Star Trek Prodigy Season 1 Review - Trek's Best First Season?

[@superpheemy]

The thing I realized about Prodigy. Even though it's 20 episodes, they're half hour episodes, so it's fills the same time as a 10 one hour episode season on other Star Trek title. The half-hour format forces the writing to be very tight, and that makes Prodigy capable of telling a much more complex narrative. The shorter episodes being released over time also allowed the audience to digest each new twist more than when the development occurs midway through a longer episode.

[@Bastion90]

This has also been along my line of thinking. I think part of the problem with DISCO and PIC are that the episodes don't really have any time constraints. Due to them being exclusive to streaming services, the episodes can be as long or short as they want them to be, and each episode can be a different length. Back in the day of broadcasting, episodes had to fit within a very strict time limit, meaning the writing had to be tighter, and if they went overtime, they had to cut a stuff on the editing room floor as a deleted scene. They also had to make sure that teasers and acts fell within ad breaks. Today's live action Trek doesn't need to cut scene for time, and I think that makes the writers feel like it is perfectly okay to indulge in the characters reciting minutes-long soliloquies. Both Prodigy Lower Decks are confined to under half-an-hour of storytelling - even less than the older shows were - which means they have to be really economical with what they put in, what stays and what goes. I think the minor disadvantage to this is what Jessie picked up on, with some plots having contrived conveniences (just happening to run into Dal's Ferengi foster mum, just happening to bump into the Borg) because it would take time they didn't necessarily have to reach that point more naturally.

[@Corbomite_Meatballs]

It's also animated, where if you've ever listened to other folks who've produced complex animated shows (team behind B:TAS, etc.), they've always said that if it's going to be animated and on the screen, there's got to be a reason/purpose to animate something. Unlike live action, where you can fluff/pad things out, or "fix it in post", once you've recorded your voice actors, you're pretty much stuck with the script as designed and need to work to produce *that* product, if you want to make your delivery/broadcast date w/o running over budget, etc.

[@Corbomite_Meatballs]

@@Bastion90 Agree with what you said here...I think being the "premiere" title on a streaming service didn't lead to a lean, hungry mode of storytelling, fliming, etc. but being a bit lazy with an existing IP, leading to meandering and excess bloat.

[@Bastion90]

@@Corbomite_Meatballs That's an excellent point.

[@ItsAstridEh]

I love that two of the best nonbinary characters in sci-fi TV right now are Gaseous Cloud™ and Literal Street™

[@christopherb501]

Danny the Street?

[@ItsAstridEh]

@@christopherb501 Yup

[@Cdr2002]

I would prefer some more HUMAN ones personally but I’m not trying to diminish either of those characters by saying that

[@christopherb501]

@@Cdr2002 Being an MtG fan in addition to materials like these, I find myself in the weird position of both demanding _more_ human characters when it comes to queer gender, and demanding _fewer_ human characters when it comes to MtG, given how many races there are and yet how few of them get the spotlight.

[@Cdr2002]

@@christopherb501 I personally will always prioritize human representation no matter how much I want to see from the fictional races in the media I consume.

[@superpheemy]

I've run into the "romantic moment" kissing scenario a few times. Asking before kissing is the romantic thing to do, if your partner feels the same. That scenario has played out, it was indeed romantic. If your partner doesn't feel the same, they'll say something, which is an expression of trust! Because, if the two of you haven't built even that basic level of trust in the first place, there's no reason to be asking for romantic moments at that time. This, sadly, is a social change that has to be learned and spread, because for a hundred years of film, we've been conditioned to register that sudden, unrequested kiss is an expression of romance when it's really an expression of control. Culturally, it goes back much further, of course, but a hundred years lines up nicely with modern film storytelling.

[@rickhernandez3803]

What you say is so true. A kiss should not be a way to show romance if there is no chemistry from them in the first moment. For a romantic relationship to work there must be a solid foundation of truth. A kiss is only the tip of the iceberg in a relationship.

[@threeofeight197]

I feel like “Communication” is the theme of the show. It starts off with no one being able to communicate later the crew learns to communicate with each other. They fail to communicate with Janeway on the planet to the detriment of them all!!! As frustrating as that episode was, I wonder if it was made to be that way as a lesson. Always take the chance to talk to your “enemies”, to tell the truth even when you’re scared because you won’t regret it. I’d you don’t, you miss opportunities that you never knew existed.

[@nonamegiven202]

yeah one of the main things i love about Prodigy is that it is doing the reverse of Picard. Like you said Janeway was a supporting character for the cast meanwhile ST Picard is the Picard show and ends up criminally underusing it's characters, especially my poor boy Elnor. I am curious about where the next season will go now that they aren't "free" anymore, now being on a full staff Starfleet vessel with Janeway in control.

[@Eric-rr3zd]

What you said about Janeway being a supporting character and never stealing the spotlight, I actually felt like in the finale when they get body swapped the rest of the crew's response was kind of like, "Oh okay, well nice to meet you lady but we really need OUR captain back now please." Which was SPECTACULAR.

[@lukesawboss]

Janeway, both of them, are great! Kate Mulgrew should get more work

[@shukilevyandbrookesheildsl2638]

I really loved this show. A lot more than I realized I thought I would. I do agree with you about the kiss. On top of the fact I felt the romance felt forced out of nowhere, invading another person's space with such a personal act and passing it off as cute is not a very good way to teach young people, who are the target audience, how to behave.

[@Bastion90]

I find it somewhat ironic the the video game, 'Supernova', indicates that Dal has a crush on Gwyn far more than the actual show does.

