Star Trek's Robert Picardo Is Concerned About Star Trek Moving Forward

Robert Picard, known for playing The Doctor a/k/a The Emergency Medical Hologram, joined the Star Trek franchise in 1995 when Star Trek: Voyager debuted in 1995. It was the first Star Trek property that had a woman, Captain Kathryn Janeway (Kate Mulgrew), leading a starship. That, in itself, made it unique. Add in a holographic doctor, and Voyager brought a little something extra to Star Trek fans.

Since Voyager ended in 2001, Picardo has remained a part of the franchise, appearing briefly in Star Trek: First Contact before continuing as the EMH in Star Trek: Prodigy and Star Trek: Starfleet Academy. Prodigy was cancelled after two seasons, ending in 2024, and Starfleet Academy will conclude its second and final season in 2027. Also ending in 2027 is Star Trek: Strange New Worlds, which means there will be no other property in production. That's a concerning thought for fans who've gotten used to seeing Trek on Paramount+.

Will Star Trek move forward with more television shows or movies? That remains a mystery for now, and Picardo pointed out what could be a very big problem for the future of the franchise.

In an interview with SFF Gazette (via Comicbookmovie.com), Picardo said he was concerned about Star Trek moving forward because the series had been criticized for "having too much diversity and inclusion."

"I’m a little concerned about Star Trek moving forward because we were criticised for having too much diversity and inclusion, and that’s a core value of Star Trek. I don’t know how you make Star Trek without it. I’m hopeful that whatever [the] next Star Trek [is], and I know there’s going to be a hiatus, that it keeps those values."

Fans have called the new versions of Trek, helmed by Alex Kurtzman, "too woke." Others have countered with a reminder that Star Trek has always been about Infinite Diversity in Infinite Combinations. But will any of this make a difference for the future of Star Trek?

Right now, it seems like everything's on hold, at least from what we fans can see. With Paramount+ being bought out by Sundance (now Paramount Sundance), we don't know what kind of changes are in the area. I think it's safe to say that we're going to remain in the dark for a while, but the franchise isn't completely on hold as Factory Entertainment is releasing three more Trek collectibles in the coming weeks, including gold-pressed latinum bars and a replica of the Kataan necklace worn by Eline who was the Picard's (known as Kamin) wife in "The Inner Light," largely one of the best Trek episodes ever.

In the meantime, we're looking at season four of Strange New Worlds, which releases on July 23rd on Paramount Plus, and the series is setting up the bromance between Kirk (Paul Wesley) and Spock (Ethan Peck), which could be opening the door to an origins story for Captain Kirk.

So while Picardo is right; there probably will be a hiatus, fans can't imagine it will be for long. Star Trek has been one of the bright spots for Paramount, and even though it cancelled one of its best series after only two seasons, Star Trek: Prodigy, we still have hope that the powers that be can get Trek back on the map and the right track. And maybe someone will be wise enough to resurrect Prodigy, which left the door open for more adventures.

Fortunately, until then, there is still plenty of Vintage Star Trek to watch on Paramount, which includes all of the pre-Kurtzman era shows that built the franchise and plenty of the best of sci-fi there is.

#startrek #startrek:strangeneweworlds #paramountplus #sundance #KirkandSpock #captainkirk