Star Trek: Starfleet Academy Continues One Of Voyager's Silliest Gags

Throughout "Star Trek: Voyager," it was repeatedly established that the ship's Doctor (Robert Picardo) was developing interests far beyond his original medical programming. The Doctor, to remind viewers, was only a hologram intended for emergencies, but was left active when the ship's flesh-and-blood doctor died in an accident. Constant use caused the Doctor to develop his own consciousness, and it wasn't long before he was making his own decisions, falling in love, and longing for a life outside of sickbay. He was an author, a photographer, and, eventually, an opera enthusiast. The Doctor's fondness for opera was not shared by the other members of the U.S.S. Voyager crew, leading to many awkward exchanges on the subject of his talents.

Of course, in the episode "Virtuoso," the Doctor's talents proved useful. An alien species called the Qomar had never heard of music before, and when they hear the Doctor singing, they are enthralled. The Doctor considers leaving the Voyager and moving to the Qomar homeworld where his talents will be appreciated, but the Qomar eventually invent a singing hologram of their own. Regardless, the Doctor retained his interest in opera, much to the stifled chagrin of his closest friends. 

Because the Doctor is a hologram, he is essentially immortal, allowing him to appear as a regular character on "Star Trek: Starfleet Academy," a series set about 820 years after the events of "Voyager." And while the Doctor is now over eight centuries old, he still has a deep and abiding interest in opera. He's even trying, with little success, to get the recent class of Academy cadets into the medium. Perhaps hilariously, the Doctor is struggling just as much to share his passions as he was on "Voyager."  

It should be noted that the Doctor, when he first appeared in the "Voyager" pilot episode, was snippy and impatient. This made sense, as he was an emergency holographic program, and would require quick movements and an insistent tone in emergency situations. He wasn't programmed to have bedside manner. He only learned to be compassionate after talking at length with the kind and sensitive Kes (Jennifer Lien). Later, he would attempt to become a mentor to Seven of Nine (Jeri Ryan), a former Borg who also needed to develop compassion and humanity. Despite all the growth, however, the Doctor always retained an air of snippiness. 

It's comforting to see that, in "Starfleet Academy," the Doctor is still as grumpy as ever. Some things don't change in 800 years. In the first episode of "Starfleet Academy," the Doctor is walking around campus, attempting to recruit new Academy students into the newly formed opera club. He has few takers. In the second episode, there is a welcome reception for the new class, and the Doctor can be heard singing a duet from Mozart's "The Magic Flute," specifically as the character Papageno. It's a little baffling that the Academy kids don't want to learn opera after listening to "The Magic Flute." It's one of the more sprightly, accessible operas out there. 

Of course, there has long been an anti-opera bias throughout "Star Trek." "Star Trek" writers have made plenty of jokes at the expense of Klingon opera, and how notoriously dissonant it is. Opera, to modern eyes, may be seen as a dated and impenetrable art form. In the 32nd century, it seems, that attitude will persist. But at least the Doctor still loves it.