What next for The Doctor?

[Mark]

Medical knowledge isn't the issue. That can be transferred in databases. The Doctor is unique in that his extended operation allowed him to develop a personality (several, in fact.) There's no need to copy that into any other EMH, much less a right to.

Who'd WANT too? I mean, he's rather high maintence. At the drop of a hat, he can go bonkers, be reprogrammed, or start to malfuntion for no reason.

[Teaos]

His personality is a double sided coin, it allowed him to grow and maybe develope some of his more inventive techniques. Or it could be a liability, ala Jetral.

[thelordharry]

His personality is a double sided coin, it allowed him to grow and maybe develope some of his more inventive techniques. Or it could be a liability, ala Jetral.

I can't help feeling The Doctor became a better physician because of his ever developing personality. Compare said personality from 'The Caretaker' to 'Endgame' and you wouldn't recognise the two. Still, having said that, as The Doctor IS a computer generated and controlled entity, then surely the sum of his medical knowledge (at say, Endgame) could be extracted and transplanted to other EMHs, leaving behind any individuality solely for The Doctor's use? (especially the singing...)?

[Mikey]

Like I said, the knowledge/medical skill is simply an issue of porting a database, nothing to do with any personality or sapience at all.

[thelordharry]

Like I said, the knowledge/medical skill is simply an issue of porting a database, nothing to do with any personality or sapience at all.

Do you think it would be administered by Microsoft Access in the Microsoft Office Professional 2375 suite?

Fair point about porting knowledge over, sure. However, surely Starfleet would want to take advantage of a working template of the Doctor's 'Endgame' personality, which I think we'd all agree, is a lot more useful than it was upon first activation and much more than later marks, like the androgynous MkII one on the Prometheus?

[Mikey]

I don't think they could "take advantage" of it by reproducing it, judging by the precedent set in TNG: "Measure of a Man."

Microsoft Medical Professional 2375 suite?

fixed.

[Sionnach Glic]

On a related note, does anyone else find it interesting that out of a seven year long show, the character with the most development by the end of it was a frickin' computer program?

Of course, he's the only character on that entire ship that deserved any development.

[Mikey]

That's not true at all!

Oh... I guess you're not counting retrogade development.

[Mark]

I love cheap shots

[thelordharry]

I love cheap shots

They're the ones that usually give you the worst hangovers...

[Schrodinger's Hat]

Yeah, but after five or six most folks can't tell the difference between the cheap shots and the good shots anyway, so you might as well...

Heh, anyhow, what's next for the Doctor? A book tour. He's gained sentience, explored the Delta Quadrant, commanded a starship, defeated the Romulans, foiled at least one plot to destroy Voyager, and returned home to tell the tale. I imagine any number of publishing houses would jump at the chance to get his story if only for the publicity.

As for duplicating the Doctor, I'm sure someone's suggested this, but why? The EMH was never supposed to replace a starship's medical staff. It's a self-wielding scalpel with a snarky attitude and a receeding hairline. The Doctor himself is pretty useful, but a baseline EMH is a tool and nothing more. As a matter of fact, my understanding is that it's a tool with a limited function set. It's supposed to supplement the medical staff until such a time as there were enough organic doctors available to deal with the situation. Probably, the things it would have to deal with would be rather straightforward, such as injuries from combat and the like. Anything weird, the organic doctors would deal with. Giving such a program sentience would only be useful in situations where a conventional medical staff is unavailable, like with Voyager.

Anyway, there's my two cents.

[Teaos]

As for duplicating the Doctor, I'm sure someone's suggested this, but why?

Because if is better than almost any other doctor in the fleet. For ships like the Frankenstein fleet having a EMH ala doctor would be far better than what evr boarder line failed doctor they would have gotten usually.

[Sionnach Glic]

Exactly. His experiences would be invaluable for crews.

[Mark]

Well, you'd have to upgrade all of the systems on board to support his software, and install holo-emitters, but yeah, I think that would work well. ESPECIALLY for small ships, like a Sabre or a Defient, where you have a VERY small crew anyway.

[Mikey]

Agreed with Hat (as I've already mentioned.) The only reason to replicate the Doctor fleet-wide, rather than use "base" EMH's, is if you intend to get rid of every CMO in Starfleet.