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Emergency Medical Holographic program

The Doctor of the USS Voyager , a noted EMH program

Subroutines composing an EMH holomatrix

The Emergency Medical Holographic program or Emergency Medical Holographic system , also known as the Emergency Medical Hologram ( EMH ), Emergency Holographic Doctor , or Emergency Medical program , was an adaptive holoprogram developed during the 2360s by Starfleet and used on a number of Federation starships during the late 24th century .

It was designed to provide short-term advanced assistance during emergencies in sickbay to the extent of literally replacing a starship's medical officer . ( DS9 : " Doctor Bashir, I Presume ") By 2377 , there had been four versions of the EMH, designated Mark I thru IV. ( VOY : " Life Line ")

• 1.1 Premise
• 1.2.1 Specifications
• 1.2.2 Design flaws
• 1.2.3 Notable extended service
• 1.3 EMH Mark II
• 1.4 Late century design
• 1.5 32nd century design
• 2 Mechanics
• 3.1 See also
• 3.2 Appearances
• 3.3 Apocrypha
• 3.4 External link

History [ ]

Premise [ ].

One of the earliest known concepts for a "holographic doctor" was first considered, if not rhetorically, by Enterprise NX-01 Commander Trip Tucker . In 2151 , Tucker argued to Ezral – a Kantare engineer who had programmed several holograms of his former crew on behalf of keeping his daughter , Liana , company – that, with regards of her welfare, " What if she gets hurt? What do you do then? Program a holographic doctor? " Ezral, nevertheless, responded simply that " we've survived here successfully " without one. ( ENT : " Oasis ")

Over a century later , while testing the ill-fated M-5 multitronic unit aboard the USS Enterprise , Spock lamented to Dr. Leonard McCoy that, " the most unfortunate lack in current computer programming is that there is nothing available to immediately replace the starship surgeon. " McCoy retorted that, " if it could, they wouldn't have to replace me. I'd resign because everybody else aboard would be nothing but circuits and memory banks . "

Later, following the demise of the M-5, McCoy observed that " compassion [was] the one thing no machine ever had. Maybe it's the one thing that keeps men ahead of them. " Nevertheless, Spock still commented on the idea that, if using McCoy's memory engrams as a template for the technology used in creating the M-5, " the resulting torrential flood of illogic would be most entertaining. " ( TOS : " The Ultimate Computer ")

By the mid- 24th century , however, sufficient advancements in the field led Starfleet to commission the holo-engineer , Dr. Lewis Zimmerman , to begin work at the Jupiter Station Holoprogramming Center on the new EMH program. One of the EMH's predecessors was the hologram Haley , first activated in 2368 . ( VOY : " Projections ", " Lifesigns ")

EMH Mark I [ ]

Specifications [ ].

The Emergency Medical Holographic program (EMH) was formally known as an "EMH Program AK-1 Diagnostic and Surgical Subroutine Omega-323", though Zimmerman wanted to call his creation the "Holo-Doc", but Starfleet Command made the request to name the hologram "Emergency Medical Hologram" instead. ( VOY : " Projections " ) The persona was not, however, given a formal name . ( VOY : " Lifesigns ")

The design work began around the 2360s , where it took the greatest holo-engineers in Starfleet years to develop the EMH. Among those eventually involved included Reginald Barclay . ( VOY : " Message in a Bottle ", " Projections ", " Life Line ") Following its creation, thousands of holograms based on that technology were created for various functions. ( VOY : " Life Line ")

The EMH was designed as " an incredibly sophisticated computer simulation, " and " the embodiment of modern medicine . " ( VOY : " Lifesigns ", " Parallax ") The EMH program specifications, which were at the time considered quite "impressive", included the entire Starfleet Medical Database . In all, it contained over five million medical protocols – ranging from possible treatments to surgical procedures (including one developed by Dr. Leonard McCoy ), the collective medical knowledge of over three thousand cultures (including every Federation world), it further possessed information from two thousand medical reference sources (including Gray's Anatomy and Comparative Alien Physiology ), and the experience of 47 individual medical officers . ( VOY : " Parallax ", " Ex Post Facto ", " Lifesigns ", " Meld ", " Message in a Bottle ", " Relativity ", " Virtuoso ", " Critical Care ") Above all, the EMH was programmed with the Hippocratic Oath , that was, an EMH was required that it "do no harm." ( VOY : " Darkling ", " Bliss ", " Critical Care "; PIC : " Broken Pieces ")

