Prodigy Is Star Trek's Best Animated Series

[@tallonhunter3663]

Prodigy joins a legacy of digitally animated kids shows that didn't treat their audience like idiots and consequently are simplified yet deep and entertaining.

[@langleymneely]

When describing Prodigy to people for the first time I refer to it as the Batman The Animated Series for Star Trek. It’s kid/family friendly but takes the universe and lore seriously enough that it’s welcoming for long time veteran Trek fans. I was pleasantly surprised that Prodigy would be the best new Trek series for me! I love Strange New Worlds and think it’s a stellar first season but I have to give the edge to Prodigy, it’s that good!

[@schwarzerritter5724]

Usually people compare it to Clone Wars.

[@danilejai7801]

Strange New Worlds is second in my book as well. It’s missing something it doesn’t feel 100% like Star Trek to me, like it could just be a generic space show of any franchise.

[@jadeglaze3390]

Totally agree! Star Trek’s BTAS!

[@danielland3767]

@@schwarzerritter5724 with the robotics and aesthetics I see why, but it still has the "soul" of Trek to me

[@danielland3767]

@@danilejai7801 I see both you and the OP (original person) point but for me its different. SNW gives me Kelvin timeline vibes, the ability to give the new generation what the pre TNG era was supposed to look like and be. It's only because its come after that it feels generil

[@Wordfishtrombone]

My young son hates Star Trek because I’m “obsessed with it,” “talk about it all the time,” and “have a communication badge tattooed on my chest.” But he loved Prodigy! It was a great introduction and wonderful ride!

[@jojoone1099]

Not YT comments giving me an idea for a Halloween costume.

[@chelmrtz]

Prodigy surprised the hell out of me. I expected nothing from this show and got everything I needed. The art is stunning, it has heart and guts, it’s funny in the right places, and I really care about everyone on the show. My only complaint: WHERE THE HELL IS THE CAITAN GIRL AND WHY ISNT SHE ON THE CREW

[@sergioaccioly5219]

Besides heart and guts, it also has brains. And that helps a lot.

[@francescosaporiti1431]

Probably simply because she wasn't need for the overall story and would only fell like a last-minute addition to the crew. In a way, I think that the same reasoning happen on Star Trek:Lower Deck with the character of Jennifer Sh'reyan, the Andorian girlfriend of Mariner in season 3, who while I do still think that given more time or plotline the character could have worked quite well, without either of these element the character feel too much distant from the audience and useless for the main plot. While Mike McMahan did not say so explicity, i am afraid he decided to try to step up the character more for fan request than a true original agenda behind the character, otherwise he would have show the character more often, first as background and then in a few episode as addition for the main cast in some particular adventure or assignment(like in the season episode of the season 2, where Mariner and the crew are assigned to collect the belonging of the archive of space collector, Jennifer should have been used as an addition for the crew instead of the character of Jet, Mariner long past ex-boyfriend and show up briefly in only one episode)...admitting perhaps it later turn out in season 4 that Jennifer is actually a Orion in disguise and a secret member of the Orion Syndicate which admittely would make her character cool in a second, but otherwise my reasoning has its points

[@Dracattack]

The prisoners of Tars Lamora took the Diviners ship and presumably will return to their homes or to nuke the Kazon homeworld

[@anthonygordon9483]

I was a little surprised as well. Plus the budget and art looked like it could of been a feature film. And the writing seem like it stook with the canon of the universe. As a Star Trek fan was looking for flaws and though there are some, most of it was pretty legit. Even down to the protostar being a smaller vessel to allow a crew of 6 to manage. My favorite episode was "First Con-tact" which is ironically my favorite TNG movie.

[@GSBarlev]

Caitian girl got her *crowning moment of awesome* at the end of "A Moral Star" when those claws came out. That was a satisfying enough conclusion to her arc, at least for me.

[@allenrubinstein3696]

Actually, I'm just realizing that one of the things that made Prodigy work so well for me personally is that I never knew season 1 was a 20-episode arc. I assumed the first ten episodes was the first season, and that "we want to reach the Federation" was a flat premise - i.e. Voyager. "Well, we didn't make it back home this week. Let's try again next week and see if that adventure gets us there." They'd make progress in reaching their goal in bits and pieces over the years of the series. That's what the structure of most episodic television has conditioned me to expect! Then when real Janeway appeared, I thought, "Interesting, they're making this established character into an antagonist. Nice swerve." I figured she'd come around, lose sight of them, a few self-contained adventures, more real Janeway, more bits and pieces, gradually paced developments - basically, the storytelling X-Files brought forward. Instead, they held onto the premise and gave us a self-contained 20-half-hour complete beginning-to-end, fully thought through adventure series. It was a great journey for me, not knowing their intentions ahead of time.

