As the second animated series of the Alex Kurtzman era of Star Trek, Star Trek: Prodigy swooped in to grab the next, next gen of Trek fans. The computer-animated series departed from typical Starfleet style structure and instead focused on a group of super-smart young aliens who discover and essentially hotwire the abandoned USS Protostar starship to take them into space. With the guidance of a hologram Captain Kathryn Janeway (Kate Mulgrew) of the USS Voyager, the gang eventually made it to Earth by the end of Season 1 where they connected with the real Admiral Janeway on the USS Voyager-A. Their new mission? To find the whereabouts of the Protostar’s first crew!
With its youthful approach to Trek lore, Prodigy honored the canon of Gene Roddenberry’s universe but also served as an accessible entry point for younger audiences. Unfortunately, the series became a casualty of Paramount+’s tightening content budget and it was canceled while the second season was deep into production. Now, however, all 20 episodes of Season 2 are on Netflix, which is a story in itself.
Showrunners Kevin and Dan Hageman tell IGN how their Emmy-winning series got saved, what’s happening for the kids in Season 2, how Kate Mulgrew (rightfully) nixed the idea of Admiral Janeway taking command of the USS Enterprise, and the realities of a potential Season 3.
How Star Trek: Prodigy Was Saved From the Streaming Dead Zone
If you thought audiences were shocked that Star Trek: Prodigy was canceled and pulled from Paramount+ in June 2023, the Hagemans tell IGN they were too. “When we got the news, it was told to us like, ‘Here's what's happening.’ And we're like, ‘Oh my gosh, how could that happen?’” Dan remembers. “But then at the same time, we were told that we have a lot of people championing it from CBS, and Alex Kurtzman is trying to find a way to get this season seen.”
And then the Trek fans — who know a lot about how to rally their show’s iterations back into existence — got loud and proactive.
“It was awesome and huge,” Kevin says of their efforts to support the show. “It just started this tidal wave of support. I felt really confident. We were in the middle of doing Season 2. We were probably 10 episodes done. We didn't know where it would land and then the news came that it was Netflix.”
Folding More Voyager-Era Trek Into Season 2
With the pickup to continue production on Season 2 of Star Trek: Prodigy, the Hagemans say they were able to continue the back half of the seasonal arc as always intended.
“We didn't want to lose the DNA of what Season 1 was, which is a show to introduce new people to Star Trek,” Kevin explains. “And we wanted to continue to have the greatest hits, right? Like, there's a thing called Tribbles. There's time travel episodes. There's a thing called a Mirror Universe. These are fantastic, fun elements to Star Trek to reintroduce to a whole new audience.”
At the end of Season 1, adventurer Dal R'El (Brett Gray), level-headed Gwyn (Ella Purnell) and their “crew” make it to Starfleet Headquarters on Earth, where they discover Admiral Janeway wants to include them in a mission to find out what happened to the USS Protostar before the kids commandeered it at the start of the season.
Kevin says timeline-wise, they had to tweak some history to make it work. “We realized the Voyager was a floating museum. So we're like, let's create a new one!” Hence, the USS Voyager-A becomes the primary ship to start off Season 2 with Dal, Jankom (Jason Mantzoukas), Rok (Rylee Alazraqui), Murf (Dee Bradley Baker) and Zero (Angus Imrie) coming aboard to continue to learn and provide experiential insight to Janeway for this mission.
“We knew the Season 2 relationship between the kids and their mentor was going to change from hologram Janeway to Admiral Janeway, who was a little bit harder on them,” Dan says of the Janeway shift. So, they brought in the next best hologram in the universe, Voyager’s The Doctor, voiced again by Robert Picardo.
“As the Admiral doesn't have time to be by their side every day and moment, we just thought how perfect it would be for The Doctor to get involved,” Dan says of drafting the beloved character into their story. “We'd loved this idea that we always imagined [where] in Season 1 hologram Janeway is a bit of a Mary Poppins. In this one, The Doctor wants to be Mary Poppins but he's more like a Mr. Belvedere,” he laughs. “He wants to be endeared by the kids but the kids are like, ‘You're no Janeway.’”
