Growing up, I was an angry young man. I can admit that now as my entire worldview has changed. Star Trek was always a series I couldn’t be bothered with in the slightest because it was Star Wars or nothing. That is until I had the series gate crashed on my own podcast. Now, I am proud to call myself a Trekkie. I think a huge component of my inability to get into a Trek show was that there was never one aimed at younger audiences. They always felt boring as a kid and that cemented the view in my young mind. That has changed now as Star Trek: Prodigy is the ultimate gateway into the Star Trek universe for young viewers! Star Trek: Prodigy has a crew of outsiders and off-beat weirdos trying to find their place in the universe which instantly captured my heart.
Star Trek: Prodigy was developed by the Emmy Award winners Kevin and Dan Hageman who worked on one of my favorite shows, Trollhunters. This is the first Star Trek show aimed at younger audiences and the crew reflects that as we follow 6 young alien outcasts as they journey through the galaxy. Another fun twist on the Star Trek formula that Prodigy brings is that they know NOTHING about their ship. The only other show even close to having a crew being so unfamiliar with their main base of operations is Deep Space Nine.
The one-hour premiere “Lost and Found” follows Dal as he tries to escape imprisonment and meets the people who will end up becoming his crew. Each character is completely unique with their own wants, needs, and fears. For me, what made me love the entire crew was that they were all weirdos. There was no typical “Captain” character with Dal just making things up as he goes along. The closest thing they have to guidance is Captain Janeway, with Kate Mulgrew reprising her role. This inclusion will be a plus for older fans of the show who can now enjoy Trek with their children.
With the show being CGI rather than live-action, they are able to pull off some much larger scale actions scenes along with a much heavier emphasis on aliens. Having a full cast of aliens in a live-action show would be a nightmare for the cast but in animation, it soars. The look of the show is unique amongst other Star Trek shows and it really makes the experience of the show that much stronger.
While the show is meant for younger audiences, I had a blast watching it as a new fan of Trek because it feels like I have my own crew now. Characters who I can watch develop, change, and grow over time as I have done since letting Star Trek into my heart. I have the highest hopes that this show is going to fill hearts with wonder, hope, and a sense of discovery.
One final note, Rok-Tahk is the most wonderful thing that has been created for Star Trek since Quark.