If you’re a Star Trek fan, you’re on a complete Trek renaissance. With the various Star Trek universe series are already here and are coming soon to the Paramount+. However, the latter, Star Trek: Prodigy. It is unique to the entire franchise in that it is the first series. Which is developed in mythology for a younger audience. Prodigy is a half-hour series of original CG animation developed as a joint venture. With CBS Eye Animation Productions and Nickelodeon Animation Studio Twins.
Star Trek: Prodigy, created by Kevin and Dan Hedgeman (Troll Hunters). Which takes place in 2383 and enters Trek history after the Voyager series. Pilot, Lost & Found is a captivating hour-long premiere that skillfully sets the stage for the main cast. A group of tattered refugee mine colonies. Who accidentally find and escape the Federation’s long-hidden ship, the USS Protostar.
What about the other Star Trek animated series?
In addition to the Discovery and Picard live series, Paramount+ has another animated show, Lower Deck, on its list. Tara Bennett rated the first half of the second season of Lower Decks an 8. Writing that she “gained more confidence in blending comedy with mission gossip and character development”.
The main character is Dahl (Brett Gray). An orphan of an unknown type who does manual work in a remote mining colony. A rebel in the colony and clever Alec, Dahl already has a reputation as a troublemaker. But he has ambitions to escape and leave the planet. To see if he can find more of his species and a future he can choose from. By putting him on the radar of the colony’s owner. Nabi (John Noble) and his older teenage daughter, Gwyn (Ella Purnell). They are the yin and the yang of the series, as Dahl exists. With charisma and drive while Gwyn is a highly trained conformist who learns her father’s truth.
Through a series of work-related accidents, Dahl comes into contact with the other miners, who become his de facto squad. The learned runaway robot, Zero (Angus Imri). Who is child labour; Rock-Tah (Riley Alazraki). The opponent mechanic Jankom Pog (Jason Mantsukas). And the quiet place of the feeding machine known as the Murph (Dee Bradley Baker).
Led by Ben Hibbon, Prodigy is a beautiful series.
CG animation has an attractive design aesthetic of almost realistic celestial objects, star landscapes. And ships mixed with highly stylized character designs for the various main characters and their types. Vibrant with bright colours and animated displays. They are the perfect place for children’s expectations in the world of high-end CG. But the vocal work of the cast elevates the youthful energy of most of the characters on the show. They are the archetypes that kids will identify with because of the young players, with the only differentiator being Mantsuka. He’s an excellent voice actor, but he’s supposed to sound like a 16-year-old, which doesn’t fly in any universe.
Of course, the most famous and most anticipated voice of all is that of Kate Mulgrew. As she speaks to a hologram of Catherine Janeway. As expected, she returned to the role flawlessly. Mulgrew focuses on the warm tone of his voice, which is beautifully modulated in the early episodes. For old-school Trek fans, Janeway has been a welcome friend since ancient times. But as a hologram, he gives the character a very clever cheek. Which portrays his role as a mentor very well to balance the chaos of the inexperienced children he teaches on the bridge.
The show also features some potential villains in John Noble’s The Prophet and his right-hand man Drednock (Jimmy Simpson). In design and sound, this pair of formidable foes raise the stakes but retains a cherished secret. Together they come to life in a colour palette of red, black and metal tones. With intelligent technology enveloping them, forming a visually stunning duo that will haunt our young heroes across the galaxy.
In terms of storyline, Hageman’s and his screenwriter at “Lost & Found” did an excellent job of creating the series premise;
And then, it gives us a template for how the adventure will unfold each week. In the next half-hour episode of Starstruck. Of course, with this crazy ensemble. Which can also fly a spaceship with Janeway’s help, there is some expansion of the skills that the spaceship can fly.
But the different skills of each character make it at least believable. And there are great moments of instability, humility, and childish affection woven into each character’s story. That feel more organic than naughty or forced, making for an excellent ride for any adult audience. Dan Mulgrew plays a cheerleader/base teacher. Who doesn’t speak condescendingly to any of them who will keep the kids busy? And hopefully, he’ll learn a few things as the series progresses.