WARNING: Contains SPOILERS for Star Trek: Prodigy season 2, episode 18, “Touch of Grey”
Summary
Star Trek: Prodigyfinally confirms thatStar Trek: Voyager’s Captain Kathryn Janeway (Kate Mulgrew) saw the Doctor (Robert Picardo) as a hero, but with a smart twist. InProdigyseason 2, the Doctor is a vital member of Admiral Janeway’s crew aboard the USS Voyager-A, tasked with mentoring Dal R’El (Brett Gray), Gwyndala (Ella Purnell) and the rest of the young Starfleet hopefuls. Of course, the Doctor was always a vitalmember of theVoyagercrew, but he had to fight to be recognized as such during the show’s early days.
InStar Trek: Voyagerseason 3,Robert Picardo’s Doctor got a mobile emitter, which allowed him to leave sickbay and become a more active and integrated crew member. This freedom allowed Janeway and the rest of the crew to see him as a multi-layered individual, even if the Federation weren’t willing to grant him that status inStar Trek: Voyagerseason 7. Years later, Janeway’s holographic twin gets to meet the Doctor inStar Trek: Prodigyseason 2, episode 18, “Touch of Grey”, which reveals that she sees him as a heroic figure.
Robert Picardo On His Return As The Doctor In Star Trek: Prodigy Season 2
Screen Rant interviews Robert Picardo about reprising Star Trek: Voyager’s iconic holographic Doctor in Star Trek: Prodigy season 2 and more.
Hologram Janeway Sees Voyager’s Doctor As A Hero In Star Trek: Prodigy
“You must have many admirers…”
InStar Trek: Prodigyseason 2, episode 18, “Touch of Grey”, written by Jennifer Munro and directed by Sung Shin, the Doctor and Hologram Janeway finally meet. The two holograms have a heart-to-heart about the Doctor’s pending away mission, which reveals that Hologram Janeway views him as something of a hero. “Kathryn’s holographic twin sister” is like the Doctor was in the early days ofStar Trek: Voyager, confined to her ship, and unable to experience life outside the USS Protostar. Permanently tied to the Protostar, Hologram Janeway appears to find comfort and inspiration in the Doctor’s story.
It’s therefore interesting to discover that Hologram Janeway was a fan of the Doctor’s holonovels, suggesting they inspired her heroic sacrifice inProdigyseason 1.
It’s no surprise that Hologram Janeway is inspired by the way thatVoyager’s Doctor made historyfor her kind.Due to the alterations to the timeline, Hologram Janeway and Captain Chakotay (Robert Beltran) spent a decade together, and bonded as friends. In the originalStar Trek: Prodigytimeline, Dal and the USS Protostar crew also formed a bond with Hologram Janeway, and were devastated when she sacrificed her life to save the Federation. It’s therefore interesting to discover that Hologram Janeway was a fan of the Doctor’s holonovels, suggesting they inspired her heroic sacrifice inProdigyseason 1.
Star Trek: Voyagerseason 7, episode 19, “Author, Author” revealed that the Doctor’s holonovel,Photons Be Freewas a source of inspiration for holographic workers in a Federation mining colony.
Voyager’s Doctor Is Why Star Trek: Prodigy Saves Hologram Janeway
The specter of Hologram Janeway’s sacrifice hangs over the closing episodes ofStar Trek: Prodigyseason 2. To preserve the timeline, the USS Protostar has to be sent back to Tars Lamora, where Janeway has to have her memories wiped and then, ultimately, sacrifice her life. Chakotay assures Hologram Janeway that they’ll find a way to preserve the timeline and her identity. Obviously, Chakotay is keen to save Hologram Janeway because of the time they’ve spent together. However, it was Chakotay’s friendship with the Doctor inStar Trek: Voyagerthat paved the way for his and Janeway’s bond.
Over seven seasons ofStar Trek: Voyager,the Doctor’s technological and emotional development changed how both Janeway and Chakotay see holograms. For Admiral Janeway and Captain Chakotay, photonic beings like the Doctor and Hologram Janeway aren’t functional pieces of software, they’re individuals with their own needs and desires. That’s why Janeway, Chakotay and the Doctor resolve to preserve the memories of Kathryn’s holographic twin, so that she can continue to mentor the crew of the USS Prodigy in their future adventures.
All episodes ofStar Trek: Prodigyseason 2 are streaming now on Netflix.
Star Trek: Voyager
Cast
The fifth entry in the Star Trek franchise, Star Trek: Voyager, is a sci-fi series that sees the crew of the USS Voyager on a long journey back to their home after finding themselves stranded at the far ends of the Milky Way Galaxy. Led by Captain Kathryn Janeway, the series follows the crew as they embark through truly uncharted areas of space, with new species, friends, foes, and mysteries to solve as they wrestle with the politics of a crew in a situation they’ve never faced before.
Star Trek: Prodigy
Star Trek: Prodigy is the first TV series in the Star Trek franchise marketed toward children, and one of the few animated series in the franchise. The story follows a group of young aliens who find a stolen Starfleet ship and use it to escape from the Tars Lamora prison colony where they are all held captive. Working together with the help of a holographic Captain Kathryn Janeway (Kate Mulgrew), the new crew of the USS Protostar must find their way back to the Alpha Quadrant to warn the Federation of the deadly threat that is pursuing them.
