Star Trek: Prodigy ventures Where No Man Has Gone Before

 

The last 5 years seems to be a second Golden Age for Star Trek. The first Golden Age dawned in 1987 with Star Trek: The Next Generation followed by 3 television series for over 600 episodes until 2004, plus 6 theatrical movies. After a long hiatus off-air, the rights owner of Star Trek, CBS Studios, embarked on a revival of the venerable sci-fi franchise with launch of Star Trek: Discovery in 2017 for streaming television. This was soon followed by Star Trek: Picard and Star Trek: Lower Decks in 2020, each offering a different flavour of Trek to longtime fans as well as new viewers.

Most recently, STAR TREK: PRODIGY is the latest to join the roster as the 10th Star Trek television series – aiming to recruit the next generation of Trekkies. It's set to premiere in Southeast Asia on Nickelodeon this 25 April 2022 at 7pm Malaysian time. The highly-anticipated animated series comprises 10 episodes for its 1st season, with the series running its full course from 25 Apr to 6 May, on weekdays. Subsequently, episode reruns will continue to air in the same timeslot.

Developed by Emmy® Award winners Kevin and Dan Hageman (Trollhunters,  Ninjago), Star Trek: Prodigy is the first Star Trek series aimed at younger audiences, and follows a motley crew of young aliens who must figure out how to work together while navigating a greater galaxy, in search of a better future. These six young outcasts know nothing about the starship U.S.S. Protostar they have commandeered, but over the course of their adventures together, they will each be introduced to Starfleet and the ideals it represents.

Kate Mulgrew (Star Trek: Voyager) reprises her role as Kathryn Janeway, but as a hologram for this series. Who better to guide the young crew and the next generation of dreamers than one of the most renowned Starfleet Captains of the Federation? Hologram Janeway will serve as the built-in Emergency Training Hologram on the U.S.S. Protostar. Astute Trekkies might notice that Hologram Janeway is often seen with a coffee cup in her hands, sharing Captain Janeway’s well-documented love of coffee!

Kathryn Janeway returns as an Emergency Training Hologram voiced by Star Trek: Voyager captain herself, Kate Mulgrew

Kate Mulgrew stated, “I have invested every scintilla of my being in Captain Janeway, and I can’t wait to endow her with nuance that I never did before, in Star Trek: Prodigy. How thrilling to be able to introduce to these young minds an idea that has elevated the world for decades. To be at the helm again is going to be deeply gratifying in a new way for me.”

She won’t be the only Star Trek alumni to join the adventure - Robert Beltran from Star Trek: Voyager will also reprise his role as Chakotay, now promoted to Captain. Watch out for more familiar voices and other Easter eggs popping up throughout the series – from the infamous Mr. Spock to Dr Beverly Crusher.

Voice cast (left to right): Dal voiced by Brett Gray, Gwyn by Ella Purnell, Jankom Pog by Jason Mantzoukas.

Other members of the Star Trek: Prodigy voice cast include:

• Brett Gray as Dal
• Ella Purnell as Gwyn
• Rylee Alazraqui as Rok-Tahk
• Angus Imrie as Zero, a non-humanoid Medusan calling back to the alien species introduced during Star Trek: The Original Series in 1968
• Jason Mantzoukas as Jankom Pog, a Tellarite
• Dee Bradley Baker as Murf
• John Noble as The Diviner
• Jimmi Simpson as Drednok

Voice cast (left to right): Rok-Takh voiced by Rylee Alazraqui, Murf by Dee Bradley Baker (Clone Wars, Bad Batch), Zero by Angus Imrie.

