Academy. Perhaps the biggest acknowledgement of the classic era show is when Picardo's character asks for a "Tricorder...medical tricorder!" He perfectly replicates the line's delivery from the Voyager pilot, and it made me smile quite broadly. Doctor aside, the new show's first two episodes have other moments to make Voyager fans like me pause and scream excitedly.
While it's subtle, I can't help feeling like the dynamic between Captain Ake (Holly Hunter) and Caleb Mir (Sandro Rosta) is oddly reflective of how Captain Janeway (Kate Mulgrew) meets Tom Paris (Robert Duncan McNeill) at the beginning of Voyager. Just as Janeway is giving Paris a shot at redemption for something in return, something similar is true in Starfleet Academy's premiere. It's not exact, but the parallel is there.
One of the easiest Voyager references to miss is a quick mention of Talaxia over the announcement system, which is the homeworld of Ethan Phillips' Neelix. To me, this suggests that Starfleet has found a quicker and more reliable way to travel between the Delta Quadrant and the Alpha Quadrant, which would be a huge game-changer. However, another moment, equally brief, is easily what most Voyager fans were the most excited by. The Doctor's ongoing presence aside, of course.
Yes, Garrett Wang's Harry Kim finally broke free of being an ensign at some point after Voyager's finale. Admiral Kim's name can be seen emblazoned on the memorial wall on the Starfleet Academy campus, establishing once and for all that he did manage to rise through the ranks after returning to Earth. Harry's being passed over for promotion in the classic-era show is still hotly debated, so it's great to see that Star Trek has finally rectified that injustice via inarguably canonical means.
Star Trek: Starfleet Academy is streaming now on Paramount+. New episodes will arrive every Thursday until the season 1 premiere on March 12, 2026.