It took most of Star Trek: VoyagerIt took the crew seven years to get back home, but the Doctor (Robert Picardo) made it to and from the Alpha Quadrant twice before anyone else. As a hologram, the Doctor was unique among Voyagers cast of characters and became one of the show’s most popular additions as a result. Although the doctor began Voyager With a very limited scope, In later seasons he not only gained sentience but the ability to travel independently and even participate in away missionsTwo of which included risky trips to the Alpha Quadrant.
Most Star Trek TV shows already take place in the Alpha Quadrant, however Voyager‘s setting in the Delta Quadrant helped breathe new life into the franchise with an entirely new area of ​​space to explore. Being stranded in the Delta Quadrant also gave the USS Voyager and her crew a core mission to strive for throughout the show, instead of their only mission being exploration. The drive to return to the Alpha Quadrant, however, was only realized in the series finale for everyone but the Doctor.
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The Doctor is the only Star Trek: Voyager character to return to the Alpha Quadrant twice
The doctor made it home before anyone else
Thanks to his holographic status, the Doctor was able to return to the Alpha Quadrant twice and achieved several major victories while there. The first time the doctor sent people home was in Voyager Season 4, Episode 14, “Message in a Bottle,” where he found himself on a top-secret Starfleet ship near the Romulan Neutral Zone. Not only is the Doctor able to keep the ship out of Romulan hands, but He also set the record straight with Starfleet about Voyager being lost, a huge turning point for the crew In their mission to find a way home.
The second time the Doctor returned to the Alpha Quadrant, in Voyager Season 6, Episode 24, “Life Line,” his victory was more personal. The Doctor was sent as a compressed data stream to the Jupiter station to treat the supposedly life-threatening condition of his creator, Dr. Louis Zimmerman (Robert Picardo). Fortunately, The doctor managed to save the life of the closest thing he had to a fatherAnd his return also allowed for “Lifeline” to have some incredible guest characters like Reginald Barclay (Dwight Schultz) and Deanna Troy (Marina Sirtis).
Other Star Trek: Voyager characters only returned to the Alpha Quadrant in alternate timelines
Voyager never returned home in the right time or universe
While it is true that others Voyager The characters returned to the Alpha Quadrant and even back to Earth, The Doctor is the only character to make it back in real time. The whole Voyager Crew returned to Earth in the 1990s during the two-part episode “Future’s End,” and Harry Kim (Garrett Wang) actually returned home on two separate occasions: once during the season 2 episode “Non Sequitur,” and once with commander. Chakotay (Robert Beltran) in VoyagerThe 100th episode “Timeless.” However, both of these instances are alternate timelines that are erased by the episodes end.
As a hologram, the Doctor’s physical body was non-corporeal and could be transmitted over greater distances without the need for anything like a transporter.
Having the Doctor be the only character to return to the Alpha Quadrant makes the most sense out of everyone in the show. As a hologram, the Doctor’s physical body was non-corporeal and could be transmitted over greater distances without the need for anything like a transporter. However, the Doctor’s record for making it back to the Alpha Quadrant is on Star Trek: Voyager is quiet Notable and not something that is often discussed, despite the character’s popular status.