Rewatching Star Trek: Voyager Today, This Season 1 Joke Takes On A Whole New Meaning

There's a joke about the Doctor (Robert Picardo) early in Star Trek: Voyager season 1 that's actually funnier if you're rewatching the Star Trek show. When Neelix (Ethan Phillips) has his lungs stolen by Vidiians in Star Trek: Voyager season 1, episode 5, "Phage", the Doctor keeps Neelix alive using a pair of holographic lungs. For the treatment to be effective, Neelix has to remain in a biobed in the USS Voyager's sickbay. Being confined is especially rough on Neelix, but he tries to stay optimistic by asking the Doctor for small comforts.

This early in Star Trek: Voyager's run, the USS Voyager's Emergency Medical Hologram frequently reminds his patients that he was only supposed to be a supplement to regular medical staff. Dealing with the ordinary medical needs of an entire starship crew—let alone the extraordinary needs—is not in the EMH's programming. Neelix's request for more color in Voyager's sickbay is so far outside the Doctor's purview it gets the Dr. Leonard McCoy treatment ("I'm a doctor, not a decorator"). Then Neelix asks for music, and a beat later, adds, "Better yet, are you programmed to sing?"

Neelix's Joke About Star Trek: Voyager's Doctor Singing Is Even Funnier On A Rewatch

Neelix Can't Actually Predict The Future ... Right?

Neelix's joke about the Doctor singing in Star Trek: Voyager is even funnier on a rewatch because we know the EMH will actually re-program himself to sing in the future. Instead of answering Neelix's question with the withering glare he gives in Star Trek: Voyager season 1, a future version of the Doctor, who's developed a genuine love of music, might ask Neelix if he has any special requests. The added layer of irony—which was, of course, never intended when "Phage" was written—actually made me laugh out loud this time.

Originally, Neelix asking Star Trek: Voyager's Doctor to sing was mildly funny because it was supposed to sound like such a ridiculous request. Neelix didn't understand what we already knew about how Star Trek's holograms work. At that point, the Doctor was beholden to his limited programming, so entertaining the idea of redecorating sickbay or performing an aria for the troubled Mr. Neelix was beyond the Doctor's grasp. Five episodes in, no one has any idea how the USS Voyager's EMH will grow and change in the coming years—least of all himself.

The Doctor Becomes A Singer On Star Trek: Voyager

Kes Encourages The Doctor To Expand His Program And Learn

Beginning in Star Trek: Voyager season 3, episode 4, "The Swarm", singing becomes an integral part of the Doctor's Star Trek: Voyager character arc. In Voyager season 6, the Doctor fantasizes about performing in Voyager's mess hall in episode 4, "Tinker Tenor Doctor Spy", and nearly quits to perform full-time after introducing aliens to music in episode 13, "Virtuoso". The EMH connects with others through music, like singing with Seven of Nine (Jeri Ryan) in Voyager season 5, episode 22, "Someone to Watch Over Me"; and communicating with Fantome (Jonathan Del Arco) in Voyager season 7, episode 15, "The Void".

Interestingly, the Doctor's passion for singing has its seeds in the very same episode where Neelix requests a song from the Doctor. In "Phage", Kes (Jennifer Lien) encourages the Doctor to improve his bedside manner by gaining more experience, and adjusting his behavior accordingly. That simple suggestion has huge repercussions for the Doctor, who experiments with new personality subroutines, family life, romance, and—of course—exploring hobbies. If only the Doctor knew what Star Trek: Voyager had in store for him, even the grouchy version of the EMH might crack a smile at Neelix asking the Doctor to sing.