Prodigy: Strong Return

What seems like years have passed since the mid-season break for Nickelodeon’s impressive Star Trek: Prodigy leaving us wondering what lay ahead for the youthful crew and how the real Kathryn Janeway would affect proceedings.

It's return hasn’t disappointed. At time of writing we’re hitting the midway point of the second half of season one (episode 15 in shorthand) with each week just adding a little more spice to this young child of the Star Trek Universe.

Just to recap, the crew seemed to have defeated the Diviner and made good their escape aboard the USS Protostar however it came to pass in the final seconds that the real Admiral Janeway and the USS Dauntless were hot on their heels. Problem is that the Protostar is carrying a weapon from the future which could destroy Starfleet if it so much as communicates with any element of the organisation.

This was borne out in the mid-season premiere, Asylum in which the starship docked with a distant Starfleet communications outpost and met with its sole operator, the Denobulan Barniss Frex. Revealing Murf’s race in the process (and almost off nonchalantly)  it opened up the mystery of what species Dal is and showed the destructive power of the Protostar’s terrible secret which cannot be removed. Offering the first real contact with Starfleet it expectedly doesn't go to plan.

If you thought the opener was a powerful move, its successor in Let Sleeping Borg Lie, topped out with the return of the Borg. But wait, instead of First Contact/Voyager Borg, Prodigy chose to go full-on retro and chose to take the cybernetic collective back to their TNG days albeit that little more stylish. It’s an episode that definitely stakes a claim that Prodigy isn’t a kids series for the most part with a big call back that would require at least some knowledge of the franchise to ‘get’. There’s even phaser modulation, reference to specific pieces of Borg tech and a visually gorgeous cube packed into the episode. 

Actually let's justify that even further. The Borg haven't felt this menacing since First Contact. They are malevolent, unstoppable once more and ooze the menace that has been missing from them for nearly thirty years. Let Sleeping Borg Lie takes the crew deep into a Cube in search of a vinculum (previously referenced in VGR) but turns into a nightmare as Zero links with the Collective and near turns into a Drone. This is potentially Prodigy's most bleak instalment, driving the show to its darkest limits and trusting that fans of all ages will follow the nods to the past. It's actually a good thing to see the Borg once again raised to the level of a truly threatening opponent right where they should be.

Following on, All the World's a Stage is a strong episode to highlight the Prime Directive (non-interference) while also providing an unexpected sequel to TOS. Star Trek has mocked itself before through most of Lower Decks and notably VGR's Live Fast and Prosper and this episode combines that with the storytelling aspect of the latter's Muse. It even nods towards the times Starfleet inadvertently influenced civilisations such as the Iotians from A Piece of the Action. 

As with the Borg-focused previous episode, the intrinsic links to the show's history are key to the understanding of the plot. Prodigy seems to be stepping firmly out of "just a kids show" and into the mainstream of the franchise with its choice to embrace near six decades of lore. My only concern is that while it is a clear chance to promote all the great elements from Star Trek's far and wide corners, the fan friendly nods might end up alienating the younger generation who were the original target audience. That said you can't ignore how good it feels to have such a rich history to mine, explore and expand upon just as we see here.

In All the World's... Starflight has inspired the Enderprizians way of life for a century. While the eventual reveal of the real Gallows is a tip to The Motion Picture's V'Gr, it's still an effective story that would be accessible to new fans. It gives a glimpse of the franchise's past and therefore a little temptation to find out more while also giving long-term fans something of a payoff that they might not have been expecting. Earlier in the season we'd seen Dal tackle command choices by recreating the bridge of the Enterprise-D replete with assorted crew from the franchise and now we have the appearance of the classic Enterprise bridge both as a stage performance and also to assist the Enderprizians when they are aboard the Protostar. 

But there's also real development for the characters here. Ok, so the Diviner's return and amnesia drives the story, we are starting to see each of the main crew come into their own. Dal has a mystery to solve alongside his evolution as a would-be captain. Gwyn has become more trusting as the series has gone on. Ruk isn't a third wheel to most of the stories and Zero is proving to be even more enigmatic than before. 

