NOTE: The following analysis speculates about the upcoming series Star Trek: Prodigy and contains potential SPOILERS.
Prodigy and Janeway
In April 2019, it was announced that CBS had tapped the Emmy-winning Hageman brothers to develop a new CG-animated kids series for Nickelodeon, and last July the title was revealed as Star Trek: Prodigy. The only official description for the show is that it “will follow a group of lawless teens who discover a derelict Starfleet ship and use it to search for adventure, meaning and salvation.” The biggest news came last October: the show’s star would be Kate Mulgrew, reprising her role as Star Trek: Voyager‘s Kathryn Janeway.
So far there are no official details on where in the galaxy or when in Star Trek history the series will be set, but we are assuming that like Star Trek: Lower Decks, this new animated series will fit into the established canon of the Prime Universe. However, Janeway’s inclusion on a show about lawless teens on board a derelict Starfleet ship doesn’t immediately seem to belong in the universe we know. Yet we think there is a fun way it might… and one that fits nicely with the mission of the new series.
First, let’s lay out what we know.
Kate Mulgrew as Captain Janeway in Star Trek: Voyager
Prodigy is about alien teens
A big clue regarding where Prodigy was set came in late February with the first reveal of the “bridge crew” and a good look at the style of the show—and more importantly, the “group of lawless teens” that will be at the center of it. The point was made that this will be the first Star Trek show with a fully alien crew.
Some fans think they have identified one or two of the aliens. The one pictured below (second from the left) could be a Talaxian, which might indicate Prodigy is set in the Delta Quadrant, but that is by no means definitive. Regardless, these do not seem to be familiar Federation species, a strong indication that this series is set outside the confines of the United Federation of Planets. Also, a derelict ship run by a group of teens would only be able to roam free outside of Federation jurisdiction, especially if the series is set any time prior to “The Burn” in the 31st century. Another clue that these teens are unfamiliar aliens came from Nickelodeon president Brian Robbins in February when he said the kids on the show “have to work together to commandeer a starship, and explore a universe like no other you’ve ever seen before.”
This all raises the question of what Janeway would be doing on an “abandoned ship” so far away from the Federation, Don’t worry, we’re getting to that…
First image from tar Trek: Prodigy
That’s Captain Janeway
There is also the question as to when in Star Trek history the show is set, and there can be a clue in Janeway’s rank. The official press release about Kate Mulgrew stated that she “will reprise her role as Captain Kathryn Janeway.” She was referred to as Captain Janeway multiple times during the video announcement as well.
Assuming all these references to her as Captain are describing her character on the show, there are two immediate possibilities for when Prodigy could be set. One would be during the years before Janeway took command of the USS Voyager in the year 2371. The other would be in the brief period between returning home from the Delta Quadrant in the year 2378, and her promotion. Mulgrew’s last appearance in Trek was as Admiral Janeway in Star Trek: Nemesis, set in the year 2379.
While both of these hold true to canon, does it really make sense for a new series to be set in a brief gap of time between 2379 and 2380, which also happens to be around the same setting of Star Trek: Lower Decks? And while canon could allow for Janeway to have been a captain prior to taking over the USS Voyager, does it make sense she would have all these adventures with some teens and never mention anything about it to her friends during those seven years lost in the Delta Quadrant?
In theory, Janeway could have been demoted back to Captain and have her adventures in the later 24th century, but we think there is a more obvious answer…
Vice Admiral Janeway speaking to Captain Picard in Star Trek: Nemesis
Theory: Prodigy Janeway is a hologram
A simple way to fit Captain Janeway onto a derelict Starfleet ship of alien teens is for the real Janeway to not actually be on the ship at all. Derelict implies abandonment, which would mean no Starfleet personnel on board. However, Starfleet ships of Janeway’s 24th century came standard with holographic technology, which remained in use by the Federation all the way through to the 32nd century (as seen in the third season of Star Trek: Discovery).
It makes sense that the teens would need help figuring out how to run the ship. Our theory presumes one of the holographic programs available on this ship would be of Captain Kathryn Janeway. It would be reasonable for Starfleet to use the noted scientist, explorer, and hero of the mission to the Delta Quadrant as a holographic template, complete with a record of her experiences and wisdom. The kids could turn to this hologram to teach them how to use the ship as well as the ways of the Federation.
