Star Trek: Prodigy, the second animated series of the Alex Kurtzman era, swooped in to seize the attention of the next generation of Trekkies. Instead of following a traditional Starfleet format, the computer-animated series followed a group of extremely intelligent teenage aliens who find the abandoned USS Protostar starship and basically hotwire it to send them into space. By the end of Season 1, the group had successfully reached Earth under the command of a holographic Captain Kathryn Janeway (Kate Mulgrew) of the USS Voyager, where they met the actual Admiral Janeway aboard the USS Voyager-A. Their latest undertaking? to locate the original crew of the Protostar!
Prodigy was an approachable starting point for younger audiences while still paying homage to Gene Roddenberry’s Trek canon with its lighthearted take on the franchise’s lore. Unfortunately, the show was terminated while the second season was still in the process of being produced as a result of Paramount+’s shrinking content budget. Currently, though, Netflix has all 20 of Season 2’s episodes available, which is a narrative unto itself.
The Emmy-winning showrunners Kevin and Dan Hageman speak with IGN about how their show was saved, what’s going on with the kids in Season 2, why Kate Mulgrew (rightfully) rejected the notion of Admiral Janeway taking over as commander of the USS Enterprise, and the possibilities for a third season.
How the Streaming Dead Zone Was Avoided in Star Trek: Prodigy
According to the Hagemans, IGN, if you thought viewers were astonished that Star Trek: Prodigy was canceled and removed from Paramount+ in June 2023, then they were too. “This is what’s happening,” was the message sent to us when we received the news. And we think to ourselves, “Oh my god, how could that happen?” Dan can recall. “However, we also learned that many individuals are supporting it from CBS, and Alex Kurtzman is working to find a means to get this season aired.”
Subsequently, the Trekkies, who possess extensive knowledge on mobilizing audiences to revive the series, became vocal and assertive.
With regards to their attempts to promote the show, Kevin recalls, “It was awesome and huge.” This massive surge of support just began. I had a lot of confidence. We were working on Season 2 at the time. We had completed about ten episodes. When the news that it was Netflix broke, we had no idea where it would end up.
Putting More Folds A Journey Through Voyager: Season Two
The Hagemans claim that because Star Trek: Prodigy’s production has been picked up to continue, the second season of the seasonal arc may now be completed as planned.
“We wanted to preserve the essence of Season 1, which aimed to introduce viewers to Star Trek,” says Kevin. “And we desired to keep having the biggest hits, correct? As an example, consider Tribbles. There are episodes with time travel. Something known as a Mirror Universe exists. Reintroducing these amazing and enjoyable aspects of Star Trek to a fresh audience is highly recommended.
After reaching Starfleet Headquarters on Earth at the end of Season 1, adventurer Dal R’El (Brett Gray), cool-headed Gwyn (Ella Purnell), and their “crew” learn that Admiral Janeway wants to include them in a mission to find out what happened to the USS Protostar before the kids commandeered it at the beginning of the season.
Kevin says they had to adjust some historical events to make the timeline work. “We came to see that the Voyager was a museum on wheels. So we thought, “Let’s make one new!” In order to continue learning and giving Janeway experiential knowledge for this mission, Dal, Jankom (Jason Mantzoukas), Rok (Rylee Alazraqui), Murf (Dee Bradley Baker), and Zero (Angus Imrie) board the USS Voyager-A, which becomes the main ship to begin Season 2.
Dan comments on the Janeway transition: “We knew the Season 2 relationship between the kids and their mentor was going to change from hologram Janeway to Admiral Janeway, who was a little bit harder on them.” Thus, they introduced The Doctor from Voyager, spoken once more by Robert Picardo, the greatest hologram in the cosmos.
