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G A M E O F
T H E N A M E
THE DOCTOR'S SEARCH FOR A NAME
Holo-Moset: "And you, good man, what's your name?"
Doctor: "Actually, I'm in between names at the moment."
[#102 Nothing Human]
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the Doctor practices golf [#149 Drive] |
| Skip to list of names. When Dr Lewis Zimmerman designed the EMH (Emergency Medical Hologram), the program was designed as a emergency backup for Starfleet medical personnel. The program, being a piece of technology, was of course not therefore programmed with a name. If he has a name at all, its program designation in full is EMH program AK-one, diagnostic and surgical subroutine omega three-two-three.
Because of the loss of the human medical staff when USS Voyager was catapulted into the Delta Quadrant in 2371, in [#1 and #2 Caretaker], Captain Janeway informed the Doctor not long afterwards, in [#7 Eye of the Needle], "You don't have the luxury of thinking of yourself as an emergency medical program any more. You've become a full-fledged member of the crew." and gave him the ability to turn his program on and off. During Voyager's time in the Delta Quadrant the Doctor evolves into a sentient being, thanks to program self-improvement, the friendship of crewmembers and experience gained from his shipboard and away mission adventures. The Doctor says: "There's one more request, something of a personal nature. I would like a name." so that he (and others) can better feel he is a person rather than just a program. |
Doctor: "There's one more request, something of a personal nature. I would like a name."
[#7 Eye Of The Needle]
Doctor: "But if I had a name, other than 'Doctor' or 'Hey, you', it might encourage the crew to treat me with a little more respect."
[#143 Fury]
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Behind-the-scenes: the concept of the EMH was that he would be an evolving character developing a personality as he intereacted with the Voyager crew. A key facet of his evolution would be his search for a name.
As the Doctor states, the chosen name would come from either his medical database or it would be a suggestion from others. Over the years, he has considered many potential names. In the end, however, the Doctor failed to give himself a name.
Below are the names he considered (and some he did not). Here is the list (without information) in alphabetical order.
LIST OF NAMES
 ZIMMERMAN
The name of his creator. Though he never considered this name on the tv screen, his character went by that name in all the Season 1 scripts.
GALEN
The Doctor considered this name in [#8 Ex Post Facto]. Sources conflict as to which Galen he was thinking of: EITHER Galen, physician from Earth's ancient Greek culture, who postulated that human arteries carried blood not air, OR: Dr Richard Galen, 24th century archaeologist and mentor to Jean-Luc Picard; Picard adopted the alias Galen briefly in 2370, in [TNG: Gambit]. Encyclopaedia states the first, VC states the second. (I defer to Encyclopaedia as the Doctor is a physician and when he considers this name it is in the context of considering other famous physicians. VC states the second. Or we could combine the statements of both sources and say the Doctor had both people in mind...)
SALK
Developer of the vaccine for poliomyelitis (known as polio).
SPOCK
The Doctor considers this name in 2371, in [#8 Ex Post Facto], for Dr Spock (full name Benjamin McLane Spock), born 1903, famous American paediatrician and writer. His manual 'The Common Sense Book of Baby and Child Care' (1946) challenged traditional ideas of discipline and rigid routine in child rearing. (The name is of course part inside joke, as Spock is the name of the half-Vulcan Spock in [TOS] etc.)
SCHWEITZER
In 2371, in [#12 Heroes And Demons], the Doctor takes this name in honour of his first away mission, calling himself Schweitzer after the Nobel prize-winning philosopher and physician. However, after the mission, the Doctor decides not to use the name any longer as it brings back painful memories of his first love, a holocharacter called Freya who was killed defending him during the mission. (Albert Schweitzer, 1875-1965, German theologian, musician, and medical missionary, decided to devote the first thirty years of his life to learning and music and the remainder to the service of others. He was awarded the Nobel Peace Prize in 1952.) | 
Freya the shield-maiden, a holocharacter in Kim's holoprogram 'Beowulf'
[Heroes And Demons] |
SHMULLUS
In 2372, in [#35 Lifesigns], Dr Danara Pel, with whom the Doctor falls in love, gives him the name Shmullus, the name of her uncle, a man who made her laugh. Danara is the only person who calls the Doctor by this name, in [#35 Lifesigns] and towards the end of 2372 in [#41 Resolutions]. | 
Danara Pel
[#35 Lifesigns] |
DOC BROWN
In 2371, in [#13 Cathexis], Paris suggests the name of his childhood doctor.
