Warning: SPOILERS for Star Trek: Prodigy Season 1, Episode 16 – “Preludes”Admiral Edward Jellico (Ronny Cox) is generally hated, but in Star Trek: Prodigy, Jellico also happens to be right. Jellico is currently overseeing Vice Admiral Kathryn Janeway’s (Kate Mulgrew) mission to find Captain Chakotay (Robert Beltran) and the USS Protostar in the Delta Quadrant. Jellico ordered Janeway not to enter the Romulan Neutral Zone to chase after the Protostar. It may be an unpopular decision, but Jellico is making the right call by forbidding Janeway to take action.
If Vice Admiral Janeway send the USS Dauntless into the Neutral Zone, she would break the peace treaty the United Federation of Planets has with the Romulans, and possibly even risk instigating a war. Janeway’s frustration is understandable, especially after she learns that the USS Protostar is now being crewed by teenage aliens who were once slaves on Tars Lamora. The mystery only deepens for Janeway because this doesn’t explain what happened to Chakotay. Worse, the Romulan Tal Shiar obviously wants the Protostar’s technology, and Janeway is stymied from acting to prevent them from getting it. But Janeway has to follow her superior officer’s orders to do nothing and remain outside the Neutral Zone. Worse, Janeway knows Admiral Jellico is right.
The Romulan Supernova Is Happening During Star Trek: Prodigy
The second half of Star Trek: Prodigy season 1 takes place in 2384 during the tumultuous era of the Romulan star going supernova. In 2381, Captain Jean-Luc Picard (Patrick Stewart) was promoted to Admiral; Picard left the USS Enterprise-E and was placed in charge of the Federation’s mission to rescue and relocate the Romulan people before their son destroys Romulus and Remus, which happens in 2387 as seen in J.J. Abrams’ Star Trek 2009 movie. Star Trek: Prodigy now indicates that the Romulans agreed to a peace treaty with the Federation, which Janeway could jeopardize if she enters the Neutral Zone to retrieve the USS Protostar.
As revealed in the backstory of Star Trek: Picard season 1, the next year goes very badly for the Romulans’ alliance with the Federation. The Mars Attack on First Contact Day 2385 orchestrated by Commodore Oh (Tamlyn Tomita) was a devastating event that made the Federation turn its back on its plan to rescue the Romulans. After only being able to evacuate a segment of the Romulans, a furious Admiral Picard resigned from Starfleet in protest. The Romulans, in turn, were left to fend for themselves, and not even Ambassador Spock (Leonard Nimoy) could stop the destruction of Romulus in 2387. But in Star Trek: Prodigy’s timeframe, all of this has yet to occur, and Admiral Janeway could jeopardize the Federation’s peace treaty with the Romulans.
Admiral Jellico Sees The Big Picture Janeway Is Ignoring
The truth of the matter in Star Trek: Prodigy is that Admiral Jellico clearly sees the big picture, including what Vice Admiral Janeway wants, and he understands the two are currently incompatible. Jellico also understands that the Federation’s peace treaty with the Romulans is more important than Janeway’s desire to find Chakotay. Further, there’s an unstated respect Jellico has for Admiral Picard and his mission that factors into his ensuring Janeway’s hunt for Chakotay and the Protostar doesn’t jeopardize peace with the Romulans.
Admiral Jellico has been disliked by his Starfleet subordinates (and especially by Star Trek fans) since he was the temporary Captain of the USS Enterprise-D in Star Trek: The Next Generation. But Jellico is also an inspired choice by Star Trek: Prodigy to be the Admiral who Janeway has to answer to as he’s a perfect hardliner boss who is willing to be disliked or even hated. Starfleet has a strange legacy of evil Admirals but Jellico has never been insane or diabolical. Rather, he is no-nonsense and overly strict. Yet to Admiral Janeway’s chagrin in Star Trek: Prodigy, Admiral Jellico is also right.
Star Trek: Prodigy Season 1 streams Thursdays on Paramount+.
