Star Trek Reveals Shocking Hologram Scandal in Starfleet After Voyager
Star Trek's ongoing struggle with holograms continues in Prodigy, shedding light on the EMH Doctor's distinctiveness The exploration of hologram rights raises questions about their place within Starfleet, captivating fans with this intriguing civil rights debate (340 characters)
Summary
Star Trek: Prodigy season 2 clip suggests that holographic rights haven't progressed much since Voyager, as Rok-Tahk doesn't recognize the mobile emitter.
Starfleet has potentially refrained from reverse-engineering the EMH's mobile emitter for other holograms, potentially driven by the Temporal Prime Directive or unease regarding sentient holograms being granted freedom.
Despite the inclusion of Hologram Janeway in Prodigy's first season and her selfless sacrifice, Starfleet remains hesitant to acknowledge holograms as independent entities with their own will.
A sneak peek of Star Trek: Prodigy season 2 subtly hints that Starfleet continues to struggle with holograms even after the events of Star Trek: Voyager. Unveiled at STLV: 57-Year Mission, the first glimpse of Prodigy season 2 offers fans a tantalizing preview of what lies ahead if and when the series finds a new streaming platform. Despite the exhilarating additions of the brand-new USS Voyager-A and the reappearance of the Doctor (Robert Picardo), the clip also indicates that the holographic rights movement hasn't made significant progress since the conclusion of Voyager. In Star Trek: Voyager season 3, the Doctor was equipped with a mobile emitter, a 29th-century technology that granted him the freedom to venture beyond the confines of the ship.
In the Star Trek: Prodigy season 2 clip, the USS Voyager's EMH is shown still wearing his mobile emitter, proudly declaring his distinction from ordinary holograms. The mobile emitter played a vital role in enabling the Doctor to explore new horizons, embark on away missions, and visit alien worlds. Nevertheless, as demonstrated in Star Trek: Prodigy season 1, Hologram Janeway (Kate Mulgrew) remains limited to her vessel, much like the early days of Voyager's EMH. This implies that Starfleet has not replicated the technology of the mobile emitter for other holograms. It remains uncertain whether this reluctance stems from Starfleet's adherence to the Temporal Prime Directive or their unease with the notion of sentient holograms enjoying unrestricted freedom.
Star Trek: Prodigy Confirms Voyager's EMH Doctor Is A Unique Hologram
In one of Star Trek's darker courtroom dramas, "Author, Author" from Star Trek: Voyager, the ship's EMH fights a legal battle for recognition as an individual. However, the Starfleet arbitrator at the end of the episode concludes that they cannot determine whether the Doctor is a sentient being or simply an advanced program. This lack of awareness about sentient holograms, as evident in the reactions of the Protostar crew and Rok Tahk (Rylee Alazraqui) to the mobile emitter, highlights that Voyager's Doctor is not widely known in the Federation.
Similarly, in Star Trek: Prodigy season 1, Hologram Janeway demonstrates her autonomy and proves her worth as a Janeway. Just like her real-life counterpart, Hologram Janeway chooses to sacrifice herself and the Protostar in order to save her crew and preserve Starfleet. However, even this selfless act fails to prompt Starfleet to address the long overdue issue of whether holograms can be regarded as individuals with their own agency.
Are Star Trek's Holograms Starfleet's Next Big Civil Rights Debate?
The USS Voyager-A and other starships in Star Trek: Prodigy's fleet have integrated technology from the Delta Quadrant. It's peculiar that the mobile emitter hasn't been adapted in the late 24th century. Although it will take another 500 years for this technology to be developed, the laws of time might prevent Starfleet from reverse engineering it. Nevertheless, there's nothing stopping someone from attempting to invent the technology, except for the fear of potential consequences.
In a previous encounter, Voyager came across a group of sentient holograms who had rebelled against their Hirogen masters, paralleling Starfleet's Augment ban. Holograms play a significant role in the entertainment industry within the Star Trek universe. Recognizing them as sentient beings with their own autonomy could ignite a major debate and even lead to civil unrest. The Doctor would be a prominent figure in such a discourse, along with the crew of Star Trek: Prodigy, whose affinity for Hologram Janeway could bring about a favorable resolution to the hologram rights debate from Star Trek: Voyager.