Having a Captain Janeway as a teacher character for the alien teens also fits how this show made for kids has been described. Remember, the synopsis says these lawless teens are searching for “adventure, meaning and salvation.” Alex Kurtzman described the logic behind having the character on Prodigy by saying “Captain Janeway was held to a different standard than her predecessors. She was asked to embody an inhuman level of perfection in order to be accepted as ‘good enough’ by the doubters, but showed them all what it means to be truly outstanding. We can think of no better captain to inspire the next generation of dreamers on Nickelodeon, than she.”
Another clue that Janeway will be different on Prodigy came from the Hageman brothers themselves, who said on Twitter after the bridge crew was revealed that the reason they held back showing their version of Janeway is that it would be “the only thing anyone would want to talk about.” Kate Mulgrew herself may have indicated there is something different going on with this Janeway when she revealed she was initially “slightly bewildered” when first approached to play the character in the animated series, adding she “didn’t quite understand it,” but got excited when it was “explained to me in detail.”
There is also an element of poetry to this, as Janeway herself would often turn to the holodeck to get inspiration from a teacher of her own. Her holographic teacher was based on the real-life Renaissance artist and scientist Leonardo da Vinci. On Star Trek: Voyager we saw Janeway seek out the holographic da Vinci for advice and even some adventures together.
Janeway and da Vinci in “Concerning Flight”
… and possibly Emergency Comand Hologram Janeway
Having a hologram as one of the main series characters was introduced in Star Trek: Voyager with The Doctor (played by Robert Picardo), the USS Voyager’s Emergency Medical Hologram. The show established that by the 24th century, Federation technology could create very elaborate holograms not only capable of complicated tasks but a level of sentience as well, with the ability to expand on their programming and learn.
One of the ways The Doctor evolved was seen in the episode “Tinker Tenor Doctor Spy” when he added daydreaming to his programming. In one of those daydreams, he envisioned himself taking command of the Voyager in emergencies as an “Emergency Command Hologram.” After suggesting this as a real option, Captain Janeway was later seen using the Doctor as a ECH.
It is entirely possible that after returning from the Delta Quadrant, Admiral Janeway had the idea adopted by Starfleet, and who better to use as a template than Janeway herself? And when the teens of Star Trek: Prodigy try to use the derelict Starfleet ship, activating the ECH makes sense. And there’s a hint that Janeway is in command of this ship when you read into what Kate Mulgrew said about taking on the role: “I have invested every scintilla of my being in Captain Janeway, and I can’t wait to endow her with nuance that I never did before in Star Trek: Prodigy. How thrilling to be able to introduce to these young minds an idea that has elevated the world for decades. To be at the helm again is going to be deeply gratifying in a new way for me.”
The Doctor as the Emergency Command Hologram
… it’s more than just the bit about being a Captain
The argument for hologram Janeway goes beyond the assumption the character on Prodigy holds the rank of Captain. In theory, it’s possible the official press release and producers and Kate Mulgrew referring to the character as “Captain Janeway” are only doing so because Janeway is most known as a Captain. However, you then have to wonder what the real Janeway is doing onboard a derelict Starfleet ship, and – perhaps more importantly – what she would do in that case.
It’s reasonable to assume if Kathryn Janeway (of any rank) finds herself on a Starfleet ship somewhere in the galaxy (or even in another galaxy), she is going to make it her mission to return home, which is essentially the plot arc for Star Trek: Voyager. Not only does it seems unlikely new series would be so derivative, it also doesn’t mesh with the official description of teens who find the Starfleet ship and “use it to search for adventure, meaning and salvation.”
But if the Janeway on board the ship is a hologram, then perhaps she can be persuaded to join the teens on their adventures, wherever they are. And if she is a hologram, Prodigy could be set decades or even centuries past the 24th century, which opens up even more creative possibilities. This would give the show its own era away from Strange New Worlds, Lower Decks, Picard, and Discovery.
So, we here at TrekMovie think hologram Janeway would be a fun way to have this character as part of a crew of teens. Instead of obsessing about getting back home, she can help these “lawless” teens find that “salvation,” through her wisdom, sharing the ideals of Federation, which are the ideals of Star Trek itself. One question remains… will hologram Janeway also be obsessed with coffee?
