Because of his original purpose, it makes sense that the Doctor wouldn’t have held a Starfleet rank during Voyager.

However, in Prodigy, he still doesn’t have pips. This leads to my questions:

  • Can a self-aware hologram hold rank or a non-com position in Starfleet?
  • If so, how would the Doctor attaib it?

According to the STO wiki, he doesn’t wear them by choice but does have a rank. That might be a reasonable explanation; I can’t imagine Janeway not at least trying to field commission him.

  • HeathenPope@lemmy.worldEnglish
    21·
    3 days ago

    He would most certainly be assigned a rank if for no other reason than to ensure he (as an asset) is treated by crewmen with care and respect. It is the same approach in logic that militaries and police use with K-9 units. Dogs always outrank the handlers as a further mechanism to ensure proper treatment of the self-aware asset.

    • Wolf314159@startrek.websiteEnglish
      3·
      2 days ago

      That didn’t stop that one guy from trying to dismantle Data. They had to have a whole court episode to re-affirm Data’s autonomy and personhood.

  • _stranger_@lemmy.worldEnglish
    23·
    3 days ago

    Data was artificial and autonomous. The Dr originally wasn’t autonomous, it could be argued he’s just part of the ship, but the holo emitter changed that. I’m amazed the Daystrom institute let him keep it, but since it’s apparently his, and that makes him autonomous, I would argue he’s just like Data (minus the permanent corporeality of course). I suppose there’s a question about ownership given his origins as a Starfleet asset, but since he can be replaced with a copy of the original program, there’s no real material loss in letting him leave the ship.

        • Echo Dot@feddit.ukEnglish
          2·
          2 days ago

          I like to play a game where if you see one Star Trek actor you often see others and you have to spot them.

          Quite a few have been in CSI over the years.

          • data1701d (He/Him)@startrek.websiteOPEnglish
            1·
            1 day ago

            Gargoyles (where Frakes and Sirtis are the main villains) even cracks a joke, “You and what Starfleet!”

            I heard Takei and Frakes were on Adventure Time. After a Google, in addition, it seems so was Sirtis, Burton, and a bunch of Lower Decks actors.

            Kate Mulgrew is great in Infinity Train.

            I think one of my favorites, though, is the completely unrelated freebee for your cellphone randomly dropped for Kevin by Takei at the end of an episode of Community.

          • themoken@startrek.websiteEnglish
            1·
            2 days ago

            I love that game. Recently been putting on the old 90s Superman show and it’s got a good amount of Trek crossover, including Jonathan Frakes as a bizarre villain. Also a cameo from the late great James Earl Jones…

            Cheers is another that comes to mind. Young Brent Spiner and Kate Mulgrew years before they were famous and, later, Kirstie Alley is a main character. And of course Norm == Morn.

  • Rookeh@startrek.websiteEnglish
    14·
    3 days ago

    Even without an official rank, on Voyager he was still considered a Department Head and (more importantly) the CMO, which gave significant authority (even exceeding the Captain on certain medical matters), regardless of whether or not he was ever given any pips. The same thing would likely apply on subsequent postings.

    If he ever had to be assigned a rank for clerical/administrative purposes, it would probably be the default required rank for a Starfleet CMO candidate for the class of ship he was serving on.

    • williams_482@startrek.websiteMEnglish
      2·
      2 days ago

      Voyager’s original CMO was a Lieutenant Commander, which is presumably pretty typical for a ship of Voyager’s size. Bashir was commissioned as a Lieutenant Junior Grade to be the CMO on a backwater space station, so that’s presumably the bare minimum.

      I would expect the Doctor’s first official rank (whatever that might be) to stick with him, plus promotion as appropriate. Adjusting it up and down based on posting would be a bizare thing to do for any other crewperson, and I’m sure The Doctor would object vigorously to such a thing.