By Chris Snellgrove
| Revealed
When casting for Starfleet Academy was first introduced, followers have been shocked and delighted by the return of Robert Picardo. His holographic Physician was a fan-favorite character on Star Trek: Voyagerand his presence on the brand new present has been principally superior. Nevertheless, the writers surprisingly tweaked this comedic character by making him a tragic determine who’s sometimes overcome by grief on the considered the chums and even household he has misplaced over time.
The episode “Lifetime of the Stars” healed that ache in probably the most surprising manner: holographic cadet SAM begins glitching out as a result of she has no reminiscences to assist course of trauma, so the Physician volunteers to lift her for the equal of 17 years. If Starfleet Academy will get its meant 4 seasons, it may very well be very rewarding to see the Physician reworked right into a father determine working alongside the kid he raised. However given the persistent rumors that the present will probably be canceled after Season 2, I can’t assist however suppose Star Trek ruined the Physician by altering his character after which giving him an arc which will by no means truly play out.
Star Trek’s Funniest Character Will get Critical
Simply to be clear, I’m not against the concept of fixing up the Physician’s character. Over eight centuries later, it might truly be somewhat unusual if he have been precisely like he was again on Star Trek: Voyager. Plus, Robert Picardo is a tremendous actor, and he’s simply nearly as good at drama as he ever was at comedy. However as with so many issues in Starfleet Academythe writers have struggled to search out the suitable steadiness with this character.
For instance, the Physician continues to be known as upon for laughs, solely he’s anticipated to be a part of this present’s broader comedy efforts. That’s why any given episode may have him mugging for the digital camera whereas singing for the opera or cracking snarky jokes about cadets’ bowel actions. In a very low second, he performed the insanely annoying host of a cocktail party, which got here to a untimely finish due to a farting fish (no, actually).
However he’s additionally meant to be a haunted, tragic determine whose dialogue hints at previous trauma that he’s nonetheless processing. Heck, he opens up “Lifetime of the Stars” with a noir-flavored monologue about what number of dawns he has seen and the way time is a “beast” that bites everybody in a different way. It’s a cool approach to begin an episode, but it surely forces me to ask, as soon as extra, whether or not the writers of Starfleet Academy count on him to be the comedy aid or to be an edgy, brooding legacy character.
Massive Adjustments For Your Favourite Character
“Lifetime of the Stars” ended with a serious change for the Physician: he decides to assist repair a glitching SAM by elevating her for the equal of 17 years. That is meant to provide her the emotional resilience she might want to deal with numerous conditions as an grownup whereas serving to the Physician transfer on from the trauma of dropping a holographic daughter over 800 years in the past. Ought to Starfleet Academy get 4 full seasons, it may very well be very rewarding to see how Robert Picardo handles this newest permutation of his character.
Sadly, Starfleet Academy goes to virtually actually finish after Season 2. When that occurs, one factor will probably be very clear on reflection: they actually squandered the Physician, some of the beloved characters in Star Trek historical past.
It’s clearly rewarding to look at characters develop and evolve over time. We received to see it occur in earlier reveals with younger Star Trek characters like Wesley Crusher and Nog, and that’s presumably the concept with Starfleet Academy: to look at our youthful characters develop and mature into correct Starfleet officers. Nevertheless, such character plotting solely actually works if the writers have sufficient runway for this dynamic storytelling to take off.
Star Trek’s Future Seems Bleak
Whereas nothing has been formally introduced, the longer term for Starfleet Academy seems to be bleak: the present constantly fails to make the High 10 for Nielsen streaming and even Paramount+’s personal High 10. It’s additionally frighteningly costly to supply (like, at the least $8 million per episode), making its future doubly unsure within the wake of Paramount’s merger with Skydance and potential acquisition of Warner Bros. Given these components, many followers are fearful the brand new present received’t get confirmed for Season 3 (it was way back renewed for Season 2), and even members of the forged handled capturing the Season 2 finale like a bittersweet farewell.
There could be many repercussions of a sudden cancellation, however I can’t cease fascinated by what this information would imply for Robert Picardo’s Physician. Initially, his return was one of many causes I used to be most enthusiastic about Starfleet Academy; like many, I beloved his acid sarcasm and cynical humorousness on Voyager. I used to be alarmed early on that this new spinoff handled him because the worst-written comedy aid of all time, however there have been nonetheless sufficient glimmers of the previous character to maintain me tuning in.
Now, close to the very finish of Season 1, Starfleet Academy has modified the Physician by making him a father to SAM, however we’ll barely get to see that relationship play out if the present will get canceled after Season 2. That implies that the brand new Star Trek present introduced the Physician again solely to neuter his comedy whereas saddling him with an unexpectedly traumatic background story. All of this was presumably in service of his arc with SAM, one which the writers will barely get an opportunity to discover if the present doesn’t get a 3rd season.
It’s Lifeless, Jim
Clearly, hindsight is 20/20, however I can’t assist however suppose that this has been a supreme waste of each the Physician and Robert Picardo. Star Trek introduced again its funniest character and made him spend half of Season 1 participating in poop and fart jokes, and the opposite half pondering one thing that occurred 800 years in the past that he by no means cared about earlier than. All of this to pave the best way for a “Physician Daddy” storyline that can go nowhere after Starfleet Academy will get quietly canceled, a la Prodigy.
Ah, nicely: perhaps the failure of Starfleet Academy will persuade Alex Kurtzman (or whoever, God keen, replaces him) to lastly give us a Star Trek Legacy present that includes characters just like the Physician. Such a sequence would possibly truly respect each Robert Picardo whereas lastly giving the followers what they need. Till Star Trek can begin interesting to the fandom fairly than soulless executives, although, this franchise will obtain the analysis made well-known by its unique Physician: “It’s useless, Jim!”