Reviewed by Colin Jacobson (September 19, 2024)
Four years after the Original Series left the air, Star Trek returned via an animated TV show. This lasted a mere 22 episodes before cancellation arrived.
Of course, live-action Trek returned in 1979 when The Motion Picture hit theaters. 1987 also brought Trek back to TV screens.
No additional animated Trek greeted fans until 2020’s Lower Decks. A year later, it got a sibling via Prodigy.
This two-disc set presents “Part One” of Season One of Prodigy, with episodes that debuted from October 2021 and February 2022. Since “Part Two” of Season One didn’t come out until October 2022, it seems unclear why they didn’t just call that “Season Two”, but it is what it is, as the cliché goes.
All 10 shows run in the order they emerged on Paramount+. The plot synopses come from the series’ official website.
Lost and Found Parts 1 and 2: “Exiled on a mining colony outside Federation space, a group of lawless teens discover a derelict Starfleet ship. Dal R’El (voiced by Brett Gray) must gather an unlikely crew for the USS Protostar to escape Tars Lamora, but The Diviner (John Noble) and his daughter Gwyndala (Ella Purnell) have other plans.”
A protagonist who doesn’t know about his roots, an obscure location, lots of quirky alien creatures… this first episode of Prodigy comes with more of a Star Wars feel than a Trek vibe.
It also leans toward a kiddie-oriented tone, which doesn’t surprise given the use of cartoons. Of course, animation doesn’t exist solely to provide fare for youngsters, but it comes as no surprise that Prodigy follows that path.
The animation style feels somewhat more “mature” than the broadly cartoony Lower Decks, however. Not that the latter’s design choices hurt it, as I think the show works pretty well, but it definitely leans more “Saturday morning” in terms of its look versus the visuals of Prodigy.
Despite its design, Lower Decks actually felt aimed at a sophisticated Trek audience. Allusions to various other Trek iterations abounded, with dozens of connections to delight long-time fans.
On the other hand, at least for this double-length episode, Prodigy feels much more kid-oriented. While not necessarily “dumbed-down”, it accentuates young characters and a broad sense of adventure.
As a dude in his 50s, I must admit the tone of “Found” fails to bring much to engage me. It feels fairly cliché and lacks a lot of real pizzazz. Hopefully the series will become more interesting from here, though.
Starstruck: “Even with the guidance of their hologram advisor Janeway (Kate Mulgrew), the crew of The Protostar is tested when their ship is on a dangerous cosmic collision course.”
Even if just a hologram, the inclusion of Janeway adds spark to Prodigy - and also allows the series to start to “feel more Trek” than the pilot. Though it provides nothing spectacular, “Starstruck” at least manages a more engaging adventure than the prior show and it offers hope of additional fun yet to come.
Dream Catcher: “The crew has their first away mission on an undiscovered planet that manifests their deepest desires, only to realize the planet has desires of its own.”
This episode provides the series’ first “away mission”, as we see Dal and company as they visit an uncharted planet. That offers some intrigue, and we get decent character development as well. I still don’t love the series, but “Dream” manages to allow it to continue to expand in a pretty positive manner.
Terror Firma: “Marooned on a deadly planet, the crew must work together with their captive Gwyn to stay alive… except the planet isn't the only thing in pursuit.”
Though not formally a “part two”, “Firma” picks up immediately where “Dream” ended. It really does act as an extension of the prior episode’s narrative.
Unfortunately, it fails to become as interesting as that show. Not that “Firma” flops, but it falls into the “more Star Wars than Star Trek” camp again, and it doesn’t really satisfy.
Kobayashi: “As Gwyn struggles to find her role aboard the Protostar, Dal tests his leadership skills in the newly discovered holodeck.”
Established in 1982’s Star Trek II, every fan knows of the “Kobayashi Maru”, or the theoretically unwinnable situation. Here the Prodigy characters give that simulation a try.
The episode plays the theme for laughs mainly – and it allows for crewmembers of other Trek series to appear via archival voice performances and new work from Gates McFaddden and Robert Beltran. Throw in some exposition with Gwyn and this turns into a pretty solid show.
First Con-tact: “When a mentor from Dal's past persuades him to use their Federation cover for personal gain, they quickly discover Starfleet has protocols for a reason.”
Obviously this episode’s title alludes to 1996’s First Contact feature film. However, whereas “Kobayashi” consciously nodded toward Trek’s past in term of episode content, “First” doesn’t do much to remind us of the 1996 film.
“First” does manage some intriguing new threads, though. Like much of Prodigy, it still feels awfully Star Wars, but some good material emerges here.
Time Amok: “When The Protostar is fractured in time by an anomaly, Hologram Janeway must synchronize the disjointed crew and save their ship before it destructs.”
For Trek fans, the involvement of Janeway becomes highly appealing, and “Amok” allows the character to come to the fore. Add a clever plot and we find one of S1’s better shows.
A Moral Star, Parts 1 and 2: “The crew forego their dreams of Starfleet to return to Tars Lamora in a no-win scenario.”
“Part One” of Season One concludes with another double episode. It wraps up this half’s narrative in a fairly vivid manner, even if it really does continue on the Star Wars path.
Nonetheless, “Star” finishes this arc in a satisfying manner. It helps ensure that “Part One” of Prodigy’s first season becomes fairly enjoyable sci-fi/action material.
