What if the Doctor were Human?

[Crewman47]

The first thing I can think of is that there wouldn't be any "I want to be like a human" or "I'm sentient, I have rights" plot points (not that I don't them of course) but how different would it have been if he had been human?

I was thinking that for him to be on Voyager he could simply be a visiting passenger essential to the mission for whatever reason, just like Paris and when Voyagers own Doctor gets killed he would step in or, he could simply be an ex-Starfleet or civilian Doctor assigned to the Maquis ship and because of his qualifications could be given a commision as Voyagers CMO.

Would've been any different had he be human?

On a similar note, if they ever do get round to another live action Trek series I hope they don't introduce a non human character who longs to be human and acts like one, it kinda gets boring with every series having one and even has one in almost every sci-fi related tv show, movie and novel.

 

[Adm_Hawthorne]

I think he would have played a bigger role in being a father figure to Kes since he wouldn't have to learn what being a father figure was first.

I think he would have played the same role as he does as an EMH to Seven.

I think that Voyager would have had a harder time in all the episodes where the Doctor being a hologram were crucial to the success of the "mission".

I could have done without the holograms' rights stuff, to be perfectly honest.

I also think that his desire to learn art would have been more intriguing if he were human. As a hologram, he can just program himself to perfection. That is far less provocative.

He could simply have been Voyager's doctor on board. The storyline would have worked perfectly fine that way.

 

[Guy Gardener]

If he were Human, he never would caught Seska.

That would have changed EVERYTHING.

 

[Finn]

^How so? All he did was ask her to have a medical check up. McCoy, Beverly and Bashir would have done the same thing... Even Phlox.

I think he would have played a bigger role in being a father figure to Kes since he wouldn't have to learn what being a father figure was first.

I think he would have played the same role as he does as an EMH to Seven.

I think that Voyager would have had a harder time in all the episodes where the Doctor being a hologram were crucial to the success of the "mission".

I could have done without the holograms' rights stuff, to be perfectly honest.

I also think that his desire to learn art would have been more intriguing if he were human. As a hologram, he can just program himself to perfection. That is far less provocative.

He could simply have been Voyager's doctor on board. The storyline would have worked perfectly fine that way.

Macrocosm would have never happened

 

[Adm_Hawthorne]

I think he would have played a bigger role in being a father figure to Kes since he wouldn't have to learn what being a father figure was first.

I think he would have played the same role as he does as an EMH to Seven.

I think that Voyager would have had a harder time in all the episodes where the Doctor being a hologram were crucial to the success of the "mission".

I could have done without the holograms' rights stuff, to be perfectly honest.

I also think that his desire to learn art would have been more intriguing if he were human. As a hologram, he can just program himself to perfection. That is far less provocative.

He could simply have been Voyager's doctor on board. The storyline would have worked perfectly fine that way.

Macrocosm would have never happened

Okay, never mind... leave him be. I needs me my Cammando Janeway.

 

[Finn]

^ I had a feeling someone would have felt that way.

 

[JanewayRulz!]

Macrocosm would have never happened

UNACCEPTABLE!

 

[froot]

Macrocosm would have never happened

*joins the chorus howling in dismay*

Keep the man a hologram!

Honestly, though, the "outside looking in characters" are somewhat cliche in Trek, but I think Doc took it to a different place than characters like Data or Seven. He never had to wrestle with suppressed emotions or anything like that. He was based on a real human at the outset. The human he was based on just happened to be extremely cranky.

 

[RegFan]

I was thinking that for him to be on Voyager he could simply be a visiting passenger essential to the mission for whatever reason, just like Paris and when Voyagers own Doctor gets killed he would step in or, he could simply be an ex-Starfleet or civilian Doctor assigned to the Maquis ship and because of his qualifications could be given a commision as Voyagers CMO.

If he was a Maquis member, he would change a lot. In any case, he'd get no character development.

 

[TEACAKE'S PLEATHER DOME]

If he were human people would not have put up with his arrogance as much. Janeway is often bemused by him, had he been human she may have given him what for right from the start.

I think he would have been more of a Reg Barclay type character, with his social ineptitude not balanced with holographic wonders.

 

[tau136]

He wasn't ever just The Doctor - he was an incarnation of the computer. First time in Trek the computer has ever been an ongoing character in any way. On that angle, compare it to Blakes 7

 

[Adm_Hawthorne]

But, if he'd been more of an incarnation of the computer, I think he would have been able to better understand what was going on at any given situation as he would know based on what the computer knows.

He was an autonomous program.

 

[Finn]

But, if he'd been more of an incarnation of the computer, I think he would have been able to better understand what was going on at any given situation as he would know based on what the computer knows.

He was an autonomous program.

well put!

 

[henbane]

Doc needs to be a hologram - otherwise no Emergency Command Hologram or "photonic cannon"

Janeway and the doc would have been a good pairing but only with the doc as a hologram.

 

[Adm_Hawthorne]

Janeway and the EMH?

I think she had more chemistry with the prehensile plant.

 

[froot]

 

[Ensign Johnson]

I think the doctor being a hologram was such a good plot tool that him being human would just be silly. I agree that the holographic rights thing was getting a bit old towards the end but all that was worth it for Body and Soul.

Also would he be called Joe if he was human? Or maybe he could have been a different humanoid.

 

[Adm_Hawthorne]

I think the doctor being a hologram was such a good plot tool that him being human would just be silly. I agree that the holographic rights thing was getting a bit old towards the end but all that was worth it for Body and Soul.

I don't know. The EMH seemed to be used for a lot of deus ex machina. I think I could have done without that.

 

[Ensign Johnson]

It was only as bad as Seven's useful borg algorithms. There were some good uses of him being a hologram, Body and Soul and Living Witness being my favourite.

 

[Adm_Hawthorne]

"Living Witness" was incredibly well done. I would keep him an EMH just for that episode alone.