Robert Picardo of Star Trek had to make a change to the doctor for Starfleet Academy

The new television series “Star Trek: Starfleet Academy” will make its debut in the first months of 2026, which makes it the 15th television series “Star Trek” to date (provided that you are counting “short hikes” and “very short” as a separate tendency). He will share some common characters from the last seasons of “Star Trek: Discovery”, and will take place in the 32nd century, which is several centuries beyond most of the “Star Trek” shows. Because of its advanced point in the “Star Trek” chronology, there will be few opportunities to include characters inherited from older trek salons … Unless, of course, they include a character who is very long or downright immortal.

Fortunately, “Star Trek” contains several, including Doctor (Robert Picardo) of “Star Trek: Voyager”. The doctor is a hologram that initially served as an emergency replacement for USS travel staff, and had to remain activated for prolonged periods, which impregnated conscience. At first, the doctor had to remain relegated to Sickbay, where the holographic issuers were equipped, but he finally received an advanced mobile transmitter which allowed him to go wherever he was wanting. Because it is made of fields of light and strength, it is essentially immortal. The doctor has already appeared on “Star Trek: Prodigy”, and will be a main character on “Starfleet Academy”, established 900 years later.

There will be a few changes to the doctor since the last time we saw it, of course. On the one hand, actor Robert Picardo is now 71 years old, so the doctor will have changed his visual matrix to look more like a 71 -year -old man (which is fully appropriate for a 900 -year entity). On the other hand, his language will have evolved somewhat. This second point was a concern addressed to Picardo during the recent comic strip in San Diego, covered at the Cinemablend. He noted that the language of the 24th century would not sound the same thing as in the 32nd, and that his character would be more trendy compared to families.

It should be noted that “Starfleet Academy” will surround a group of cadets, most of them about 18 years old (or the equivalent of their house plan). Indeed, one of the characters, Sam (Kerrice Brooks), is also a hologram and was only activated a few weeks before the events of the series. They are all very young, that’s the point. The doctor will not only have updated his language with the past centuries, but interacting with young people from the 32nd century, will also learn their slang. As Picardo said:

“The language is different in the 32nd century than it was in the 24th century. We never said bad words in the 24th century. We talked in a way about this non-English not in the middle of the Atlantic, a kind of English in the galactic environment, so there are differences in the show that I got used to. It is to attract their attention and, let’s hope, their respect.”

Picardo also remembered, however, that he was a return character inherited on “Academy” and that he needed to be aware of his connection with the character’s past. As such, he must have been knowingly served as a model for his young co-stars, reminding them that “Star Trek” is something that an actor takes very seriously. This was similar to how his character must serve as a model for the cadets he teaches, so that the character and the actor are in a way concluding.

When writing these lines, Picardo is the only actor – and the doctor the only character – connecting “Academy” to one of the “Discovery” hiking shows. It is an important responsibility for Picardo, indeed. But given what extent he has always been prolific, that shouldn’t cause him too many problems.