But the two standouts at this stage have to be Jankom Pog (whom I really didn't like at the beginning) who is helping viewers to expand their understanding of Tellarites (cleverly mirrored with the Dauntless' medical officer) and has shown himself to be an adept engineer. Then there's Murf. His species now revealed, the cute blue blob has started to evolve, opening up a whole heap of new possibilities as yet untouched by Star Trek and all borne from one single reference in a first season TNG episode. Not bad at all. His evolution into some sort of super-agile defender of the crew is amazing and gets played slightly comedically which can seem out of place in the show's more high-intensity sequences.

Four episodes in to this half-season and Crossroads actually felt like the right time for Admiral Janeway to come face to face with the young runaway crew of the Protostar. She has her questions as to what's happened to Captain Chakotay (and his crew?) but the point that Dal wouldn't reveal what was going on did feel as though it was the first real misstep of the show. 

Why not just explain what was going on and save the subsequent (but cool to see) chase between the two Starfleet ships? It makes for a great action-filled story that combines space combat with neat snow-bound racing with added Thadiun Okona yet it does feel oddly convoluted and a bit like banging your head on a wall.

With that issue still in the back of my head, Masquerade did further the Dal/genetics plot as well as the continued pursuit by the Dauntless and the appearance of the Romulans. It feels as though this was the episode of the season where the most elements were crammed in to the half-hour run time. Fortunately (but rather abruptly) Okona leaves and that does alleviate some of the focus. That's odd in itself since there's a lot made at the opening of the episode around his speedy integration with the Protostar's crew.

Unboxing some of Dal's recessive genes makes for a different take on his character and one that does have lasting effects beyond Masquerade. Sometimes that's a good thing with Prodigy and at other points it does make him look like a spoiled child however that in turn does allow for a good breadth of character exploration.

Escaping the Romulans intact is one thing and Preludes provides something of a respite before hitting the final run of four episodes. What's great here is that viewers get to see some of the character background and references played out which have been sprinkled in across the course of the season - and there have been a fair few. Jankom's pre-Federation sleeper ship for one, Zero's capture for another, Rok-Tahk's familiarity with Nutra-goop a third; they're all dipped into with more clarity. This could have been a filler yet wisely chooses to expand the understanding of the cast in a way that greatly benefits the show, not that audiences won't already have a level of attachment.

While all this is going on aboard the Protostar there's still the ongoing narrative surrounding the revitalised but amnesic Diviner aboard the Dauntless. Janeway's crew is a little more generic but her first officer and doctor do receive at least decent screentime to act as her support. The main focus though does tend to be on Janeway and Ensign Ascensia. The junior officer does have a lot to offer as you head into the final run of episodes and is far more integral to the show than we might have anticipated back in Asylum but again if you watch it back there are small hints right from her introduction that there is more to be revealed. 

Potentially the most disappointing episode of the season could have been Ghost in the Machine. As a kids show it's a solid move to introduce a holodeck-breaks episode while also a brave step to head into heavily charted territory. Certainly there are hints of TNG's Emergence with the holodeck seeming to bear surreptitious messages in the sequence of programs. Of course there is an endgame to it all which leads into Mindwalk. 

As with the holodeck dangers, body swapping is an oft-used trope especially in Trek with it only recently utilised in the excellent Spock Amok with particular aplomb. Here it does help to further the overall arc and give Kate Mulgrew some new and different material to work on as Dal in Janeway's body. As a vocal performance she absolutely hits the mark and that has to be in part thanks to some sparky dialogue and the work of the animators to envisage just what it could be like. As said, it does really focus the attention onto the final two part episode.

Sharing it's name with the recently released Prodigy game, Supernova has two very distinct parts to it. The first 30 chew out the dangers of the Living Construct buried aboard the Protostar and the second with the aftermath. Why does this work? Because the show actually takes time to deal with the results of the (SPOILER) devastation caused by the Construct and what to do with the Protostar crew. Again I don't want to screw over anyone who hasn't seen it yet but this is one of the most emotional, intense conclusions to a season that Star Trek has produced for a good few years. The characters really are fully rounded and for once a finale doesn't just round it all off nicely and reset. There are consequences here, there is fallout and it is a fitting way to round off season one.

As a season this is one of the finest pieces in the Kurtzman jigsaw and totally, utterly, jaw-droppingly unexpected. For years I've dreamed of a Star Trek series that each week I've wanted to come back to over and over to find out what happens next and Prodigy delivered. Great characters, cool ship, great villain and a great, respectful nod to Voyager and the franchise. A grade Trek that's for kids... wink wink.

