Star Trek: Prodigy Shows An Enterprise-D Feature 30 Years After TNG Never Did

Star Trek: Prodigy season 1 showed a feature and perspective of the USS Enterprise-D’s bridge that Star Trek: The Next Generation never did after 178 episodes. When Dal R’El (Brett Gray) takes the Kobayashi Maru test in Star Trek: Prodigy season 1, episode 6, “Kobayashi,” he uses the USS Protostar’s holodeck to recreate the iconic bridge of the USS Enterprise-D. The command center of the D is, indeed, a sight for sore eyes, and for sharp-eyed TNG aficionados, Star Trek: Prodigy showed something only Counselor Deanna Troi (Marina Sirtis) usually got to see close-up.

Star Trek: Picard season 3 researcher Jörg Hillebrand (@gaghyogi49) shared on Twitter/X that Star Trek: Prodigy‘s “Kobayashi” showed a close-up of Counselor Troi’s USS Enterprise-D bridge console, something that was only seen in wide shots on Star Trek: The Next Generation. Check out Hillebrand’s post below:

Although Counselor Troi wasn’t in Star Trek: Prodigy‘s “Kobayashi”, and it was Dr. Beverly Crusher (Gates McFadden) who sat in Deanna’s seat as one of the holographic Star Trek legacy characters crewing the Enterprise-D with Dal R’El, Troi’s bridge console was a first-time sight for Star Trek.

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Star Trek: Prodigy Brought Back USS Enterprise-D Before Picard Season 3

Including the carpet.

The USS Enterprise-D was a sight for weepy eyes when it returned in its live-action glory in Star Trek: Picard season 3. However, Star Trek: Prodigy season 1 actually brought back the Enterprise-D first. “Kobayashi” aired in January 2022, over a year before Star Trek: Picard season 3, episode 9, “Vox,” unveiled the Enterprise-D. Star Trek: Prodigy‘s 3D animated recreation of Star Trek: The Next Generation‘s iconic Enterprise bridge was no less lovely detailed, awe-inspiring, or surprising when it initially happened, however.

For Star Trek: Picard season 3, production designers Dave Blass and Liz Kloczkowski cut zero corners when they rebuilt the bridge of the USS Enterprise-D’s bridge to be virtually indistinguishable from how it appeared in Star Trek: The Next Generation. The D’s bright lights and homey tones beautifully contrasted with the colder and darker environs of the USS Titan-A and the Shrike. In Star Trek: Prodigy season 1, the USS Protostar is a sleek and gleaming, state-of-the-art Starfleet vessel, and the USS Enterprise-D was a nostalgic contrast with its more spacious Galaxy Class bridge.