The real Captain Janeway with her beloved coffee
We may find out on Monday
This hologram theory isn’t new; we have been talking about it on the All Access Star Trek podcast for months. But with the news of a Star Trek: Prodigy virtual panel as part of the First Contact Day events on April 5th, we wanted to lay out our theory in detail before that. Hopefully, that panel gives us our first look at Janeway and answers some of these questions, perhaps even confirming (or debunking) the hologram Janeway theory.
What do you think? Do you have a theory of your own? Let us know in the comments below.
Star Trek: Prodigy will debut on Paramount+ later this year, and will later be broadcast on Nickelodeon.
Keep up on all the Star Trek: Discovery news and analysis at TrekMovie.com.
I think it’s kind of obsessive semantics to to build the entire theory around Janeway being referred to as ‘captain,’ most people know her as the captain of Voyager, and one line in a press release doesn’t need to have footnotes about her actual rank. Furthermore she could also have retired from starfleet but be called the captain of the ship anyway. I thought at first you were edging toward ‘it’s set in the delta quadrant and is an alternate universe sequel to ‘year of hell’ where Janeway and the beaten up voyager hurdled into a different dimension instead of blowing up, and she’s out there all alone forced to take on alien teens in an attempt to get home.’ Which would be more interesting.
I’m not sure if I buy this theory. People in the real world always call the characters by their most well known ranks. Picard will always be Captain Picard even though he was an admiral when he retired. Similarly, it makes sense for the producers to call her Captain Janeway even if that isn’t technically her rank.
I think you’re also reading a bit too much into their reasoning for not including an image of Janeway. Even if she’s not a hologram, everybody would have been talking about Janeway’s picture if it was included. Does she look enough like Kate Mulgrew, what uniform is she wearing, how old does she look, what’s her hair like, etc.
I also wouldn’t read too much into Mulgrew being slightly bewildered by the premise. She was being asked to reprise a live action role on a show for adults and older kids on an animated kids show on Nickelodeon. If she hadn’t already heard of Prodigy, that would be more than “slightly bewildering.”
Its possible that Janeway will be a hologram, but there also isn’t any reason that it can’t be the real Janeway, based on what we know so far.
Oh I am sure she is a hologram, but maybe she is also… the ship?
I mean, have they confirmed that the ship they find is the USS Prodigy? Maybe Starfleet built a prototype, named it USS Janeway and equipped it with Janeway’s personality and hologram as the ship’s “computer”. This prototype might have been used as a deep space exploration ship back to the Delta Quadrant, something went wrong and became derelict. Thus, that is how these kids find it.
Now that would be interesting! That we are in a period of Starfleet where some of the ships are more A.I. run like the Culture novels (been reading a few of those books) or as you said this could be a prototype. And we know even through the 32nd century people still basically explore, maybe in later centuries they have a fleet of just A.I. run ships that goes to sections of the galaxies that are considered too dangerous for people or maybe missions where the ships are never meant to return home like all our space probes we send out today.
Maybe it’s not a 5 year mission, but an eternal one where it just constantly explores in far away pockets of the galaxy and sends the data back to the Federation. And they have a holographic crew anytime they actually meet other species or life forms to interact with it and as you say something just goes wrong and it’s now just stranded.
I really like this idea too. This is another reason I’ve always wanted Star Trek to go farther in the future so we can see stuff like this as well and now thankfully it’s possible at least. Of course this may not be the premise of this show but it’s something we could possibly see in the future one day in other shows or films.
Nah… USS Janeway it isn’t… but I think you are right. She IS the ship, an A.I. running the USS Prodigy. Disco has an (evolving) A.I. named Zora. Does that mean the ship will be the USS Zora in Season 5? Nope. The USS Prodigy can still have an A.I. called Janeway…
Not necessarily. How long did the Stargazer and the Hathaway drift around derelict? Years?
Sometimes Starfleet seems a bit clueless.
Love the speculative articles here on TrekMovie.
I’ve been leaning towards the Emergency Command Hologram version of Janeway myself, but I also can’t imagine this working with anything less than a fully sentient Janeway.
I actually lean to the character second from the left being a Tellarite. The snout seems more porcine, the teeth are tuskish, and the artificial hand is divided like a cloven hoof. I don’t see why people are thinking Talaxian other than the character has a more portly body type.