Dan explains that they decided to include the adored character, The Doctor, in their story, “because the Admiral doesn’t have time to be by their side every day and moment.” We had always cherished the notion that we might see a hologram in Season 1. There is a Mary Poppins quality to Janeway. The Doctor laughs, “In this one, he’s more like Mr. Belvedere than Mary Poppins, though he wants to be that too.” “He tries to win the kids over, but they say, ‘You’re no Janeway.'”
Captain Chakotay (Robert Beltran), a cast member of Voyager who was hinted to in the Season 1 finale, also makes his official debut in this season. Kevin responds that it was primarily about gaining the actors’ support and buy-in for their character arcs when asked how much latitude they were given to play in the character sandbox.
“What do you think if you’re the new captain of the Enterprise?” was the question we posed to Kate. -Dan Hageman, producer
“I’ll just say that since these are legacy characters, we always listen to our actors,” Kevin says. How do you feel? Do you find this appealing? Thank God, kids were enjoying our work because it is helping to develop them. Like our children, they are growing up with us. Now, where is Janeway? Now, where is Chakotay? What will these characters do next? They had a blast, and it was so much fun.”
Dan acknowledges that Mulgrew did reject a major proposal for Season 2. We briefly considered the possibility that [the spacecraft] might actually be the Enterprise. Kate was not happy when we [asked] her, “What do you think if you’re the new captain of the Enterprise,” he chuckles. “She says, ‘I hope it’s the Voyager.'”
Deciphering the Time Travel in Season 2 and Asencia’s Return
Time travel and the return of the antagonistic figure Asencia (Jameela Jamil) are the two main story aspects that the Hagemans claim they focused on while creating the season. The 20 new episodes are intended to further develop and strengthen the bonds between the young Starfleeters in training and generate huge stakes along the way.
Kevin acknowledges that they were afraid to write a complicated time travel scenario, but adds they got approval from Dr. Erin Macdonald, their theoretical physicist advisor. “She gave it a serious look after we worked out some chicken scratch drawings,” he claims.
Dan continues, “We regard her as our teacher.” Thus, I believe that the proudest moment we have is when she says, “Yeah, it works.”
The Hagemens give credit to Julie & Shawna Benson, their former Season 1 writers, for Asencia’s “Big Bad” shift. Dan acknowledges, “At the end of Season 1, our instinct was to do away with Asencia.” When she passes away, they say, ‘No! This character is simply too amazing. All we had to do was hold her in the cosmos. She disappears into thin air in a pod.
Star Trek’s Future: Prodigy
A brand new chapter of adventures with Captain Gwyndala and her Number One, Dal R’El, is left open in the two-part season finale, “Ouroboros,” written by the Hagemens and Aaron J. Waltke.
Kevin winces and explains, “Our first bad instinct was that we wanted Dal and Gwyn to be captain, because they both deserve it.” However, our Star Trek expert David Mack said, “That’s the worst idea ever.” The authors had a long debate before deciding on the “beautiful symmetry” of the scene in the pilot episode where Gwyn is imprisoned and bound to the captain’s chair. Kevin remarks, “As a captain, sitting in it now just gives me the chills.”
The survival of the show will now depend entirely on how many hours viewers spend watching it on Netflix, leaving the fans of Trek in charge once more. Kevin comments, “I’m hoping, but we would have to become a monster hit, so we might get a Prodigy Season 3.”
“I believe it’s difficult for any show to survive past two seasons, as it usually takes a really big hit to become popular and have a larger library of shows,” Dan goes on. “You look at Lower Decks, and they have 50 episodes after five seasons. We’re not that far behind Prodigy—the show has 40 episodes. Let’s do that even if the stats don’t justify a ninety-minute film. Let’s launch a series of animated movies.
The Hagemans merely hope that both non-Trekkies and lovers of the franchise will give it a shot. Kevin states, “The Star Trek community has been embracing us.” “However, we must spread the word to children who are unaware of our show and have no knowledge of Star Trek.”
Dan says, “We’re very proud of the work.” We’re content with how Season 2 concluded. It shuts the door but simultaneously creates space for an incredible third season.
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