[@danielland3767]

Yup even with spoilers (I'm on the episode right after the Diviner went mad) I knew this show was going to be something great. Going in without knowing what the goal is was off putting at first (that robot gave me General Grevious vibes) but as they established it I was all in, I rate it as a tie with SNW because I want to go back and see what happens and just how good the best of the Galaxy (brilliant move to not use Starfleet people on a Starfleet ship) can do with the best technology the Federation has to offer.

[@arturormispiretaamesquita8580]

I also agree. Prodigy was the perfect introduction to Star Trek for my boyfriend, who hasn't watched any ST and wasn't that much interested in TNG. He loves it and i think now he will be more inclined now to watch other Shows 😇

[@Isengardtom]

Yeah I understand that. Problem with TNG is that it’s a little dated and the first seasons are mediocre/ bad

[@kennethdzengedza8978]

TNG had hooked me in

[@patrickdodds7162]

Star Trek Lower Decks may not be as deep as Prodigy (or even TAS), but it has a definite charm to it. The humor is witty, the characters are appealing and it has a shockingly high respect for the source material of Roddenberry's playground. It's like Kevin Smith's Dogma: it pokes fun at Trek's many foibles, while maintaining a sense of respect for the mythos (which has been sorely missing for nearly a decade and a half). Ironically it's the only nuTrek that feels like Trek (at least to me). But, if people prefer the other Prodigy or TAS over it, I will not ask God to strike them down.😉 (Live and let live)

[@foxesofautumn]

I prefer Lower Decks. It’s fun and the characters feel fresher. Plus it has genuine surprises which Prodigy didn’t for me. They both have their place but I enjoy LD a lot more. Nice to see Star Trek can be more than earnest and hopeful.

[@Mad-Bassist]

Lower Decks reminds me of The Orville in one way: those shows focus on comedy, but they also have a serious side and care about telling a story. The characters have a sense of competence and growth, making for addictive shows!

[@alking9022]

Team Lower Decks FOREVER!!! (Though I did really enjoy the swearing in Discovery)

[@petraw9792]

The approaches are so different, I couldn't even compare these two shows. Prodigy is the outside perspective of characters who know nothing about the Federation. Lower Decks is about the side characters/extras of the other shows. It makes totally sense for the characters to geek out about other characters. That's like a student being a fanboy/-girl of a professor or scientist. And that some jokes go over the head of the casual viewer is fine. With that many shows there is room for just one for the hard-core fans. Lower Decks is still my favourite. Still utterly enjoyed Prodigy and Strange New Worlds.

[@mikeevans4585]

LD is most definitely a fun romp that pays homage to and gives an elbow (finger?) at times to their predecessors to "keep it real"...I'm glad our vlog host is acknowledging Prodigy's craft and care in providing an entry point for young fans to hitch a ride and explore the whole franchise. Star Trek has something for everyone!

[@scottwells8064]

Sacrifice, friendship, sense of duty, sense of community, character growth, high stakes drama...yeah. Prodigy is way, way better than I had hoped. Well done all around.

[@DigiRangerScott]

Prodigy feels like it took all the right lessons from modern animated Star Wars while better developing the universe and advancing Janeway’s story with more than an outfit change

[@adamdahlin6025]

The time episode was messed up. The rock kid was in the slowest time and the whole episode I was thinking okay it was minutes for them and days for Rok-tahk. Then at the end you find out she learned like 2 or 3 fields of science in that time frame and when asked how long she was there Janeway just says "Too long." I have no idea how long that is but it made me straight up sad for how lonely Rok-tahk must have been before they all get to hug at the end.

[@Dracattack]

Bear in mind Rok Tahk could likely barely read given her background and she had to learn everything a typical 24th century school kid would to even start to broach the subjects she needed. It's decades at best.

[@mikefrederick2696]

There is a nod here to "Star Trek: New Frontier" novels. The security officer on Excalibur was a Brikar (an older male) so choosing Rok-Tahk as security officer by default is a nod or perhaps even a slight criticism of New Frontier's choice - just cause he's huge and almost indestructible, don't pigeonhole him. (If you've not read the books, there's a few other canon characters in New Frontier: Elizabeth Shelby, Dr Selar, Saavik, Robin Lefler) But that aside from Holo-Janeway to Gwen is a gut-punch.

[@GSBarlev]

What I loved about her session in the Hyperbolic Time Chamber was that they _made it mean something._ it profoundly changed Rok-Tahk's character (and not just by giving her new useful skills), and the other characters (especially Gwyn) acknowledge it. Rok is hands-down my second favorite character (first being Dr. Erin Macdonald), and given that they're contemporaries, I *really hope* we get to see her be science buddies with Lt. Tendi, if only in Beta canon like a graphic novel or _STO_ mission.

[@BaileyPoint]

As someone who grew up with TNG, and as an adult has come to realize just how much of my personality has derived from classic Trek philosophies and ideologies, I have been downright grateful for this show, as it has already instilled a love of Star Trek in my 5 and 7 year old daughters (and it's a show I'm eager to watch with them every week).