Get to know these characters and how they come together as Bridge Crew of the USS Protostar in the first 2 episodes of the series, “Lost & Found”.  Watch this video introducing the non-human characters of Star Trek: Prodigy (beware SPOILERS):

Most Trekkies eagerly anticipate reveal of the titular starship of every new Star Trek series. The U.S.S. Protostar does not disappoint! Its sleek wedge-shaped twin-nacelle Starfleet design is complemented with inner futuristic aesthetics significantly advance of that seen on Captain Janeway's U.S.S. Voyager. The ship registry of NX-76884 indicates an experimental class of starship, possibly launched in the near future after Voyager's return from the Delta Quadrant. Zooming to the bridge located on the upper saucer section with transparent canopy, akin to today's jet fighter cockpit, suggests scale of the Protostar similar or slightly smaller than that of Voyager's 343 metre length. The Protostar should be outfitted with all standard Starfleet equipment, but what experimental technology it carries will be revealed in due course of the series.

The U.S.S. Protostar, starship registry NX-76884.

Trekkie Tech geeks would be familiar with much of the Federation technology showcased on the  Protostar, like phasers, universal translators, food replicators, etc. plus some surprises. For new fans to Star Trek, these sci-fi devices could be inspirations for future tech in generations to come, like how the communicators seen in The Original Series during the 1960s became real tech as mobile phones in the 1990s. Sneak a peek at some of Star Trek's technology in this video (beware SPOILERS):

The main theme for Star Trek: Prodigy is composed by Academy Award winner Michael Giacchino, who also scored the 2009 Star Trek film and echoes familiarity. Nami Melumad provides the series music.

Star Trek: Prodigy is from CBS’ Eye Animation Productions, CBS Studios’ new animation arm; Nickelodeon Animation Studio, led by President of Animation Ramsey Naito; Secret Hideout; and Roddenberry Entertainment. Alex Kurtzman, Heather Kadin, Aaron Baiers, Katie Krentz, Rod Roddenberry and Trevor Roth serve as executive producers alongside co-showrunners Kevin and Dan Hageman. Ben Hibon directs, co-executive produces and serves as the creative lead of the all-new animated series. Claudia Spinelli is Nickelodeon’s Head of Animation Development with Kelley Gardner serving as Executive in Charge of production on Star Trek: Prodigy for Nickelodeon. Alec Botnick is Head of Animation for CBS Studios and Stephanie Groves is the Executive Vice President of Streaming and Cable Series and overseeing the series for CBS Studios.

NON-SPOILER REVIEW

By Outpost Commander Richard Chua

As a long time Trekkie since the 1980s, I've consumed virtually all Star Trek television and films, which makes comparisons inevitable. Whilst the scifi franchise has previously been presented in animated form as Star Trek: The Animated Series (1973-74) and Star Trek: Lower Decks (2020 -), this latest incarnation of Star Trek: Prodigy is quite unlike what has come before. 3D animation has  become the norm for today's television and Star Trek has evolved to adopt this format with Prodigy catering to the younger audience that is not served by the other current series (Discovery, Picard, Lower Decks). It therefore takes on formulaic storytelling by presenting its cast of lead characters in their teenage years that would connect better with kids. And by setting the plot in a far flung corner of the galaxy, the new audience is not burdened by needing to know Star Trek from preceding series, starting on a “clean slate” and gradually introducing elements from established canon as the series progresses. 

Yet for the adult audience, say parents of kids viewing Star Trek: Prodigy as a family, it's actually these linkages to canon that engage us as Trekkies. Like finding out happened to crew members of the USS Voyager between the series conclusion and the commencement of Prodigy's timeline, since Janeway is part of the programme (pun intended! 😅). Plus why is the Protostar on Tars Lamora and what happened to its original, presumably Starfleet crew? Will we meet other established characters like Janeway in holographic form? It would certainly make sense for an EMH (Emergency Medical Hologram) to be part of sickbay. As a bonus, spotting those Easter Eggs are sweet treats for longtime fans, in a way rewarding us for our geeky devotion to Star Trek.

It's also worth noting there is no “living” human amongst the main characters of Prodigy. That certainly supports that the U.S.S. Protostar is heading Where No Man Has Gone Before... let's sit back and explore what's out there together with Dal & company.

