‘Star Trek: Prodigy’ Producers On New Uniforms, Rebooted Janeway And Why Protostar Is Always Landing

[SPOILERS FOR PRODIGY 109]

The ninth episode of Star Trek: Prodigy, “A Moral Star, Part 1” is the penultimate episode for the first 10-episode arc and it featured some firsts for the show. And now the producers and cast are offering more insights into the episode.

Prodigy Stardate mystery

A big point of discussion for “A Moral Star, Part1” was the Prodigy crew donning newly designed Starfleet uniforms for the first time. Speaking to Inverse, executive producers Dan and Kevin Hageman explained their approach for the new look:

Since the USS Protostar is an experimental starship, we felt it gave us some freedom to create our own uniform design, as long as it fit alongside the uniforms of this era. We, [executive producer] Ben Hibon, and our design team spent a lot of time discussing the badge and uniforms. We had to balance the style of our series, while also recognizing these kids aren’t actually anywhere close to being Starfleet Officers, which is why we went for a stripped-down design.

The new uniforms

Writer discusses Corrupted Janeway, Dal’s tail, and more

Episode nine showed Holo Janeway getting rebooted as “Corrupted Janeway,” leaving one fan to ask on Twitter why there wasn’t some kind of safeguard preventing this, especially after lessons learned on the USS Voyager. Without giving anything away, Co-executive producer and writer Aaron J. Waltke noted that was an “excellent question” along with a wink emoji. So, maybe Corrupted Janeway isn’t as corrupted as one might think.

One of the features of the USS Protostar is that it is built to regularly land, as seen again in episode nine. In response to a fan who took issue with this, Waltke explained this feature was due to the experimental nature of the USS Protostar, which he described a hybrid of a shuttle and a ship.

Episode nine also showed Dal using his head-tail thing to hold a tool. Waltke revealed they even have a name for it in the writers’ room, calling it a “prehensile skull pseudopod.”

“A Moral Star, Part 1” ends on a bit of a frustrating cliffhanger. Waltke heard those concerns and responded on Twitter, saying it was their way of teaching younger audiences what it was like watching the classic TNG episode “Best of Both Worlds, Part 1.” Although in this case, they only have to wait a week for part 2.

Mulgrew on the lesson of helping those in need

The weekly lesson from Kate Mulgrew for “A Moral Star, Part 1” focused on helping those in need, just as the crew did in deciding to return to Tars Lamora.

Early artwork for episode 9

Paramount+ released the animatic storyboards for the big uniform reveal, giving you a glimpse into how the designs evolved.

Creative lead and director of episode nine Ben Hibon also shared some early concept art from episode 9.

Brett Gray’s Starfleet lesson

The Star Trek lesson of the week is all about Starfleet, as explained by Brett Gray (Dal).

 

New episodes of Prodigy premiere on Thursdays on Paramount+ in the U.S. and on CTV Sci-Fi Channel in Canada, where it’s also available to stream on Crave. It is available on Paramount+ in Latin American, the Nordic Countries, and Australia on Fridays. It will debut later in 2022 in parts of Europe with the launch of the Paramouint+ Sky partnership.


Keep up with the Star Trek Universe at TrekMovie.com.

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Shouldn’t at the very least PRO and LDS be using the com badge introduced in Generations? PIC showed it lasting later in the timeline. Doesn’t seem like there’s much in-universe consistency these days.

That is an unbelievably petty nitpick and I’m laughing at you for it

THAT is petty? Of all the foolishness uttered on these boards, THAT is petty? I thought it was a good question, actually.

What a ridiculous reply, Joe. It says far more about YOU than it does about eatrains. Grow up.

Wow, seriously? When was the last time you saw a change in any real life badges?

Um, you DO follow the comments on this thread? Half the fun is posting and reflecting on such questions (and it’s a valid question).

Different combadges coexist at the same time, just like different uniforms do. That was a trend started in TOS with different ship insignias, then in TNG with the silver provisional combadge Wesley wore alongside Picard, then in DS9 when we saw them change uniforms whenever they got onto the station and back into the old uniform when they went to Starfleet Command. Let alone all the many different combadges used alongside each other on DS9 that communicated perfectly with no issue.

The variety of uniforms (going all the way back to TOS) was something that Roddenberry said was inspired by his time in the Navy, where they had a new uniform for every occasion and different divisions.

TOS was a different era when the badge reflected what ship or base you were on. By the TNG era everyone used the delta badge regardless where they served. Enterprise, DS9, Voyager, wherever.

Though that was then retconned because the 23rd century Discovery and other ships were also shown with the delta badge. I think it’s fair to say that sometimes it’s just worth accepting the producers make changes for do logical in-universe reason.