The universal translator algorithm was written into the EMH's matrix. ( VOY : " Gravity ")

It was designed and programmed solely as a short-term emergency supplement to the medical team otherwise found aboard a starship, until a permanent replacement could be found, and therefore, was only meant to function for a maximum of 1,500 hours (62.5 days ); after this time, memory degradation would occur. ( VOY : " Caretaker ", " The Swarm ")

A diagram of The Doctor's memory files

The EMH was also supplemented with contingency programs and adaptive programs to learn while serving as a supplement of a normal medical staff in cases of emergency. ( VOY : " Ex Post Facto ") It contained fifty million gigaquads of computer memory, which was " considerably more than most highly developed humanoid brains. " ( VOY : " Life Line ") Memory files were stored in the EMH memory core , where memories concerning a specific subject or period of time could be deleted. ( VOY : " Latent Image ") Additionally, while not designed to act as ship's counselor , the EMH had been programmed with sufficient psychological knowledge to note observational concerns. ( VOY : " Darkling ")

Beginning around 2370 , the entirely new EMH system began to see installation aboard newly launched Intrepid -class and Nova -class starships . ( VOY : " Equinox ", " Relativity ") By 2371 , Starfleet was still being considered for installation throughout the rest of the fleet . ( VOY : " Relativity ") In all, 678 Mark Is were created. ( VOY : " Life Line ")

Starfleet later requested that Dr. Zimmerman design an EMH supplement, designed to operate as a full-time doctor in any posting where life support or living space was at a premium and the primary mission did not require the doctor to leave sickbay. As a result, the research and design for the Long-term Medical Holographic program (LMH) was begun in mid- 2373 . While Deep Space 9 did not have an EMH installed initially, as it was incompatible with the station's Cardassian technology, one was later installed that year as a way to transfer its data into the LMH. ( DS9 : " Doctor Bashir, I Presume ")

Design flaws [ ]

Dr. Zimmerman, proud of his achievement, decided to program the EMH with both his physical, and most notably, psychological characteristics. ( VOY : " Life Line ")

Although later deemed to be a design flaw, the EMH had a rather acerbic personality , due primarily to the fact that it was " designed to practice medicine as efficiently as possible, " enhancements, such as carrying on small talk or knowledge of " pithy Earth trivia " was viewed by its programmers as means of cluttering up its memory and compromising its performance. ( VOY : " Persistence of Vision ", " The Swarm ", " Future's End, Part II ", " Relativity ") Some biological Starfleet doctors even went so far as to object to the use of the EMH. Doctor Beverly Crusher swore that she would never use one, although she was forced to do so in order to create a distraction while the Borg tried to assimilate the USS Enterprise -E , allowing her, her medical staff, and her patients, notably Lily Sloane , to escape from sickbay. ( Star Trek: First Contact )

Eventually, it was concluded that the EMH Mark I was defective and they were retired from the Medical Corps . One key factor being that Dr. Zimmerman did not take into account that his own personality, given as that of the EMH, resulted in a poor bedside manner for a medical doctor. The resulting hologram was arrogant and irritable, and as a result was poorly received by many Starfleet doctors. This, in turn, spawned nicknames like "Emergency Medical Hotheads" and "Extremely Marginal Housecalls." According to Zimmerman he tried to save face and have them decommissioned , but " Starfleet, in its infinite wisdom, overruled me and reassigned them all to work waste transfer barges . " ( VOY : " Life Line ") Later, the Mark Is were also deployed in other menial tasks, like dilithium mining . ( VOY : " Author, Author ")

Several EMH Mark Is mining dilithium

By 2378 , the Mark I programs were reconfigured to work at a Federation mining colony in replacement of other forms of labor. These programs, having been reassigned to their new function, were able to obtain bootlegged copies of the holonovel Photons Be Free and view them. One of the EMH miners found the holonovel "provocative". ( VOY : " Author, Author ")

Notable extended service [ ]

The most notable EMH in Zimmerman's series was the Mark I installed aboard the USS Voyager , known simply as The Doctor . The Doctor, who ran almost continuously for eight years, far exceeded the abilities of his original programming, and was forced to expand his programming extensively to keep up. This EMH originally objected to being the replacement for the entire medical staff, and after having had surpassed its expiration date, its life was fortunately extended with the help of his colleagues, and his program was altered to overcome this shortcoming. ( VOY : " The Swarm ")