What's been your take on Prodigy? Favourite moment or character?

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Prodigy: Preparing for Part 2

The reveals of Picard's third season trailer might have distracted you from the fact that Prodigy's first season (part two) is set for return this October. 

As I said a few months back, rather than individually go through every episode I wanted to be able to have a more educated overview and look back in sections. This, for Prodigy, seems like a good point to take stock.

My thoughts ahead of it airing offered very low expectations of the show. It was for kids, I even grumbled at the animation in the first episode and wasn't planning on giving it a great deal of my time.

How wrong was i. Because I went in without demanding greatness from the first frames and was aware that it wouldn't be as adult-orientated as Discovery or Picard likely made a big difference.

While Burnham's journey in the 32nd Century seems to have meandered a little, Prodigy has remained untainted. The wokeness and community servicing that Discovery in particular has gone to town on is nowhere to be seen. Now, I get that Star Trek should be discussing current issues and scripting allegories just as Gene Roddenberry himself did back in the 1960's but there are some that would say Discovery is trying too hard to accommodate.

Prodigy on the other hand isn't. This is a straight up action adventure that provides a gateway into the world of Star Trek for a younger generation. It still talks about teamwork, family and has a story and characters who are already developing but it's kept things simple and, ironically, quite down to Earth.

Assembling a crew of aliens is one thing but to actually show character advancement in what is, at the core, a kids show is brilliant. All of the leads feel as though they are on individual journeys with some more prominent than others. Dal and Gwyn do tend to take the lead as the "acting captain" and the daughter of their nemesis, The Diviner but Rok too has been provided with serious development albeit in one episode.

But let's not get too ahead. Prodigy's first season has been wholeheartedly (to this mid-point) a brilliant success. These first ten episodes have successfully introduced the cast, a new ship, told a mini story arc and still managed to step way for a few weeks with a great cliffhanger.

With a strong learning towards its new elements and only sprinkling in a minor amount of existing Trek lore, Prodigy has done well to avoid the franchise's own self-loving and aim to embrace a totally new audience. The basics of the show, the Federation and our new crew have been set over this initial run of episodes and the writers have done a magnificent job of avoiding in-jokes and keeping their stories open and accessible.

The ship is a very clear Starfleet design with the over-hull nacelles and a distinct primary/secondary hull shape that can be traced all the way back to its most original form in USS Enterprise NCC-1701. Yes, it's got some neat twists; lots of surface landings, a 3D vehicle printer, that extremely open glass-topped bridge, the Janeway hologram and the incredible protowarp drive - but it's still recognisably Starfleet and I goddamn want one.

The crew are oddly relatable. Dal might be the captain-elect (by himself) but he has to share that centre stage with the equally capable and more mature Gwyn. But Dal is the new viewer to Star Trek, excited, interested and wanting to know it all. He is the avenue into the franchise that the Nickleodeon audience should be following. Rok has come on in leaps and, well, leaps from background to essential. Zero's Medusan nature has been touched on and visualised in one of the larger callbacks to the history of the franchise (Is There in Truth No Beauty? TOS S3) although Murf remains a complete enigma however completely indestructible he/she/they are.

The only character to really have been left at the kerb a little is Tellarite Jankom Pog. He feels almost as neutered as the Maquis after Caretaker and the argumentative nature played on right from the first episode has been frittered way in weeks. Hopefully he won't be relegated to the Inspector Gadget of the team with his extendable arm as his only "thing".

Now (spoilers) I had expected the Diviner arc to last more than the first half of the season but it has meant that this line of storytelling hasn't overstayed its welcome. It felt right to go in the direction the show took this plot and it felt conclusive and also the end of the beginning. The mid-season two-parter returning the Protostar and its crew to the mining colony where we started out ensured that loose ends were tied up although we know that there have been hints at the ship's purpose and final mission through these ten episodes.

Nor at any point has Hologram Janeway felt intrusive. Kate Mulgrew's return has been a masterstroke. It has greatly benefitted the series and of all the returning characters we've seen across the recent shows, certainly Prodigy has nailed it both with this leading lady and the assembling of the crew for Dal's Kobayashi Maru sim.