It’s the second from the right that seems like a Talaxian. Mohawk-style hair and spots on the head, neck, chest, arms and legs seem a giveaway.
And I’m sticking with the camp that’s identified the big reddish, bumpy fleshed alien as a Brikarian. They are super strong and need to wear an anti-grav device in Earth-normal gravity.
With David Mack as a consultant behind the scenes, it seems likely that he may have been asked to provide the creators diverse options from the litverse. Brikarians first appeared in the premiere book of the old Starfleet Academy series, with one of them being Worf’s roommate. I can see why they’d be irresistible for the writers and very appealing to kids.
I do think the Janeway being a hologram is a strong possibility. It would explain a lot. I mean why would a decorated Starfleet officer, regardless of rank, be riding in a lost ship with a bunch of teenagers who essentially stole it? And would they really do another lost in space theme with Janeway? Feels a bit….redundant. ;)
And yes, this show could take place centuries from the 24th century. It could even be set during the Burn in the 31st century where many ships could just lay abandon and where space travel basically died. I would love that actually. We could learn how society was at the beginning of the burn and see how things fractured. Chances are probably really low this is it, but anything is possible.
But it would also be interesting if it was a ship stuck in the Delta quadrant (but this time actually sent there) in a small research vessel during the Picard era or maybe a few decades after that in the 25th century. Maybe for some reason, something happened where the crew had to abandon the ship and went back to the alpha quadrant and the kids found it years later with the Janeway hologram. And then they could use her knowledge of both Starfleet and the Delta quadrant and we meet old and new aliens. Would love to run into the a few old Delta quadrant species. And be a way to relive some of Voyager’s canon and episodes at the same time.
So there are many possibilities out there. I’ve never really thought that much about the premise until now. And if she is holographic, they can literally set the show in any century. For me I don’t care, holographic or the real deal, just give us more Janeway!
I’d sorta been thinking that the abandoned Federation ship might actually be one of the many Voyager shuttles abandoned/thought destroyed in the Delta Quadrant.
They wouldn’t have a Janeway hologram. The Doctor was never able to go on the shuttles without his mobile emitter.
I think a shuttle is too small to really explore in. Shuttles are basically that, shuttles. They are designed to get you from A to B and transport people/materials but very limited beyond that. And where would they go to the bathroom if they are living on one? ;)
A VOY shuttle is not feasible from a merchandising POV. The very reason we get new series is to have new ship designs that can be sold to the fans…and next gen of kids! And since this is a kids’ show we can be absolutely certain one of the main goals will be to sell toys upon toys. A 1995 shuttlecraft design will certainly not make it very far in that regard…
Yeah, but in Picard, we have….La Sierna.
It’s a new ship. You may not like the design. I initially didn’t either but it’s growing on me. Given the cult status some non-Trek ships of that size have acquired (Millennium Falcon, Serenity, Roci), it’s a big of a miss-out not to have a more impressive design but after three season it may have gone there no matter what the first impression used to be.
And PIC is not a kid’s show demanding for cool toys…
All fair points! Unfortunately I still really hate it though. But yes hope it grows on me too.
After the announcements this week convinced more than ever that the derelict ship will be a voyager shuttle or delta flyer. Prodigy is only taking place five years after Voyager’s return, I doubt that any new Starfleet vessels would have made it to the Delta Quadrant in that time. And the Janeway hologram is wearing the Voyager era uniform. If the ship had been sent to the delta quadrant after Voyagers return it would make sense that she would be wearing the more current uniform of that time. My money is still on a voyager shuttle. That just seems more manageable for a crew of six than a bigger starship.
Now I’m wondering if it will be a Magic School Bus type series, with a holographic Janeway as Ms. Frizzle, flying them around the galaxy teaching them lessons.
Like, teaching them about electricity and the digestive system and stuff?
Given the amount of time Dr Erin MacDonald has reportedly spent as science consultant it’s likely to lean heavily to the astrophysics side.
Now THIS would be awesome. A kid’s show with an educational angle… touching upon the latest progress of astrophysical research… black holes, dark matter etc… That would be so awesome. Finally some exploring, finally some SCIENCE fiction…
One can hope Garth Lorca.