[@MagiusDel]

It's rather strange that after Discovery and Picard managed to botch their serialized storytelling so badly, it's the straight up kids show that gives them the template for season long plots going forward. This is a great series, and if they keep this level of storytelling up, I think it could be a strong contender for best Star Trek series of all time. It really is that good.

[@ThomasstevenSlater]

Children shows do have some advantages. 1. you can have non human/humaniod characters 2. no sexual tension arcs that go on way to long and just start another one when they end. 3. you can have weird stuff just happen 4. people can just be good 5. they can't fall back nostalgia 6. You can tell self contained 1/2 episode stories without constant moaning 7. no grimdark.

[@danielland3767]

@@kokukokubin6092 agree and the show proves you don't need reality or universe ending threats to make it capitalizing or engaging. These kids not being able to make it to the Federation is a huge problem that can seem easy to fix even for this crew yet they keep getting it "wrong" or a setback that seem logical to have. What "Nu Trek" can do is scale back on what the "threat" is. It can be smaller stakes and just as engaging as the larger story at play. I'm still petitioning for a Star Trek: Starships show that gives you that goal of people trying to get a ship designed and built, once its built the personality it has and the characters that use it. After that ship story is told for the time being, a crew member that was on that ship (O'Brian, Worf) transfers to the next AND THAT SHIP now becomes the man character while the crew are supporting cast and another crew member is the B story to go to the next ship. God I want to see that show everytime I mention it, starting with Equinox to the subsequent Voyager's, Prometheus & Protostar before it ended up in the Delta quadrant.

[@danieldesmith5434]

I absolutely loved prodigy. Prodigy's music felt like a love letter to Trek, with all its returning themes, I will confess, when enterprising young men popped up a couple of times I was quite happy. Also, I love the main theme, one of my favourite Trek scores

[@MyogaSama]

Prodigy is something I struggled with the pacing of for the first few episodes, but the visuals in that show are just outstanding and the character arcs are near universally relatable.

[@thod8820]

I wonder if the reason Prodigy avoids a lot of the flaws streaming shows has is because it's not necessarily a streaming show. It's a Nickelodeon show that's being sent out in chunks on streaming. Maybe there's something about the way that kind is produced that helps?

[@kaitlyn__L]

@@StreetPreacherr Nickelodeon is owned by Paramount. Eg the Spongebob Squarepants movie was a Paramount release, in 2003. It’s all just been Viacom for a long time. That’s not to say organisational structure can’t yield insight - but it’s nothing to do with either of those brands, it’s just the fact that the Trollhunters team were given free reign to plan a story ahead of time.

[@danielland3767]

I agree, it also leans to the fact that writers for cartoons get so much more leeway to tell a story without actors telling how they think a character should be or anything else. I mentioned this elsewhere but of my top 3 favorite shows of all time, all 3 are toons. Toons get stories that are allowed to breathe, what can be argued as "filler" episodes actually focus on character development that later come up in the overall arch. They also become so popular that they influence the source material (Batman:TAS Harley Quinn is a prime example). Prodigy is now in my top 4 of best shows of all time 1. Avatar: The Last Airbender 2. Star Wars: Clone Wars (2003) 3. Batman: The Animated Series 4. Star Trek: Prodigy What is crazy for me is that when it's finally completed Prodigy has a really good chance to take spot 2 or 3 in this list (ATLA is a original IP that started in cartoon form, so it stays #1 for me). It's that good, I have to pace myself to watch it & I do with a bowl of cereal just for nostalgia sake 🤣🤣

[@Dracattack]

Nickelodeon Studios when it's allowed can make very good action shows like this and the nu tmnt. The network has had a run of bad executives though and I suspect Kurtzmans presence gave the writers more freedom than Nick normally would

[@jamesbourgeois1357]

I personally loved the cameos in "Kobayashi". Especially since the credited the deceased actors at the end.

[@AndrewD8Red]

I'm genuinely chuffed to bits that so many people love the show, though. (That's British speak for "happy")

[@GSBarlev]

Do most Americans not know that slang? It's quite simple, really.

[@rmeddy]

I was pleasantly surprised at this show. I was expecting the bare minimum with it being some basic Trek lore/thematic introduction for kids and then they would do the Spaces Cases thing with some simple episodic content and exploration with some nostalgia for Voyager fans. What we got was much more with some really great plot and character reveals That mystery box payoff with Dal in particular is a fantastic.

[@johncattley5919]

As much fun as it is to watch Steve tear something apart, it’s even better to see a show live up to his standards. Thanks, Steve, and good work, Prodigy!

[@thomasstrudwick94]

Prodigy is that perfect kind of kids show. A show that parents will not only be happy to watch with their children, but actively want to watch with them.

[@therizinosaurus214]

I have been impressed with how packed these episodes have been in 30 minutes without them feeling stuffed.

[@CaptainAndy]

Definitely my favourite of the new wave of Treks. Focusing on action adventure rather than trying to be dark and gritty. Also, unafraid to appeal to the younger audience rather than trying to be all serious and adult. The great thing as well about the animated format, much like with the original animated series, restrictions of character design and special effects are no longer a problem. They get to be really creative with the visuals.

