The animated series “Star Trek: Prodigy” is launching the second half of its first season on Paramount+, and series star Kate Mulgrew says fans have plenty to look forward to as it progresses.
“Something wonderful is going to happen in the second half, but at great cost to certain elements of the journey itself,” Mulgrew told PvNew. “Vice Admiral Janeway is on a mission. It’s an emotional mission, and it’s a mission of love. And we will see if her directives prove to be as promising as she hopes they are, but certainly not before they go through a great, great many adventures on the bridge.”
Mulgrew will provide the voice of both Hologram Janeway and Vice Admiral Janeway beginning with the second half of Season 1, with the Vice Admiral back out in space to find her old friend Chakotay, the former captain of the USS Protostar. According to Mulgrew, she put a great deal of work into differentiating the hologram version and human version of the character.
“There has to be subtlety. There has to be nuance and there has to be differentiation, some distinction between the characters, or you’re going to lose the sensibility,” she said. “Vice Admiral Janeway is alive. She’s real. She’s in command. And it’s real time. So you’re going to see a much greater show of temperament from Vice Admiral Janeway. She’s going to be excited. She’s going to be upset. She’s going to be disappointed. She’s going to be moved. She’s going to be all of those things. So there will be an urgency and a dimension and a texture to everything she says and does. Hologram Janeway, on the other hand, has a shorter barometer. By necessity, she’s there to guide. She’s there to mentor. She’s there to direct them to safety.”
In the midseason finale of “Prodigy,” the crew of the Protostar helped the prisoners of Tars Lamora defeat the Diviner, but at significant cost. Zero revealed its true form to the Diviner, which drove him mad. But Gwynn caught sight of Zero’s reflection, which also caused her to lose her memories.
PvNew also spoke with series stars Brett Gray and Ella Purnell, who play Dal and Gwynn respectively. The two young actors spoke about their experience being part of an iconic franchise like “Star Trek” and what the response has been like from fans.
“It seems like people love [‘Prodigy’]. I’ve seen kids and teens and young adults and adults and elders, all connect to the show,. They are taken on the journey by these characters, which is thanks to the writers and the producers. The story is equal parts entertaining and full of depth and merit.”
“Everyone’s receptive to it, because kids get the concept as easily as adults do,” Purnell added. “It’s emotional, and it’s connective, and it’s about unity, and strength and your chosen family. And the prime directive encompasses all of that.”
The second half of “Star Trek: Prodigy” Season 1 launches on Paramount+ on Oct. 27, with new episodes airing weekly on Thursdays.