[@Chris-tf7gi]

ST Prodigy might be the most well constructed Star Trek series ever. And its a first season show! It even manages to somehow be episodic each week with an extremely well done story arc that lasts the season. It is a masterpiece. That's saying something. (No. Not better than DSN, TNG. I'm sticking to THAT!)

[@MagiusDel]

100% agree. I think it could reach those heights if they keep up the level of writing shown in the first season, but for now it's a strong contender, not a clear winner.

[@Titanreaver616]

This show was way more than I expected it to be. Tbh I was originally on the fence about whether I wanted to watch it but then I saw that Jason Manzaukas was in it and the idea of him and Mulgrew in the same show was enough to get me to watch anything, plus its trek so you know gotsta give a go. And it blew me away with bow good it was. I have come to accept some of the yadda yadda stuff from kids' shows in general but it would be nice to avoid it. But totally agree with you it was such a fresh and wholesome story and while it's approachable to kids it was deep enough for adults. Well at least for a nerdy adult like me lol.

[@novae756]

I watched this show thanks to your videos, I've been wanting to watch Star Trek for a long time but didn't know where to start, and your video on this topic helped me choose Star Trek Prodigy, and I have no regret about that. It was a great experience and really helped get into this universe, as someone who had absolutely no idea of what it was. I agree with pretty much everything you said about this show. I loved it a lot and will definitely look into more Star Trek stories from now on.

[@jessiegenderafterdark5287]

Yesssss!!!!! Hell yeah!

[@novae756]

I also wonder where to go from here, there's so many Star Trek shows I want to watch (pretty much all of them) but I wonder if Voyager may be a good pick, since some elements of it are at least referenced in Prodigy ? 🤔 (the real reason is because I've grown incredibly attached to Janeway (hologram or not) and want more of her, but learning more about her past and other characters' would be interesting generally speaking)

[@philopharynx7910]

About the unwanted kiss. I would prefer if they had kept it, but explicitly said this is wrong. Specifically because it's out there in so much media. There's a long history of treating consent violations as romantic that it empowers creepy stalkers. I would have kept the scene as shown, where neither character knew what to do. But had Dal ask Janeway or Jane observe and clarify that this should be a consensual decision. We follow it up with an awkward apology and work at normalizing things.

[@jonesthemoblin1400]

I didn't read the kiss as intending to be romantic, I read it more as awkward kids not really knowing how to handle a situation and, in particular, their emotions in that situation. I also didn't get the sense that Gwyn was ok with it in that moment as well, but she didn't have time to deal with it since it was a life or death situation for them. Like, it was clear from episode 1 that Dal was attracted to Gwyn, and him getting swept up in the moment made sense. Bur I still read it as as kinda of a *Kiss* Gwyn gives him a "the fuck, really?" face. And Dal recognized he crossed a line and stepped back immediately. I can get behind that maybe they should have revisited it and pointed clearly that Gwyn was not ok with it and that Dal shouldn't have crossed that line or, barring that, cut it altogether, but don't think they were going for "romantic" in that moment.

[@shabmaster7128]

I read this too as dumbass kid misreads signals. That said, the youth of the characters is why that rings true, would have been entirely different if this was 2 30 year olds.

[@Meshakhad]

Considering that Gwyn doesn't protest strongly and then initiates a kiss later, I took it as Gwyn being unsure how she felt about it. While Dal definitely had feelings first, by that point I'm pretty sure Gwyn had feelings too.

[@kevincrady2831]

Great breakdown. One quibble I had with the series is the way it used Janeway as the Starfleet icon. She made some seriously dark and problematic decisions in Voyager, e.g. killing Tuvix, so I had some trouble accepting her as the embodiment of Starfleet's highest ideals. I love Janeway in general (there's just something about the way she'd stare down a hostile ship on the viewscreen and say "Fire!" 😂), but she's a morally gray character, so to me it didn't feel like a good fit. The show sets out to highlight the idealism of the Federation, Starfleet, and Trek in general (and goodness knows, we need some of that in this grimdark dystopian age), but I feel it undercut that by using Janeway as Starfleet's foremost representative. "Yeah, but you kids don't know she's a murderer." Another very minor quibble: Janeway's ship has to be the ugliest thing Starfleet ever built. I guess it makes sense for the show, since it's a threat to the Protostar crew for most of the season and its appearance in an episode was a Bad Thing for the most part, but daaamn, that thing is hideous.

[@boltedbee4959]

This is my first Trek I've really watched and it hooked me pretty fast. The animation and designs were beautiful. It was such a good show, especially in the second half. After a friend initially telling me about Dal, who falls into an archetype I'm fond of, I looked into it and the cast. I had an immediate feeling Dal and Gwyn would get together since they're the most human-looking, lead male and female, and this is a kid's show. The occasional episode seemed to hint further. It's a tired trope I'm personally sick of and I was hoping with how wholesome the relationships of the kids were already, it wouldn't go that route with Dal and Gwyn. But that kiss made everything deeply uncomfortable, especially with Gwyn's reaction, and I dreaded it further. I loved this show, but I feel like their relationship will become overly distracting. Even so, this introduction to Trek has me wanting to watch other series and get to better know the universe as a whole.

[@eme.261]

Great breakdown-- I haven't watched the show all the way through, yet, but yours and Steve Shives' reviews have convinced me to get back to it. On another note: I have to say, you've been looking particularly beautiful lately. 😍 You appear to have been quite refreshed by the holiday break.

[@johnsieverssr8288]

Thanks Jessie 💗 😊 your show and "Prodigy."

[@Jayjay-qe6um]

Thanks for the great review Jessie, I'm really excited for season 2. I'd hoped the first few episodes will be about rescuing of Chakotay.

