Warning: SPOILERS for Star Trek: Prodigy Season 2 Finale – “Ouroboros, Part II”

Star Trek: Prodigy‘s newest Protostar Class starship continues two classic Star Trek traditions. Written by Kevin & Dan Hageman and Aaron J. Waltke, and directed by Ruolin Li, Star Trek: Prodigy season 2’s finale sees the combined crews of the USS Protostar and the USS Voyager-A save every Star Trek timeline from the reality-eating menace of the Loom. To reward their heroism, Admiral Kathryn Janeway (Kate Mulgrew) presents the newly-minted Starfleet cadets led by Dal R’El (Brett Gray) and Gwyndala (Ella Purnell) with their own starship, the USS Prodigy (NCC-80184).

The launch of the USS Prodigy is a result of Star Trek: Prodigy season 2’s finale lining up with the backstory of Star Trek: Picard season 1. “Ouroboros, Part II” concludes in 2385, shortly after the tragic events of First Contact Day, April 5, 2385, when rogue synthetics attacked Mars and the Utopia Planitia Fleet Yards. 92,000 souls lost their lives and 20,000 starships were destroyed. Consequently, the severely weakened Starfleet ended exploration missions and retreated to the United Federation of Planets’ borders. However, Admiral Janeway charged the USS Prodigy with a mission to be a beacon of hope to worlds beyond the Federation.

USS Prodigy Is The Latest Starship Named After A Star Trek Show

From Voyager to Discovery, and now Prodigy

Star Trek: Prodigy naming its brand new Protostar Class starship the USS Prodigy means Star Trek: Prodigy becomes the latest Star Trek series to join the proud tradition of a starship named after its show. Star Trek: Deep Space Nine was the first series to be named after its primary setting, but Star Trek: Voyager originated its starship named after the show’s title. (Or vice versa, depending on your point of view). Next came Star Trek: Enterprise, which was originally titled simply Enterprise. Star Trek: Discovery continued the tradition, and soon, Star Trek: Starfleet Academy will join them.

Interestingly, Star Trek: Prodigy decided not to call its new Protostar Class starship the USS Protostar-A. After all, Star Trek: Prodigy season 2 also featured the USS Voyager-A. However, using alphabet designations appears to be a Star Trek tradition reserved for certain starships with particular legacies. The many starships named USS Enterprise are the prime example, which reached up to the USS Enterprise-G in Star Trek: Picard season 3. The USS Protostar was only in service for 2 years before it was destroyed. Naming the new Protostar Class ship the USS Prodigy is also fitting considering the wunderkinds Admiral Janeway chose to be her crew.

Star Trek: Prodigy’s New Protostar Is A Training Ship LIke USS Enterprise

Starfleet training vessels go all the way back to Star Trek’s “The Cage”

Star Trek: Prodigy also joins another Star Trek tradition in that the USS Prodigy is a training vessel manned by Starfleet Academy cadets. The concept of cadet-run starships was actually mentioned in Star Trek‘s original pilot, “The Cage,” when Captain Christopher Pike (Jeffrey Hunter) mentioned a “cadet ship”. Years later, Pike would be horribly disfigured saving cadets aboard a J-class training vessel. In Star Trek II: The Wrath of Khan, the USS Enterprise itself became a training vessel manned by Starfleet cadets overseen by Captain Spock (Leonard Nimoy).

Star Trek: The Next Generation‘s Nova Squadron piloted their own shuttles as training vessels, when they attempted an illegal maneuver that resulted in a cadet’s death – which Wesley Crusher (Wil Wheaton) and his cohorts covered up. Perhaps the most infamous Starfleet training vessel was Star Trek: Deep Space Nine‘s USS Valiant run by the elite cadets called Red Squad. The hubris of Red Squad led to nearly all hands killed and the destruction of the Valiant during the Dominion War. It’s safe to say, however, that the heroic young crew of the USS Prodigy will not make the same mistakes as Red Squad if Star Trek: Prodigy season 3 happens.