[@CaptainRyMM]

Honestly, listening to you describe rocks experience being alone for as long as she had to be made me tear up as if I was watching it first hand. Really one of the most heart wrenching scenes in the show

[@AbiNoelCarter]

I couldn't agree more, Steve. This show took me aback with it's seemingly masterful abilities to weave mature story beats (the fact that Gwyn figured out the planet was tricking her because she knew her father wouldn't choose her over the ship, for example, was heart-wrenching) with comedic ones (on the flipside, Jankom pitch-perfectly just naming it the Murder Planet in the same episode) is all the more impressive considering the target audience is never forgotten! Maybe it is easier to forgive missteps in a children's show but, it's still just such a delight and I hope the "adult" trek shows of the new generation take the lessons from this one!

[@patlussenden4536]

You nailed it - the writing is supreme on this show. Every episode I wanted more and asked “How come the kids show is rockin it sooooo much better than the others?” I wonder if the half hour episode length guided the writers to keep it at such a high level of execution? Just a thought….glad you liked it. I was nervous to hear what you had to say.

[@nenthil2048]

I absolutely agree with your views on Prodigy, was very pleasantly surprised and hope they keep the depth and enthusiasm for the show throughout season 2.

[@allenrubinstein3696]

Yes! Prodigy is a slam dunk. One thing I'd emphasize a bit more than you did, Steve is the power of the character arcs. All the characters feel organic and their growth is both marked and enormous. It's really a testament to the dedication of the writing staff that these young characters take leaps and bounds as people - being thrust into situations that require them to evolve quickly - yet it never feels forced or that we're having their inner journey explained to us without seeing it happening in real time on screen. I'd love to see the maps they drew to know where each individual was at each point of the journey because the command of it episode by episode is stunning. I'd also give props to the handling of hologram Janeway versus real Janeway, something that would be so easy to muck up and make confusing. While remaining patterend on the same base character traits, there's never a question that they're two different characters, each with their own part to play and their own individual goals and motivations. Just superlative work all around. I'd love to see the same group of writers just dropped into different genres of television to see how they handle them. I'd follow these guys anywhere. Looks like the series was entrusted to Dan and Kevin Hageman, a couple of brothers who worked on The Croods and the entire Lego series, so they specialize in non-condescending young-audience material. Talented fellas.

[@AlexanderBlues1228]

I happen to be in the midst of watching “Voyager” (much of it for the first time, since I gave up on it after Seven was added back in the day…big mistake) right now, so “Prodigy” made for a fantastic accompaniment to that series. I was already invested in characters like Janeway and Chakotay, so having them appear on “Prodigy” in their series’ future was absolutely perfect. Plus, the lore on this show goes DEEP without feeling cheap. Who could have imagined that we’d get Tellerite and Medusan protagonists on a “Trek” series?

[@davidsnyder518]

One minor thing I really liked was the holo console from "all the world's a stage" because it's a concept I thought they should have used in the first season of Picard on the lasarena.

[@hannahlarge5738]

it has been great so far. Rok is my favourite, she's so sweet and gentle. i hope next season includes Bashir and Garak. partly because i really want a polished canon version of sid city social's "little achievements", and partly because i want to see Bashir take Dal under his wing and continue the fight for neurodiversity rights in the federation.

[@BardicLasher]

Bashir is currently rumored for a Lower Decks appearance and for the nebulous Section 31 show.

[@hannahlarge5738]

@@BardicLasher would also love to see him and garak on lower decks as an old married couple, but mostly just want to see the little acheivments speech, and Prodigy feels like the right place for that ;)

[@Unicronsupreme]

Interesting to see Jellico come back up. Your video about him is what first brought me to your channel years ago.

[@charlesandresen-reed1514]

This show, along with Strange New Worlds restored my faith in Star Trek's future. I nearly didn't watch it since it was billed as a kid's show, and I'm so very glad I gave it a shot.

[@distantcomets]

We got rope-a-doped with this show in the best way possible: I also expected this would be cute kiddo Trek but expected it not to ultimately be for me. What a wonderful and thoughtful distillation of what we love about the franchise it's turned out to be!

[@AndrewD8Red]

It did grow on me. I did enjoy watching them, all things considered; the last three or four episodes in particular.

[@xedalpha1]

I watched this out of curiousity to start with. I never thought this kids show would bringe to tears in its finale. Go fast, hologram Janeway...

[@keithjacobson9427]

Amazing! I agree 100%. I was not expecting Prodigy to be this good!

[@logdolinki]

I fell in love with the show at the very begining. As a whole package it was brilliantly done. I can't wait to watch more of it

[@zico739]

An all-alien crew was ballsy.

