WARNING: Contains minor SPOILERS for Star Trek: Prodigy season 2!

Despite multiple characters returning for Star Trek: Picard and Star Trek: Prodigy, there are still several Star Trek: Voyager stars who haven’t made a comeback. On Netflix, Star Trek: Prodigy season 2 has reunited Admiral Kathryn Janeway (Kate Mulgrew), Captain Chakotay (Robert Beltran) and the Doctor (Robert Picardo) for further adventures on the USS Voyager-A. Seven of Nine (Jeri Ryan) was a series regular on all three seasons of Star Trek: Picard, and she reunited with Captain Tuvok (Tim Russ) in season 3. Meanwhile, Lt. Tom Paris (Robert Duncan McNeill) paid a visit to the USS Cerritos in Star Trek: Lower Decks season 2.

While the Star Trek: Voyager cast have been well represented in the franchise’s 21st century streaming era, some characters are conspicuous by their absence. Judging by various behind the scenes accounts by showrunners like Terry Matalas and the Hageman Brothers, there are a lot of conversations about which Star Trek shows can use which characters. Kevin and Dan Hageman discussed how negotiations with the Picard team led to them bringing back Wil Wheaton as Wesley Crusher in Star Trek: Prodigy season 2. It’s possible that these discussions, and finding the right storyline, are why some Voyager characters are yet to make a comeback.

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Lt. B’Elanna Torres (Roxann Dawson)

Torres helped design Janeway’s ship in Star Trek: Prodigy season 1.

Lt. B’Elanna Torres (Roxann Dawson) is yet to return to Star Trek, despite the character still being an active Starfleet engineer. There’s therefore plenty of scope for Torres to return, either in Star Trek: Lower Decks, or, more likely, Star Trek: Prodigy. The design and construction of Admiral Janeway’s starship in Prodigy season 1, the USS Dauntless, was led by B’Elanna Torres, as confirmed in the first of a series of weekly logs released on Instagram and included below:

The only thing standing in the way of a B’Elanna Torres comeback is the willingness of actress Roxann Dawson. In a 2023 interview with SlashFilm, Dawson, who now works as a director, cast doubt on the idea of B’Elanna ever returning to Star Trek. Roxann Dawson was specifically being interviewed about her work as a director on AppleTV+’s Foundation, so her desire to “move on” could be referring to her turning down directing gigs on modern Star Trek. Read Roxann Dawson’s thoughts on returning to Star Trek below:

“The current versions of ‘Star Trek’ I think are wonderful. I’ve seen ‘Discovery,’ I’ve seen ‘Picard.’ I think there’s such wonderful and modern work being done there right now that we really can’t categorize it in the way that we might have in the ’90s. But no, I haven’t really wanted to go back. I feel like I’ve been there and I’ve done that, and I love moving on to other things. So that’s where I am at with it.”

5

Naomi Wildman (Scarlett Pomers)

Could Voyager’s youngest crew member join the cast of Prodigy?

Naomi Wildman (Scarlett Pomers) grew up aboard the USS Voyager, making her an ideal fit for a role in Star Trek: Prodigy. Having learned from the likes of Seven of Nine, the Doctor, and Chakotay, Wildman would surely have no problem becoming a Starfleet Academy cadet. Prodigy season 2 was set seven years after the USS Voyager returned to Earth, meaning that Naomi Wildman is probably a Starfleet officer, likely helping Starfleet with their response to the Attack on Mars.

It’s entirely possible, therefore, that Naomi Wildman could cross paths with Dal R’El (Brett Gray) and the crew of the USS Prodigy in Star Trek: Prodigy season 3. As students of Janeway, Wildman and the Prodigy crew would have a lot in common, making them a great team. Given that Star Trek: Prodigy is all about establishing the next generation of Starfleet officer, the inclusion of Naomi Wildman in a future episode would be a fitting nod to Star Trek: Voyager‘s original child prodigy.

4

Neelix (Ethan Phillips)

Voyager’s Talaxian chef is overdue a proper return.

Neelix (Ethan Phillips) made a cameo in the irreverent Star Trek: Very Short Treks, but its canonicity is dubious at best. Therefore, the Talaxian chef could still make a more substantial comeback in a future episode of Star Trek. While the prospect of the heavy alien prosthetics may not be appealing to Ethan Phillips 23 years after Star Trek: Voyager ended, he could voice the character. Star Trek: Lower Decks feels like the natural fit for Neelix’s chaotic energy, and would allow Phillips to return to the role without make-up.

