Star Trek fans are raving about Prodigy Season 2, and if you’ve watched it with a Netflix subscription, you understand why. I believe the series is the best-serialized story in franchise history, especially with the way it led to Wil Wheaton’s long-awaited return to Trek and even suggested a romance was brewing between Hologram Janeway and the EMH. Robert Picardo recently confirmed the flirtation between the two characters and gave his thoughts about the scene.
Holo Janeway and The Doctor have a key scene in Season 2, Episode 18, in which they talk about working together in Starfleet. Holo Janeway confesses she’s a big fan of the romance holo novels he’s written, and a look in her eyes suggests an infatuation with him. Robert Picardo’s character is, of course, flattered to hear she’s such a big fan, and the actor confirmed to CinemaBlend that the flirtiness is a part of the script. He also gave some additional thoughts about whether or not it’s ethical for the two to date, given how closely the EMH worked with her real-life counterpart:
I recall that as well. I think it was in the script certainly. Personally, I have a very wonderful friendship with Kate Mulgrew. But I thought there was a little element in there, and I don’t quite know what it was. I mean, [Admiral Janeway and Holo Janeway] are separate. So I don’t know if the same inappropriateness for dating because of her rank [is there]. I mean, let’s face it, Hologram Janeway is not Admiral Janeway, right. So probably it might be allowed, but I believe it was only hinted that. So I think that you’re an astute viewer. I’m hoping that most of our six, seven, and eight-year-old viewers didn’t get that.
I’m sure the kids weren’t aware of anything happening, but Star Trek: Voyager fans almost certainly were. While the real Janeway and EMH never showed any romantic interest in one another, I can understand why Holo Janeway could have a crush. We know that the real Janeway was a big fan of romance Holo novels and had a fling with a hologram from the imagined town of Fairhaven. Ultimately, Janeway never pursued an actual lover, which Prodigy‘s showrunners elaborated on recently with CinemaBlend. It’s easy, however, to see how this romance could happen, especially if Janeway is a hologram.
Robert Picardo recalled that during Star Trek: Voyager, The Doctor only had eyes for one other. He talked about how the character pined for a relationship with Seven of Nine and how it let to a particularly emotionally painful episode to shoot:
My unrequited love on Voyager, of course, was, Seven of Nine. I think that was made clear in episodes like someone to watch over me and all that. And there was that humiliating scene where in the last season, The Doctor thinks his program is going to end, that he’s being decompiled. So he makes a deathbed confession of affection for Seven of Nine, which was completely humiliating but fun to shoot.
Humiliating as it was, Robert Picardo’s talk about the EMH’s love of Seven Of Nine reminded me that she’s about to meet and eventually fall in love with Raffi in the Star Trek: Picard series around this time. Wouldn’t it be so great if the two reconnect in Season 3, and we see The Doctor officially move on from his Seven crush and present his new girlfriend, Holo Janeway? I’m giving out free suggestions for fan fictions here, so someone make it happen!
As for whether we’d ever see Holo Janeway and The Doctor as a couple, we’re still waiting to hear if Star Trek: Prodigy will return for another season. The Hageman brothers said fans could help make Season 3 a reality by encouraging others to watch the show, but there’s no way of telling if viewers have done that. The series has popped up in the Top 10 lists of other countries outside of the United States, so it’s fair to say the series is having some impact. Considering fans helped the series be saved by Netflix in the first place, I have faith (of the heart) we can get it done.
Star Trek: Prodigy is available to stream on Netflix right now, but you’ll need a Paramount+ subscription to watch the other series. With many upcoming Trek shows on the horizon, now is the time to catch up on anything missed and be ready for some exciting stuff.