The season also formally brings in Voyager cast member Captain Chakotay (Robert Beltran), who was teased in the Season 1 finale. Asked how much freedom they were given to play in the character sandbox, Kevin says it was really about getting the buy-in from the actors and their approval of their character arcs.
“I'll just say that we're always listening to our actors because these are legacy characters,” Kevin explains. “What do you think? Do you like this? And thank God, they were loving what we were doing, because we're growing them. Just like our kids, we're growing them up. Where's Janeway now? Where's Chakotay now? What's the next phase for these characters? It was so fun and they had a blast.”
Although Dan admits, Mulgrew did discourage one big Season 2 idea. “There was a moment where we were playing with the idea that [the ship] could be the Enterprise instead. We [asked] Kate, ‘What do you think if you're the new captain of the Enterprise,’ and she was not thrilled,” he laughs. “She's like, ‘I'd rather it be the Voyager.’”
Figuring Out Season 2’s Time Travel and the Return of Asencia
With 20 new episodes meant to further mature and bond the young Starfleeters in training, and create major stakes along the way, the Hagemans say they looked to two specific story elements to create the season: Time travel and the return of the villainous character Asencia (Jameela Jamil).
Admitting their own fear of crafting a complex time travel story, Kevin says they looked to their theoretical physicist advisor, Dr. Erin Macdonald, for the thumbs up. “We figured out some chicken scratch drawings and she really looked at it,” he says.
“We look at her like she's our teacher,” Dan adds. “So I think our proudest moment is when she's like, ‘Yeah, it works.’”
As for the “Big Bad” turn for Asencia, the Hagemens credit their former Season 1 writers, Julie & Shawna Benson. “It was at the end of Season 1, and our instinct was to do away with Asencia,” Dan admits. “She dies and they're like, ‘No! This is too great of a character. We just needed to keep her in the universe. She shoots off in a pod and is out there.’”
The Future of Star Trek: Prodigy
Warning: Spoilers follow for the Season 2 finale.
In the two-part season finale, "Ouroboros,” written by the Hagemens and Aaron J. Waltke, the door is left open for a whole new chapter of adventures with Captain Gwyndala and her Number One, Dal R'El.
“Our first bad instinct was we wanted Dal and Gwyn to both be captain, as they both deserve it,” Kevin says with a wince. “But David Mack, our Star Trek advisor, was like, ‘That's the worst idea ever.’” Much discussion commenced amongst the writers until they agreed on the “beautiful symmetry” to the pilot episode when Gwyn is tied to the captain’s chair as a prisoner. “[Her] sitting in it now, as a captain, it just gives me the shivers,” Kevin says.
Now it’s up to the Trek fans once more to determine the future of the show, with everything contingent on the show’s viewing hours on Netflix. “We would have to become a monster hit, so I'm hoping,” Kevin says of the chances of a Prodigy Season 3.
“I think it's hard for any show to get past two seasons, because oftentimes it requires a really big hit to break out to have a bigger library of a show,” Dan continues. “You look at Lower Decks and they went five seasons and they're at 50 episodes. Prodigy is at 40 episodes, so we're not that far behind. Even if the numbers are big enough to warrant a 90-minute movie, let's do that. Let's start an animated film franchise.”
The Hagemans just hope Trek fans and non-Trek fans alike give the series a try. “The Star Trek community has been embracing us,” Kevin says. “But we need to get the word out to kids who don't know anything about Star Trek and don't even know our show.”
“We're very proud of the work,” Dan concludes. “We're happy that Season 2 ended where it did. It closes the door, but at the same time leaves a window open for a fantastic Season 3.”
Star Trek: Prodigy is streaming on Netflix now.