[@greysapocalyptic]

Star Trek has been my first love my entire life I am absolutely enthralled in my life is entwined with Star Trek, and Prodigy was so fun and amazing I think it's the best Star Trek ever made and it deserves so very much credit

[@garyp.5151]

I nominate Strange New Worlds for having the best 1st. season. For some reason, I smiled continually while watching it. And that's enough for me.

[@benw9949]

Jessie, did you drink some of that Scalosian water? You're nearly in chipmunk high-speed mode. :D Sooo excited. I loved Prodigy. The first season is really incredible. Characters, plot, arcs, visual style animation great music. Plus, we get 20 episodes. I/ve seen something claiming that there will be 20 episodes for season 2. I hope that's true, but I also hope we won't have such a long hiatus. Very much looking forward to more Prodigy.

[@moonkey2712]

I gotta admit, you seemed fairly high speed with the talking on this episode

[@TheJazNetwork]

Great review as always Jessie. Totally agree. Prodigy really nailed it out of the park. I cannot wait for season 2.

[@Eric-rr3zd]

"Guys we aren't starfleet, we are just a bunch of misfits who stole this ship." -The group of people who have been already and continue to be the MOST STARFLEET it is possible to be

[@Uyuayoung]

The first season was phenomenal! I was super invested in the story. Murf‘s my favorite. I can’t wait to see what they’ve got for us in season two.

[@Inscriptions37]

I fell behind on this show as the back half of the season aired, but I just recently caught up and I have to say the final five or six episodes really impressed me, minor nitpicks aside. The kind of tonal tightrope walk required to have an episode like "Mindwalk" happen right before your big, two-part finale without ruining the pacing and/or the season's overall emotional arc is something most shows---animated or live action, aimed at kids or adults---would've struggled with, yet Prodigy made it feel effortless. I agree with you that the non-consentual kiss was not a great look, especially for a kids' show, but as first-season Trek show mistakes go, it's no "Code Of Honor," just something the writers need to work on. Also, anyone who yells at you for caring about the depiction of consent in kids' media is living proof that the "groomer" panic is either complete nonsense or projection, depending on who's doing the yelling. But I digress. If the whole season preceeding it hadn't done so already, the genuine emotional weight of Hologram Janeway's sacrifice proved to me that this show is far more than the cheap, lazy filler it could've been and an eminently worthy addition to Star Trek. Not to dump on Enterprise (which I really liked, overall), but imo this first season of Prodigy was a better temporal cold war than the Temporal Cold War. Maybe things just get better by default when you add Murf. Anyway, I'm looking forward to season two and hoping at some point we get to see Harry Kim at a higher rank than ensign.

[@purplepothos5794]

While there wasn't anything I necessarily disliked about the first half of the season I wasn't wowed by it either; it felt more like I stuck with it just to go through the usual Trekkie motions but the second half of the season won me over hard! What a timeline we live in that any combination of the top 3 ongoing Trek series there's good chance it'll contain 2 animated shows.

[@myriadmediamusings]

Despite supporting this show from the beginning and scoffing at the naysayers who wrote it off for being both an animated and Nickelodeon production, Prodigy still shocked me for being extremely well written, well told, well animated, and being an effective gateway for newcomer kids into Star Trek. I have not found any bad episode in its first season nor any bad characters and questionable moments. At worst, some episodes were just there and didn't really bother me. While Lower Decks is still my fave of Modern Trek, I can totally understand why for some, it would be Prodigy. Fave eps of the season are Time Amok, Moral Star 2, All the World's a Stage, Mindwalk, and Supernova 1. Great look at the season Jess, and I eagerly await what's to come with Season 2!

[@butchdeloria2995]

I agreed with every single one of your points, you even highlighted things i felt but forgot about .

[@JoneSecunda]

I'm excited to finish watching Prodigy so I can watch this video! Over halfway through and I'm really enjoying it so far. Can't wait to hear your thoughts on it, Jessie!

[@bblivid]

I loved this show and was looking forward to your thoughts. I agree some of the handwaving is a little silly. Like Gwen knows all those languages, but does she understand those species? If we had seeds earlier that she had to learn to understand the people not just the languages then she could have made that speech but adjusted it to appeal to a klingon's sense of honor. Rok yay! I loved Time Amok and wish we had seen just a little more of Rok's isolation over two or three episodes, or even to the final episode.

[@elim_inator]

I loved this show so much! I loved the characters, their arcs, the overarching plot as well as the individual episodes' plots, the amount of easter eggs and callbacks to earlier Trek shows, the music, and especially the beautiful animation. Everything in this show is so gorgeous, it is a joy just to look at the alien worlds, space and ships. The show isn't perfect, because no show ever is, but it is awesome and I'm already excited for season 2.

[@Dracattack]

Great overview! I think the issue with Dal Gywn(surprise kiss aside which is a trope I dislike too) is they only really hint they like each other in the pilot and maybe the illusion planet episode so it's kind of put of the blue save like one like towards the end

[@snapdragon6393]

Everything about that romance kind of pisses me off, like, I get that romances are a trope writers like, but I feel like Prodigy's strength is the friendship bond between the characters, Gwyn and Dal are friends more than anything else to me, and making them a couple could alienate the rest of the characters from sharing that friendship altogether, which would be a shame, imo

[@Bastion90]

@@snapdragon6393 As an Aro Ace, I get a bit tired of every show seemingly being obligated to have a romance story in it. I enjoy a romance as much as the next person, but sometimes I feel oversaturated by them. I had hoped that Prodigy, being aimed at a younger audience, might bypass the romance plot and stick with strong platonic friendships. Alas.

