Updating the Doctor’s Story “Please state the nature of the medical emergency.” Emergency Medical Hologram Mark I, “Caretaker” The Doctor is one of the characters that had the greatest amount of change in his character arc on Star Trek: Voyager. A holoprogram designed in the early 2370s as a tool for Federation starships, the EMH was designed to provide short-term assistance during emergencies. Although the EMH had the skills needed to replace a starship’s medical officer, it was never intended that it do so. Until Voyager. With the death of Voyager’s chief medical officer, the ship’s EMH was pressed into full-time service. The Doctor had to greatly expand his programming to meet the demands of running a sickbay on a ship lost in the Delta Quadrant, and Voyager’s crew helped him overcome other shortcomings in his original design. And, over the course of seven years of almost continual operation, the Doctor developed a personality, found hobbies he enjoyed, established relationships with the crew, and explored what it meant to be sentient. He was compassionate and driven and up to any challenge, becoming a respected member of the crew. Upon Voyager’s return to Earth, however, he found himself in a struggle for self-determination. The other EMH Mark I programs had been declared to be defective, and, while it was acknowledge that the Doctor was unique, he was still the property of Starfleet. When he was ordered to surrender his mobile emitter for study, the Doctor sued to keep the technology that gave him freedom of movement. After a lengthy legal battle, during which the Doctor and his legal team took inspiration from Commander Data’s fight to establish his sentience, the court determined the Doctor was indeed sentient, allowed to keep his mobile emitter and given rank in Starfleet in his own right. Since then, the Doctor has served as a lead on several research projects, including assisting a team trying to duplicate the 29th century technology of his mobile emitter. But, while these projects are intellectually stimulating and give him plenty of time to pursue his other interests; they didn’t have the excitement of life as a ship’s chief medical officer. The advent of Operation Delta Rising is sending an entire fleet of ships back to the Delta Quadrant, and the Doctor is resuming his old post as Voyager’s CMO. There’s an entire quadrant out there to explore, and every day offers a new challenge. Creating the Doctor in STO The Doctor is one of the most memorable characters on Voyager. He is known for his distinctive analytical approach to everything he does. It is often the case that even in the best of circumstances; he gives off his iconic face of “concern.” While other characters maybe eager to quick action, the Doctor will often be the one person who considers all the possibilities of a situation. So in keeping with this idea of being very analytical, we gave the Doctor his iconic concerned look. We believe he looks and sounds just like he does in the Voyager TV show. He even has the Mobile Emitter that allows him to leave the confines of a starship so that he can freely roam anywhere. We believe his level-headed approach to even the most critical situations will help the players as they progress through the new content of STO. Discuss in the forums Click here to learn more about Delta Rising, our free-to-play expansion for Star Trek Online. Explore the Delta Quadrant & rediscover the allies & the enemies the Voyager crew made during their exodus from distant space back to Earth & the Federation. Prepare yourself & your crew with an Delta Operations Pack now available for purchase! Click on the logo below to learn more about it. Want more game details, screens, and videos? Like Star Trek Online on Facebook for more exclusive content and follow us on Twitter – tweet us your questions! And, subscribe to our YouTube channel for the latest Star Trek Online videos.