Robert Picardo has finally cleared up which version of The Doctor from Star Trek: Voyager he plays in Star Trek: Starfleet Academy. The series, executive produced by Alex Kurtzman and Noga Landau, debuts January 15, 2026, with its first two episodes on Paramount+.
At CCXP, Oscar nominee Paul Giamatti, who portrays the villain Nus Braka, unveiled a four-minute sneak peek from the premiere. In the footage, Picardo’s EMH (Emergency Medical Hologram) takes center stage as the USS Athena’s Chief Medical Officer.
On Threads, a fan asked Picardo whether he’s playing the original Doctor or the backup EMH from Voyager’s season 4 episode “Living Witness.” Calling it “an excellent question” he had also pondered, Picardo finally settles the matter of which Doctor he’s portraying in Starfleet Academy.
In Star Trek: Voyager season 4, episode 23, “Living Witness,” the story jumps to the 31st century, 700 years after Voyager’s time. A backup EMH is activated to clarify the historical record about the USS Voyager and ends up serving as the surgical chancellor for the Kyrians and Vaskans for years before eventually heading to Earth.
Star Trek: Starfleet Academy takes place in the late 32nd century, following the events of Star Trek: Discovery. While some Voyager fans, including Robert Picardo, speculated it might feature the “Living Witness” version of the EMH, the show actually includes the original Doctor.
Star Trek: Starfleet Academy raises an interesting question about The Doctor: why has he aged? As a holographic EMH, he can control his appearance. It’s also unclear whether the series will touch on The Doctor’s time in Star Trek: Prodigy, which takes place a few years after the USS Voyager’s return to Earth. Robert Picardo has joked that making The Doctor 800 years old turns him into “the Yoda” of the Star Trek universe. His iconic EMH serves as a great link between Star Trek: Voyager’s beloved 24th-century era and the future Star Trek: Starfleet Academy will explore.
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