[@Seven35888]

This first season bodes so well for the future of this show. I can’t wait to see how it evolves. Will probably become beloved to me the same way the Clone Wars has

[@MikeBig007]

Show was great nothing wrong with kiss scene Great ending 👍🏽👍🏽

[@DrAnarchy69]

Prodigy is hands down the best Star Trek animated series ever created.

[@Reggie1408]

Nah, Lower Decks.

[@Isengardtom]

It’s pretty great but Lower Decks is still better for me

[@mikeduffy67]

Did anyone pick up the "grumpy admiral" in s1 e15 Masquerade was Captain Jellico from TNG s6 e10, again voiced by Ronny Cox ?

[@darrylcatay2295]

Thank you Jessie for not using the most over used phrase on KZbin. "The Titular Character " I would much rather hear the 2nd and 3rd most used word or phrases on KZbin " Compelling" And my favorite " Nuanced "

[@scothancock2586]

Watched it. Loved 💕 it. My favorite scene was when all of them used the replicator to get a meal. Rock picked out the slop that all of them ate as prisoners. Why? It’s all he knew. This almost made me cry. For children, this is REAL. And in my life (from time to time) this is real. No one wants to be hungry.

[@jessjohnson998]

I wasn't expecting to like this show so much even though I like animation and have no issues with kids shows- I just wasn't sure any version of ST could work with all young leads, because Trek tends to hinge on flying a starship around. It was smart to make them all come from a non federation planet that was troubled- this presentation managed to sell me on why a bunch of teenagers were running around in a starship exploring. It hooked me instantly when I gave it a shot.

[@roxie6519]

I guess I disagree with you about the kids running away in "Crossroads", because that is the exact kind of shit I did as a kid. I would have everything I needed to get what I'd been saying I wanted for the longest time, but when the moment came I got scared and ran away. kids do that. And these kids are former trafficked slaves and/or have been used and manipulated for other people's wants all their short lives. Of course they're a little but nervous. The consequences of being told they're doing something wrong have been really severe in the past. Their actions made sense to me.

[@anvalisok]

\||/ Live logs and proper Prodigy. What an amazing season.

[@TheEwmoon]

They reeeeally drug it out but Im so happy with this show. The kid appropriate level of it was masterful, like how is this nickalodian and not pbs (have you seen odd squad). The nods to the whole star trek stories so far and almost shrek-ish jokey/heartwarming feel is a cool refreshing translation of all the themes and lessons we adult trekkies love. I could talk about it forever! So I loved hearing your take on it all. Heres to more Murph and Rock talk! (idk how to spell their names) But really all the characters are intriguing and I want to know more 🤘

[@MatthewCaunsfield]

The protracted release of Prodigy really hurt the series for me - after the first 5 episodes I never went back to it. However, your constantly positively titled review vids encouraged me to give this show another chance and I'm really glad I did; this series smashed my expectations and then some!

[@empressadria7009]

Re: 13:00ish - Discovery did actually try that, the time looping Mudd episode.

[@zoebirss9944]

I just finished the season with my kids, twin 12 year Olds. As soon as we finished it, we pulled up this video to watch together!

[@GeorgeMarionerd]

I can't get over how much Zero looks like KVN from Final Space lol

[@woogha]

My Only complaint is that I disliked Dal at first. But I realize that I was supposed to. Well done.

[@carschmn]

When they were at the space station, they didn’t know about the weapon. Kind of agree on the rest. I wondered why they couldn’t just land on a planet and talk it over.

[@johnfielder2064]

prodigy and strange new worlds have been the best trek so far, im 51, and loved it, its deffently for all ages , the animation is amazing, great voice acting and storytelling

[@GeeksandGrub]

5 seconds into the video and this is my prediction for the video: Jessie: Prodigy Season 1 is perfect. No notes. Instead, we are going to spend the next little while talking about the second most perfect thing of Star Trek, the Books!

[@lukesawboss]

I don’t understand how Prodigy is so good. What a brilliantly paced season.

[@michaelpapp5518]

23:26 I’m a male, straight. My wife made the first move by kissing me out of the blue. I don’t think she’s the only woman to have done that to a prospective partner.

[@adrianvanleeuwen]

I can understand the reasoning of promoting Star Trek Prodigy for kids, to get new viewers into the franchise, however this should also be promoted as adult show worthy, as the plotting, action, character development and storytelling ranks it up there with the best of Trek. The build up of plot along episodes pays off with mini climaxes each episode for the season long arch. All ages including adults will enjoy this show, which it also ties in well with canon of Star Trek and some legacy characters. The show is thought provoking, endearing, and heart warming! "All Thumbs Up!!" for any species watching. Live long and prosper!

[@doctajastrologyandmetaphysics]

Hey Jessie. You so greatly articulated my thoughts and feelings about this show! I am an Astrologer and with Saturn being in its own sign of Aquarius during this show’s first season run, it depicted the highest level that Saturn in Aquarius has to offer as well as some of its shadow side. Laying the ground work and teaching(Saturn) the fundamentals(Saturn) of the Federation(Saturn And Aquarius) to the newer generation watching. As well as showing the shadow side of totalitarianism(Saturn) using division and compartmentalization to keep humans separated as you mentioned. After all Saturn(and Uranus too) in Aquarius are all about recognizing everyone within the group. Balancing both the individual’s and group’s voices within Humanity(and beyond). Also, another key theme for Saturn(and Uranus) in Aquarius is the balance of power between the average citizen and leaders. So, I say all that to say this was the most beautiful depiction of Gene Roddenberry’s legacy and soul for Star Trek since Enterprise imo. Further helping us move into the Age of Aquarius/New Earth for Humanity.

