Netflix is set to beat Paramount+ to the punch by streaming Star Trek: Prodigy season 2 before a single minute of Paramount’s next Star Trek show is filmed. Prodigy season 2 has had a rocky road to screens, first being canceled by Paramount, before finding a new home on Netflix thanks, in part, to a passionate fan campaign. Star Trek: Prodigy season 2 will pick up the story of Dal R’El (Brett Gray) and his crew as they gain hands-on experience of what it takes to be Starfleet officers, courtesy of the mentorship of Admiral Kathryn Janeway (Kate Mulgrew) and the Doctor (Robert Picardo).
Although they’re set 800 years apart, the upcoming YA Star Trek: Discovery spinoff, Star Trek: Starfleet Academy, bears similarities to Netlfix’s animated series. While the target audience of Star Trek: Prodigy is certainly younger than that of Starfleet Academy, both shows are Star Trek coming-of-age stories. These similarities make the timing of Starfleet Academy‘s announcement and Prodigy‘s suspicious, but it’s likely just an unfortunate coincidence. Another unfortunate coincidence is that Netflix drops Prodigy season 2 in July, months before Paramount+’s upcoming YA Star Trek show is scheduled to start shooting, meaning that Starfleet Academy could pale in comparison.
Related
Star Trek: Prodigy Cast Guide & All Returning Voyager Characters In Seasons 1 & 2
Star Trek: Prodigy’s cast of young alien heroes and Star Trek: Voyager’s legacy characters led by Admiral Janeway return in season 2.
Netflix’s Star Trek: Prodigy Season 2 Will Beat Paramount Plus’ Starfleet Academy To The Punch
Despite how rigidly compartmentalized Alex Kurtzman has made it, the Star Trek franchise has dueling Starfleet Academy shows. Star Trek: Prodigy will largely be set aboard the USS Voyager-A, as Dal and his fellow Warrant Officers join Janeway’s mission to save Captain Chakotay (Robert Beltran). While the end of Prodigy season 1 confirmed that Dal and his crew aren’t officially Starfleet Academy cadets, season 2’s theme of coming-of-age and learning what it takes to become an officer is the whole premise of the upcoming Star Trek: Discovery spinoff. Prodigy also has the benefit of being a Star Trek: Voyager sequel, meaning that it has a firmly established fictional universe in the form of the 24th century.
Compared to the Star Trek: Prodigy characters rescuing a Starfleet legend from an alternate future, Star Trek: Starfleet Academy‘s story of fresh recruits finding their way into higher education sounds incredibly dry. Hopefully, it won’t be as Earthbound as suggested by the construction of Starfleet Academy‘s primary San Francisco location on a soundstage in Toronto. However, it could be difficult for the show to escape unfavorable comparisons with a thematically similar yet more vibrant animated series. Not least because, like Prodigy‘s Admiral Janeway, Starfleet Academy also has a charismatic female mentor, in the form of Holly Hunter’s unnamed Academy Chancellor.
Why Star Trek Is Now So Focused On Starfleet Academy
Star Trek‘s dueling Starfleet Academy shows are emblematic of a forward-thinking strategy for the wider franchise. As the Star Trek franchise approaches its 60th anniversary, it makes sense to start building the next generation of Starfleet legends, be that in Star Trek: Prodigy or Star Trek: Starfleet Academy. Constantly trading on the 1990s glory days of the franchise, or revisiting the legendary adventures of the Star Trek: The Original Series crew will only go so far. While Star Trek is something that multiple generations enjoy together, kids and young adults often desire a corner of the franchise that’s just for them.
Star Trek: Prodigy season 1 was such a joy because, as well as telling a great Star Trek story, it was a hugely enjoyable and accessible primer for the history of Starfleet and the Federation. Kids that fall in love with the adventures of Hologram Janeway and the crew of the USS Protostar could then ask their parents to show them the adventures of the real-life Janeway and the USS Voyager. Hopefully, Star Trek: Starfleet Academy will have a similar effect on its YA audience, building the next generation of fans and securing the longevity of the franchise for generations to come.
Star Trek: Prodigy season 2 premieres on Netflix on July 1st.
Star Trek: Prodigy
Where to Watch*Availability in US
- stream
- rent
- buy
Not available
Not available
Not available
Star Trek: Prodigy is the first TV series in the Star Trek franchise marketed toward children, and one of the few animated series in the franchise. The story follows a group of young aliens who find a stolen Starfleet ship and use it to escape from the Tars Lamora prison colony where they are all held captive. Working together with the help of a holographic Captain Kathryn Janeway (Kate Mulgrew), the new crew of the USS Protostar must find their way back to the Alpha Quadrant to warn the Federation of the deadly threat that is pursuing them.
Star Trek: Starfleet Academy
After being closed for over a hundred years, Starfleet Academy is reopening its doors to those who wish to pursue a career as Starfleet Officers. Star Trek: Starfleet Academy will follow a new group of cadets as they come of age, and build friendships, rivalries, and romantic relationships while being threatened by a new adversary that could destroy the Academy and the Federation itself.
