When it was announced in 2019 that Nickelodeon would be getting its own animated “Star Trek” series, I must admit I was skeptical.
After all, “Star Trek: Discovery” was already airing its second season (which clearly set up the phenomenal spinoff “Strange New Worlds), and “Picard” had already been announced, as had the adult animated series “Lower Decks.” How could a show clearly intended for kids measure up against all of that?
Fast forward to the debut of “Star Trek: Prodigy” in October 2021 — and I have never been so happy to be so wrong.
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This show, about a group of young misfits who stumble across a Starfleet ship and use it to escape their captivity on a desolate prison colony, embodied absolutely everything that I love about “Star Trek.”
From the outset, it shared messages about teamwork, not judging others by their appearances, the longing for a home, and, of course, the importance of a good understanding of temporal mechanics (more on that later).
Not only did this show grab me right away, but my wife, who is by no means a Trekkie, found herself sucked into it as well. I do have to explain things to her from time to time, like what exactly a Ferengi is, but we are both completely hooked. Even friends who have happened to stop by while we’re watching it get into it. As one of them put it midway through an episode, “Why the hell am I so invested in this already?”
It could be because of the well-written characters: The cocky Dal, the wayward Gwyn, the surly Jankom, the noncorporeal Zero, the child-like Rok-Tahk, and the seemingly indestructible Murf.
It could be because the show is able to blaze its own path while also incorporating memorable parts of “Trek’s” past into the storytelling: The return of Kate Mulgrew as Janeway, the use of archival voice recordings to bring back characters like Odo and Spock in the Season 1 episode “Kobayashi,” or even a little encounter with the Borg.
Or maybe it’s the absolutely stunning visuals. I have almost never seen an animated series with more stunning imagery than what I see in nearly every episode of “Prodigy.”
Whatever it is, this show has more than earned its place in the “Star Trek” pantheon, and will hopefully run for many more seasons.
Yet that’s where the problem is.
“Prodigy” aired its first season on Nickelodeon and Paramount+, and was renewed for a second season not long after it launched. But then, Paramount announced it was canceling the show, and pulling Season 1 off of its streaming service despite the fact that production on Season 2 was already underway.
Thankfully, CBS Studios was able to strike a deal with Netflix that saw the streaming giant pick up both seasons. Season 2 officially debuted on July 1, and it is a remarkable feat of storytelling. Despite being a “kid’s show,” Season 2 builds on the momentum of Season 1 and then some, weaving a complex time travel storyline that is among the finest seasons since the relaunch of the “Star Trek” TV franchise.
Now, “Trek” fans need to watch it.
It is no secret that shows’ renewals depend on viewership. Netflix doesn’t release much viewer data, beyond its weekly Top 10 lists, so it’s hard to gauge how well “Prodigy” Season 2 is doing. Thus far, though, it has not appeared on the Global Top 10 list, nor the U.S. Top 10 list.
It would be a grave disservice to “Star Trek” as a whole to let a show as wonderful as this one go when it is just finding its legs. So this is me sending out a distress call on all channels: Watch “Star Trek: Prodigy.” To not do so would be highly illogical.