After the EMH Mark II supplanted the "inferior" Mark I, the only remaining versions to fulfill their original programming were aboard the USS Voyager and the USS Equinox , which were both stranded in the Delta Quadrant and had to implement the emergency holograms for extended periods of time. However, a notable caveat was that the crew of the Equinox deleted their EMH's ethical subroutines in order to allow him to act contrary to the Hippocratic Oath. In 2376 , the Equinox EMH was deleted while in Voyager 's database, leaving Voyager 's Doctor as the only known remaining Mark I still operating as an EMH. ( VOY : " Equinox ", " Equinox, Part II ")

Voyager 's EMH developed a distinct personality over the ship's seven-year-long journey to the Alpha Quadrant . Despite this, The Doctor was not granted the rights of a living person by a Federation Arbiter , although he did determine that The Doctor fulfilled the requirements of an artist under the law. The Arbiter did, however, encourage The Doctor to pursue recognition as a sentient being at a later point in time. ( VOY : " Author, Author ")

An ability unique to The Doctor, Voyager 's EMH was able to leave sickbay or the holodeck and to roam freely with the help of a mobile emitter (originating from 29th century technology). ( VOY : " Future's End, Part II ") Voyager 's EMH was even given the responsibility of commanding the ship as the Emergency Command Hologram (ECH) if the ship's commanding officers were not present, incapacitated, or dead. ( VOY : " Tinker Tenor Doctor Spy ", " Workforce ", " Workforce, Part II ", " Renaissance Man ")

EMH Mark II [ ]

A second generation EMH

To address the flaws in the EMH Mark I, Dr. Zimmerman began work on the Mark II, a prototype of which was finished in time to be included in the sickbay of the USS Prometheus in 2374 .

While the Mark I's outward appearance was a copy of its inventor, a disillusioned Dr. Zimmerman changed the outward appearance of the Mark II. Furthermore, the patterns of behavior of the following versions were designed to be more pleasant and courteous. To achieve this, Zimmerman initially tried to improve on the programming of the Mark I, but eventually decided to create the Mark II from scratch. In addition to that, new ship designs like the USS Prometheus enabled full mobility for the EMH, as the whole ship was outfitted with holographic projectors .

When The Doctor was sent in a holographic data stream to contact the USS Prometheus , he found the starship in the hands of Romulans , who had killed the Starfleet crew and captured the ship. The Doctor activated the ship's EMH, a Mark II, to help him recapture the ship, although the Mark II initially preferred to just deactivate and wait for rescue, and then treated The Doctor as inferior despite the latter's vastly superior life experiences. The Doctor ultimately persuaded the Mark II to take action and help him. They planned to disable the Romulans by venting an anesthetic gas, but The Doctor was captured by the Romulans when he attempted to reach the environmental controls on the bridge . During The Doctor's interrogation, the Mark II simulated a bio-hazard, opening the vents which released the gas, knocking out the Romulans. The Doctor and the Mark II successfully fought off Romulan warbirds using the ship's experimental weapons systems, returned the ship into Starfleet's hands, and informed Starfleet that Voyager was in the Delta Quadrant. ( VOY : " Message in a Bottle ")

By 2377 , the Mark II had been replaced by a Mark III, followed by a Mark IV. ( VOY : " Life Line ")

Late century design [ ]

By late century, EMH programs, as well as variations on the "emergency" theme , were all incorporated into the customizable Emergency Hologram basic installation , which was available for civilian use. Such packages were available onboard Kaplan F17 Speed Freighters . ( PIC : " Absolute Candor ", " The Impossible Box ")

32nd century design [ ]

Eli , an EMH

EMH programs continued to be used by the Federation and Starfleet. One, known as Eli , served as medical officer under Admiral Charles Vance at Federation Headquarters in 3189 .( DIS : " Die Trying ", " There Is A Tide... ")

Mechanics [ ]

The EMH was a holographic simulation of a Human, but with no internal organs beneath the apparent surface to conserve computer power. EMHs were not equipped with reproductive organs. The Doctor, however, wrote additional routines into his holomatrix to facilitate romantic endeavors and has also had several relationships, one of which inexplicably resulted in a son. ( VOY : " Message in a Bottle ", " Blink of an Eye ")

The containment fields could be shut off, allowing objects and people to pass through them – an EMH's cohesion could range from solid to intangible. ( VOY : " Phage ")

The EMH's imaging system and tactile acuity subroutines allowed him to perform, " and in many cases improve upon, the most delicate tactile maneuvers required by a dizzying array of surgical procedures. " ( VOY : " Lifesigns ")

When he was first activated, the Mark I EMH did not have the ability to deactivate himself after he finished his duties. ( VOY : " Eye of the Needle ") Auto-initiation of the EMH program could be achieved when a ship-wide red alert was initiated. ( VOY : " Projections ")

Written as a supplement to USS Voyager 's EMH, The Doctor was given the ability to self deactivate by issuing computer command "Override Command 1-EMH-Alpha; End Program". ( VOY : " Jetrel ") Though seemingly unrelated, this was a standard feature for the EMH Mark II. ( VOY : " Message in a Bottle ")

Appendices [ ]

See also [ ].

