I suppose licensing the song (or any song, given that the Doc doesn't perform any music that's still under copyright) would have killed the budget, but I'm still disappointed that the Doc didn't choose Randy Newman's "Short People" at one of the concerts on the planet. Such is the tragic nature of the world that things like this don't happen.
Other than that, I found it an interesting, if somewhat pointless, episode. It doesn't really explore any aspect of the Doctor's development that hasn't already been explored. We've already covered the ground of the Doctor wanting more appreciation, of the Doctor asserting his individuality, of the Doctor seeking to live out his (day)dreams, etc. I did find it implausible that the Captain wouldn't put up more of a fight -- resigning one's commission isn't simply a matter of saying "I don't want to do this anymore" even in normal circumstances, and Janeway would have said so if any other integral officer tried, whether B'Elanna put Engineering at risk or Tuvok or Tom or any other officer with highly specialized skills tried to abandon Voyager. And the Doctor might even be the single most irreplaceable crew member, given how dangerous the Delta Quadrant has proven to be and how the next most capable "doctor" is essentially a field medic (we even saw not long ago how the Doctor insisted nobody else could do certain kinds of surgery in "Latent Image.) And being aboard Voyager tens of thousands of light years away from the nearest reliable source of help just magnifies the unlikelihood that Janeway would just go with the "friendship" argument for releasing the Doctor from his duties. Despite what the Doctor said, she certainly didn't let Harry Kim off so easily, and he's probably the least integral of the main cast officers (plus Seven, for that matter. He beats out Neelix, but only barely, since Neelix brings information about the region to the table, while Harry doesn't bring anything that one of the other officers couldn't also offer.)
So, a serviceable but not really meaningful episode on the fleeting nature of celebrity and fame. I'm just not sure Star Trek really needed to weigh in on this particular aspect of existence.
Also, I didn't care for the Doctor's rendition of "I've Been Working on the Railroad." He sings it just fine, I just prefer other interpretations. I just wanted to get that off my chest, because it's surely important that everyone hears my opinion on the matter. Right? Right....?