[@NeuroD369]

Gwen preaching about Starfleet using four-plus-syllable words with the looong, drawn out french horn notes was like 🙄 oooomgshutupalready. Also, idk if it was on my end but the lipsync issues kept pulling me out of immersion And i feel Rok’s cuteness is a bit forced and in ma face. ❤❤❤ everything(-ish) else 😁👍

[@mutanix]

Yeah yeah, Prodigy is cool and all but where did you get that shirt?

[@thod8820]

I loved this show a ton but there was some stuff that kind stuck out to me as odd. I was pretty uncomfortable with the non-consensual kiss trope, it always feels bad to have kids shows where randomly kissing people without consent is played off as a joke or not that big a deal. Seeing it in Trek made me feel especially blegh. I was hoping there would be a discussion or payoff about it, but there just wasn't in this season. Edit: I posted this comment right before that was brought up in the video, I'm a bit embarrassed I didn't wait longer, but I'm glad there's more discussion on the topic then I initially knew about.

[@operationgoldfish8331]

Coming in very late because my Netflix access is limited, as my wife has first dibs, I've just watched the series for the first time. My impression of the first kiss scenario was that it was a teenage kid who had no idea what he was doing or how romance works. It wasn't intended to be romantic imo. It was also at a very stressed moment, when Dal was thinking that he would have to be the hero, so it was probably a 'last chance' on his part. I can understand that, if it relates back to a previous uncomfortable episode, it could set off the cringe factor, but I honestly think it just emphasised Dal's awkwardness more than anything else.

[@paulfeigel4918]

Prodigy the most Star Wars piece of Star Trek. Great show. Horrendous release schedule.

[@Skymouth]

I was more emotionally invested in this series then I intended being, having cried more then once in more then one episode! Am SO excited for season 2!

[@Tuaron]

I'll admit that I'm just modifying a comment I made on Steve Shives' video on Prodigy, but the points I have are pretty much the same - that's certainly the initial template of my response, but I'm sure it'll come out somewhat different as I seek to address Jessie's comments. I've enjoyed Prodigy, but I wouldn't give it nearly as glowing a review. It's not that I've thought it was bad, but more than I thought it was a show where the lows weren't too low but neither were the highs very high - it was firmly in the "good" category, just above "fine" or "okay", with its good outpacing its issues, to make it somewhat enjoyable. I found many episodes pretty basic, almost bland at times with some eye-rolling writing choices. In particular, I found Dal rather grating at most times (he showed promise in the first episode, but I didn't see as much growth as he gets credit for, I don't think he quite tempered his ego or focused enough on others before his benefit, nor really stepped up as leader), while Jankom also pressed my nerves a little too often too, but not as often. Murph (Murf?) was fun in his initial form, I'm still deciding how I feel about the new version but he seems like a fun version of the "tiny cute badass" trope. Actually, I'd say all of the main characters fit pretty solidly into various tropes, but some do better with them than others - I'll admit that the "scary/big creature that's actually a sweetheart" trope that Rok Tahk fulfills is a favourite of mine (I love such simple but fun contradictions for a character), and she's definitely my fave on this show (having read the Starfleet Academy books, I have a hard time accepting she's Brikar, but it's not important enough to matter). I also thought Zero was an interesting character idea that...just doesn't quite get as much, mostly relegated to "party parent" and "chief expositor" roles - I had not thought about the non-binary aspects of the character because it's not something that comes innately to me but I can certainly appreciate the effect that can have for a fan who feels more/better represented. While I feel Janeway gets a good treatment in the show (in both forms), the inclusion of Chakotay (at this point) seems a little too dull (there's nothing terribly Chakotay about the moments we get of him, with the sole purpose of him being in the role being to motivate Janeway), and I do wonder if I missed a good explanation of why he abandoned the Protostar rather than escape with it, since he appeared to have the chance to do so based on the flashback of the moment. I think Jellico was treated the same way - inserted "because why not" in a way that just felt too stock/bland for the character - and I have a slightly sour taste in my mouth with the way Okona was portrayed, feeling more like a caricature of the archetype he fulfills rather than the character. I'll also say that this "1st season" really feels like 2 seasons: the formation of the group/stealing the Protostar/returning to save the others part, and then trying to get to Starfleet/dealing with the Living Construct part. Other shows might've called the climax of the 1st bit its "mid-season finale", but it felt much more like a conclusion of a substantive arc, more akin to a proper season finale. There's nothing wrong with that, however, as I think that's a strength to what they delivered: it doesn't try to stretch the first half into a longer story or rush through the latter one to get it all in a 13-episode season. It does allow for the semi-episodic nature that Jessie lauds, particularly episodes like Time Amok, which is by far the very best they've delivered (not just because it highlights and adds more layers to the best character, Rok Tahk, but because it's the best thought-out and most effectively delivered story). An aspect of my feeling definitely comes from the release schedule, sure, but I maintain the way it is laid out follows this style moreso than many shows I've seen that try to split their seasons into mini-arcs (for instance, Agents of SHIELD season 4 did it really effectively, delivering 3 arcs of about 7 episodes but in a way that flowed and tied together like one overall event). To me, one episode felt misplaced for me: the backstory episode, which felt like it should've been included in the first 10 episodes to give us a better feeling of these characters and sell their coming together just a little better. I'm not sure I quite agree on how earned the climax felt, as I thought aspects of it came a little too easily to the baddies (some random ensign can just take over another ship so easily when it's been in a lockdown mode and then the construct can just infect any Starfleet ship that comes near pretty much immediately) but it did feel like it was better set up and implemented than the Picard (or even some Disco) finales and it worked well enough in the moment (and even in retrospect). Overall, like I said in a comment on the finale video, the end of this season sets up some interesting possibilities for the future that I'm curious to see, but if no more Prodigy is released for some reason, that would be a nice capper.