For long term fans there is still a sense of familiarity through the reminders of Starfleet, the design of the ship both internally and externally and, of course, that cliffhanger which leaves no doubt that the universe is all coming together. Would I be surprised to see one of the Prodigy cast turn up in a live series at some point? Not in the slightest and with the hints of an upcoming Academy show it might be sooner rather than later.

I'm very much drawn towards Strange New Worlds and Lower Decks but in Prodigy there is the hidden gem of the current Star Trek catalogue and something that is wildly accessible by every generation with enough in there to draw in Voyager fans as well as a new, young generation who can then go on and discover the shows of the '90's.

Leaving the season on a cliffhanger and by introducing the real Janeway aboard a very real USS Dauntless, the show has dropped a massive bombshell and a sharp left at the same time. Where is Chakotay? Will the Dauntless catch the Protostar and what the hell is Murf?

Prodigy has a ton and a half of things to offer and is just heading in its own direction. Whether it's possible to dovetail it into one of the series occurring at the same time has yet to be seen yet it remains absolutely unique just as each other series has managed so far in this Kurtzman era.

 

Perhaps the stories haven't minded much depth with the plots fairly straight-forward but it has managed to keep the audience interest at all levels and you can bet the second half of the season will deliver just as much if not more.

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Nichelle

After the outpouring of affection over the last 24 hours, what more can be said?

Icon, trailblazer, actress, singer, symbol of empowerment, activist - Nichelle Nichols helped change the world into something more positive and far more respectful than we had seen before.

There's always going to be the story of that chance meeting with Dr Martin Luther King which helped keep her on the Enterprise following the first season, the nod from Whoopi Goldberg that Nichols inspired her in her career after seeing Uhura on Star Trek. 

Roddenberry's starship truly encompassed the globe but perhaps none of the characters or actors involved had the impact on civil rights that just the presence of Uhura did in the show.

Nichols onscreen time with the franchise started back with the first production episode, The Corbomite Maneuver and would remain with the series to its conclusion in 1969 before returning in the first six movies. The Undiscovered Country in 1991 would be her final canon appearance as Uhura although Nichols would play her legendary persona in the fan film Of Gods and Men. Sound clips from her appearances would be used even more recently for her animated appearance in Star Trek: Prodigy as part of a holodeck simulation drawing together some of the franchise's greatest crewmembers.

Portraying a character of responsibility (and not just a maid as Goldberg herself noted as a

child), Uhura and therefore Nichols presented a positive, optimistic role model which showed that at least (at that time) in the future everyone would be equal and have the same chances.

I was amazed at how just about every single post on my social media feeds was about Nichols and the impact she had on so many peoples' lives whether or not they met her. Pictures, autographs, memories are all there from fans who were touched by her role in Star Trek.

As a tribute to her memory, here are SKoST's Top Five Nichols Moments as Uhura

5. Mr Adventure

One of the more light-hearted moments from The Search for Spock shows Uhura on duty at a transporter station seemingly in the utter backwaters of Starfleet. Babysitting a junior officer who wants just a little bit of excitement, events soon come to pass. It's only when Admiral Kirk, McCoy and Sulu arrive that things start to hot up and he's forced at phaser-point to sit in the closet. This is a huge highlight for Uhura fans with more to do in one scene than she's had to do for the previous two movies. I'd recommend checking out the novelisation which adds even more to Uhura's narrative than we see on screen.

4. Taking Command

Often over-looked is this entry from TAS, the episode The Lorelei Signal. With the male members of the Enterprise crew subdued, Uhura takes command of the starship and the rescue mission.  Although "just" an animated episode this is a vital moment in the development of Lt Uhura from her position as communications officer into a full-blown commander of the ship and the mission. In later materials following The Undiscovered Country this wil go to the next step with Nyota gaining captaincy of the USS Leondegrance. More importantly it's another evolution of the ability of Star Trek to show the equality of all its characters in the ever-optimistic 23rd Century.

3. The Kiss 

How could any list of Uhura moments be complete without this? While the debate will continue ever-onwards as whether or not it was the first televised inter-racial kiss, it's an episode and a moment that lives on in near mythic status.

Perhaps Plato's Stepchildren as a whole hasn't aged that well and at points descends to a level somewhere near farce but it does have this one key scene. Forced to kiss by the Platonians, Kirk and Uhura made TV history if only because of the audience that saw it. The stories of ruining takes and angles have run around autobiographies and fan circuits for decades but once again Nichols was at the front and centre of a "risky" moment that networks were genuinely concerned about. It was banned in the UK for violent content, not for this watershed kiss.