[@richardjohnson9543]

For me, Prodigy is proof-of-concept for an animated continuation of Enterprise dealing with the Earth/Romulan War arc that we were denied with Enterprise's untimely cancelation. Oh, and Steve I'm so sorry that your introduction to Star Wars animation was Resistance. Clone Wars(seasons 3 and up) and Rebels are far superior and have become a direct influence on the current live action shows

[@euansmith3699]

I'm looking forward to having a chance to watch this. The artwork looks lovely and Steve's description makes the series sounds like an ideal show for me. Steve is a BIG boy. 👍

[@DinoRubble]

I have to say, Prodigy is a complete and unexpected surprise. And like Steve, I was completely unprepared for how hard, “too long,” hit me. I’ve never wanted to hug/comfort an animated character so much.

[@wezul]

All the stuff you said about Prodigy sticking the landing? "Courage, selflessness, sacrifice, triumph, sadness, the recognition the change is inevitable but not always comfortable, and the promise that adventure is always out there." - you know you're actually describing LOWER DECKS, right? ;)

[@foxesofautumn]

Lololo you got it. Also the ending was my least favourite part of Prodigy. Predictable and also makes season two look less interesting *sigh*

[@mitochondriaisalsothelungs5986]

Why can't they coexist? Both shows are fantastic but they're also both very different. They're each great for what they are. Peace and love in the Star Trek fandom

[@skepticsandscoundrels]

Very cool! Looking forward to watching this series once I finish Lower Decks! Thanks for another quality review!

[@garywoods7236]

My daughter is getting prodigy for her birthday in February then we are going to take a trip to Bloomington to visit the Janeway statue. So glad they made a show to help get kids interested in the show

[@AxelWedstar411]

I get the comparison to animated Star Wars. Overall tone of Clone Wars, ragtag crew of misfits from Rebels/Bad Batch, visuals that lean more towards Resistance. Of course the on-screen body count is non-existent compared to most of those shows, but you can't tell me there were no casualties in the season finale. Honestly caught me off guard. 😨

[@crybabytrekkie6447]

Shows like Lower Decks prove that you can never have anything new, while shows like Discovery and Picard prove that you can never keep anything old. Prodigy strikes the perfect balance, because its writers' love for Star Trek is sincere and not just some kind of perverted sentimentality (like with that other animated Trek show). It loves the format, the ideals, the universe, the wonder of exploration-and not just things from the past. There is genuine love for the genre, science, and space in that show. So even if it looked nothing like Star Trek, it'd still be Star Trek to the core.

[@MrGavin42]

I was so hoping you were going to make a video about how amazing Prodigy is!

[@cyberius7042]

Totally agree with every word of this video essay, not something that I can often say. I went into Prodigy open, not knowing what to expect, and quickly came to love it. Even the individual episodes that I like least still contributed something to the overarching story and character development. To me, the Kobayashi Maru episode felt more like a tasteful tribute to older Treks (that kids watching Prodigy probably won't be familiar with) than any other streaming show's easter eggs aimed solely at the hardcore mega-geek fans.

[@danielland3767]

I also liked that when they mixed up the bridge crew that it didn't feel all Easter egg or fan boy ish. It felt like a natural progression of the Kobayashi Maru program that Spock made. If you can beat it with a simple hack then pull some of the best from the era's of Starfleet and see how you fare with different opponents. I loved that new spin on it

[@mikewalker7385]

An amazing recap! I loved how you passionately narrated the entire first season, highlighting aspects of the show that I either missed or forgot. Your recap has reignited my excitement to watch season 2, which comes out in just 2 days. I can't wait! You've really piqued my interest and I'm thrilled.

[@louisvlleguy]

I wasn't all that into 'Prodigy' for the first few episodes - but, I have to say that as the season went on, I was hooked. I ended up really enjoying it by the end.

[@GrannyGamer1]

You're spot on about the storytelling. I'll.add the art is first rate, completely unexpected in a kids' show. Textures, lighting, details in close up as well as vast beauty of expansive space. Details carry over into sound effects, s well. And the score is top notch. I'm not thrilled that everyone's hair looks like plastic wigs and I often find their physiology angular, way too slender and facially unable to express subtle emotion. But, over all, the show is beautiful to both watch and listen to. It's respectful of children and the art reflects that.

[@NimhLabs]

They still have yet to do an episode where, for whatever reason, are involved in the events of The Trouble With Tribbles

[@01genericus]

And the music! I love Michael Giacchino in general, but this piece, along with the voyager-esque intro were awesome to me. Just thought I'd give that a shout out.

[@melissal3159]

Like a lot of really good kids shows Prodigy doesn't shy away from the dark and scary. It's children escaping slavery and child abuse.

[@lorcannagle]

I love the idea of Prodigy and the broader overarching storyline more than I do any individual episodes. it looks amazing, and the way they've integrated it into the broader Trek universe works really well. But it is primarily a show for kids, and it's angled for that market. This is not a complaint though, it's very good at what it's doing and I'm not the target audience. I'm more impressed that there's enough to enjoy here that I keep watching. It's definitely up there in the pantheon of kids' shows that have enough broad appeal that they're watchable by many audiences.

