The Doctor (why didn't they just make more?)

[KaraBear]

I know one of thier reasons for not making copies was his program was too big but I never understood why they couldn't copy it after they got the mobile emitter.

I would think that they didn't want to rely so heavily on the mobile emitter. They've said more than once that they weren't completely sure how it worked since it was so much more advanced than their technology. What if the power ran out on it, or it was damaged somehow. if he was only in the mobile emitter in that case he would be lost.

 

[Melakon]

I still wonder about Voyager's entire medical staff being killed when the ship is pulled into the Delta Quadrant. Sickbays are usually mentioned as being in the most heavily protected part of the ship.

 

[KaraBear]

We touched on some of these questions in the "Why don't the EMH's hands move super FAST?" thread. I'd have thought there could be extra holographic agents, either controlled by the doctor's program (effectively giving him multiple bodies), or more simplistic "nurse" units that aren't sentient but can still handle routine activities.

The cardassian consultant on the other hand was a simple program based on one person's research. It wasn't a backup fully functioning doctor meant to deal with any medical crisis that may arise. It was a talking encyclopedia. A much simpler and much smaller program

Yeah I don't buy that at all. Nothing of what we see suggests it couldn't handle treating general sick and injured. It has extensive knowledge, an advanced personality, and actively directed studies on that alien creature. It engaged with the doctor in ethical debates.

Yet a program this advanced would, if presented with say a burn victim, just shrug and not be able to help?

maybe he could handle a common cold...but would he be able to perform and advanced procedure on a human? would he be able to come up with a new kind of procedure like the Doctor did on numerous occasions? I would say not since he wasn't programmed for that.

 

[KaraBear]

I still wonder about Voyager's entire medical staff being killed when the ship is pulled into the Delta Quadrant. Sickbays are usually mentioned as being in the most heavily protected part of the ship.

voyager lost a lot of peole when they got pulled into the Delta Quadrant. And it's a small ship so it wouldn't have that many medical people on board anyway. Also I would guess since they were only going on a two week mission they didn't have a ful medical staff. Probably just one doctor and one nurse.

 

[Stoo]

but would he be able to perform and advanced procedure on a human? would he be able to come up with a new kind of procedure like the Doctor did on numerous occasions? I would say not since he wasn't programmed for that.

I don't see why he couldn't do an advanced procedure. The program is not only knowlegeable but intelligent and active. It doesn't just sit there mindlessly looking up answers from a database.

re: developing new procedures, that's exactly what he helped the doctor to do. Perhaps he couldn't by himself, I dunno.

But it seems pretty clear to me voyager had the capacity to at least create a backup doctor, even if not one with equal R&D capabilities.

 

[KaraBear]

but would he be able to perform and advanced procedure on a human? would he be able to come up with a new kind of procedure like the Doctor did on numerous occasions? I would say not since he wasn't programmed for that.

I don't see why he couldn't do an advanced procedure. The program is not only knowlegeable but intelligent and active. It doesn't just sit there mindlessly looking up answers from a database.

re: developing new procedures, that's exactly what he helped the doctor to do. Perhaps he couldn't by himself, I dunno.

But it seems pretty clear to me voyager had the capacity to at least create a backup doctor, even if not one with equal R&D capabilities.

they probably had the capacity to have a backup program, but not to run two of them at the same time