ROBERT PICARDO

PLAYED THE DOCTOR

The Emergency Medical Hologram probably had a more significant journey than any of the other occupants of Voyager.

Did you think you’d still be talking about Star Trek 25 years later?

It’s a life-changing experience to become part of the Star Trek franchise. When my agent called and said, “You got the part of The Doctor,” he also told me I’d gotten my first two convention offers. So getting a role in Star Trek is unlike getting any other role – and I’d been working a long time before Voyager. You realise it’ll change your life, that it’ll make you not only known in your own country, but internationally, among the broad fanbase that loves the Star Trek saga. You hear stories, and people try to prepare you, but you don’t really understand it until it actually happens to you. It’s a life-changer.

You originally auditioned for the role of Neelix – which your Wagons East co-star, Ethan Phillips, got. But that worked out better, didn’t it?

To my surprise and delight, The Doctor had the best arc of any character on the show. I don’t think any of my castmates would challenge that. When you start with nothing and have the opportunity to grow into a fully formed, astute individual, that’s hard to find in any episodic series. I stupidly thought that because Tim Russ was playing the Vulcan character, he’d carry the outsider stories like Spock carried them in the original series. But it was The Doctor.

You later had a larger role in guiding the character of Seven, too…

I have no complaints about my story arc. I had a great ride!