Note: This review is based on the first 2 episodes of Star Trek: Prodigy “Lost & Found”. Review options belong solely to author. 

Tune-in to Nickelodeon on Monday 25 April 2022 at 7pm for the premiere of Star Trek: Prodigy, with new episodes every weekday. Nickelodeon is available in Malaysia on Astro Channel 616 and Unifi Channel 554. Astro VOD has scheduled Star Trek Prodigy to be available from 30 April to 5 June 2022.

Thanks to Nickelodeon Asia, Outpost Productions has U.S.S. Protostar Crew Packs to giveaway to our readers and fans. Contest starts NOW on our Facebook Page Outpost Productions. Simply Comment on our Post to Tell us why YOU should be part of the U.S.S. Protostar Crew.

Each U.S.S. Protostar Crew Pack is worth USD150 / over RM650 and comprises a LED lamp of the  new starship, real outer space ice cream for astronauts, crew notebook and t-shirts for adults and kids. So submit your entries now to prove your worthiness to be part of the Protostar and be trained by Hologram Janeway as Starfleet's finest. We are opening submissions until 9 May and will be enlisting only 3 qualified applicants (winners). 

Click here to participate in our Facebook Contest

Please feel welcome to shout-out your passion for Star Trek by sharing this blog and our social media posts to your family and friends.

Terms and Conditions for Star Trek: Prodigy Facebook contest:

1. Participation only for residents in Malaysia able to receive prizes by local courier.

2. To participate, post in the Comments of our Facebook post to “Tell us why YOU should be part of the U.S.S. Protostar Crew”. Most creative and engaging replies stand better chance to win.

3. Limit answer in 1 Comment only. Standard Facebook functions available in Comment may be used.

4. Contest closes on Monday 9 May 2022, 11.59pm. Submissions thereafter will not be eligible.

5. Winners will receive Reply to their post contest entry Comment to message Outpost Productions to claim their prize. If no response is received within 5 days then entry is forfeit and prize will be offered to next eligible entry.

6. This promotion is in no way sponsored, endorsed or administered by or associated with Facebook.

7. We reserve the right to revise these terms and conditions at any time without prior notice.

Live Long & Prosper

#LLAP

Star Trek is owned by ViacomCBS. Content here used with permission for fan engagement.

Deciphering the logic behind Star Trek most rewatched episodes on Netflix

Renown streaming service Netflix officially opened access to Malaysia subscribers in January last year, offering STAR TREK content from the entire franchise comprising six television series and twelve movies; the 13th movie Star Trek Beyond has yet to join the Netflix roster. Excluding the movies, the 1970's Animated Series and Trek-related documentaries, that's a massive database of 695 episodes produced in half a century logging in over 536 hours of airtime.

Star Trek first aired on 8 September 1966, creating sci-fi icons Mr. Spock (left) and Captain Kirk.

In conjunction with the 51st Anniversary of Star Trek and pending launch of the next series, Discovery, Netflix has revealed some interesting statistics on viewership of the venerable sci-fi franchise from among its 104 million subscribers across 190 countries. Firstly, 12,000 fans have watched every episode of Star Trek on Netflix. We presume these are true fans, or Trekkies, to have dedicated the equivalent of 22 days to this endeavour. Yes, Outpost and our resident Vulcan Mr. Smock salutes you hardcore Trekkies. LLAP.

