so Gita timer • Tempo 10 Section 5 Chicago Tribune, Thursday, December 4, 1997 N 'Voyager' prescription More of Robert Picardo as the Doctor departed, a scenario that's had a great impact on both Picardo's screen time and the Doctor's character development. "Seven of Nine introduces an additional source of conflict on the ship, and that's good," Picardo says. "She's already got an interesting relationship with Janeway [Kate Mulgrew], and she's developing an interesting relationship with the Doctor. "She's a technological creature, as is he, which means there's a natural respect that she may not have right off the bat for other crew 1 members. There's an air of superiority that comes with technological perfection that they both share, and we're going to play on that. They'll become confidantes," he says. "Jeri is a talented actress, and it all brings a whole new realm of possibilities for scenes because we've never had a character like Seven of Nine. She is an enemyturned-ally - and she's fun to look at, which never hurts." In coming weeks viewers will see more of the Doctor. First, there's "Message in a Bottle," in which the Voyager crew uses an alien sensor network to send a compressed holographic Doctor program through space to a Starfleet ship on the outskirts of the Alpha Quadrant. Once there, the Doctor interacts with that ship's holographic doctor, played by "NewsRadio's" Andy Dick. By Ian Spelling NEW YORK TIMES NEWS SERVICE 'I t's son says year. Picardo, been of so a "We've an k far," "Voyager's" a the had excellent Robert Doctor, fourth extra- seaordinary action shows as well as incredible optical effects and some very thoughtful stories. "The 'Year of Hell' two-parter was like a movie, and it was the same with 'Scientific Method.' That last show also had the sight of me in tights for the first time, which I know was an extraordinary thrill for our regular viewers. "The wonderful thing about working with Jeri Ryan (as Seven of Nine) when I was wearing the Spandex was that Jeri thought it was completely OK to treat me as a sex object, and it was. It was something I'd been begging for for years." Picardo, on the telephone from his trailer on the Paramount Pictures lot, laughs. "I'd always felt I had the nicest butt in the acting company, but I'm sure there are eight other butts that would care to differ," he says. "Now that Jeri's come along and joined the group, it's hard to hold onto the title." Ryan's arrival on "Voyager" clearly reinvigorated the series. The progress is apparent everywhere, from the snappier scripts the increased ratings. Of course, Seven of Nine beamed aboard just as Kes (Jennifer Lien) Later this season, in "Retrospect," the Doctor will develop a psychotherapeutic subroutine in the hopes of assuming the role of ship's counselor. His efforts at selfimprovement will backfire with dramatic results. On other fronts, fans can see Picardo's cameo as the Doctor in "First Contact" (1996) this month on HBO, and can catch his brief turn in "Menno's Mind," a sci-fi outing with "Trek" veterans Michael Dorn and Corbin Bernsen, which debuts Dec. 13 on The Movie Channel. Picardo's also hopeful that he'll follow up his directing stint on the "Voyager" episode "Alter Ego" with another show early next season. When summer 1998 rolls around, look for Picardo in "Small Soldiers," a live-action/ Pixar animation melange about action figures that come to life in the real world. The DreamWorks SKG film is in production now, with Picardo's longtime pal and frequent employer, Joe Dante, calling the shots. "I don't know yet what I'm going to play," says Picardo, who's appeared such Dante pictures as "The Howling" (1981), "Gremlins 2" (1990) and "Matinee" (1993). "I can guarantee you this: I'll be the only actor in the movie who actually has an action figure of his own. Hopefully, hidden in the background of my big scene, you will see my Doctor doll somewhere. That's my goal." Sci-fi