Star Trek: Prodigy is truly a unique entry into the Star Trek franchise. For starters, it’s the first Star Trek series that’s geared toward a younger audience – though it still has enough Easter eggs and storylines to hook hardcore Trekkies. It also underwent an upheaval; though it started life as an original series on Paramount+, tax cuts led to the series being cut from the streamer and then eventually landing on Netflix. That worked out for the best as Season 2 of Star Trek: Prodigy continues to deliver everything fans love about the franchise, including its sleek animation style and top-notch character development.
Season 2 of Star Trek: Prodigy finds the crew of the U.S.S. Protostar on a new ship – specifically, a reconstructed version of the Voyager as Admiral Kathryn Janeway (Kate Mulgrew) has signed them on as warrant officers. The Protostar crew, in an attempt to help Janeway discover the whereabouts of Captain Chakotay (Robert Beltran), end up being flung into the future. They wind up racing through time and space to stop a menacing force known as the Loom from wiping out all of reality while dealing with the ups and downs of time travel. But how does the Season 2 finale, “Ourobouros,” bring this storyline to a close?
‘Star Trek: Prodigy’ Saves All Reality With a Time Loop
Most of Star Trek: Prodigy Season 2 is focused on how Dal (Brett Gray), Rok-Tahk (Rylee Alazraqui), Zero (Angus Imrie), Jankom Pog (Jason Mantzoukas) and newcomer Maj’el (Michaela Dietz) trying to find Chakotay while also dealing with the fact that their time travel might undo the existence of their friend Gwyn (Ella Purnell). Gwyn, on the other hand, is trying to reconnect with her people, the Solum — but the arrival of the tyrannical Vindicator (Jameela Jamil) draws the Loom to the Prime timeline. In order to stop reality from being wiped out, the Protostar crew wind up sending the ship back to the past so that their past selves will be able to find it on the Tars Lamora mining colony. There’s also a few emotional moments; the Protostar’s Janeway hologram, which served as a guide to the young crew, had to have its memory wiped. By literally bringing the Protostar’s journey full circle, the universe is safe.
Wesley Crusher Plays a Major Role in ‘Star Trek: Prodigy’ — and Has a Family Reunion
The Prodigy crew has help from an unlikely source in their quest to repair time: Wesley Crusher (Wil Wheaton). Wesley, having gained some mastery over space and time due to his adventures with the Traveler post-Star Trek: The Next Generation, essentially serves as an erstaz Doctor Who — with showrunners Dan and Kevin Hageman being fairly open about their inspiration. After reality is righted, Wesley has an emotional reuniion with his mother Beverly (Gates McFadden) and his brother Jack, who is a toddler. A grown-up Jack plays a major part in the final season of Star Trek: Picard, as he reunites with his father, Jean-Luc Picard (Patrick Stewart), and plays a role in stopping the twin threats of the Changelings and the Borg. But that isn’t the only connection to Picard that Prodigy shares.
‘Star Trek: Prodigy’ Sets Up the Events of ‘Star Trek: Picard’
Though Dal and friends are able to fix the timeline and save Chakotay, they return to Starfleet on First Contact Day — specifically 2385. That is the date of the Mars Attack, where synthetics programmed to work at shipyards attacked Mars’ inhabitants. Starfleet would cease its exploratory and rescue missions as a result, also banning synthetic beings from being created. Starfleet’s actions had grave consequences: a planned mission to evacuate the Romulan homeworld was abandoned, leading to its destruction via solar flare. Unbeknownst to anyone else, Spock (Leonard Nimoy) underwent a secret mission to stop the solar flare, which set up the events of the Kelvin Timeline in J.J. Abrams’ Star Trek films. Picard would also resign from Starfleet over their choices, with an Admiral mentioning him by name in “Ouroboros.” The fact that Prodigy is able to tie into Star Trek media from past and present while telling its own self-contained narrative is a feat that very few TV shows have pulled off and a reminder of what makes it special.
‘Star Trek Prodigy’ Ends With a New Ship, and a New Mission
Janeway almost follows in Picard’s footsteps and leaves Starfleet, but is convinced to come back by Chakotay. She also assigns Dal and his friends to a new Protostar-class vessel named the U.S.S. Prodigy, which will continue to carry out exploration and rescue missions, despite Starfleet’s new edicts. “As the Federation’s borders are receding, it’s of the utmost importance that you are a beacon of light to those beyond our reach,” Janeway tells the crew before she gives them the metaphorical keys to the Prodigy. But even though Janeway is staying on Earth, her holographic form will continue to serve as a mentor to the Prodigy crew. In addition, Dal hands over command of the ship to Gwyn. While a Season 3 renewal hasn’t been confirmed yet, Star Trek: Prodigy Season 2 is a wonderful reminder of everything that makes Star Trek great.