Source: Netflix

Secondly, Netflix revealed the ten most rewatched episodes of the saga, and the selection certainly raises Vulcan eyebrows from the fandom. Among Trekkies, our gut feel (as unVulcan-like as it sounds) of favourite episodes would lean towards some of these titles:

• The Original Series (TOS): The City on the Edge of Forever, Balance of Terror, Mirror Miror, Space Seed.
• The Next Generation (TNG): All Good Things, The Inner Light, Yesterday's Enterprise or Best of Both Worlds.
• Deep Space Nine (DS9): Sacrifice of Angels, What You Leave Behind, Trials and Tribbleations, The Visitor.
• Voyager: Scorpion, Timeless, Message in a Bottle, Endgame; this series tends to have short titles!
• Enterprise: Similitude, Carbon Creek, In a Mirror Darkly, Twilight; some of the multi-episode arcs of Season 4 were also fascinating

Netflix's methodology omits the pilot episodes of each series, possibly since most viewers would logically watch the pilot first to sample the series before committing to its run.  So if pilot episodes were allowed as candidates, the top ten list may indeed comprise each pilot from the five series. "Rewatched" is defined as a subscriber returning to watch at least 6 minutes of a previously completed episode. Logical? Enough so.

Well the actual results did reflect some of the above picks but also contained some surprises:

Source: Netflix

To be fair, if each series were to be reflected equally in a top 10 list, that would only allow 2 episodes to be nominated from each series. TNG is no doubt a common fan favourite, hence having Best of Both Worlds and Q Who is no surprise as the most watched episodes. What does seem surprising among Trek fandom is the overwhelming popularity of Voyager taking 6 out of 10 slots in this list, and totally leaving TOS and DS9 in the dust! No Enterprise, no tears that's fine since it's often touted as the weakest series.

You must watch these: Resistance is Futile
Source: Netflix

A closer look at the selections point towards rewatching Borg-centric episodes from both TNG and Voyager: Q Who, Best of Both Worlds, Scorpion, Dark Frontier and Endgame (ranked no. 1). These episodes making up 70% of the list clearly shows continued fascination with the Delta Quadrant's most dangerous cybernetic species. Perhaps fans were selectively screening Borg episode marathons. Here's a Borg documentary which fans surely don't mind rewatching:

This is part 1 of 2 (pun intended).

One of the non-Borg episodes from Voyager The Gift is easily remembered when Kes departs the series immediately after the events of Scorpion allowing for recruitment of sexy Borg 7 of 9 as part of the main cast. The other two episodes comprise Time and Again from Voyager Season 1, and Clues from TNG Season 4. Er, what? Need a mindmeld to jog your memory? Maybe these 2 episode trailers could help:

Whilst the TNG episode trailer for Clues seems intriguing, the choice of Time and Again from Voyager's opening season defies logic when compared against so many better episodes from the saga. Perhaps if the 2-part episodes were merged to allow 2 more slots in this top ten, there would be some entries from other series and the better known episodes among the fan community.

On a global scale, Netflix reflects that TNG and TOS have bigger audiences, but Voyager and DS9 have more rewatches of favourite episodes. And despite well-known mixed emotions fans have towards the 7-year run of Voyager, many still return to rewatch the series.

Here's what American Trekkies had to say to Netflix on their favourite captain and episodes.

Now Netflix's data on the most rewatched episodes for subscribers in Malaysia are indeed more curious:

Source: Netflix

Voyager dominates unanimously on the top ten list ousting even TNG. Similarly with the global top ten, popular Borg episodes Endgame and Scorpion make the list together with The Gift and Time & Again (still why?). A selection of other Season 1 episodes come into play from Phage introducing the organ-stealing Vidiians, The Cloud and Eye of the Needle. Here's a more thoughtful hypothesis on why by our Mr. Smock: "Together with Time and Again, this cluster of the four first season Voyager episodes listed in sequence are simply reflecting a number of local Netflix viewers rewatching the series from start."

Here's revisiting the Voyager with the cast Kate Mulgrew, Garrett Wang, and Robert Picardo.

Indeed the devotion of Malaysian Trekkies to Voyager may be uncharacteristically high due to airing of the series on Hallmark channel on pay-TV broadcaster Astro during the previous decade. Hallmark aired every episode every day consistently plus reruns for an extended period thereby allowing many Malaysians to be exposed to Star Trek through Voyager. In contrast, TNG was broadcast weekly on public TV during the 1980's into the 1990's, whilst Enterprise may have only been available through one of Astro's subscription channels in the early Y2K era. Deep Space Nine was only broadcast for the first couple of seasons before the host channel went off air, hence never completing the series run in Malaysia.

