So when did they abandon the "Doc Zimmerman" name for the EMH?

[Parallaxis]

All the early press releases credit Picardo as "Doc Zimmerman."

Was that ever really on the table?
Or did they feel they just needed a name for the press release?

Are there any early scripts using "Doc Zimmerman?"

 

[Laura Cynthia Chambers]

I gather they didn't want to spill the plot point about him being a hologram. Production companies that don't want to let on what films they're working on will often give the movie a working title that reveals nothing about the plot.

Although, technically, he did play that role later.

 

[Oddish]

I always thought they planned to use it, then kept procrastinating on and on... or maybe, it was one of those changes in showrunner. Like at the end of S2, when they killed off their best supporting cast members.

 

[Parallaxis]

I gather they didn't want to spill the plot point about him being a hologram. Production companies that don't want to let on what films they're working on will often give the movie a working title that reveals nothing about the plot.

Although, technically, he did play that role later.

No, the press release said he was a holographic doctor, they just always named him Doc Zimmerman.

 

[Laura Cynthia Chambers]

I suppose they wanted to emphasize his uniqueness (But since most doctors are called "Doctor" in lieu of their name quite often, I dunno how it helps), or make the choosing (or not choosing) of a name to be a plot point, as he has no parents to do it for him or normal inclination to do so, being formerly a temporary stop gap, rather than a developed individual with thoughts and feelings.

 

[NCC-73515]

MA says:

In several early first-season Star Trek: Voyager scripts, call sheets, and shooting schedules and during the pre-production phase, the character of The Doctor was referred to by name as "Doc Zimmerman" after Herman Zimmerman, since the show's producers had not yet decided to leave him unnamed. (VOY Season 2 DVD trivia text version of "The 37's") His initial description in the script for VOY: "Caretaker" originated this routine, as The Doctor was therein initially referred to "as a holographic man in a Starfleet medical uniform […] He has no name for now… but we will get to know him in time as Doc Zimmerman. His manner is colorless, dry." The character continued to be referred to as having the name "Zimmerman" in all the scripts which were written for the series' first season, and "Zimmerman" was reported to the public as the character's name in press materials during the series' initial production run. Robert Picardo claimed in October 2022 that it was his decision to rename the character in the credits, with a view to the Doctor choosing the name "Doc Zimmerman" in a later episode.

https://memory-alpha.fandom.com/wiki/The_Doctor#Background_information

 

[Christopher]

I always thought they planned to use it, then kept procrastinating on and on...

Yeah, that's what I always figured. They didn't make a formal decision to change it; they just wanted the Doctor to search for a name for a while before settling on Zimmerman, and it just dragged on so long that they and the audience got used to him just being "the Doctor," so they stuck with that.

The first several tie-in novels did call him Zimmerman, because they were written before the show came out, with the writers using the series bible and available scripts as their references.

After a while, I settled on calling him "Doc Hologram" in my head. I'm surprised I seem to be the only one who ever thought of that pun, since it seems pretty obvious. Maybe I'm just the only one who thought it was funny.

 

[Laura Cynthia Chambers]

That's what Paris would call him if they played the Ancient West holoprogram.

 

[somebuddyX]

I feel like once they did "Projections" it was off the table. I could imagine Doc might consider it a surname, if he had to. Voyager Zimmerman.

 

[Oddish]

After a while, I settled on calling him "Doc Hologram" in my head. I'm surprised I seem to be the only one who ever thought of that pun, since it seems pretty obvious. Maybe I'm just the only one who thought it was funny.

That's what Paris would call him if they played the Ancient West holoprogram.

I thought "Doc Hollywood", but Holliday's even better.

Honestly, the name that I thought made the most sense was the one Danara Pel gave him. It was given to him as an act of affection, by a woman he had real feelings for, and who aided his journey toward sentience.

 

[C.E. Evans]

When the character breakdowns for VOY were first released, I thought they should have called him "Doc Holo"--more of a play on Doc Holliday more than anything else. I never particularly liked that they simply called him "the Doctor," it felt like neither him nor the crew could be bothered or just didn't care. Heck, even the Delta Flyer got a name!

 

[Tosk]

The first several tie-in novels did call him Zimmerman, because they were written before the show came out, with the writers using the series bible and available scripts as their references.

'Zimmerman' only popped up in book two and four. One and three mostly refer to him as 'the hologram'.

That's what Paris would call him if they played the Ancient West holoprogram.

In the novelization of Caretaker, Paris mentally refers to the EMH as Doc Holodeck.

--

Here's a great example of 'written before the show started'. Book four (Violations) has this hilarious bit...

"Perhaps I'm just like any of you," Zimmerman sighed. "I'll survive, but I might not be the same. I'll have to deal with the consequences of my...illness. Now I understand the subroutines I am directed to initiate when treating another doctor. We do make the worst patients."
Kes smoothed his hair back from his forehead. "It's not fair for you to have to suffer this way."

 

[Christopher]

I thought "Doc Hollywood", but Holliday's even better.

The title Doc Hollywood was most likely a pun on Doc Holliday to begin with.

In the novelization of Caretaker, Paris mentally refers to the EMH as Doc Holodeck.

Hmm, maybe I subconsciously remembered that and thought I'd coined it. That version is a closer pun.

 

[Oddish]

I still think it's funny how the Foc was presumably programmed with male pattern baldness and to be insecure about it. I mean, when we saw him with hair in "Before and After", the adjustment probably took 30 seconds to make.

 

[Lynx]

In two of the Voyager books, The Escape and Violations, The Doctor is named Dr. Zimmerman.

For me, he will always be Lewis Shmullus Schweitzer Zimmerman!

 

[fireproof78]

Or LZ for short.

 

[Finn]

I believe some of the subtitles had "Dr. Zimmerman" whenever the EMH was talking off screen, in a couple of episodes. I can't remember which ones.

 

[Parallaxis]

I believe some of the subtitles had "Dr. Zimmerman" whenever the EMH was talking off screen, in a couple of episodes. I can't remember which ones.

Now that would be interesting...

 

[ussrowe]

I believe some of the subtitles had "Dr. Zimmerman" whenever the EMH was talking off screen, in a couple of episodes. I can't remember which ones.

I remember that because it was odd watching reruns and the closed captioning in the early episodes saying "Zimmerman: Sickbay to Bridge" or something like that

 

[Akiraprise]

I remember that as well. Just recently within the last year or so too. However, I just watched the first 5 episodes on P+ and it didn't happen so they may have fixed it now.