• Variants from The Doctor
• Standard form quotes from other Starfleet EMHs
• Jupiter Station Diagnostic Program Alpha-11
• Long-term Medical Holographic program

Appearances [ ]

• DS9 : " Doctor Bashir, I Presume "
• " Prime Factors "
• " Non Sequitur "
• " Resistance "
• " Day of Honor "
• Star Trek: First Contact
• " The End is the Beginning "
• " Stardust City Rag "
• " Nepenthe "
• " Broken Pieces "
• " Die Trying "
• " There Is A Tide... "

Apocrypha [ ]

Despite Doctor Crusher's distaste for the EMH, she was forced to activate the EMH of the Enterprise -E during the events of The Q Continuum trilogy, when the Enterprise was attacked by the Calamarain during a mission to the Galactic barrier .

In the Star Trek: Prometheus trilogy, it is revealed that, even after the upgrade to the Mark III and Mark IV EMH, the Prometheus has retained the Mark II, even giving him the nickname 'Tre' for his habit of carrying around a tricorder when he can make such diagnostics on his own.

In Star Trek Online 's Federation tutorial, players encounter a new version of the Emergency Medical Hologram (EMH Mark VI) serving aboard the USS Khitomer . Resembling a Vulcan with silver hair, this EMH, in dialogue released on YouTube but not included in game, claims to have a "personality matrix [that] combines qualities of more than twenty physicians, scientists, and counselors – including Admiral Beverly Crusher of Starfleet Medical , Ambassador Spock , and Ghee P'Trell of Andoria ." He is voiced by Zachary Quinto . [1] Also in Star Trek Online , Emergency Medical Holograms, alongside the new Emergency Engineering Holograms and Emergency Security Holograms, can be acquired as Duty Officers. [2]

External link [ ]

• Emergency Medical Hologram at Memory Beta , the wiki for licensed Star Trek works
• 1 Daniels (Crewman)

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Star Trek Expands Lore Surrounding Mysterious Tholians, Revealing Direct Link to the Gods

Rosario dawson turned down star trek for star wars: ahsoka, i don't care if modern star trek breaks established canon.

In the newest Star Trek series, Picard , one of the most fascinating thing going on in the background are Rios' holographic programs. Since he runs this ship on his own, without much of a crew, he relies on the EMH and such to keep him safe and keep him company. This isn't the first time a ship has relied on an EMH before.

RELATED:  Star Trek: 10 Best Couples That Should've Happened (But Didn't)

Star Trek: Voyager lost their chief medical officer in their trip to the Delta Quadrant. Because of this, they had to use their EMH as their main physician. They named him "The Doctor" and he became a vital part of their ship-wide family. He even saved the ship on his own a few times. Between the Doctor and Rios' EMH, let's talk about ten things you didn't know about EMHs.

There Were Multiple Models

Even though Voyager 's Doctor is the most popular EMH, there were many other versions made. For example, when the Doctor was flung across space in "Message in a Bottle", he met up with a newer, more clean cut model. Unfortunately, he was told his model got discontinued for being too cranky.

Now, in Picard , fans also get to see a future model in Rios' EMH. Clearly, now EMH's can have their appearance matrices change to be whatever the user wants. And, for who knows what reason, Rios chose to have the EMH look just like him. While it'd be funny to think that all Starfleet ships have a crabby Robert Picardo on hand, they all have a different variety.

They Weren't Meant To Be Ship Doctors

One of the first things that happened in Voyager was several officers, including their ship's chief medical officer, losing their lives while being tossed to the Delta Quadrant. Because of this, Janeway made the call to turn him on longer and the EMH became Voyager's only lead doctor on-board.

RELATED: 11 Best Doctors In Stark Trek, Ranked

However, this is never supposed to be the case. They were only made to assist in certain situations, at best helping the CMO during a crisis. Instead, the Doctor had to cover it all on his own. This also included being on for much longer than any hologram ever is meant to be. But, apparently Picard 's Rios likes breaking that rule, too.