2. The Gamesters of Triskelion

Maybe an odd one to include and I'm sure there will be debate as to whether there are others that I should have included. However I've dropped this second season episode in for the huge reason that Uhura is part of the unwilling away team alongside Kirk and Chekov.

The Gamesters of Triskelion is unusual precisely for the notion that it sidelines the usual Kirk/Spock/McCoy triumvirate in favour of something different and rarely seen in TOS.

Chekov might have been the new kid on the block in 1967 but to have Uhura as a key player here was massive. Check out the first season and pretty much everything to this point and Uhura is very much a background player - a fact that we know nearly led her to quit. But through perseverance things finally paid off and here she has a starring role. Fighting off unwanted advances from her drill Thall is a key scene with her character at no point becoming a damsel in distress.

1. Got to have a Tailpipe?

Star Trek VI: The Undiscovered Country provided each and every member of the original crew with standout moments throughout its running time. While the use of the Klingon dictionaries to create a "believable" dialogue with the border guards is fun to watch, Uhura's biggest moment here comes from her solution to the challenge of the cloaked Bird of Prey. Remembering that the Enterprise is carrying equipment to catalogue gaseous anomalies, she's the catalyst for Spock and McCoy to perform surgery on a torpedo. Uhura's actions ultimately cause the resolution of the movie, destroying Chang's ship and allowing the crew to save the day in the nick of time.

Nichelle Nichols

28 December 1932 - 31 July 2022

Where's the Episode Reviews At?

For those of you who are regular followers/trolls/etc of this blog, you'll be familiar with my weekly episode updates.

But I've come to the realisation that everyone and anyone is doing them and, in all honesty, they're not the most widely read of posts. Even I've noted that I've reduced their length into more bitesize territory of late. With both Discovery and Prodigy now running at the same time it just isn't feasibly possible to write reviews and also do other discussions, opinions and those lovely item reviews plus a full time job.

So I'll be more or less covering a series of episodes and events within a piece on a more regular occasion and get away from being a) a pure episode review site and b) a pure ship review site that I fear I may have started to go down.

Let's move straight on though to a couple of things. One is of course the wonderful news that outside of the US and Canada, Discovery season four will be available on Pluto TV FOR FREE during what Paramount is describing as a "transitional period". Episodes one and two; Kobayashi Maru and Anomaly dropped last week if you happened to be off world at the time. Plus, yes, I was totally wrong that fan power would make a difference. It actually jolly well did.

It's going to be another slow burn (yes, intended pun) of a season. Burnham hasn't convinced everyone that she's amazing and the Federation president Laira Rillak even bypasses her for command of the Voyager-J. Burnham certainly has her issues in wanting to save everyone and saving no-one. For once we have a captain who isn't perfect and doesn't make the best decisions. I believe it's called "On the job learning".

But as we would suspect from an arc-based series, it's not all great news because the Discovery is called out to deal with a research station that is being affected by a gravitational wave. 

As an opening to a fourth season I was expecting something with a bit more weight to it and Kobayashi Maru didn't totally live up to its namesake. The Big Problem of the season is another huge threat to the galaxy that might be something we've seen before or it might not be. First thoughts were that it could be V'Ger and I swore I heard a few bars of it's ominous theme but it's got to be something else entirely.

Adira is still a great addition to the ship and has slipped into the "inexperienced" role which Tilly filled for seasons one and two with her storyline and the ever nearing rebirth of Gray providing one of the seasons standout narratives already. There's even a hat tip to the procedure's previous success with some Starfleet admiral named Picard.

David Ajala though is leaving me slightly cold. His relationship with Michael feels disjointed while it should be more endearing yet the time he spends working with Stamets to gather data on the anomaly turns out to be a great piece of writing.

Discovery has to be the most inconsistent of all Trek series. Whether that's down to the overriding arc structure or the very generic background bridge crew, it never seems to live up to its potential. There are a few too many sideways glances, odd humour moments (Tilly's funny voice one with Saru in Anomaly for instance) which feel jarring and totally out of place in this format and also at this far flung point in the future.

