Warning: SPOILERS for Star Trek: Prodigy Episode 10 – “A Moral Star, Part 2”
The Diviner’s (John Noble) backstory in Star Trek: Prodigy is a fascinating spin on Star Trek that makes First Contact a tragic event instead of a hopeful one. The young heroic crew of the USS Protostar worked together to defeat the Diviner and take back their starship, although Gwyn (Ella Purnell) was briefly driven mad by glimpsing Zero’s (Angus Imrie) true Medusan form and she lost her memories of her father’s downfall. Unfortunately, this also means Gwyn no longer remembers the Diviner hid a weapon on the Protostar that can destroy every ship in Starfleet, which is his vengeance for how First Contact with the Federation led to the destruction of his Vau N’Akat race.
First Contact is one of the most pivotal events in Star Trek history and First Contact Day is even an event in the real world celebrated on April 5th. As seen in Star Trek: First Contact, the crew of the USS Enterprise-E ensured that Zephram Cochrane (James Cromwell) met the Vulcans who investigated humanity’s first successful warp flight on April 5, 2063. First Contact with the Vulcans was the spark that the human race needed to move beyond the devastation of World War III towards a brighter future exploring the galaxy. First Contact Day led to the elimination of hunger, disease, and the reliance on money on Earth, followed by the creation of Starfleet in the 22nd century and Earth playing a central role in the founding of the United Federation of Planets. Star Trek’s entire optimistic future stemmed from humanity’s successful First Contact with the Vulcans, and thus, seeking out new life and new civilizations is one of the core tenets of Starfleet.
However, Star Trek: Prodigy fascinatingly flips the boon First Contact was on Earth by showing how Starfleet establishing First Contact with the Vau N’Akat ultimately led to the end of the Diviner’s people. As the Diviner explained to Gwyn, before Starfleet arrived on the planet Solum, the Vau N’Akat were thriving but they also believed they were alone in the universe. First Contact Starfleet instigated a war among the Vau N’Akat, with factions for joining the Federation opposed by those who wanted Solum to remain autonomous. According to the Diviner, within fifty years of Starfleet making First Contact, the Vau N’Akat wiped their entire civilization out. The Diviner survived and time-traveled to the 24th century to prevent Starfleet from making First Contact with Solum.
Although the Diviner blames First Contact with Starfleet for the destruction of his race, Starfleet didn’t wrong the Vau N’Akat by establishing First Contact. Still, the people of Solum did the opposite of Earth in Star Trek lore by becoming divisive and turning on each other. Star Trek: Prodigy‘s backstory for the Vau N’Akat intriguingly highlights the unfortunate truth that despite Starfleet’s noble ambitions, some species aren’t ready to become part of the wider galaxy despite their technological advancement. Via the weapon he secretly planted on the Protostar, the Diviner intends to annihilate Starfleet in the 24th century so that they never make First Contact with Solum.
Along with being a powerful explanation for the Diviner’s villainy, the tragic and cautionary tale of the Vau N’Akat also points a mirror at the real world. Star Trek: Prodigy begs the question of whether our real-life society would act like the Vau N’Akat and destroy ourselves instead of embracing Gene Roddenberry’s optimistic vision for a hopeful and inclusive future. Sadly, Star Trek: Prodigy leaves us wondering whether the Vau N’Akat’s reaction to First Contact may be the example the real world would follow instead.
Star Trek: Prodigy season 1 returns later in 2022 on Paramount+.