I’m basing this on a Twitter exchange of compliments between David Mack (litverse author) and Dr Erin MacDonald quite a while back.
As Tony and Laurie have pointed out, Mack isn’t known for effusive, upset praise of the kid he’s giving Prodigy, and his praise of MacDonald’s efforts on the series is high.
As defined by Star Trek’s creator Gene Rodenberry, animated series like LDS and Prodigy, novels and comics cannot be canon (no matter what some future studio says), so I wouldn’t worry too much about it.
I don’t care if it’s canon. If it is carrying the Star Trek label, I want the stories to be GOOD!
What does Roddenberry have to do with anything? The animated shows are canon.
So the entire starship structure shaking in space because of a loud band in a crew lounge is suppose to be taken as an actual event that happened in the timeline? Seriously? LOL
I think that you’d best check your references/citations on the assertion that Roddenberry said TAS (and other animated shows) couldn’t be canon.
Yes, there was a period when he reportedly made comments along those lines, but that seemed to be more about posturing related to rights. At, best one could say that Roddenberry’s position was inconsistent on whether TAS was canon.
Richard Arnold reportedly tried to make more of it during his stint as Roddenberry’s representative behind-the-scenes with TNG, but there isn’t support to show that it was deeply held view from Roddenberry at that point.
And whatever may have been, in 2021, if the Roddenberry estate’s representatives are onboard with the new animated series as canon, there is no question.
Well Berman and company carried this on from Gene, saying: “We don’t consider it (TAS) canon, but it’s kinda cool to throw in the odd reference here and there.” — Oct. 1998 – AOL’s “Ask Ron D. Moore” message board
Also, there use to be an actual statement on the official StarTrek.com website that said animated series, along with comics and novels were not canon. It was removed when JJ Abrams took control of the franchise: “Although the Animated Adventures had an undeniable Star Trek-ness to them, they are not considered part of the Star Trek “canon,” or accepted Trek storyline. Almost without exception, it is the live-action series and movies that are considered canon. However, some Star Trek “facts” are actually borrowed from the animated show, i.e. the name of the original U.S.S. Enterprise NCC-1701 captain, Robert April; the surname for Spock’s mother, Amanda “Grayson”; etc.” — StarTrek.com (Edited by Tim Gaskill), Nov. 2004 — “Introduction to Star Trek” Feature Article.
And more conclusively “…he (GR) proclaimed (TAS) that it was NOT CANON.” Paula Block, VCP Senior Director of Licensed Publishing, Dec. 2005 – Multiple TrekBBS posts
So yea, I have multiple cited references. Do you have any?
But that policy has changed. What applied in 1998 doesn’t bear any relevance for 2021… Star Wars has made Clone Wars and Rebels canon and these shows are very successful with younger viewers… Surprise, surprise they want Star Trek to go the exact same route…
Except that I question if it should have been allowed to change based on the creator himself setting the standard? I don’t think so, and for me, these shows will never be canon. The creator of a franchise, in my book, get to create such rules of canon.
This doesn’t mean I can’t enjoy them though, so I am not sure why people get so defensive when I bring this up from time to time? It’s kind of funny — I get a ton of responses with people telling me this is unimportant, but then why are they getting so bent out of shape about it?
I think it’s because most fans are a little bothered by some of the middle school-level humor stuff in LDS, but prefer to pretend it’s not there and go along that its canon.
Unfortunately, creators don’t get that sort of post-mortem veto. Otherwise we wouldn’t have to bother about naked Elves on Amazon’s Middle-earth series…
Seriously, if you take every word GR ever said as holy scripture, we wouldn’t have had any serious conflict on DS9, no religious references anywhere and definitely no zippers.
I consider people like GR, George Lucas, JRR Tolkien and JKR sacred prophets of the multiverse. But even prophets err at times.
There is plenty of much more ridiculous stuff that happened in live action episodes.
Nope. Trip getting pregnant, Tom and Janeway turning into lizards, Spock’s Brain and Granny Howards mostly ghostly lover spirit are NOT more ridiculous than the way all the characters behave on LD. Even the worst episodes of Trek pretended to take themselves seriously. And that’s the difference: a plot can be stupid or faulty but the presentation is still good old honest Trek.
LD does it vice versa. They take mostly decent plots and turn them into something ludicrous by adding that strange layer of animated comedy silliness upon them. It’s not about the overall content, it’s the way it’s done that bothered me.