Episode three did ramp it up a bit into more action territory with the return of Burnham's mother, no tears from the captain and a rogue Quwat Milat nun. Of the three so far it's a step forward but once again the Gray/Adira story was far more interesting and even managed to reference a certain Starfleet admiral being reborn in the same synthetic manner.

Choose to Live got it right for once. The character moments weren't forced, Tilly's motivations seemed clearer with her wanting a challenge. Even Book and Stamets' partnership is developed and we seem to have a more defined heading for the season. Yes, the gravitational anomaly was still in the background but this time the main plot line came off a lot stronger. 

A society in stasis is nothing new (Dragon's Teeth) yet this was much more in line with Star Trek's basis of helping a people and not misunderstanding them. J'Vini's cause is true to her beliefs and although it's completed with the death of a Starfleet officer from the USS Credence, it remains close to the Needs of the Many. Wonder where we've heard that before?

But Discovery still misses a beat. In Choose to Live it's come very close to the origins and core nature of original Trek but there's a lacking of depth overall. The arc nature ay well be making it feel exhaustive but once more we are on a path towards a penultimate episode reveal which will, undoubtedly, reveal Burnham to be the saviour of the galaxy even if the Federation President doesn't rate her.

Then there's Prodigy. A series that has really taken me by surprise and is currently on a mid-mid-season break after five episodes. My word how this has come out of nowhere. I'm still not super thrilled with the animation but at present it's the best Trek out there. Exploration, new frontiers, a ship that actually looks stunning and a not over-complex arc that allows the show to breathe and dive into its characters. The Murder Planet does something similar to The Naked Time/Now in that it cuts into the core of these five aliens and gives us a hook into each of them.

Bet you can name all five already. Designed for the younger generation, it has a lot of merits from the Michael Giachinno title score through to the lickable planet vistas and all points in between. The reveal of the protowarp drive leaves a dramatic and jaw-dropping cliffhanger and I cannot wait to see where the show heads now.

I;m aware I've skimmed that in two paragraphs. Let me expand. This show actually has an ensemble that works. All of them have distinct personalities and, you might surmise, different agendas. Everything is new to all of them with the fulcrum of Holo-Janeway as their balancing point. I really think this series is working at a great pace and right out of the dockyard.

More thoughts on the way... but how are the two shows comparing for you?

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Dream Catcher: Prodigy S01 E04

Beginning their training under the watchful eye of the Janeway hologram, the eclectic crew of the Protostar get their first away mission.

Landing on an M-Class planet (much prefer it to be A-Class says Dal), it's evident early on that this is still an evolving collective with the group splintering to explore on their own leaving gelatinous Murf and the contained Gwyn on the ship.

The Protostar makes its first planetary landing with all the grace of a bag of potatoes off the back of a truck but the show still looks gorgeous from every angle. Everyone also has a lot more to do this week as they explore the planet.

As you would anticipate, nothing is as it seems with Jankom Pog, Rok, Zero, Gwyn and Dal all encountering their own desires courtesy of a lifeform inhabiting the planet itself - and ultimately leaving our crew in a cliffhanger situation. Each scenario delves a little into each of the crew and offers a bit of background on each person.

But there's lots more in here to look at. New tricorders, new type one phasers and most impressively the Runaway land vehicle all make first appearances in Dream Catcher.  That's all packed into a fairly short run time and the series gives it everything. It's an episode that's bursting at the seams trying to tell you as much as possible to keep new fans and existing Trekkies glued in a multiple visual ways.

The jokes aren't as plentiful this week although there's still a lighter tone to the show although it does offer a fair bite of peril and action along the way. Dal's impatience is growing a little tiresome even at this point with his impulsiveness firmly in every scene. My guess is that this will gradually be toned down as he wrestles with the teachings of the Janeway hologram and becomes more like a Starfleet cadet.

The M-Class planet's inhabitant is a nasty piece of work with the visual artistry looking absolutely stunning to create the "background" of this creature. Initially seeming benign, the infestation becomes a serious threat and not just in the subconscious when it attacks the Protostar itself.

The theory behind the episode admittedly is nothing new and fans can trace these sort of "hallucination" episodes as far back as Shore Leave from 1966 but even now there's a use for such stories. It opens up the cast here and also reveals some chinks in Gwyn's hardened exterior. Freed from her prison she makes a distinct decision that is incredibly telling about her personality. The ending places the group on a different footing to where viewers may well have expected the series to go - and so early in. It's telling that we shouldn't expect the status quo and even for a kids series there are going to be twists and turns.

