Voyager's Doctor Returns In Star Trek: Starfleet Academy
The EMH is still activated in the 32nd century!
Please state the nature of the academic emergency! I'm a doctor and a teacher. Computer, activate the Emergency Professor Hologram (EPH)? In any event, just sit down or you may need to go to sickbay! For yes, that's right, it was announced today at San Diego Comic Con that Robert Picardo (and a few others as exciting who we will get to) will be adding his name to the already impressive cast list of the upcoming Star Trek: Starfleet Academy! Load a hypospray with 50cc's of something, will you? I need to calm down!
He traversed and triaged his way across the Delta Quadrant, fought for photonic rights, wrote countless holonovels (with or without a plethora of Rodrigos), and most recently dazzled and duped his way around a vengeful Vau N'Akat in Star Trek: Prodigy, and now everyone's favourite EMH (with apologies to the Mark II in particular) will be crossing the eons to the 32nd century. We have so, so many questions, not the least of which is, if he's on the faculty, will he finally have chosen a name? Professor Joe might be retro enough to be kitsch for these cool cadets!
This is the first time since Endgame that Robert Picardo will be reprising the role of The Doctor in the flesh and photons (in canon, anyway). There is also the matter of just which version of the EMH he is set to play. He could feature in backup module form, as seen in Star Trek: Voyager's Living Witness. After all, the timeline does just about fit. In the episode, the stolen copy of EMH's program was (re-)activated by Quarren at the Museum of Kyrian Heritage at least 700 years in the future (so some time in 31st century), although there was another time-jump of unknown length at the end before The Doctor left the planet "with a longing for home". Perhaps just long enough to get to Federation HQ for the reopening of Starfleet Academy?
Of course, there's no particular reason we couldn't be treated to both the OG EMH and his duplicate. Failing damage or degradation, either edition of The Doctor could live indefinitely, or for as long as the universe could sustain him (and anything else). Compared to possibly billions, a thousand or so years for a hologram is a drop of time in the galactic oceanic continuum. We've been saying that for some time at TrekCulture too. Back in February (2024), we suggested that The Doctor and fellow EMHs would make the perfect fit for professor at, and in, Starfleet Academy.
It certainly also felt like Prodigy's second season was setting up The Doctor (albeit centuries in advance) in a mentorship role to the 24th century's hopeful cadets. Through holo-Janeway, Prodigy equally reminded the audience about backup modules! The Doctor certainly has precedent for putting himself in his literary endeavours, so maybe holonovel The Mentor, which he was seen to be writing in Ouroboros, Part II, is now on the Academy's mandatory reading list?