The only way to deal with it is to mentally reverse-engineer these episodes into something more familiar before your inner eye, adjusting them to your own viewing habits.
These episodes are stylistically out of phase with standard Trek but that phase variance can be compensated for. It’s a demanding task for someone who cannot stand that particular subgenre of TV entertainment, but for the love of Trek, it has to work…
If you don’t like that subgenre you don’t have to watch it, but comedy isn’t any less valid than genre for a Trek show. It is very silly, but all the events that happen are still perfectly plausible in the realm of Star Trek.
How about if he and I watch it, but not try to pretend that it’s meant to be taken seriously, as you seem to believe?
LDS is what it is. Not buying it as canon — my opinion — sorry!
100% correct.
Lol I must have missed it when GR time traveled and commented on LDS and Prodigy…. next.
“Almost without exception, it is the live-action series and movies that are considered canon.” — Office policy of Paramount as provided on StarTrek.com until JJ Abrams took over the franchise — directly continuing GR’s standard for canon.
Buy hey, if you want to willy-nilly let the new generation of studio suits change the definition of canon just to prop up their sophomoric humor animated take on Star Trek, I’m not going to stop you.
He’s dead.
Jim!
At this point, there is so much self-contradictory Star Trek out there that the concept of “canon” will become a bit pick-and-choose. Unlike in the early 2000s, the Trek universe is no longer a thematic whole.
I think this decision to flood the market with subpar Trek was a grace mistake and that they should have focused on producing a single high quality series set 100 years after TNG. But that ship has sailed. I think the “lawless teens” premise is idiotic and plan to disregard it.
Good point. But when I see kiddie crap on LDS like the entire starship structure shaking in space because of a loud band in a crew lounge is suppose to be taken as an actual event that happened in the timeline, there’s no way that juvenile nonsense should be considered canon.
Certain styles need a certain method of decryption. I get your point but that silliness can work if you mentally translate it using previous shows as a reference point.
I for myself couln’t stand the way the characters are portrayed on LD: way over the top, hyperactive with high-pitched frantic voices etc… I couldn’t relate to them at all until Riker and Troi came in, portrayed exactly the same way. So I used my memories of the real Riker and Troi to reverse engineer the behavoral patters of LD’s main characters into something more relatable. The events are still canon but the way they are portrayed is covered with a layer of cartoonish comedy tropes.
If you think about it: the same has to be done to cope with the cheap paper planets and sets on TOS. The events have happened in this fictional reality but certainly not against the backdrop of 1960s cardboard sets. Enter Talos IV: Compare “The Cage” to “If Memory Serves” and image both to be the same planet (which they are within that fiction). Now reverse engineer the old sets into a mental image of the new portayal… Then you know how to handle each and every paper planet on TOS… The “real” planet is there, just beyond that layer of 1960s restrictions.
The only thing you have to do is not to take visual depictions and stylistic devices all too literally. You must read between the pixels…
I mean, this approach is clever and all, but ultimately I’m a busy person who doesn’t have infinite hours to watch television; I have to pick and choose what’s worth my time. Reverse engineering isn’t; the work needs to stand on its merits. The bulk of LOWER DECKS was self-referential inside baseball (“here’s a Gorn! There’s Nomad!”), not comedy.
Regarding styrofoam rocks and such, I can overlook that in favor of a compelling story and characterization.
I’m trying to get rid of my job and live of my stock depot in the future in order to be able to become a full-time geek (and author). I’ve never founded a family because I knew this would take too much time off my hobbies but I still need to get done with working like a normal human. I don’t care what people say. Normality is simply not my thing…
It goes without saying my entire depot has been constructed like a Federation starship:
USS ETAFAX – ETF-1031 – BLACKROCK-CLASS – UNITED FEDERATION OF ASSETS – BUILT IN THE VANGUARD SHIPYARDS
Stock compliment: 150 stock officers + 50 redshirt pennystocks
Bridge: 12 seperate globally diversified ETFs
Science Labs: future technologies (hyrogen, battery, blockchain, new energy…)
Sickbay:pharma and med tech
Comm: communication
Security: insurance corp.
Engineering: energy corp.