Dream Catcher is an average to good episode for Prodigy that still manages to surprise even with a standard dangerous alien plot device and is further saved with those dribble-inducing vistas.

Check out our full set of season one and two reviews for Lower Decks HERE!

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Starstruck: Prodigy S01 E03

Episode three of Prodigy picks up right where we left off from the double-length Lost and Found.

The Janeway training hologram is active with the rag-tag bunch of aliens somehow beginning to come together as the makeshift crew of the USS Protostar. Unfortunately they happen to get entangled in the pull of a binary star system where a white dwarf star is pulling apart a red giant.

Janeway's inclusion in the episode is pretty good and for a good part of this instalment the danger in space plays second fiddle to the viewer exploring the new ship. There's the mess hall, captain's quarters and crew quarters, the brig (which Gwyn sees a lot of) as well as Engineering with its twin warp cores...and something else.

But it seems as though we're going to encounter a lot of these "something elses" as we go through the season - so expect a lot over the next 17 episodes. Starstruck is very much about the ship and the Janeway Training Hologram beginning to mould the escaping prisoners into something of a Starfleet crew.

There is an exceptionally quick potted history of Starfleet complete with some familiar ships and a map of the Alpha Quadrant and there's a good attempt to start pulling in more familiar elements and therefore tell new and younger viewers more about the expansive Star Trek universe. With Janeway "seeing" these as cadets it becomes more natural to explain everything and introduce viewers to many of the concepts of the franchise. Certainly there's the working together for a common goal, the antiquated practice of money and much more.

Gwyn and Dal's sparring looks to be one of the main relationships here in Prodigy. Is she trustworthy? Will she cash in the fugitives at the first opportunity and will she return to the side of her father, the Diviner? Maybe. Here she ha a single minded view of getting off the Protostar and back home, even leading her to 3D print a shuttlecraft in what is the episode's crowning sequence/chase.

Giving the time in this episode to the wide-eyed exploration of the ship and key areas is important to set the scene. Visually this show looks stunning especially when it comes to the attention to detail in displays and labelling of the ship. Jankom Pog and Rohk's mess hall scene does allow a little character exploration for the latter in that she has known nothing aside from life in the prison but the timing and pace of this third episode doesn't offer much chance for expansion beyond that two minute bite.

I'm hoping that as Prodigy goes forward we will get to see each of the cast get their moment to shine and explore their roles. Given that season one will be 20 episodes long (with a mid-season break), this shouldn't be too hard to achieve. A good, if very standard way to kick off the usual episode format, once more with an optimistic outlook for the future.

Check out our full set of season one and two reviews for Lower Decks HERE!

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Prodigy S01 E01: Lost and Found

With an extended first episode, Star Trek: Prodigy has launched with the first main cast who have no direct association with Starfleet... at least to begin with.

Episode one, Lost and Found does everything you would expect; introduce the characters, their predicament and their means of transport - but does it all work?

On a first viewing my feelings were mixed. There is a clear direction and audience for the show. Prodigy doesn't delve too deeply into its characters to begin with but we get a good sense of who they are from the few moments each is granted to shine. Dal stands front and centre as our lead. He's a prisoner on a moon destined to spend the rest of his life mining and dreams of escaping to the stars. Also on Tars Lamora we have engineer and Tellarite Jankom Pog. As with all Tellarites he loves a good argument. Crystal-like Rok Tahk looks like a heavy but is actually a young girl who is accompanied by Murf, a gelatinous creature that has an insatiable appetite. Then we have Medusan (Prisoner) Zero who has been enslaved to destroy the minds of The Diviner's enemies. Rounding out the group by way of a kidnapping, is Gwyn. One of the two remaining Vau N'Akat she carries a bracelet that can reform itself into a sword... which is cool.

The Diviner is Gwyn's father and therefore the other remaining Vau N'Akat. As the episode reveals, he is searching the moon for something and that turns out to be the USS Protostar.

In essence the episode is about driving this young team together and placing them on the ship to escape the Tars Lamora prison and get away from The Diviner and his cybernetic henchman, Drednok. 

