Robert Picardo has played The Doctor, an Emergency Medical Hologram, since Star Trek: Voyager launched in 1995. Now, the veteran actor has shared his worries about the future of the iconic sci-fi franchise amid continued uncertainty surrounding what's next for Star Trek on Paramount+ and beyond.
As things stand, Star Trek: Strange New Worlds and Star Trek: Starfleet Academy are the only live-action television series currently in production, with both shows confirmed to wrap up in 2027 with their final seasons. Picardo, who reprises the role of the Doctor in Starfleet Academy, weighed in on plans for the franchise during an appearance at Spacecon 2026.
With no small-screen Star Trek projects announced beyond those series, the actor admitted that he has concerns about whether the people currently overseeing Paramount fully understand what makes Gene Roddenberry's universe so unique.
"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," Picardo told fans (via SFFGazette.com). "I don’t know how you make Star Trek without it."
The actor went on to emphasise that the franchise's hopeful and cooperative outlook should remain intact, regardless of whatever direction the next era of Star Trek ultimately takes (as of now, it sounds like there are plans to bring the property back to theaters).
"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. That it always is the United Nations in space, not America First in space," Picardo noted. "And that it remains cooperative. It’s a vision of cooperation between space-faring planets in the future, and it’s not let’s go out and conquer the planets of Venezuela, Iran, Greenland, and Cuba."
That is, of course, a not-so-thinly veiled dig at President Donald Trump and his administration's interest in increasing America's presence in key locations around the globe that are either considered a threat or useful from a strategic standpoint.
Picardo's politically charged comments arrive at a time when fans are both eager and nervous about Star Trek. Paramount, which is in the midst of a massive acquisition of Warner Bros., is run by the Ellison family, who are longtime supporters of President Donald Trump and what many consider right-wing or far-right politics.
While Strange New Worlds has been a critical and streaming success for Paramount+, the franchise has scaled back its streaming output following the conclusions of Star Trek: Discovery, Star Trek: Picard, Lower Decks, and Prodigy.
For longtime fans, diversity and inclusion have been central themes of Star Trek dating back to The Original Series in the 1960s. The franchise has frequently used its futuristic setting to tackle contemporary social issues, but will there be room for that level of inclusivity moving forward?
Well, whether that approach continues in what comes next remains to be seen, but Picardo clearly hopes the franchise maintains the ideals that have defined it for decades.