Star Trek: Prodigy season 2, like Picard‘s third season, options an actual forged reunion. And but, it by no means sacrifices high quality for nostalgia.
Individuals love Star Trek: Picard season 3 virtually as a lot as they hate the earlier two seasons. A LOT. However to be trustworthy, for all of the adoration it receives, that present’s third and ultimate season suffers from a deadly flaw — an over-reliance on the previous. And never simply the nostalgic previous of Star Trek: The Subsequent Era, however on the followers of the previous.
If you happen to haven’t seen Picard season 3, it’s a reunion tour. The crew of the USS Enterprise D get again within the saddle for a mission preventing their best nemesis: the Borg. However greater than that it’s a season the place the plot includes anybody below a sure age being managed by what can solely be described by the Borg’s thoughts virus. And solely the previous individuals of their previous ship can save the day.
Leaving apart the height boomerism of the idea, the bigger concern is that it introduces all these new, youthful characters and says, “yeah, however who cares?” Look! It’s Picard, Riker, Troi, Geordi, Knowledge, Crusher, and Worf on the Enterprise! They’re saying the traditional traces and referencing previous TNG episodes! It’s an endeavor whose design is to attraction to previous followers first. And that’s a mistake.
Star Trek has a great deal of issues—one is that it struggles to seize new followers whereas retaining the previous ones. Luckily, there’s this one present—Star Trek: Prodigy. And Prodigy each reunites followers with previous characters whereas sustaining a deal with the brand new ones. Right here’s how:
Courtesy of Netflix
Star Trek: Prodigy is the Bluey of Trek
Fast recap. Star Trek: Prodigy includes a forged of aliens who escape from jail on a misplaced Federation starship. Aboard is a holographic model of Katherine Janeway (Kate Mulgrew) who helps the crew of misfits save themselves, save the Federation, after which change into members of Starfleet. It’s enjoyable! It’s animated and all ages. And it introduces us to a bunch of likeable, new characters whose alien species we not often see in Star Trek.
However greater than something, it’s for brand spanking new and younger viewers. Plus, it has Janeway (in two types) for that kick of nostalgia for older followers. I’m unsure it’s an ideal analogy, however Prodigy is sort of the Bluey of Star Trek. It’s healthful and teaches classes in ways in which by no means really feel dumbed down. And generally it sneaks in emotional intestine punches that make grown ups cry.
Courtesy of Netflix
Season Two and You
(Some minor spoilers for Star Trek: Prodigy season 2 observe.)
Star Trek: Prodigy season 1 ends with our younger heroes in Starfleet. Season 2 begins with their recruitment onto the newly minted USS Voyager-A. Bringing them aboard is Star Trek: Voyager alum The Physician (Robert Picardo).
It’s a welcome hit of nostalgia seeing a brand new Voyager with each Admiral Janeway and the Physician aboard. Nevertheless, whereas their mission includes recovering one other former Voyager crewmember, Chakotay (Robert Beltran), the main target is rarely on these characters. As a substitute, we stay virtually completely with who we ought to be with: the characters from Prodigy.
Greater than that, Prodigy permits each characters new and previous to show each other. Sure, Janeway et. al. are there partially to information the Prodigy crew in how you can be Starfleet officers (and other people typically). However simply as importantly, our younger heroes constantly remind the legacy characters what it means to be part of one thing greater than your self. Everybody has new classes to be taught.
And coolest of all (with out giving it away), Star Trek: Prodigy brings in a really sudden character who individuals anticipated out of Star Trek: Picard, however works so significantly better on Prodigy.
Courtesy of Netflix
Star Trek: Prodigy Wants Viewers
This isn’t an advert (promise) however it’s a plea from one Star Trek fan to a different. Star Trek: Prodigy has a difficult street forward. It’s the one new Trek sequence to be faraway from Paramount Plus. Monetary struggles landed the sequence at its new residence, Netflix.
A part of why that is such a simple acquisition for Netflix is that season two was already finished with its manufacturing by the point it was licensed. In different phrases, the associated fee to Netflix for the second season is minimal. Nevertheless, the price of a 3rd season is a distinct story. And whereas animation isn’t as costly as constructing a dwell motion sci-fi sequence from the bottom up, it nonetheless ain’t low cost.
In different phrases, Star Trek: Prodigy wants eyeballs. So you probably have Netflix and also you haven’t given Prodigy a shot but, now could be the time. If you happen to’re an previous fan, you’re going to like seeing how legacy characters return. When you have youngsters, it’s even higher. That is the present to get them into Star Trek exactly as a result of it’s made for them first.
Star Trek: Prodigy season 2 does the issues Star Trek: Picard season 3 does and extra. If it will get a 3rd season, there’s a lot extra story left to inform.
Lina is a ten+ 12 months leisure journalist veteran whose bylines embrace SYFY Wire, Looper, and Display Fanatic. She has written comedian scripts for IDW Comics and Zenescope Enetertainment and has written Physician Who shorts for BBC Worldwide. She is a long-time podcast host and producer who has labored on Who Gained the Week, SYFY’s Each Day sequence, and the Amazon podcast Untold Story. She at the moment co-hosts the New York Occasions beneficial podcast Music vs Music.
