One of the advantages of playing a hologram is that you can remain with a franchise across decades and fit into a variety of storylines. That’s been the case for Robert Picardo, who started playing the Emergency Medical Hologram, aka the Doctor, in Star Trek: Voyager over 30 years ago. The character has remained part of Trek up through the animated Prodigy, which ended in 2024, and Starfleet Academy, which will stream its second and final season in 2027.
Star Trek itself, of course, is celebrating its 60th anniversary this year, marking a legacy of telling sci-fi stories that have always incorporated diversity and inclusiveness. That fact was ignored by certain viewers who took Starfleet Academy to task in particular for some of its “woke” choices—though unfortunately that’s not novel backlash for the franchise—and Picardo had some thoughts on the matter in a recent interview.
Speaking to Trek Movie, Picardo said he’s disappointed Starfleet Academy won’t be continuing after season two.
“Every Star Trek show was criticized in its first two or three seasons, and then took often till season three to get on track,” he said. “And even though I think the quality of our show was great, we were kind of killed in the cradle, and I believe part of it is the present political moment in our culture that diversity, that all of Star Trek’s core values are now out of fashion temporarily. We see diversity under attack, and therefore Star Trek is under attack because that’s what Star Trek’s always been about.”
He continued. “So hopefully, whenever they create the next Star Trek movie and Star Trek show, they’ll remember what it was that made Star Trek special, and that present weather conditions in politics will change, and Star Trek once again will emerge with all of its values intact. That’s what I believe and I hope for. But right now, you know, the feeling has been a little grim recently.”
As fans well know, Starfleet Academy was cancelled abruptly and, along with the final season of Strange New Worlds, marks an endpoint for Star Trek series in the Paramount+ era. A movie is in development, but no new TV shows have been announced.
“We don’t know what’s next, but we’ve been at a pivot point before. And we survived it and flourished again, and I think we will,” Picardo said. “I think that a lot of the voices now that are so loud and negative will not be as loud and negative.”
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