Canceled Star Trek: Prodigy Is The Most Important Series In The Franchise And Can’t Be Seen Anywhere
What is shaping up to be one of the most consequential series in Trek’s long history is also its least accessible. According to a recent interview with ScreenRant, Star Trek: Prodigy‘s Season 2 connects to every single series the franchise has ever produced. Yet ironically Prodigy was canceled by Paramount+’s streaming platform in June, with so far only one half of its first season being available for purchase via physical media.
Speaking to ScreenRant right before a panel at Star Trek Las Vegas: 57-Year Mission, Star Trek: Prodigy executive producer Aaron J. Waltke addressed a tweet he’d made claiming the so far unreleased second season “ties together 56 years of Star Trek canon, lore, and legacy.”
“What I will say is there are elements every single Star Trek show [that] sort of thread together and elements of shows that we are actively collaborating with. Maybe even Starfleet Academy. There’s elements of every other show, dancing around some very interesting storylines.”
-Andrew Waltke, Star Trek: Prodigy executive producer
Saying that he needed to avoid saying too much, Walkte said, “What I will say is there are elements every single Star Trek show [that] sort of thread together and elements of shows that we are actively collaborating with. Maybe even Starfleet Academy. There’s elements of every other show, dancing around some very interesting storylines. And both some great, great performances by your own cast and maybe some familiar faces.”
If you’ve seen Season 1 of Star Trek: Prodigy, then Waltke’s claim may not sound particularly surprising. Part of what makes Prodigy such an absolute gem of a show is that as the first Trek show marketed to children, it’s utterly accessible without any previous Trek knowledge needed, while at the same time taking some incredibly deep dives into the lore.
One of the best examples is Murf (Dee Bradley Baker), the gelatinous addition to the young group of heroes. Early in Season 1 you learn Murf is a Mellanoid slime worm.
Mellanoid slime worms had never been seen before Star Trek: Prodigy, but the writers pulled the species directly from canon. Before Prodigy they were only mentioned once, in the Star Trek: The Next Generation Season 1 episode “Coming of Age” — which aired 33 years before Prodigy‘s premiere — when an alien insults Wil Wheaton’s Wesley Crusher by calling him one of the worms.
Star Trek: Prodigy‘s executive producer says Season 2 connects to every Trek series ever.
With Kate Mulgrew and Robert Beltran reprising their Star Trek: Voyager roles, the connections to the earlier series were strong. Even Ronny Cox reprised his brief but memorable Star Trek: The Next Generation role of Edward Jellico for the series.
One episode featured holographic versions of characters from other series — including those played by actors who have passed away like Leonard Nimoy, James Doohan, and Rene Auberjonois — with dialogue from previous projects used to voice the heroes.
The Good News For Star Trek: Prodigy
The good news is that in spite of the entire series being taken down from Paramount+, it looks like we will actually get to see Star Trek: Prodigy Season 2. Almost as soon as news of the series’ cancellation broke, Walkte and other creatives for the series announced their intention to find a new streaming home.
Even if Star Trek: Prodigy doesn’t find a new streaming home, at the very least fans will at have the option to watch the entire first season of the series. This week, StarTrek.com released a clip this week from the second season with Robert Picardo returning to his Voyager role of The Doctor. Along with the clip came the news that the second half of Prodigy‘s first season will be released on Blu-ray and DVD September 26.
