Star Trek: Voyager star Robert Picardo has nothing but praise for the new Star Trek: Starfleet Academy series

Star Trek: Starfleet Academy is set to start a new era in the franchise with a new batch of recruits joining the Starfleet Academy in the 32nd century. The new members joining the franchise are extremely exciting as we look forward to the series. Equally exciting are the instructors and leaders who will be guiding these recruits.

One of these is a Star Trek franchise veteran, Robert Picardo, who is reprising his role as the Holographic Doctor in the new series. This character debuted more than 30 years ago in the franchise and has been a fan favorite since then. The Doctor, or the EMH, will be serving as an instructor in the Academy, and he might even be featured in some adventures outside of the classroom.

Additionally, in recent comments on his Facebook, Picardo expressed his praise for the show, signaling that Star Trek: Starfleet Academy might exceed all expectations for fans of the franchise.

Robert Picardo on returning to the franchise for Star Trek: Starfleet Academy

Even though Star Trek: Starfleet Academy has not revealed a release date as of now, according to reports, the new series is set to arrive sometime in early 2026. Excitement for the new era in the franchise has increased twofold after Robert Picardo’s comments about the upcoming addition.

Being a seasoned part of the industry, Picardo is not one to praise a project without holding back. The fact that Starfleet Academy has been deemed worthy of this praise means that something extraordinary is on the way. Here’s what he said on his Facebook about the show:

Saw a screening of our @startrek #starfleetacademy pilot tonight and was knocked on my holographic butt. Wow. Can't wait until @startrekonpplus will share it with the universe early 2026 and proud that we will be part of the 60th anniversary celebration of Gene Roddenberry 's optimistic vision of humanity's future in space.

Robert Picardo might be the big legacy casting for Star Trek: Starfleet Academy, connecting the past of the franchise with the future. However, he remains committed to giving his character the grace it deserves. He expressed this in a conversation with CinemaBlend:

"The character I played is like a dear old friend to me now, so I did want to be careful that whatever I did in the show honored the tradition that the character had that made sense to me."

Picardo has revealed in a previous conversation with IGN that, since his character has now progressed from the 24th century to the 32nd century. He has had to work on embodying the character a little differently. He describes this new version as deeper, older, and wiser, while still maintaining the core ideas that make the character:

"Because Voyager was set in the 24th century, my character is now an 800-year-old, continuously activated artificial intelligence. So I would say, I have an awful lot of memories. And I would say I’m not keen on developing interpersonal relationships. So he’s a little deeper than he used to be in the past...I still love opera. I can neither confirm nor deny rumors that I sing during the first season, but I still love opera, and I do bring it up with my cadets."

It will be interesting to witness the older and wiser Doctor on Star Trek: Starfleet Academy. According to a confirmation from Picardo himself, there might even be some standalone adventures for the Doctor in the series.

Trending

Keep following Soap Central for more such insights!

×

Was this article helpful?

Thank You for feedback