[@generalsci3831]

Everyone's hating on my Picard season 1! Seriously, though. Prodigy caught me off guard for its high standard of quality the most from the various swath of new Trek shows. So much so that I feel Star Trek works best as an animated show between this and what's been given to us with Lower Decks.

[@waelliam1179]

Just watched the first two episodes and they were great.

[@BluGiant14]

perhaps my absolute favorite (modern) ST show...even surpasses Strange New Worlds for me...and I'm a certified Anson Mount/Pike stan. Unfortunately I think some fans will ignore it simply because it's "for kids"

[@AmethystOrlando]

If it weren’t for the Hageman Brothers, I wouldn’t have watched this show & inevitably hop on the Star Trek bandwagon. Hell, the Hagemans delivered strong enough writing to make me cry over a cartoon LEGO ninja.

[@thingamabitch]

Dal and Gwyn didn't seem forced to me at all, I shipped them right form the beginning. I think Dal misread Gwyn's body language and it was really awkward.

[@joelsaid83]

Well.. I like it... But best first season ever, i think it is kinda a stretch for me at least.... I prefer STNG & STSNW... Besides that... Great work on your reviews... ✌️

[@skullsquad900]

I love the show and hppe it gets continued. Though I disagree that her speech fell flat, as from what we've seen and know, most other galaxy spanning empires are Militaristic Dictatorships. So saying Star Fleet is the only chance at True Unification I'd have to agree. Also the episodes plot's being rushed makes sense when you don't know if you're going to get another season.

[@james8449100]

Tbo this is my last favourite of the new treks but I think that is mainly due to it being aimed not at me. That's not a bad thing

[@arnaudgerard1971]

I often think, shows that don't fall into traps - even kid's shows (you might excuse it more easily in kid's shows: don't) - are to perfect. Reality ... Life isn't perfect. Edit: I'd say, the kiss came out of the blue. It was awkward for everybody all around. You clearly see, how Dal gets more and more affectionate towards her, but nobody expects a kiss. She didn't scold him, because we see how affectionate she grows towards her comrades ... Dal too. So her reaction to that awkward moment on her part seemed to be fitting for me too. In the end you then see her kissing him - so we know she has feelings for him ... maybe not love, but feelings. The second kiss did also not completely look like a love kiss; but she likes him (alot?). Not asking for permission - as you said yourself - is not ok, but sadly it does happen. There probably have been marriages (soulmates?) that started out that way. So I don't know what to tell you ... a kid's show - for better or for worse? Reality, or would we prefer it to be teaching (ok, I won't use preachy for this one), instead of showing how (imperfect) the world is?

[@jokerz7936]

When ranking Trek seasons 1 which they seem to get too much hate IMO, but when ranking them I take a few things into consideration. 1: Length of Season it's harder to maintain consistency when your season is larger. 2: Clunkers any episodes which are downright unwatchable. 3: Classic episodes you'd point to and say that's Star Trek. 4: Overall Quality in the season. Season 1 Rankings from Best to Worst. 1: TOS it just has some of the best stories of Trek City on the Edge of Forever, Space Seed, Menagerie, Balance of Terror, The Galileo Seven, Errand of Mercy, and little talked about ones like The Conscience of the King, Where No Man Has Gone Before, & Court Martial and filled with just solid episodes. 2: ENT I know it's remembered not as fondly as other entries, but ENT had a consistent 1st season of solid if not amazing episodes some gems Strange New World, Terra Nova, The Andorian Incident, Breaking the Ice, Fortunate Son, Cold Front, Sleeping Dogs, Shadows of P'Jem, Shuttle Pod One, Aquisition, Detained (Which reunited Dean Stockwell and Scott Bakula), Fallen Hero, Desert Crossing, Two Days and Two Nights, & Shockwave for a 26 episode season to have no real clunkers is amazing to me. 3: DS9 to start off it has a what I consider a classic Trek episode Duet. Next are some good and great episodes Past Prologue, A Man Alone, Babel, Captive Persuit, Q-Less, Dax, Passenger, Nagus, Battle Lines, Progress, & In the Hands of the Profits. 4: TNG I know it's hated and while after Naked Now it was rough for a while but once you got to TNG's 1st great episode that had few clunkers afterwards. the 2 I consider classics The Battle it's 1st great episode and then Conspiracy. Next these are great just not as good as those two The Big Goodbye, Datalore, 1001001, Too Short a Season, When the Bough Breaks, Home Soil, Heart of Glory, Symbiosis, and Skin of Evil. Good episodes Neutral Zone, Arsenal of Freedom, Coming of Age, Haven, Angel One (Hey it had Bonnie from Knight Rider in it), Hide and Q, & Where No One has Gone Before. I truly don't get the hate this season gets. 5: Prodigy this was a solid season with a lot of heart and Dal's character development was fantastic. Personal favorite episodes. Kobyoshi, Time Amok, All the World's a Stage, and the 2-part finale Supernova. 6: SNW a solid like ENT but since it was only 10 episodes its lower than other shows thus easier to do quality control IMO. Personal favorites of the season A Quality of Mercy, All Those Who Wander, and Mento Mori 7: VOY Started off strong IMO the best Pilot due to the concept which it sadly never lived up too. It also didn't continue its high start in season 1 and it was only 15 episodes long. No Classic episode IMO but some good ones Parallel, Time and Again, The Cloud, Eye of the Needle, Ex Post Facto, Faces, & Jetrel. It has 2 great episodes Phage and State of Flux. It's not bad just a weak when compared to the rest. 8: Lower Decks fun season. 9: TAS Descent 1st season and Yesteryear added a lot of lore to the Vulcans. 10: DISCO It had cool Space Battles and 1 episode I liked Magic to Make the Sanest Man Go Mad and the Mirror Universe Stuff. That's the only nice things I can say outside I liked Saru and Tilly. 11: Picard never so disappointed in something I was so hyped for before. (Please let season 3 be as good as the trailers!).