[@sarahscott5305]

I love this series so much! One of the best New Trek series! Who would have thought such a loving homage to Voyager would turn out to be (potentially) even better than Voyager?

[@mikefrederick2696]

It is imo, significantly better than Voyager. Excellent stories (I know Steve didn't like Kobayashi, but the way Dal keeps re-trying and re-trying until he beats the test is, if anything, more impressive than Kirk's cheating win, although I loved that at the time). I think it's brilliant - and tragic that it has been cancelled

[@BardicLasher]

One of my favorite things about Prodigy is the use of different species. While every Star Trek show has had some diversity and the animated ones have managed a bit more, Prodigy's only human-looking main character is Janeway, and only Dal and Gwyn even look like they could be rubber forehead aliens. Then there's casually a Tellarite and an Andorian with Janeway, and it really feels like a Star Trek universe as it was 'meant' to be, without the severe budgetary constraints that make live action shows go to planets of 'humans in vaguely racist outfits.' TAS touched on the idea with Arex, and DIS' Saru looks amazing, but Prodigy's just able to go all-out here in ways that other shows can't and don't.

[@ColeMayes]

Can't agree with you more, Steve. 🥰 I truly fell in love with this series. 💖 For me, the Diviner's arc is the best swing I've enjoyed in a long time. It really caught me off guard, and it did it totally convincingly. 👍👍

[@lexxstrum]

One thing I liked was that Prodigy used the lore like they were living in the Trek Universe, not for fan service for the viewer. The references made sense for someone living in their situation, not an extended joke that wouldn't really make sense to the people in the show; as much as I enjoy LD, there's no way that all those references that Beckett et al make would be KNOWN by everyone.

[@14dolphins]

I love Prodigy and one of the reasons is it reminds me a bit of The Orville, they both deserve more seasons

[@lewdwig]

I think neither Prodigy nor Lower Decks have any right to be as good as they are. Which after years of underwhelming Trek is a blessed miracle.

[@JanetStarChild]

WTF??? ...Lower Decks isn't good at all.

[@wallacewallaby5782]

@@JanetStarChild It has its fans. Personally, 'm not into the Trek spoof shows or the insistence from their fans that it's canon to real Trek shows, which just doesn't make any sense.

[@AndrewD8Red]

@@wallacewallaby5782 I don't understand, the only Trek shows that don't fit into canon are TOS and TAS. I know they are *technically* canon, but they're just so incongruous with the rest of the franchise that it can't help but feel like a spoof of real Star Trek.

[@AndrewD8Red]

For my money, Lower Decks is better than all but two Star Trek shows; Enterprise and, of course, DS9

[@JanetStarChild]

@@AndrewD8Red Bloody hell... You must have grown up watching crap like Family Guy if you think Lower Decks is one of the best Star Trek shows.

[@tsharabrown3719]

This sounds like a Firefly-esque crew in Star Trek's universe and I am here for it. I can't wait until I can watch Discovery. I'm actually tabling this video because I don't want any more spoilers. I'm convinced.

[@AncientWonder54]

I do like that he was able to completely out maneuver the Captain Training test (I don’t know how to spell the actual name) at least for a little bit. 19:25 But, WTF IS UP WITH SPOCKS CHARACTER DESIGN. 🤨

[@Spckeck]

Oh my god! Here I was thinking that me (a 38 year old), couldn't get away with saying I love this show :). Thanks for having my back on this.

[@air1fire]

Hey Steve. I'm getting into Star Trek for the first time because of you. I'm currently watching TOS and it's some of the best television I've ever seen. I intend to keep watching all the series until I either reach the end or don't find the later series interesting. Though I'm definitely going to watch Prodigy after this video. Okay, I guess I can die before I finish all the series. Or modern computerized society could collapse and leave me unable to continue watching. Or I could lose both my sight and hearing for some reason. But if none of that happens, I'm going to watch all of them! Anyway, thanks for introducing me to this franchise, love you ☺️

[@lewallaire8185]

Steve is my professor of Star Trek. Never too enamored to point out it's flaws but heroically pointing out where it has excelled.

[@groovyguru5314]

It's an artistic Masterpiece visually pretty good stories too

[@texasyojimbo]

I haven't seen Prodigy yet, and frankly it's because I assumed as a children's show it wouldn't be for me. But looking back, I got into Star Trek when I was about 10 watching TNG in its first run, and I have found memories of watching TOS and TAS when I was even younger (even though I didn't understand what was going on, aside from the one episode of TAS where Kirk and Spock turn into fish people). Don't underestimate the kids... that's the hard lesson.

