Star Trek: Prodigy‘s Lieutenant Commander MacDonald (Erin MacDonald) has a real-life connection to the Star Trek franchise that stretches back to 2019. MacDonald made a brief, but pivotal, appearance in Prodigy‘s season 1 finale. MacDonald was an instructor at Starfleet Academy, who noted the interest shown to Murf (Dee Bradley Baker) by Prodigy‘s Rok-Tahk (Rylee Alazraqui) and suggested the young Brikar pursue a specialism in exobiology.
It’s not known if Lieutenant Commander MacDonald will return for Star Trek: Prodigy season 2, or if their brief appearance is just an affectionate nod to their real-life namesake and voice actor. The character of Dr. MacDonald and their brief scene in the Prodigy season 1 finale are the culmination of the work that showrunners Dan and Kevin Hageman did with their science advisor to develop the character of Rok-Tahk. Star Trek‘s science advisor, Dr. Erin MacDonald played an integral role in developing Rok-Tahk’s character, both behind the scenes, and on screen.
Dr. Erin Macdonald On The Magic Of Star Trek Science
Screen Rant interviews Star Trek’s Science Advisor Dr. Erin Macdonald about becoming a Star Trek character and her role advising the Star Trek series.
Star Trek Science Advisor Dr. Erin Appears as Prodigy’s Lt. Macdonald
Dr. Erin MacDonald is an astrophysicist and aerospace engineer who has served as the science advisor to the Star Trek franchise since 2019. MacDonald also wrote the book Star Trek: My First Book of Space, aimed at the youngest Trek fans. As science advisor to the franchise, Dr. MacDonald consults on the technical details of concepts like Star Trek: Discovery‘s Dark Matter Anomaly and the science of Star Trek: Strange New Worlds‘ Pike maneuver. MacDonald’s work on “Memento Mori” extended to appearing on The Ready Room to explain the science to the audience. The creation of Star Trek: Prodigy‘s Rok-Tahk was heavily influenced by Dr. MacDonald’s own experiences of learning about science as a child.
However, Star Trek: Prodigy isn’t the only show to feature a direct reference to Star Trek‘s science advisor. In Star Trek: Lower Decks season 2, episode 10, “First First Contact”, there’s a suitably wry reference to Dr. MacDonald and her influence. When it’s suggested that the USS Cerritos warps around a debris field, Lt. Shaxs (Fred Tatasciore) reveals that “Dr. Erin says we can’t do that!” It’s a fun nod to MacDonald’s grasp of real-world science and its importance to lending legitimacy to Star Trek‘s space adventures.
What Role Do Science Advisors Play In Star Trek?
Dr Erin MacDonald joins a line of science advisors that stretches all the way back to the 1960s. One of the earliest consultants was renowned science fiction writer Isaac Asimov, who, as a friend of Gene Roddenberry, would write letters providing advice on the science of Star Trek: The Original Series. Asimov’s role became more official when he was given the title of Special Science Consultant for Star Trek: The Motion Picture alongside Jesco von Puttkamer. This was a calculated move by Roddenberry to convince studio heads of the scientific believability of the sentient V’Ger probe.
During the 1990s, many of Star Trek‘s science advisors like Naren Shankar became writers and story editors. André Bormanis succeeded Shankar as science advisor on TNG and the entirety of Star Trek: Deep Space Nine and Star Trek: Voyager. As well as advising on the intricacies of science, Bormanis co-wrote several episodes of Star Trek: Voyager and Star Trek: Enterprise with Brannon Braga. Braga and Bormanis would later go on to play integral roles behind the scenes on Seth McFarlane’s Star Trek homage, The Orville. Years later, Professor Mohamed Noor joined Dr. Erin MacDonald in working out the scientific and technical implications of Star Trek: Discovery‘s Burn. MacDonald’s work on the Burn eventually won her the position of science advisor on subsequent Star Trek shows, and won her a role in Star Trek: Prodigy season 1.
Star Trek: Prodigy
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.