[@Mark_o_Helm]

16:19 maybe tens of thousands of lightyears, but not millions. The span of our galaxy is "only" 100,000 lightyears.😁

[@MrARock001]

"Time is a flat circle." The universe is balanced on the back of a giant koala; why is he smiling, what does he know?

[@donnicholas7552]

Before this show aired I was very skeptical. A Star Trek kid's show? I don't know about this. I'm glad I gave it a chance. I quickly loved the show! Everything about this show is great! The animation in the second part of the season was amazing! 😃👍 Looking forward to Season 2!

[@michaelpapp5518]

22:50 My wife kissed me out of the blue. To be fair she Said she was flirting with me pretty hard but I had no idea. So she kissed me. Without my expressed consent. Turned out really well for us. Not saying people need to accept unwanted kisses from people they don’t know. I had been friends with my wife for a while by then. If a person has genuine feelings for the other, and they are friends, then I think it’s okay. It may not work out great, there are definite consequences for that action, good or ill, they will have to live with. I think it might be worth it.

[@NineWorldsFromDrew]

I also wish they had shortened the whole abdominal length, of Hologram “Legs-All-The-Way-Up” Janeway! Her legs just always seemed too long! 😂 And your other main characters are all young - most are relatively short, so then why try to make Janeway artificially tall, after all the concerns they had on Voyager about Kate Mulgrew being so short?

[@michaelmitchell4989]

The biggest question that this first season of Prodigy raised for me is ... why can't all seasons of modern Star Trek have more than ten episodes? Sorry, I can't help it, because I grew up at a time when television seasons typically contained about 24 episodes.

[@ultraprincesskenny6790]

1. Star trek prodigy's episodes are nearly a half an hour. One season would be the same length as 10 episodes of discovery or picard or strange new worlds. 2. This season was not initially one season. 20 episodes were already ordered as season one, but episode 10 and 20 are both finales to a two parter. 3. Money and Time. Making a long season would require more filming time (animation time in this case), more writing, and overall production. You'd see lesser quality (or at least budget) stretched over a longer period or more filler episodes. Edit: unless they double the initial budget

[@sergioaccioly5219]

If we are discussing gender in Prodigy, what gender is Murph? What I'm wondering is why the ship's telepath, Zero, never discussed Murph's level of sentience? I assumed initially that they had a cat level of intelligence. Recent events (i.e. holodeck programs) suggest their IQ levels are already comparable to the rest of the crew's. They just lack a compatible means of communications.

[@akale2620]

They've got 3 guys and 3 gals on the show, so it evens out. 0 is a girl, marfs a boy.

[@ktlam195512]

I love the show. My only complaint is the episodes are to short, only about 20 minutes each. I suppose that's because it's meant for children.

[@RunNorthEnt]

1 thing about the finale that bothered me a bit is the solution of destroying the Protostar. OK the construct infected the starfleet ships so they destroyed each other but how does destroying the protostar and the construct stop the ships that are already infected? if my computer gets infected shutting down the source doesn't stop it from being infected.

[@feralguyver]

There are small clips of the sphere on the protostar displaying a ship right before we cut to the ship in space just as it starts firing. So it appears the sphere has to emit some kind of signal to direct ships to attack. Should have just made the ships warp into the sun. Or just self destruct.

[@RunNorthEnt]

@@feralguyver I considered the construct coordinating the attack but seems to me such an advanced civilization would be smart enough to not be so sloppy in their plan. I know the show is aimed at kids so they likely didn't want to over complicate thing... I'm just being a lil nitpicky I guess... TBH I thought the glimpses of the construct viewing the destruction was just it observing the chaos

[@terpsidance.]

Finally an entry point for my five year old to ease them into discussions of ponfar and space drunkenness.

[@Eric-rr3zd]

I think Zero is fantastic nonbinary representation of the desire to occasionally be able to glare at some idiot and drive them to madness and despair.

[@ryanhebert7368]

I think you would make an excellent Star Trek writer. I do wish the studios would seek out folks like yourself to garner ideas and exceptions for what fans are seeking. Oh btw, great breakdown! ❤

[@ssia6938]

It’s been a fun show. I never forget its targeted towards a younger audience. The Voyager references are fantastic.

[@jjmfrees]

The disadvantage Discovery and Picard have for their arches and overstuffed finales is they only have 10 episodes; whereas Prodigy got 20.

[@Reggie1408]

Lower Decks S1 only had 10 episodes. And Prodigy episodes are literally half as long as Disco/PIC episodes. They had the excact same amount of time. Stop making excuses!

[@Isengardtom]

If anything the problem with DISCO and Picard is a lot due to the pacing. Discovery S4 was pretty good, but It could have done with 3 episodes less. And Picard season 2 was just pretty bad regardless, but it also had a few too many episodes

[@myriadmediamusings]

@@Reggie1408 Wouldn't mind if LD got more than 10 a season also, but yeah.

[@akale2620]

Picard is an hour long, prodigy is 20 minutes.

[@Jess-wk5jo]

Hi why does spock does his hand sign and what does meaning of it 🖖🖖 ps I have start to watch star trek 🖖

[@maisiesummers42]

In the context of the show, it's a Vulcan greeting, and also used as a farewell (when used with the words "Live long, and prosper.")