MR LEISURE SUIT
In 2373, in [#50 and #51 Future's End], the Doctor is called "Mr Leisure Suit", a name he had not considered, by 1996 Los Angeles' resident Rain Robinson. | 
Rain: "And you, Mr Leisure-suit-"
Doctor: "There's a name I hadn't considered."
[Future's End] |
VAN GOGH
In 2373, in [#63 Before And After], in an eventually unrealised alternate future, we find that the Doctor has taken the name Van Gogh, in honour of the famous Dutch post-Impressionist painter Vincent Van Gogh 1853-90. | 
Dr Van Gogh.
Note that he no longer has a fine head of skin
[Before And After] |
MOZART
In 2373, in [#63 Before And After], in an eventually unrealised future, we find that the Doctor had considered taking the name Mozart, in honour of the famous Austrian composer, Johann Chrysostom Wolfgang Amadeus Mozart (1756-91).
KENNETH
This is the name that the Doctor's holographic family call him in the Doctor's holographic family program Beta-Rho. The name was chosen by the Doctor in 2373, in [#64 Real Life]. | 
Kenneth with his holo-family: wife Charlene, son Jeffrey and daughter Belle
[Real Life] |
DOC
In early 2375, in [#102 Nothing Human], the Doctor calls up a holographic re-creation of that part of Voyager's database which comprises the research of Cardassian Dr Crell Mozart. The holo-Moset asks what name to use when referring to the Doctor, and Kim notes that his friends call him "Doc". | 
the Doctor meets holo-Moset
[Nothing Human] |
PYONG KO
In 2371, as depicted in [#143 Fury] (a time travel story), the Doctor considers this name, which is that of a 21st century surgeon who discovered the genetic sequence for inhibiting cancer cells.
PASTEUR
In 2371, as depicted in [#143 Fury] (a time travel story), the Doctor considers this name, which is the surname of Louis Pasteur (1822-95), the French chemist and biologist who founded the science of bacteriology.
JOE
In the eventually unrealised future of 2404, depicted in [#171 and #172 Endgame], the Doctor brings his human wife Lana to Admiral Kathryn Janeway's apartment in San Francisco for the 10th annual reunion of Voyager's crew. There he informs Tom Paris that he has chosen the name Joe, in honour of Lana's grandfather. | 
Joe explains about his name to Tom Paris after introducing his wife, Lana
[#171 and #172 Endgame] |
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LIST OF NAMES IN ALPHABETICAL ORDER
(see information above for which names the Doctor considered, or was given or was used)
| Name | Episode name heard in |
| DOC | [#102 Nothing Human] |
| DOC BROWN | [#13 Cathexis]
| | GALEN | [#8 Ex Post Facto]
| | JARVIK | [#143 Fury]
| | JOE | [#171 and #172 Endgame]
| | KENNETH | [#64 Real Life]
| | MOZART | [#63 Before And After]
| | MR LEISURE SUIT | [#50 and #51 Future's End]
| | PASTEUR | [#143 Fury]
| | PYONG KO | [#143 Fury]
| | SALK | [#8 Ex Post Facto]
| | SCHWEITZER | [#12 Heroes And Demons]
| | SHMULLUS | [#35 Lifeforms] [#41 Resolutions]
| | SPOCK | [#8 Ex Post Facto]
| | VAN GOGH | [#63 Before And After]
| | ZIMMERMAN | (not mentioned on tv screen; this is the name used for the Doctor's character in Season 1 scripts)
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The golf theme of this page is for the Doctor, who is interested in the game. Thanks to Animation Factory for the animated .gifs.
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