Computer Core: Duotronic NASDAQ composite IT core
Replicators: consumer staples
Cargo Bay: diversified commodities
Shuttlebay: automobile corp.
Holodecks: entertainment and media
Crew quarters: real estate
Hull Plating: diversified precious metal alloy (gold-silver-platinum-palladium)
Shields: 44 seperate Bond ETFs including metaphasic inflation-linked bond shields
Hull Integrity: SPIDER multi-asset global infrastructure
Flux Capacitor: six separate SHORT ETFs compensating for any course corrections
Spore Drive: Bitcoin and Ethereum based metapropulsion travelling the coinsilium network at incredible speeds
Captain’s Yacht: private equity and prefered shares
Warp Nacelles: 28 full yield Dividend Ramscoope ETFs
Intermix Chamber: 15 fully independed mutual fonds
This ship is seriously overpowered and overgunned for a ship of its size but it’s built to go places where the Enterprise couldn’t go… And it’s definitely going to warp me out of my day job…
Forgot to mention:
Stellar Cartography: 24 independent single-country and regional ETFs
Dolphin Pool: Blue Economy
It comes down to “infinite diversification in infinite issuer combination”
There is a very simple reason animated shows are now considered canon by ViacomCBS: Star Wars!
Back in the 90s, animated stuff may have been discarted by TBTB because they came off as a distractor cheapening the franchise’s more evolved approach.
But since Clone Wars, Rebels etc. have become pivotal parts of the Star Wars franchise, it is more than natural Viacom would want to embrace and expand upon its own animated legacy.
Star Trek has often followed in Star Wars’ footsteps. This is just another instance…
Good point, but one big difference is that neither of those shows are sophomoric comedy takes on Star Wars. They are largely play-it-straight dramas geared towards young adults’, not middle school-level comedies directed at fan-service starved, graying Berman-era fans. :-)
Big difference in terms of the acceptability to consider those canon versus LDS — in my opinion.
True. But hopefully PROD will be closer to CW and REB in style and substance. I’m certainly not a huge fan of LD (you calling it LDS is a brilliant TVH homage :-)), but the basic storylines are canon.
Of course the show needs to be mentally translated to fit with any of the other shows.
Funny you refer to LD as “middle school-level comedy” because actually, they seem to believe and work upon the premise it’s very adult humor. Hence it got a 16+ rating in my place.
I’ve always had a hard time considering stuff like this or horror, or Deadpool, or blood-stained action “adult, mature material”… It’s juvenile exposure. Actually we need downward age restrictions,. not upward ones for that stuff. :-)
That is simply untrue. Roddenberry endorsed The Animated Series and he worked on it. It was only in the 1990s, when Roddenberry’s assistant Richard Arnold was making decisions in his name because Gene was very ill, that The Animated Series was suddenly deemed non-canon. Before that, it was considered a valid part of the franchise. After Arnold was fired for incompetence, the show’s canonical status was restored. Elements of The Animated Series have been referenced on TNG, DS9, Enterprise, and Lower Decks, as well as in Star Trek IV and the 2009 film. It’s canon and it always has been, other than during Arnold’s brief temper tantrum period. Also, Roddenberry does not own Star Trek and never did, so it was never his call what “can” and “can not” be considered canon.
But putting that aside… who gives a crap? Fans who base their opinions on pointless labels like “canon” need to reexamine their priorities.
Also, I am sure they would not have put so much effort into the novelizations of TAS if they did not believe in the stories. When I read them, so long ago, I thought they were as good if not better than some of the Blish novelizations.
@Rios: While I agree with most of what you’ve said, I still consider the question of what is canon and what isn’t a very pivotal part of being a Trek fan. Trek’s canonicity is the very high ground our franchise has as compared to other huge properties such as the CB franchises DC and Marvel.
I have never been able to fully immerse into those worlds due to the lack of proper canonicity. DC and Marvel run on iconicity instead. The many live-action and animated versions of Spidey, Supes or Bats are only held together by the iconic status of its characters. There is no working canon that enables you to watch all the TV shows and movies in any intended order of events. Those are chaotic multiverses. I like some outings but I could never fully embrace those worlds the way I can embrace Trek. Even withall those visual and verbal continuity bloopers Trek has amounted over six decades, I definitely prefer Trek’s canonical take on world building a thousand times.