[@SmartSmears]

I'm going to disagree since I think Lower Decks is the best current Trek show. But I'd go with another big compliment, Prodigy is right there in second place, and it's not close. For whatever reason the animated shows know what they're doing much more than the live action ones. They know how to tell engaging episodic stories, how to do longer character arcs and storylines, and most importantly to me, they know how to do this while standing on their own. Even with as good as Strange New Worlds is, it's held back imo by being on an old ship (the third show set on that ship) with a tonne of old returning characters, and is too interested with that fact about itself when making storylines. I praise Prodigy for giving us a new ship with new characters, a new era and a new environment, and getting us to care deeply about what's going on with them anyways.

[@Mad-Bassist]

Well said Steve! Prodigy surprised me too--while I expected a few extra layers of exposition to introduce a new generation of viewers to the Federation/Starfleet, they got most of it out of the way early and concentrated on the characters and story. The thing I found most interesting is Jankom - the first relatable Tellarite who is also a regular character. Until now, Tellarites were shown as ill-tempered and not very interesting, making me wonder what they contributed to the formation of the Federation. Andorians were also like that until Enterprise, thanks to the legend that is Jeffrey Combs. Before that, it was mostly about Humans and Vulcans when it came to the founders.

[@LexYeen]

15:54 _Oof._ Yeah if my intro to Star Wars animation was Resistance I'd feel the same way. If you ever feel like giving it a shot again, the CGI Clone Wars and newer Bad Batch are both excellent - Clone Wars is visually showing its age, though.

[@trynda1701]

Love Steves' enthusiasm for the show. 😊😊😊😊 Plus that bit at the end. Paraphrasing..."long time Trek fans, dont make it weird for the kids" after talking about the plushy toy, then looking at his action figures. "I just have those for making comics, theyre not toys. They're collectables, for big boys...I mean adults"! Then looking away from camera before the fast cut ending. Yup, it got weird! 😅😅😅😅

[@TBHNotGonnaLie]

Its so bloody good, it feels more trek than the latest picard series

[@JanetStarChild]

I'm so glad to see you give this wonderful animated series high praise; it really *is* _that_ good. Star Trek: Prodigy quickly became one of my favorite Star Trek shows; and I've seen just about everything Star Trek.

[@TheFlyingSailorYT]

Prodigy has a banger intro theme too.

[@JasonAndrew1973]

I love this series. I know it's for kids, but it's real Trek.

[@foxesofautumn]

It’s all real Trek. Even the disappointing stuff.

[@stevenolsen1260]

While it seemed similar to Star Wars to me on the first episode it slowly dawned on me how much the show mirrored Avatar The Last Airbender. I'm not complaining. Also, this show hooked my daughter who had been ambivalent about Trek, and now is super invested in the characters and learning about the larger ST universe. Amazing what a good slug can do.

[@Ellimist000]

I also like how its basically an inversion of most of the other series, where its the federation/humans making their way through the greater universe, this is a ground of non-federation aliens making their way through the universe in many ways as affected by the Federation.

[@DLZ2000]

This was a very strong season. I feel like it's so strong I'd probably have to update my rankings of the new shows: DSC: Still delivering the message of radical empathy and with its strongest season yet, influenced by some of my favorite hard sci-fi. PRO: Deftly combines the well-paced growth of the characters with an introduction to Star Trek concepts and a compelling storyline, it's much more than a Starfleet recruitment film. PIC: An ambitious season two exceeded its grasp and wasn't quite as good as season one, with oddly placed cliffhangers and themes not quite exploited to their fullest depths, but as with most Trek seasons of this current era, it still managed to stick the landing, and provide some decent closure for Rios, Jurati, and Kore, even if they, Soji, and Elnor will be missed. SNW: Relatively safe, but well-executed show, it's done an excellent job of filling in the gaps of Trek history, while still providing some commentary relevant to our times, it still manages to anger exactly the right people for the right reasons. LDS: Season three was muddled enough to be about half-good, with five of the episodes forgetting that the show is about underdogs engaging in solidarity class-consciousness, but it also stuck the landing in the finale, and hopefully with T'Lyn, the show will improve in season four.

[@BernardManansala]

Yes!!! This show is sooooo good!!! Only problem if it is a problem, the episodes are too short to my liking.

[@jadeglaze3390]

Agreed! Watched it with my 12 year old son. It’s the first trek show he’s had any interest in and he loves it. But, and this is key, it wasn’t a shock to me that it turned out good because my son (and I by extension) have watched the Hagemen’s previous outstanding shows… Troll Hunters and… forget the name of the other one. Troll Hunters was billed as a Guillermo Del Toro show which it certainly is and it shows but that maybe made it a bit unclear that the Hageman’s were a large part of its success. Anyway… Prodigy! I hope more people recognize it’s greatness so it doesn’t fly under the radar and get canceled.

[@troywilliams9788]

I agree I love it!!!

[@tristanfrog]

Steve, if the only Star Wars animated show you've experienced is Resistance, you've chosen the wrong show. It's widely agreed in the Star Wars community that it has very little to offer older audiences. If you ever feel the desire to try a star wars show again, I recommend Rebels for you. It also follows a small crew with well defined characters, good character growth, etc. It's very similar to prodigy in many regards

[@davidsnyder518]

I binged prodigy over the weekend and I think it's the best star trek show released in the past 23 years.