The only issue would be finding a way to get either the USS Cerritos to the Delta Quadrant, or Neelix to the Alpha Quadrant. While Starfleet is able to travel there via Quantum Slipstream and Protostar drives in Star Trek: Prodigy, that technology is yet to appear in Lower Decks. Therefore, another possibility for a Neelix return would involve him coming into contact with the USS Prodigy, or perhaps even visiting Earth as the Federation’s Talaxian Ambassador.

3

Vorik (Alexander Enberg)

Voyager’s other Vulcan could confirm his TNG link.

Ensign Vorik (Alexander Enberg) made several appearances in Star Trek: Voyager, including his memorable Pon farr episode, “Blood Fever”. Technically, Vorik has already returned to Star Trek, as his name was listed as the chief engineer of the USS Dauntless in Star Trek: Prodigy season 1, episode 19, “Supernova”. However, the character never appeared on-screen, leaving the door open for Alexander Enberg to make a proper return in Prodigy season 3, or elsewhere in the Star Trek universe.

The return of Vorik could also confirm his connection to Alexander Enberg’s TNG character, Ensign Taurik. Star Trek: Voyager showrunner Jeri Taylor suggested that Enberg’s two Vulcan characters were twins, meaning that Alexander Enberg could play both Vorik and Taurik. Given that Taurik was one of the original Lower Deckers that inspired Mike McMahan’s Star Trek: Lower Decks, it feels like the appropriate show to deliver a Taurik and Vorik reunion. Especially as Lower Decks season 5 will be its last one, making an appearance by the OG Lower Deckers a fitting send-off.

2

Q Jr. (Keegan de Lancie)

Q’s son could test the Prodigy crew.

The potential of a younger, teenage tearaway Q was never fully realized in Star Trek: Voyager season 7, episode 19, “Q2”. Therefore, Keegan de Lancie should get a second shot at playing Q Junior in Star Trek, even though the actor is no longer a teenager. Star Trek: Prodigy feels like the perfect place to bring back the son of Q (John de Lancie), as he might find a perfect nemesis in Dal R’El. Dal and Q Jr. could provide a fresh spin on the classic dynamic between Captain Jean-Luc Picard (Patrick Stewart) and Q in Star Trek: The Next Generation.

It’s also worth remembering that Admiral Janeway is Q Junior’s godmother, making a family reunion long overdue. Star Trek recently brought back Q Junior in the acclaimed Sons of Star Trek miniseries, which demonstrated the character’s potential, and his kinship with the franchise’s younger characters like Jake Sisko (Cirroc Lofton) and Nog (Aron Eisenberg). With all that in mind, Q Junior would be the perfect character to test the crew of the USS Protostar in Star Trek: Prodigy season 3. However, Keegan de Lancie’s work with the US Foreign Service may make such a return difficult.

1

Ensign Harry Kim (Garrett Wang)

Voyager’s eternal ensign deserves his promotion.

Garrett Wang missed out on his Star Trek: Picard season 3 cameo as Captain Harry Kim, but is yet to appear elsewhere. As the USS Voyager’s eternal ensign, Harry Kim was never promoted in the entire seven seasons of Star Trek: Voyager. While Garrett Wang has come to embrace his “Eternal Ensign” moniker in later years, it still feels like a massive oversight not to bring the character back in modern Star Trek. Star Trek: Prodigy felt like the perfect place for Harry Kim to show up as Janeway’s new Number One on the USS Dauntless or the Voyager-A, and yet he’s still not returned.

Should Netflix renew Star Trek: Prodigy for a third season, Harry Kim feels like the most obvious character to bring back. Garrett Wang is clearly willing to return to the character, given his disappointment at his Star Trek: Picard cameo being cut. By bringing back Harry Kim as a Lieutenant, Commander, or even a Captain, Garrett Wang could finally shake off his legacy as Star Trek: Voyager‘s “Eternal Ensign” and push the character into exciting new territory.

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  Star Trek: Voyager

  Where to Watch

  *Availability in US

  • stream
  • rent
  • buy

  Not available

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  The fifth entry in the Star Trek franchise, Star Trek: Voyager, is a sci-fi series that sees the crew of the USS Voyager on a long journey back to their home after finding themselves stranded at the far ends of the Milky Way Galaxy. Led by Captain Kathryn Janeway, the series follows the crew as they embark through truly uncharted areas of space, with new species, friends, foes, and mysteries to solve as they wrestle with the politics of a crew in a situation they’ve never faced before. 

  Writers

  Michael Piller
  , Jeri Taylor
  , Brannon Braga
  , Kenneth Biller

  Showrunner

  Michael Piller
  , Jeri Taylor
  , Brannon Braga
  , Kenneth Biller

  Where To Watch

  Paramount+

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  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.

  Writers

  Dan Hageman
  , Kevin Hageman

  Showrunner

  Dan Hageman
  , Kevin Hageman

  Where To Watch

  Netflix