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What we know about Star Trek: Prodigy, the first Trek for young viewers
It’s a great time to be a Star Trek fan. With five ongoing series currently in production and/or airing, we’re getting both quantity and quality. One standout title is Star Trek: Prodigy on Paramount Plus.
Prodigy is an animated take on the franchise, and it’s shaking things up by attracting a younger audience with kid-friendly adventures across the Final Frontier.
So, who’s in it? What’s it about? And when and where can you watch it? Read on for everything you need to know about Star Trek: Prodigy.
And if you don’t already have Paramount Plus, you can subscribe by clicking the link below:
What is Star Trek: Prodigy About?
Star Trek: Prodigy follows a group of young outcast aliens who discover an abandoned Starfleet ship, the Protostar. Looking for a better future for themselves, they commandeer the ship and set out on a series of adventures.
Unlike previous Star Trek series, none of the Prodigy crew has any flight experience, and none are members of Starfleet. They have to learn to crew their new ship, learning about the ideals of the Federation and Starfleet as they go, including with the help of a hologram modelled on Captain Janeway. Hot on their tails are two mysterious villains, Diviner and Drednok. Diviner is the father of one of the runaways, Gwyn, and he believes himself the rightful owner of the Protostar.
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The series takes place in the year 2383, after the events of Star Trek: Voyager. And it’s set in the Delta Quadrant, like Voyager before it. So our heroes are far from Earth and the Federation. How a Starfleet ship got this far from home and who had control of it and why is a mystery that’s slowly unravelling within the show.
Star Trek: Prodigy is one of five series in the current iteration of the space exploration franchise. It joins the ongoing Star Trek: Discovery, Star Trek: Picard, and Star Trek: Lower Decks, as well as the upcoming Star Trek: Stranger Worlds on Paramount’s roster of Star Trek shows.
Another animated Star Trek?
Animated Star Trek shows are nothing new.
Star Trek: The Animated series aired in 1973 and 1974 over two seasons and followed the adventures of the original Enterprise crew from the original Star Trek series.
More recently, Star Trek: Lower Decks has followed a group of low-ranking crew members aboard a Starfleet ship. That animated series is ongoing and also available to stream on Paramount Plus, like the other new Star Trek shows.
Check out: The best Star Trek content on paramount Plus
Paramount states, however, that Star Trek: Prodigy is the first Star Trek — animated or otherwise — aimed at younger audiences. The original Star Trek: The Animated series was a Saturday morning cartoon, so it’s perhaps wise to take that distinction with a grain of salt, but the series does certainly feel more explicitly kid-friendly than its current counterparts.
Lower Decks features some adult humor and references to the series history, and it seems generally geared to an existing Star Trek fanbase already invested in the franchise. Prodigy, in addition to its 3D digital animation and distinct aesthetic, has a different tone. It has the air of a series for young viewers and is at the very least the first Star Trek for younger viewers in this era of the storied franchise.
Star Trek: Prodigy season 1 — midseason recap
Star Trek: Prodigy wrapped up its first 10-episode arc, part one of its first season, on February 3.
The episode “A Moral Star, Part 2” saw our heroes reach satisfying conclusions to their journeys so far, with the promise of more adventure to come.
The series began with a group of misfits escaping a mining colony aboard the salvaged Protostar and being immediately followed by the Diviner. The Protostar contains the protostar drive that allowed it get so far from the Alpha Quadrant in the first place, and the Diviner wants it.
As the teens learn to become a crew, their goal becomes finding the Federation, where they can hopefully have better futures than they ever expected.
We won’t spoil the ending, but the Diviner’s true origins come to light, revealing a threat to history as we know it that our heroes will have to face in part two of the first season.
When and where can you watch it?
Star Trek: Prodigy premiered on October 28 of last year, with an extended hour-long season premiere.
The first 10 episodes of season one are available exclusively on Paramount Plus.
New episodes will be available weekly on Paramount Plus, as with other Star Trek shows, with part two of the first season expected later in 2022.
Paramount renewed Prodigy for a second season.
Who’s involved?
Star Trek: Prodigy features a few familiar voices provided by big-name stars and up-and-coming young talent.
The main voice actors are as follows:
- Ella Purnell as Gwyn
- Brett Gray as Dal
- Jason Mantzoukas as Jankom Pog
- Dee Bradley Baker as Murf
- Angus Imrie as Zero
- Rylee Alazraqui as Rok-Tahk
- Kate Mulgrew as Captain Kathryn Janeway
- Jimmi Simpson as Drednok
- John Noble as Diviner
The series was developed by the Emmy-winning Kevin and Dan Hageman, known for their work on Trollhunters and Ninjago. Ben Hibon directs. Executive producers, along with Kevin and Dan Hageman, are Alex Kurtzman, Heather Kadin, Katie Krentz, Rod Roddenberry, and Trevor Roth.
Prodigy is produced by CBS Studios’ Eye Animation Studios and Nickelodeon.
That’s everything you need to know about Star Trek: Prodigy.
You can check it out on Paramount Plus.