Star Trek: Prodigy

With the Star Trek franchise seemingly still in growth mode, there have been plenty of new series and directions that things have taken over the last few years. Some of them have been returns to old characters like with Patrick Stewart in Star Trek: Picard. But others have been with an eye towards a new fanbase and nothing exemplifies that better than Star Trek: Prodigy.

The animated series has been a new look for the franchise, bringing on a (hopefully) younger generation into the Starfleet mix. The show centers on a younger group of characters and sets them on a course to learn about the Star Trek universe as well

Star Trek: Prodigy Follows Six Teenagers Who Take Control Of A Starfleet Ship

The animated series is set up to appeal to a younger generation of viewers and works as a jumping-off point for a group that clearly isn’t Trekkies by nature. Sure, older fans of the franchise can get onboard here (so to speak) but if kids don’t have the Starfleet background, no problem.

That’s because the show begins on the prison colony of Tars Lamora where a group of six teenagers finds themselves in a position to escape. They do this when they stumble on a decommissioned Starfleet ship that seems to be in working order.

From a plot mechanics point of view, the group of “kids” are brought into the mix by the ship’s artificial intelligence, played by Kate Mulgrew as Captain Kathryn Janeway from Star Trek: Voyager. The hologram version of Janeway helps the kids understand the ship and its capabilities.

The Star Trek: Prodigy Characters Are A Group Of Aliens

This cast of characters is about as diverse a group of aliens and beings as you’ll see in a production, perfect for a Star Trek series. They are all of different alien races and go by Dal, Gwyn, Murf, Rok-Tahk, Jankom Pog, and Zero. 

Dal is the main character, a humanoid who original escapes the prison colony. His actual race becomes a major plot point for the series. Gwyn is a Vau N’Akat, Rok-Tahk is a Brikar, Jankom Pog is a Tellarite, Zero is a Medusan, and Murf is a somewhat amorphous indestructible blob. 

Plus there is the Diviner, Gwyn’s father who acts as the series (mostly) central antagonist. 

The Second Season Is Slated For 2023

The first season of Star Trek: Prodigy was split up into two parts which ran between 2021 and 2022. There were 20 episodes in total. The second official season of the series is set for sometime in 2023 though there isn’t an official release date on Paramount+ or Nickelodeon. Since the series is a joint venture between the two, there could be a staggered release schedule once again.