Crew of the Voyager can toast towards being the most popular Star Trek on Netflix in Malaysia.

For Malaysian Voyager fans out here, Mr. Smock highly recommends sampling some of the other Star Trek series on Netflix, starting with the episodes mentioned near the start of this post. Kindly note later seasons of both DS9 and Enterprise became highly serialised, hence it may be more difficult to jump into these series which may form part of a wider story arc. For more standalone episodes, select from TOS and TNG.

Of course, Trekkies across the world are standing by for the next live-action series Star Trek Discovery releasing in under 2 weeks on Netflix come 25 September 2017. Discovery takes place in the Prime timeline  10 years prior to TOS. The series lead actress is Sonequa Martin-Green (The Walking Dead) as Michael Burnham, First Officer of the USS Shenzhou. Michael Burnham has been revealed as Spock's half-sister through adoption by his Vulcan father Sarek, played by James Frain. Captain of the USS Shenzou is Malaysia's own Tan Sri Michelle Yeoh, in the role of Captain Philippa Georgiou. The USS Discovery itself is captained by Gabriel Lorca, played by Jason Isaacs (Harry Potter). Much of the series appears centred around conflict with the Klingons. Let's start the countdown to Discovery!

Star Trek Discovery lead Sonequa Martin-Green as Michael Burnham (centre) and Tan Sri Michelle Yeoh as Captain Phillippa Georgiou (seated right).

Stay tuned for our special feature on Star Trek Discovery coming soon after premiere of this new series on 25 September 2017.

OUTPOST GIVEAWAY

Thanks for the nice PR folks at Netflix who actually noticed this piece, we have some GOODIES to GIVEAWAY! Specially for 1 lucky Malaysia Trekkie, we will giving away a Netflix tote bag loaded with a notebook, lanyard, pen and 3-month subscription to Netflix.

Win this Netflix tote bag and goodies

Plus 2 consolation winners will also receive a Netflix Gift Card for 3-month subscription. Perfect for binge watching over 700 episodes of Star Trek which can be completed within 22 days of the 90-day subscription, provided no sleeping involved!

Win this complimentary subscription to Netflix and binge watch every single episode of Star Trek.

To stand a chance to win this Outpost Giveaway, just follow these few simple steps:

1. Like  / Wow / Love this Facebook post.
2. Share the Facebook post to your timeline (set privacy to public).
3. Post under Comments in the Facebook post title of your favourite Star Trek episode from those mentioned in this blog post with your reasons for selection.
4. Include in your comment hashtags #StarTrek #Netflix #TopTen #OutpostGiveaway.
5. Join local Trekkies on Facebook Group Starbase MY - Star Trek Fans Malaysia
6. Like our Facebook Page Outpost Productions

This contest will be closing on Tuesday 26 September 2017, 11.59pm. Notification of winners will be via Outpost Productions Facebook Page with instructions for prize redemption. So make sure to follow us and stay tuned!

Other Terms & Conditions:

a. Participants must be resident in Malaysia.

b. Giveaways comprise 1 tote bag with Netflix gift card (main prize), and 2 Netflix gift cards (consolation) for total 3 winners.

c. Winner of tote bag must be able to arrange self-collection of prize within 2 weeks of notification. Collection point will be in Klang Valley.

d. Only 1 entry per person.

e. Submission to Join the Facebook Group Starbase MY - Star Trek Fans Malaysia must be received before closing deadline.

f. Selection of winners are final

g. We reserve the right to amend these terms and conditions without prior notice.

LIVE LONG AND PROSPER

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Disclaimer: Star Trek and other trademarks are copyright to CBS and/or Paramount, referenced here for fan service announcements without intent to infringe.