Because the second animated collection of the Alex Kurtzman period of Star Trek, Star Trek: Prodigy swooped in to seize the following, subsequent gen of Trek followers. The pc-animated collection departed from typical Starfleet model construction and as an alternative centered on a gaggle of super-smart younger aliens who uncover and basically hotwire the deserted USS Protostar starship to take them into house. With the steering of a hologram Captain Kathryn Janeway (Kate Mulgrew) of the USS Voyager, the gang finally made it to Earth by the top of Season 1 the place they related with the true Admiral Janeway on the USS Voyager-A. Their new mission? To seek out the whereabouts of the Protostar’s first crew!With its youthful strategy to Trek lore, Prodigy honored the canon of Gene Roddenberry’s universe but additionally served as an accessible entry level for youthful audiences. Sadly, the collection turned a casualty of Paramount+’s tightening content material price range and it was canceled whereas the second season was deep into manufacturing. Now, nonetheless, all 20 episodes of Season 2 are on Netflix, which is a narrative in itself.Showrunners Kevin and Dan Hageman inform IGN how their Emmy-winning collection acquired saved, what’s occurring for the youngsters in Season 2, how Kate Mulgrew (rightfully) nixed the concept of Admiral Janeway taking command of the USS Enterprise, and the realities of a possible Season 3.How Star Trek: Prodigy Was Saved From the Streaming Useless ZoneIf you thought audiences had been shocked that Star Trek: Prodigy was canceled and pulled from Paramount+ in June 2023, the Hagemans inform IGN they had been too. “After we acquired the information, it was instructed to us like, ‘Here is what’s occurring.’ And we’re like, ‘Oh my gosh, how may that occur?’” Dan remembers. “However then on the similar time, we had been instructed that we’ve lots of people championing it from CBS, and Alex Kurtzman is looking for a approach to get this season seen.”After which the Trek followers — who know so much about how one can rally their present’s iterations again into existence — acquired loud and proactive.“It was superior and large,” Kevin says of their efforts to assist the present. “It simply began this tidal wave of assist. I felt actually assured. We had been in the midst of doing Season 2. We had been most likely 10 episodes executed. We did not know the place it might land after which the information got here that it was Netflix.”Folding Extra Voyager-Period Trek Into Season 2With the pickup to proceed manufacturing on Season 2 of Star Trek: Prodigy, the Hagemans say they had been in a position to proceed the again half of the seasonal arc as all the time meant.“We did not wish to lose the DNA of what Season 1 was, which is a present to introduce new folks to Star Trek,” Kevin explains. “And we needed to proceed to have the best hits, proper? Like, there is a factor referred to as Tribbles. There’s time journey episodes. There is a factor referred to as a Mirror Universe. These are unbelievable, enjoyable parts to Star Trek to reintroduce to an entire new viewers.”On the finish of Season 1, adventurer Dal R’El (Brett Grey), level-headed Gwyn (Ella Purnell) and their “crew” make it to Starfleet Headquarters on Earth, the place they uncover Admiral Janeway needs to incorporate them in a mission to seek out out what occurred to the USS Protostar earlier than the youngsters commandeered it at the beginning of the season. Voyager’s Robert Picardo returns to voice The Physician in Prodigy Season 2.Kevin says timeline-wise, they needed to tweak some historical past to make it work. “We realized the Voyager was a floating museum. So we’re like, let’s create a brand new one!” Therefore, the USS Voyager-A turns into the first ship to begin off Season 2 with Dal, Jankom (Jason Mantzoukas), Rok (Rylee Alazraqui), Murf (Dee Bradley Baker) and Zero (Angus Imrie) coming aboard to proceed to be taught and supply experiential perception to Janeway for this mission. “We knew the Season 2 relationship between the youngsters and their mentor was going to vary from hologram Janeway to Admiral Janeway, who was slightly bit more durable on them,” Dan says of the Janeway shift. So, they introduced within the subsequent finest hologram within the universe, Voyager’s The Physician, voiced once more by Robert Picardo. “Because the Admiral would not have time to be by their facet every single day and second, we simply thought how excellent it might be for The Physician to get entangled,” Dan says of drafting the beloved character into their story. “We might cherished this concept that we all the time imagined [where] in Season 1 hologram Janeway is a little bit of a Mary Poppins. On this one, The Physician needs to be Mary Poppins however he is extra like a Mr. Belvedere,” he laughs. “He needs to be endeared by the youngsters however the youngsters are like, ‘You are no Janeway.’”The season additionally formally brings in Voyager solid member Captain Chakotay (Robert Beltran), who was teased within the Season 1 finale. Requested how a lot freedom they got to play within the character sandbox, Kevin says it was actually about getting the buy-in from the actors and their approval of their character arcs. We [asked] Kate, ‘What do you assume if you happen to’re the brand new captain of the Enterprise?’ -Producer Dan Hageman“I am going to simply say that we’re all the time listening to our actors as a result of these are legacy characters,” Kevin explains. “What do you assume? Do you want this? And thank God, they had been loving what we had been doing, as a result of we’re rising them. Identical to our youngsters, we’re rising them up. The place’s Janeway now? The place’s Chakotay now? What is the subsequent part for these characters? It was so enjoyable and so they had a blast.”Though Dan admits, Mulgrew did discourage one massive Season 2 concept. “There was a second the place we had been enjoying with the concept that [the ship] could possibly be the Enterprise as an alternative. We [asked] Kate, ‘What do you assume if you happen to’re the brand new captain of the Enterprise,’ and she or he was not thrilled,” he laughs. “She’s like, ‘I would slightly or not it’s the Voyager.’”Figuring Out Season 2’s Time Journey and the Return of AsenciaWith 20 new episodes meant to additional mature and bond the younger Starfleeters in coaching, and create main stakes alongside the best way, the Hagemans say they seemed to 2 particular story parts to create the season: Time journey and the return of the villainous character Asencia (Jameela Jamil).The Prodigy gang in Season 2.Admitting their very own concern of crafting a posh time journey story, Kevin says they seemed to their theoretical physicist advisor, Dr. Erin Macdonald, for the thumbs up. “We discovered some hen scratch drawings and she or he actually checked out it,” he says.“We take a look at her like she’s our instructor,” Dan provides. “So I believe our proudest second is when she’s like, ‘Yeah, it really works.’”As for the “Huge Unhealthy” flip for Asencia, the Hagemens credit score their former Season 1 writers, Julie & Shawna Benson. “It was on the finish of Season 1, and our intuition was to dispose of Asencia,” Dan admits. “She dies and so they’re like, ‘No! That is too nice of a personality. We simply wanted to maintain her within the universe. She shoots off in a pod and is on the market.’”The Way forward for Star Trek: ProdigyWarning: Spoilers comply with for the Season 2 finale.Within the two-part season finale, “Ouroboros,” written by the Hagemens and Aaron J. Waltke, the door is left open for an entire new chapter of adventures with Captain Gwyndala and her Quantity One, Dal R’El. “Our first dangerous intuition was we needed Dal and Gwyn to each be captain, as they each deserve it,” Kevin says with a wince. “However David Mack, our Star Trek advisor, was like, ‘That is the worst concept ever.’” A lot dialogue commenced amongst the writers till they agreed on the “lovely symmetry” to the pilot episode when Gwyn is tied to the captain’s chair as a prisoner. “[Her] sitting in it now, as a captain, it simply provides me the shivers,” Kevin says.Now it’s as much as the Trek followers as soon as extra to find out the way forward for the present, with all the things contingent on the present’s viewing hours on Netflix. “We must develop into a monster hit, so I am hoping,” Kevin says of the probabilities of a Prodigy Season 3. “I believe it is exhausting for any present to get previous two seasons, as a result of oftentimes it requires a extremely massive hit to interrupt out to have an even bigger library of a present,” Dan continues. “You take a look at Decrease Decks and so they went 5 seasons and so they’re at 50 episodes. Prodigy is at 40 episodes, so we’re not that far behind. Even when the numbers are large enough to warrant a 90-minute film, let’s do this. Let’s begin an animated movie franchise.”The Hagemans simply hope Trek followers and non-Trek followers alike give the collection a strive. “The Star Trek neighborhood has been embracing us,” Kevin says. “However we have to get the phrase out to youngsters who do not know something about Star Trek and do not even know our present.”“We’re very happy with the work,” Dan concludes. “We’re completely happy that Season 2 ended the place it did. It closes the door, however on the similar time leaves a window open for a unbelievable Season 3.”Star Trek: Prodigy is streaming on Netflix now.