Rios’s “who give’s a crap” post proves my earlier point on this:
“I am not sure why people get so defensive when I bring this up from time to time? It’s kind of funny — I get a ton of responses with people telling me this is unimportant, but then why are they getting so bent out of shape about it? I think it’s because most fans are a little bothered by some of the middle school-level humor stuff in LDS, but prefer to pretend it’s not there and go along that its canon.”
So he’s posting here on this, so he obviously he gives a crap. :-)
Thanks Rios.
Some fans seem to be unaware of how problematic Richard Arnold was behind the scenes in the early years of TNG. His expressions of what Gene wanted were just that, his own personal views.
However sincere his intentions, it’s not to much to say that it became an unfortunate and toxic situation.
Kind of lazy for you to not address my detailed response to you where I provided you the cited references for this, way beyond your hang-up with Richard Arnold?
That’s a really interesting theory; I love all the thought you folks have put into this!
Because I’m hard of hearing, I don’t listen to podcasts, so I’m really glad that you’re also writing articles with your speculation.
Mulgrew has a very recognizable voice; I think putting her into an animated show is a great idea.
“Captain” is not just a rank but also a title for anyone commanding a ship, but that’s usually up (e.g. commanders or lieutenant commanders), not down (admirals).
I think since many people are putting out the “Janeway as Hologram” theory out there, even if this might be the first idea of the producers, they might change it just to keep people on their toes. Maybe it could end up being a “clone” of Janeway.
It’s been in production for over a year now and suppose to debut this year. You can’t just change course like that with a cartoon. And yeah it may not be that anyway.
Why would a hologram not be sufficient. The EMH is one of Trek’s most beloved characters. Picard is a robo-golem now. This Janeway can be a hologram any day. Looking forward to tomorrow A LOT. Unlike LD, PROD could be a more than worthwhle addition to Trek lore…
There’s nothing wrong with a holographic character, but I think people would prefer the real Janeway. Unless a brain upload is involved, like with Picard and the golem, a holographic Janeway wouldn’t really be Janeway. It would be a different person who mimics her personality and has access to her logs and stuff.
Obviously I agree with this too. If it’s between a holographic Janeway and the actual character I don’t think it’s even close. It’s why people don’t like the idea of golem Picard because while it’s still very much him to some, but to others he is no longer Picard. And of course we haven’t really spent much time with him. People could be over after a few episodes when he just acts like himself again.
I think we will just have to see what they do with it assuming it is a holographic Janeway, which no one has said it is of course. I don’t mind personally if it is but of course would prefer the real one.
The difference is that with Picard it is the same character in a new body. With Janeway, it would be an entirely different character. A holo-Janeway wouldn’t have the real one’s memories or anything like that. At best, she would have her logs.
Well it’s been confirmed she is a hologram after all. But so far no one seems that bothered by it, but everyone just seems to impressed with how great she looks lol.
Hello. Cool! I cannot wait to find out on whether Star Trek: Prodigy takes place after the events of Nemesis or between the events of the Voyager finale and the events of Nemesis.
You’ve gone with all these complicated/convoluted theories but left out the simplest one of all:
The reason Janeway was given the task of chasing down the Maquis in the Voyager pilot was because she already had experience chasing down…… a bunch of teens who stole a derelict starship. It makes perfect sense and it fits canon perfectly.
This is spot on. She will be a hologram.
I felt that Janeway was likely to be a hologram after they announced her coming on board. It makes the most sense.
I agree that it makes the most sense that she is a hologram in this show.
I’m just glad this crew gets to be out there and alien and not tied up in the stagnation that seems to be the TNG Federation. I think if they want to make it fun, have it be a hologram on a starship post-Burn where these crew members dream of exploring again.
Janeway hologram can train them and help them on their way which sounds cool to me.
What’s sad about the Janeway hologram is that this means we probably get a TNG era ship, sigh. Too bad, would have been fun to have them in a retired Connie (TOS or movie era) or Excelsior class starship.
It’s just heartbreaking watching fans still trying to make sense of Kurtz-Trek and fit it within the pre-2009 canon :|
How does it not fit into canon though? Yeah people had issues with Discovery’s look and tech, but that problem was solved by throwing it 900 years into the future. Both LDS and PIC actually fit in really well even if you don’t like the shows themselves.