Star Trek: Prodigy is the latest in a resurgence of the franchise on the small screen. With the success of Star Trek: Discovery, the Paramount franchise now has multiple TV shows on the air, in an era of peak Star Trek. Discovery spun off Strange New Worlds, with two more shows in development. On top of that, there’s the return of Star Trek: Picard and the new Star Trek: Lower Decks, an animated comedy series. With Star Trek: Prodigy, the franchise introduces itself to a brand new audience. But with the latest episode, there might be a Star Trek: Prodigy spin-off series also in the works. Read on to see exactly what I mean.
How Star Trek: Prodigy Connects To The Larger Franchise
While Star Trek: Prodigy is relatively free from the franchise’s other entries, it does connect in one way. The character of Hologram Janeway (Kate Mulgrew) comes from the character of Captain Kathryn Janeway, who was the lead of the series Star Trek: Voyager. The hologram is there as a means of connective tissue from the larger Star Trek franchise, into Prodigy. As season 1 of Prodigy unfolded, even more connections came out. The story of the missing Protostar ship revealed that the original captain of that ship was none other than Chakotay. Chakotay (Robert Beltram) was the first officer of Janeway’s in Voyager. Although, the timeline of Prodigy in the Star Trek universe, was still uncertain. The premiere of the 2nd part of season 1 of Prodigy makes the timeline a lot clearer.
Vice Admiral Kathryn Janeway Estaliblishes Star Trek Timeline
When Prodigy Season 1 episode 11 began, we got flashbacks of how the real Kathryn Janeway became a Vice Admiral. This placed Prodigy’s story in a timeline after the events of the Star Trek: Voyager series. With Janeway now back in the Alpha Quadrant, it means the events of that show have already happened. We also see Chakotay become Captain of the Protostar, heading back into outer space on a new mission.
The Season 1 Part 1 finale saw the real Janeway find Protostar’s warp signature, putting her on the case of the missing ship. Episode 12 gives us further insight into where she is in the show. We see Janeway beginning her mission to track down the Protostar, thinking that Chakotay is still Captain. But we as the audience know that our lovable group of would-be Starfleet cadets, with Dal (Brett Gray) leading them, are actually on board now. Star Trek Prodigy firmly establishes that we are going to see a lot more of the real Janeway in this back half of season 1.
Some New Characters in Star Trek: Prodigy
So far, the 2 episodes of the latter half of season 1 seem to be about a mouse game between the crew of the Protostar, and Janeway herself on their heels. During this we see to Janeway and her new crew on board the USS Dauntless. A scene depicts Janeway exasperatingly ordering tea from the replicator. This is an Easter egg for Voyager fans, as the Captain has famously been a slave to her coffee for years during that show. With Janeway now begrudgingly switching to tea, it seems the character is growing. It’s also funny seeing Janeway follow doctor’s orders. For once.
Then there’s the introduction of the new members of her crew. A young go-getter in Ensign Ascensia is Vice Admiral Janeway’s newest teacher’s pet. In this episode, she stands out by suggesting a unique idea that catches Janeway’s attention. Ascensia is also voiced by Jameela Jamil from the current She-Hulk series. Jamil is already doing interviews about how excited she is joining the new show. Then there is a super salty and sassy Dr. Noum. Noum is the Dauntless’ Chief Medical Officer and boy, does he have a whole lotta attitude! The Doctor is insanely sarcastic when Janeway asks to revive The Diviner (John Noble) for questioning. And he even sourly gives Ascenia a backhanded compliment about being a butt-kisser. Jason Alexander (Seinfeld) voices Noum. There’s also Commander Tysses, an Andorian officer, who might be the Dauntless’ Science Officer. Or Janeway’s second in command? In either case, he sounds like a self-assured officer with a lot more going on. Daveed Diggs voices Tysses.
How Star Trek: Prodigy Could Set Up A New Spin-Off Series
Given the very detailed introduction of these characters, and how the two episodes thus far make them stand out, I suspect that there might be a Star Trek: Prodigy spin-off series in the works. The fact that these new characters are voiced by very famous and talented actors, I doubt that they are minor or throwaway characters. The story also so far has highlighted each of them in very specific ways. Too specific to be unimportant.
We’ll have to see where their stories go in the rest of Star Trek: Prodigy season 1. But it definitely seems like they’re setting them up to be more important as we go. Maybe the Protostar crew will get folded into the Dauntless. Or, more likely, these Dauntless crew members might find themselves aboard the Protostar, to support out the inexperience of our favourite new characters. In any case, time will tell what happens.
Star Trek: Prodigy is now airing new episodes every week.
Do you want to see a Star Trek: Prodigy spin-off series? Or do you want to see these new characters become regulars in this show? Let me know in the comments below.