One Pioneered Hologram Rights

During his time on Voyager , The Doctor when from being a typical hologram to a much more complicated person with his own goals and dreams. One thing that he really loved was the arts. Characters could find him singing, acting, or writing stories throughout the series.

However, when The Doctor wrote an entire novel and sent it to Earth for publishing, the publishing company tried to take over his rights because he was a hologram. In the same vein of "Measure of a Man" (but much more light-hearted), The Doctor won his creative rights and made the first big step in giving holograms rights of their own.

Their Program Was Faulty (In The Best Way)

EMHs were never supposed to be able to form the very human traits of aspiration, envy, pride. However, The Doctor's creator was a bit... flexible with his programming, basing their appearance and prickly nature on his own. This put his holograms on the path towards being able to expand on those very flawed human traits and become more than a simple hologram.

They weren't supposed to be able to, but The Doctor did. Over time, he fell in love, became a father, wrote a novel, learned how to command, and so many other things that he never should've been capable of.

They (Initially) Have No Control Over Themselves

When EMH's were made, every part of their existence was controlled by the humans around them. They were meant to listen to the crew's orders and couldn't even turn themselves on or off. The Doctor, in early season, often complained about people forgetting to turn him off, leaving him alone and trapped in sick-bay for hours with nothing to do.

With time, Voyager's crew gave The Doctor more freedoms. This included control over his own systems and even a mobile emitter so he could walk around the ship, not just be trapped in the few rooms with hologram emitters.

They Can Fall In Love

One of the first things that completely changed the Doctor's perspective on himself was falling in love. He, like the rest of the crew, at first saw himself as a simple hologram that was being left on too long. However, the more emotions he felt and connections he made with other people, the more he realized there was a lot more going on with him. Though it often broke his heart, The Doctor loved openly and it was one of the most endearing and human things about him. He deserved to be loved just like anyone else on the ship.

With The Right Tools, They Can Go Anywhere

If a ship comes with an EMH, the rule of thumb is that the EMH stays in sick-bay and goes nowhere else. However, that wasn't always the best case scenario when it came to Voyager and their Doctor. After all, he was their only medical professional and he couldn't leave that room.

Eventually, B'Elanna and the engineering crew built him a mobile emitter. This let him go wherever he wanted, as long as he attached the device to his body. It basically would download his program and emit it on a smaller scale across the ship. He even got to go on away missions. Holograms can definitely be more than meets the eye.

Some Races Hate Fully-Functioning Holograms

During their travels across the Delta Quadrant, the Voyager crew encountered many species. Some had bad history with holograms and reacted pretty violently when they found out Voyager had one as their Doctor. Picture the extreme measures the Romulans are taking against synthetics in Picard and that's about the level of hostility.

RELATED: Star Trek: 10 New Things Picard Has Taught Us About The Mysterious Romulans

Once, The Doctor even had to hide in the cybernetic parts of Seven of Nine 's brain to avoid being caught and deleted by some anti-hologram scientists and travelers. Their people forbade holograms from even coming into their system,

They Can Be Transported Across The Galaxy

In one of The Doctor's best solo episode, Voyager found a way to send his programming across the galaxy. His program got sent to a deep-space ship that had been taken over by Romulans and the only Federation crewman left capable was their own EMH. Together, they had to figure out how to stand each other and take the ship back from the invading Romulans.

"Message in a Bottle" was a great episode and showed off the unique science of holograms. That science was later used to send the Doctor back to Earth to try to help save his ailing creator's life. Also a fantastic episode and use of the Doctor's unique technological capabilities.

Voyager's Doctor Was Revolutionary

Before Deep Space 9 's Vic Fontaine and Voyager 's Doctor, holograms were never seen as real people, just fictitious fantasies that people played with. The closest before them that fans got to real sentience and respect was the infamous Minuet, who actually was an alien of sorts. And even Vic Fontaine was still a guy trapped in a holodeck, used for people's entertainment. The crew grew to love him, but his framing was still very "he is here to entertain humans".

The Doctor was revolutionary. He wasn't just there to entertain or assist. His life went beyond that, growing into a much more well-rounded and complex character than his programming initially allowed. He was revolutionary and in future Star Trek series, it might be neat to see how that changed hologram politics and treatment, just like how synthetic interest evolved because of Data.

NEXT: Star Trek: Data's 10 Most Human Relationships

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