Warning: SPOILERS for Star Trek: Prodigy Season 1, Episode 15 – “Masquerade”“Masquerade,” the title of Star Trek: Prodigy episode 15, is apt because someone on Vice Admiral Kathryn Janeway’s (Kate Mulgrew) USS Dauntless revealed herself to be a traitor to Starfleet. The Dauntless found the Diviner (John Noble) on Tars Lamora and brought the mentally damaged Vau N’Akat aboard, where Ensign Asencia (Jameela Jamil) took a special interest in him. But as Vice Admiral Janeway gets closer and closer to capturing the USS Protostar and the teenagers who hijacked it, Asencia dropped her facade and revealed that she, too, is a Vau N’Akat like the Diviner and his daughter, Gwyndala (Ella Purnell)!
Star Trek: Prodigy episode 12-14 cleverly hid clues to Asencia’s identity in plain sight. When the Diviner suffered from trauma and amnesia, it was Asencia who impressed Admiral Janeway by suggesting that they replicate the exosuit the Diviner was wearing because it contained a life-sustaining bio serum. Janway thought it was ingenious thinking by the Ensign, but it’s now clear that Asencia knew a lot more about Vau N’Akats than she let on. Ascenia curiously cared for the Diviner beyond being assigned to look after the Dauntless’ patient, but the clincher was in Star Trek: Prodigy episode 14 when Ascenia told the Diviner, “There’s no obstacle that can stop you,” and he replied, “No barrier I cannot overcome.” These are words Gwyn and her father said to each other. Asencia was also extra desperate to learn where the USS Protostar was hidden when she met Gwyn at Denaxi Depot.
How Star Trek: Prodigy’s Asencia Was Hiding In Plain Sight
Like the Diviner, Asencia is a time traveler from the 25th century, and she is one of the Vau N’Akat sent back by the Order to find the USS Protostar. To accomplish her mission, Asencia infiltrated her hated Starfleet disguised as a Trill, and she used her knowledge from the 25th century to excel. Asencia maneuvered herself to be stationed on Admiral Janeway’s USS Dauntless when it launched to find the missing Captain Chakotay (Robert Beltran) and the Protostar in the Delta Quadrant. Asencia used holographic technology to assume her Trill disguise and it is so perfect (and obviously advanced from the 25th century), that no one in Starfleet detected it or suspected Asencia was anything but the young Trill Lower Decker she appeared to be.
Impressively, Asencia smuggled Drednok (Jimmi Simpson) onto the Dauntless as well. The Vau N’Akat covered her tracks flawlessly, and no doubt Asencia had a hand in Admiral Janeway’s starship going to Tars Lamora in hopes of reaching the Diviner. A big question yet to be revealed is whether there is anything more to Asencia’s relationship to the Diviner? It’s also possible Asencia knows what really happened to Captain Chakotay, who the Diviner hinted was a prisoner, and his whereabouts.
Asencia Repeats Picard’s Romulans Disguised As Starfleet
Star Trek: Prodigy‘s reveal that Ensign Asencia is a Vau N’Akat who infiltrated Starfleet echoes Star Trek: Picard season 1’s Commodore Oh (Tamlyn Tomita), and the bombshell that Starfleet’s Chief of Security, was really General Nedar of the Romulan Tal Shiar. Oh was also part of the Zhat Vash conclave, and among her conspirators was Narissa (Peyton List), a fellow Romulan Zhat Vash member who posed as Starfleet Lt. Rizzo, who assassinated Dahj (Isa Briones) in Star Trek: Picard’s series premiere.
Oh pretended to be Vulcan and joined Starfleet in the mid-24th century when Dr. Noonien Soong (Brent Spiner) perfected the android Data, because the Zhat Vash feared the proliferation of artificial life. It was Oh who masterminded the Mars attack of 2385 by rogue androids, which led the Federation to ban artificial lifeforms. Oh spent decades in Starfleet, rising to become a Commodore and becoming Chief of Security before she broke her cover. Ironically, Ensign Ascenia’s own infiltration of Starfleet in Star Trek: Prodigy coincides with Oh’s rising career and treachery.
Star Trek: Prodigy Season 1 streams Thursdays on Paramount+.
