70,000 Light Years From Home

Since Kes is described as having extraordinary powers with the ability to give life and take it away ("Cold Fire," "Warlord," and others), I theorize that her gift to the Doctor in "The Gift" was more sentience and autonomy. Kes flings Voyager past Borg space towards Earth, but her closest companion onboard (save Neelix) doesn't necessarily have a strong desire to return to the Alpha Quadrant beyond it being the ship's main mission. Since Kes is fundamental in forming the EMH's individuality and agency in the earlier seasons, it follows that her departure would also mark a change in his personhood. The Doctor has a notable increase in narrative importance when Kes leaves and Seven arrives, which could be attributed to Kes giving him more of the life that she always believed he had

Tom, hungover: Please tell me I'm imagining that I claimed I was king of the ducks. Tuvok: I would, but then I would be lying to the King of All Ducks.