'Trek' Medicine Profiled In 'Hollywood Hospital'

Star Trek will be put under the microscope in a new documentary series looking at medicine in film and television.

The pilot episode of the series, entitled Hollywood Hospital, will examine how the various Star Trek series, with their medical tricorders and bio-beds, have often forshadowed real-life advancements in medical technology. Trek's scientific stumbles won't be overlooked either, with the episode set to detail some of the franchise's more outlandish medical premises, such as the now infamous "Spock's Brain".

Several Star Trek alumni, including Robert Picardo (the EMH), John Billingsley (Dr. Phlox) and writer-producer Brannon Braga will weigh in with their thoughts in the segment, which also features a visit to the Enterprise set.

Picardo reveals how he drew inspiration from Trek legend DeForest Kelley (Leonard 'Bones' McCoy) in his Voyager audition, while Billingsley and Braga discuss the practices and ethics of Enterprise's Doctor Phlox. In a light-hearted interview, Brannon Braga talks about how the writing staff manufactured a medical reason for Seven of Nine's spandex cat suit.

Hollywood Hospital's pilot also includes segments on the medical comedy Scrubs, writer Robin Cook and soap opera medicine. The episode will air on the Discovery Health Channel at 9:00 p.m. and 12:00 EST (6:00 p.m. and 9:00 p.m. PST) on Saturday, August 9.

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