Lost and Found isn't a deep dive into the human psyche and, cuttingly, is probably the most unStar Trek series of those in existence today. While the ship and also the returning Kate Mulgrew as holographic Janeway do bring in elements of the Federation, this is brand spanking new territory. There are some nice nods to the Delta Quadrant with the inclusion of the Kazon but this feels as though it should be entitled Prodigy: A Star Trek Series rather than taking the moniker up top. 

While the other shows have fed directly off the concept of Starfleet in some form this has taken a massive step away with only a couple of pieces really engaging that element of the franchise. It also felt at points that it wasn't sure what it wanted to be - is it comedy? Is it action? Is it trying to build relationships with these characters? There doesn't feel as though there's a good balance here with all three parts clashing at times. Wisecracking is good at times but it does clog things up between people in Prodigy; even moreso given the time restrictions.

While Lower Decks had three of the four main cast already friends, this has a lot to establish in a frighteningly quick timescale. Introduce a whole cast to each other plus an antagonist and a narrative. Somehow it succeeds but I think that's because of its target audience. There's not a great deal of depth and we have several characters whom we will no doubt be learning about as we progress. A lot is made of Dal's unknown origin plus viewers with some knowledge of Star Trek will be wanting to know how a Medusan and a Tellarite managed to end up in the Delta Quadrant.

This rag-tag bunch do offer a lot of possibilities for the show as does the arrival of Kathryn Janeway just at the end of the episode. But I guess more on that one with episode two.

My biggest gripe with Prodigy isn't the concept or the characters or that strong disassociation with Starfleet - it's with the animation itself. I'm a big fan of Lower Decks as you will already know from previous articles praising it to high heaven and with that the animation fits the style of the show perfectly. Here though, while there is a clear attempt to make it look absolutely stunning and go all out on the visuals, it comes off a little stilted at times and almost a bit dated. The character movements don't seem to be particularly fluid and once I'd noticed that, it bugged the hell out of me for the rest of the episode. Yes, it does look amazing when it comes to the big vistas and the sense of scale but it's the detail where Prodigy feels like it's being let down. Maybe that slightly less "perfect" look was the intention here but for me it's not quite working at this stage of the game.

One thing that is awesome and will be a much talked about point is the USS Protostar.

Apparently a much smaller starship than we've seen before, the ship is super stream-lined and glisteningly clean. Featuring an unusual front loading ramp, the Protostar's appearance in the show totally locks your attention. The escape sequence is easily the most impressive part of Lost and Found as the new crew put their reborn starship to use. Again and as with the characters you know that there is more to the vessel and we're teased some of that in the titles. I also suspect that Janeway and its impressive propulsion system aren't the only surprises that will be coming our way over the next few weeks. 

Prodigy is as big a step as Star Trek made when it launched Discover. This is different, uncharted territory. Of the three animated shows it's the first one to ever be strongly targeted more at the younger Star Trek market rather than existing fans. The bulk of the main cast are kids and voiced by young actors which continues to emphasise the direction Paramount and Alex Kurtzman are heading with the show. 

This is very much about securing the next generation, the future, of the franchise and for it's long term success. Start off with Prodigy and then grow up to watch the other shows. Whether this will drive newer fans to dive into the 50 year catalogue I can't be sure but I would suggest that it will probably encourage a few to examine the other series from the Kurtzman era and explore more strange new worlds (pun fully intended).

I do foresee Prodigy being a success. It's not trying to be a deep-thinking, cerebral show and it's been very wise of the current curators of the Star Trek universe to diversify and have a clear and different definition for each of the series that currently exist.  This one has the most to gain and the most to lose with not only a totally unique audience but look and feel. Prodigy is different. It smells different with us more as visitors to Starfleet. Think about it; to become immersed in the Star Trek universe this makes the perfect entry point - literally. These characters are themselves about to learn about Starfleet and its ethics. It's the entry point to the Universe from a newbie - and a younger perspective. Prodigy is itself a clever learning tool buried within a glossy package which, I would believe, will see this bunch of personalities be forged into a proper crew by the Janeway hologram. If that is the case then this is one of the most well-thought shows in the catalogue and you have to hope that it succeeds in being the gateway to the bigger Star Trek picture and starting point for many young viewers.

What was your opinion on the premiere of Prodigy? Did it deliver what you wanted or expected?

ALSO check out our full set of season one and two reviews for Lower Decks HERE!

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