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Tom Hanks has had nothing short of one of the most storied and incredible acting careers of all time, with some particularly career-defining films of his coming out in the 1990s. He is an actor capable of playing any role in a multitude of genres, from serious dramas to laugh-out-loud romantic comedies; his range and ability are seemingly never-ending. Hanks has a natural, universal appeal with his youthful good looks and effortless charisma that has helped him cement his status as one of the best acting talents to ever grace the screen.

Whether portraying the naive yet brilliant titular character in Forrest Gump or the commanding Captain Miller in Saving Private Ryan, he has an incredible way of bringing authenticity to every role. A career spanning many decades with multiple Academy Award wins, his work in the 1990s would be enough on its own to have a memorable body of work.

This author recalls reading an issue of TV Guide in 1994 about the then-upcoming TV series "Star Trek: Voyager," set to debut in January of 1995. The TV Guide noted that Robert Picardo, a Joe Dante repertory player, would play a character named Doc Zimmerman, the holographic doctor on board the U.S.S. Voyager. This name was culled from pre-production notes on the series, and the showrunner fully intended for Zimmerman to be the character's name.

The premise of the show, however, dictated that the Doctor have no name. The Doctor was an Emergency Medical Hologram, only meant to be activated in times of extreme crisis when a chief medical officer is not available. Once the crisis was over, the hologram was meant to be shut off. Thanks to the stranded state of the U.S.S. Voyager, however — it was stranded across the galaxy, 70 years from home — the Doctor was never shut off.

Star Trek: Voyager's Doctor had 11 major romantic encounters throughout the show, which helped him explore his growing humanity and emotions. Some of his notable romances include Freya, whom he formed a connection with but tragically lost; Danara Pel, with whom he fell in love but parted ways when she returned to her people; and Charlene, the holographic wife he created. The Doctor's most complex romance was with Seven of Nine, as he developed romantic feelings for her but never confessed them, ultimately losing his chance when Seven started dating Chakotay.

Star Trek: Voyager's Doctor (Robert Picardo) was involved in a number of romances over the course of the show. As a hologram, the Doctor began Voyager as a blank slate of a character, with no past and seemingly no personality or interests. However, as the Doctor was allowed to grow into his humanity and began realizing when it meant to be alive,...

There are plenty of interesting directions a return to the Babylon 5 universe could take. Here are a few suggestions...

I read somewhere that J.M. Straczynski writes every day. That’s not surprising given his extensive body of work for television, motion pictures, novels and comics. He is best known for Babylon 5, of course. I remember what a lot of people used to say about Babylon 5, “How much can happen on a space station?” Well, a lot actually! And after five seasons of the original series, a bunch of made-for-tv movies and a couple of spin-offs, there are still plenty of stories left to tell.

That is why I was excited recently to read that Joe (apparently, he thinks you’re cool if you just call him Joe) was going back to work on Babylon 5. My excitement soon turned to dread when I found out that...