[@Jess-wk5jo]

@@maisiesummers42 @Maisie Summers i have just start watching star trek original series . I have watch 2 episode a minute i love it and i love spock much

[@elkwolf2888]

The kiss scene was a show don't tell of the very thing you were saying. Which is good! It fails because they never talk about it on screen.

[@MarkLLawrence]

While Lower Decks is my favorite current Trek Series, Prodigy is easily the best of the current Trek Series.

[@Matt20911985]

The kiss was more of a cultural hang up then a moral hang up. I know nowadays people are more sensitive to it, but oversensitivity is a real thing. Bordering on paranoia and xenophobic. it’s probably better just to learn body language and reading a moment than having declarations of intent is a better idea.

[@KerstinMamma]

I don't agree with your opinion of the Gwen speech since it's from her point of view, a person who's father ran a concentration camp where unity, acceptance and communication was forbidden and then being introduced to the Federation, the only group that she has ever met that does the opposite.

[@jessiegenderafterdark5287]

Oh I don’t disagree it makes sense from Gwen’s point of view, I’m just arguing it doesn’t make sense that it works

[@KerstinMamma]

@@jessiegenderafterdark5287 I see your point and I agree however to me it seems like only a few showed up and if you'd go through them one by one you could make up reasons for why they would based of the history of Star Trek, least of all the temporal cold wars.

[@OpinionsNoOneCaresAbout]

I"m throwing this out until everyone agrees with me...Dal R'el is one of the best characters in Trek history.

[@NXPhoenix3]

Oh thank gawd someone else was annoyed at the obligatory romance and non-consenting kiss! Their character depictions feel better (to me at least) if they are friends and don't become romantically involved seemingly only because they're the two most conventional looking humanoids possible for a heterosexual relationship. Like you said, if there was build-up and evolution it would be far better...or, ya know, not feeling the need to do it at all. One thing not mentioned that I think Prodigy should get a lot of praise for is how it quietly built up a lot on the post-Voyager developments in the setting (e.g. the Federation expanding its reach a lot with new tech Voyager brought back with it, the Kazon and other groups using the abandoned Borg transwarp network). This is especially evident during interviews with the writers and producers where they explain a lot of the greater setting developments they allude to and it shows A LOT of thought was put into this--even though all of those developments won't be fully detailed in the show itself. However, even with that much evident care for the setting/love of the franchise they also don't let the show be consumed by making references to the greater franchise. They focused on telling their story first and didn't seem to go out of their way to add references--more Andor than Obi-Wan Kenobi. As an aside, I'd argue Picard also has an arguably good first season (not Lower Decks or Strange New Worlds good, but in the net "good" range), but I also acknowledge that I have a significant personal bias as it told a story across the season I really needed at that time but didn't know I did. I'm still not defending season 2 (save for a series of 5 minute flashes dispersed across the season that also happen to mostly line up with Seven, Raffi, and some Agnes).

[@elgranespejo]

i would say definitely not the best first season or the second. for starters, it being written for kids was kind of an obstacle for me, but i feel like the quality of the show quickly picked up in the second half of the series. that said, it was kind of hard to really care much in the beginning.

[@upgrade1015]

I love this damn show

[@FRATZ_1979]

Its great!

[@davidgipe997]

I do wonder. What if we had an episode of a show that had a non-binary or gay\lesbien alien assisted by a like human therefore having both the alien metaphor and actual human representation? Just popped into my head and thought it would make an interesting writing for an episode of something.

[@Arroyo2099]

Honestly I watched the first episode and I hated it. I thought it was Star Wars dressed up as Trek. Maybe I should give it another shot

[@OpinionsNoOneCaresAbout]

Oh, I don't know...Mr. Adultman might like it. Vincent Adultman, to be precise.

[@utkarshed]

Imo the argument about all the characters being aliens doesn't help much with the criticism of enby rep, because there's still a stark difference between how viewers of SFF media relate to aliens with humanoid body types and those which are cubes or glowy dots or gaseous clouds. Not to bash the show, but I still think they need to do better, maybe have some humanoid character use they/them pronouns.

[@maisiesummers42]

A few thoughts (all my opinion, natch): 1. I don't think this was Trek's best first season. Lower Decks and SNW were better, IMO. It's up there, but it's not at the top. 2. It kinda flagged in the middle a bit. And for me lost momentum with that stupidly long "mid season" break. (Bollocks. It was two seasons.) 3. Ok, rant time. I do not like Dal. I really don't. He's yet another cocky kid who gets by on charm and good luck, who forces his way into being captain, and basically gaslights everyone else into keeping him there. But it's not until the final three episodes that he _earns_ it. I'm fed up with (U.S. shows especially) doing this. In real life, that sort of person does _not_ get ahead so easily. In Trek they do. (Remember how happy we were when Michael Burnham got a demotion because of her reckless actions? And then a couple of episodes later they're all like "oh gee, we're so sorry about that, here: have a promotion to Captain). Similar problem with Mariner in LDS. And I can see it being a problem with Kirk in season 2 of SNW; Kirk's going to be a cocky little sh*t and Pike's just gonna let him get away with it. It's become a trope of modern Trek and I'm just done with it. 4. I like that the crew tried to actually workshop ways to communicate non-electronically. Though the obvious solution would be to write it on something, stick that something in a little pod with no electronics, and eject that towards the following ship. 5. At the end, they all stay together. Um. WHY? Rok-tahk especially is just a kid - was there really no investigation into what happened to her family? No attempt to reconnect her with her own people? Same with Zero and Jankum Pog - no attempt to get back with their own people? At all? They're both federation citizens... Anyway, it was good enough to keep me watching overall. Just that some of the artificial "drama for drama's sake" moments had me disgruntled.

[@carlosvergara4132]

Is it just me or you keep saying "Gwen" instead of "Gwyn".