[@LuizBarrosPoa]

For the first time in, like, 20 years I laught at a Star Trek joke: when Dal, the young "captain," points at Jamkon Pog and gives the order "Get rid of all the non essencial things in this ship", and Jamkon Pog looks bewildered and says "But...Jamkon Pog IS essential!" I laugh my ass off, it was so innocent and clever. 😂

[@DovahElioth]

As far as new shows go, I love prodigy, lower decks and strange new worlds. I'm very happy.

[@arcticdragon3565]

i was extremely skeptical of this series, but you sold it to me man. Will have to watch it while I wait for Season 2 of Strange New Worlds

[@windgraceproject]

So happy to see Prodigy getting so much love. I feel like it is bound to be the most over-looked new Trek show which is just a crying shame. As it currently stands, I think I would give Prodigy the slight edge over SNW for the simple fact that this 1st season really can be taken as a complete story whereas SNW feels like it's only getting started. That, and I'm still not over Hemmer! Either way, if SNW and Prodigy are the direction of future Trek, I am beyond excited.

[@douglasbaker9663]

I'm gonna have to come back to this after watching Prodigy. I just wanted to say, I'm enjoying how these black sheep shows (Prodigy, Andor) are absolutely schooling their sibling productions. On Andor's part at least, it seems to have benefited from the studios relinquishing control and not forcing fan service on the stories. I hope to hear similar about Prodigy.

[@shawneldridge4465]

I have to say is I love Star Trek prodigy more than the actual Star Trek series itself. this prodigy is just way too awesome. And I cannot wait for a second season of it too. Hoping that there will be one coming soon. Thanks for doing this review and yes I enjoyed it as well. 👍🏻👍🏻👍🏻👍🏻👍🏻👍🏻👍🏻

[@VlogMNExtras]

When it comes to the quality of Trek with Disco, Picard, and Prodigy, I want to say that it's been a long road getting from there to here.

[@marialanier6155]

Its good to see old and new trek meet

[@OpinionsNoOneCaresAbout]

I can imagine the shouting matches you have with Jessie Gender over Lower Decks...

[@crybabytrekkie6447]

Lower Decks is proof that having memberberries is enough to have an audience these days. Prodigy rejects that overt pandering, so of course it's in its shadow.

[@SmartSmears]

@@crybabytrekkie6447 I find it odd that people call Lower Decks the memberberries show, when the most interesting storytelling and ideas in all of nutrek are coming out of it. No other Trek shows airing right now are doing things like wej Duj or A Mathematically Perfect Redemption, or even Crisis Point. People who say this are basically looking at the show in the most shallow way possible and then blaming the show for their analysis.

[@les5503]

I wonder if the inclusion of various characters from previous shows for the Kobayashi episode was an attempt to introduce these characters to the younger viewers. To create a sense of a broader universe that may provide a point of entry to shows except just Voyager. "Oh hey, I recognize Dr. Crusher from that episode. I liked her. I want to watch more TNG." I have to admit I haven't watched Prodigy, so I don't know whether or not I agree with your take on how they were incorporated. But I do think a show for kids may have different motives for introducing "legacy" characters than a show like Picard which was literally built around a legacy character. Just a thought.

[@shehanum]

Absolutely agree about how excellent Prodigy is. The heart this show has won me over. I doubt the second season can match how perfect the first season was, but - like pizza - even bad Prodigy is better than no Prodigy.

[@memoryalphamale]

Thanks for the fun video. Peace, and long life.

[@ShauriCheshire]

Thank you, Steve, for articulating so clearly exactly how I have felt watching - and falling in love with - STP. It struck me while watching this that this is, I feel, what the fan film Star Trek: Renegades wanted to be but couldn't quite manage for various reasons. Some crucial tonal differences, obvs, due to intended target audiences but the root premise is there in both: non-Fed/non-Starfleet folks doing Starfleet stuff. Renegades had some promise as an idea and has been realized now through Prodigy. In no way a dig at Renegades, either...aside from some production quality issues inherent with the FF sphere I enjoyed the idea behind it pretty well. :)

[@allenrubinstein3696]

I love the initials of the show being STP, since that's also a brand of motor oil.

[@edge_ucation]

It is really good. The most well written series of the entire franchise, AND IT'S A NICKELODEON SHOW!!!

[@davidhaasz4609]

Your Trelaine doll (sorry "Collectable") was staring at me the whole video, very disturbing. What does he know?

[@ChristianRichardBauer]

After the season's finale I finally realised how this is an ingenious story about refugees seeking a better life of hope and living up to their potential and the old Federation overcoming their prejudice towards Dal and tolerating the bending of some rules during their journey and allowing them in. Dal representing the foreigner who is inherently like us, in this case being literally engineered from all our DNA. This is a season about refugees, integration and humanity. What's more Star Trek than that?