WARNING: This article contains SPOILERS for Star Trek: Prodigy season 2, episode 5, “Observer’s Paradox”

A reference to Star Trek IV: The Voyage Home, affectionately referred to as “the one with the whales“, appears in Star Trek: Prodigy season 2, episode 5, “Observer’s Paradox”. In Star Trek IV, Starfleet fails to communicate with an alien probe inadvertently destroying Earth, so Leonard Nimoy’s Mr. Spock suggests going back in time to retrieve two members of the species the probe wants to speak to: extinct humpback whales. Once Spock and Admiral James T. Kirk (William Shatner) arrive in 1986 San Francisco, they enlist the help of Dr. Gillian Taylor (Catherine Hicks), a marine biologist dedicated to caring for humpback whales George and Gracie.

In Star Trek: Prodigy season 2, Starfleet Academy hopeful Rok-Tahk (Rylee Alazraqui) is assigned to the USS Voyager-A’s Cetacean Ops department as part of Admiral Kathryn Janeway’s (Kate Mulgrew) internship program, where Rok is tasked with the care and feeding of Voyager’s resident cetacean crew members. Star Trek: Prodigy season 2, episode 5, “Observer’s Paradox,” written by Jennifer Muro and directed by Ruolin Li and Andrew L. Schmidt, introduces one of Rok-Tahk’s new cetacean friends, a humpback whale named Gillian. Gillian is given a voice through the ship’s computer (Bonnie Gordon) and helps translate the vocalizations of Star Trek: Prodigy‘s Mellanoid slime worm, Murf (Dee Bradley Baker).

What Star Trek: Prodigy’s Whale Callback To Star Trek IV’s Dr. Gillian Taylor Means

Dr. Gillian Taylor From Star Trek IV Makes An Impact On The Future

Star Trek: Prodigy season 2, episode 5, “Observer’s Paradox”, calls back to Star Trek IV: The Voyage Home with the introduction of Starfleet cetacean Gillian, whose name is a clear reference to Dr. Gillian Taylor, and the impact that Dr. Taylor had on the humpback whales of the future. In Star Trek‘s 23rd century, humpback whales were an extinct species, so Dr. Gillian Taylor’s expertise was essential to ensure the health of George, Gracie, and the whales’ offspring. To that end, Dr. Taylor voluntarily travels to the 23rd century with Kirk, Spock, and the crew of the USS Enterprise, where Gillian Taylor would be the only expert on humpback whales.

Star Trek never explains what ultimately became of Dr. Gillian Taylor in the 23rd century. Naming Star Trek: Prodigy‘s whale Gillian, however, implies that Dr. Taylor not only remained with George and Gracie but also educated future scientists on the health and development of humpback whales as the whales’ population increased. If not for Dr. Gillian Taylor, Starfleet’s cetacean ops division would almost certainly not exist, since Gillian’s work with George and Gracie led to the use of humpback, beluga whales, and dolphins as starship navigators. Generations of Starfleet scientists — human and cetacean alike — owe Dr. Gillian Taylor a debt of gratitude.

Cetacean Ops In Star Trek Ships Explained

Whales And Dolphins In Star Trek Are Starship Navigators

Star Trek‘s cetacean operations division originated as an Easter egg on a map of the USS Enterprise-D in the Star Trek: The Next Generation Technical Manual, written by TNG production designers Rick Sternbach and Michael Okuda. The Technical Manual depicts the Enterprise-D’s cetacean ops with navigation labs on two decks and explains that bottlenose dolphins and Takaya’s whales serve as navigators. Despite the presence of cetacean ops in TNG, cetacean Starfleet officers were never seen on-screen in Star Trek: The Next Generation, likely due to budgetary concerns over showing the whales and dolphins of Star Trek‘s cetacean operations in live action.

Animated Star Trek series don’t have the same limitations as live-action Star Trek shows, however. After years of speculation about cetacean ops, Star Trek‘s cetacean ops made its on-screen debut in Star Trek: Lower Decks season 2, episode 10, “First First Contact”, which also introduced the USS Cerritos’ beluga whale officers, Lieutanants Matt and Kimolu. Because Star Trek: Prodigy is also animated, it’s easy to include a cetacean operations department on the USS Voyager-A. The assignment is a great fit for aspiring xenobiologist Rok-Tahk, who befriends cetaceans just as easily as the namesake of Star Trek: Prodigy‘s whale, Dr. Gillian Taylor from Star Trek IV: The Voyage Home.