That’s true. but it never should have been. It was lazy on behalf of the DIS team. Both Enterprise and Discovery should have known better. Don’t mess with canon because you are to lazy to think of a way out of it

I think its fine, we already have different uniforms between the different shows in the same period, but I know it has bothered others. But the ship could just be from the future and came from a post-Picard time period. That or the show just takes place in a different time period altogether. ;)

But my theory is it’s an early 25th century experimental ship and why both the badges and uniforms are different. The writers are just trying not to give it away.

LDS at least is very simplified in general.

I agree. I love these shows but I dunno why the badges need to change so much all the time

These uniforms are beautiful and the com badge is great. In contrast to the ugo new Disco uniforms and the oval com badge that you have to be super up close to see the delta shield design on it. I truly love this sow on so many levels. It was unexpected. But it’s a joy to watch and is maybe the most “Star Trek” show out there now in terms of values and good storytelling (and design!).

I swear Prodigy seems to get everything right. I wish the team behind Prodigy could do Discovery. I try so hard but I can’t get behind DIS. They do EVERYTHING wrong.

100% agreed. The Prodigy team really do get what makes Trek tick. Give them the whole franchise.

Prodigy team + Picard = WINNING

The Prodigy team certainly does seem to be firing on all cylinders. And you will not get an argument from me that the Star Trek Discovery team seems to do everything wrong. That said I’m not sure I’m ready to hand them the keys to the kingdom. Being in charge of their own little corner is working great. I’d rather better people just get hired to run the other shows.

Maybe not the whole kingdom just yet. But Discovery gets thing sooooo wrong that practically anyone could do better. I mean the 32nd century stuff is trash. Like, I weep every time I think about how hard Kirk and Picard fought for the federation for 100’s of years just too see it wiped away by a crying baby with mommy issues.

OK, so Dal’s prehensile rat tail is an implant, right? It has a square base mounted to his skull. Odd place to put one, or even to evolve one. But, whatevs.

I seriously think this is the best of the four series currently airing. (Lower Decks is fun, but silly. The others… are simply dreary and chasing unfocused Early 21st Century goals.) I only hope Strange New Worlds continues the sense of wonder and quality of storytelling.

I love the uniforms, but I hope the kids customize them a bit for their own look.

I also would like to know more about the Protostar’s layout, decks, size, etc. I did a little digging on there’s not much info out there.

Like others, I really love those uniforms! But the boys on Trekyards are not as pleased. They don’t like them much at all which surprised me. But I love them and keeps completely in the style of this period. I’m going to miss Janeway wearing her old iconic uniform but it does make her feel like part of the crew if they are all wearing the same one.

And I’m glad someone asked about how Janeway could be so easily corrupted. I remember they made clear on Voyager that couldn’t be done so easily after giving the Doctor new safeguards. I assume there would be a real answer and it looks like there is.

And it’s also a great example just how much these writers have done their homework on this stuff. They have well thought out answers on everything that aligns with all the shows, especially from Voyager. I give them credit for really keeping all the canon in tact and truly feels like an extension of the 24th century shows. Yes, there are still a ton of questions like why so many alpha quadrant species are in the delta quadrant, but I’m more than confident the show is going to answer all of those in time. It’s just all part of the bigger mystery.

I have to say, I been praising Lower Decks for both its seasons, but I didn’t really expect to like another show as that one so quickly and even like another show more than that one. But here we are! All a win-win with the animated shows!

It’s a good question. The diviner and the like don’t seem nearly as technically as advanced as the Federation if they need the Protostar so badly. So how could he bypass Janeway’s safeguard’s so easily or even operate the ships systems so easily?

I guess no one was paying attention during the plan montage. That part when Janeway shows up behind Gwyn at the console and says “Wow, that is an upgrade!”… look closely at the panel.

Gwyn is upgrading Janeway’s holomatrix, there is an outline of her on the console. My guess is she’s putting in security to keep Janeway from being corrupted, so I assume Janeway is playing along to gain their trust and undermine them.

Yeah, most likely the case!

i really wish that Voy had updated the crew uniforms to the TNG movie look when the Dr came back from the alpha quadrant in ‘message in a bottle’.

and change the main titles images by s4 just as TNG, DS9 had done at half way through their run.

Yeah, I always wondered why they didn’t. I mean you could chalk it up to not wanting to use replicator energy or whatever but that’s just BS.

And I always wondered why the crew would be even remotely interested in doing that.

It would make them feel like they were a part of Starfleet again.

finally contacting starfleet means they are not alone anymore.
and changing uniforms, maybe just for senior staff, would have help the crew feel better, morale.

In all honesty I never believed that the Janeway holo was “truly” corrupted. In fact, my fear was that the program itself would get purged. But I also figured the crew would expect that and placed the program in some kind of protected file or something. And if the program is indeed corrupted, I imagine this was another contingency that was considered and prepared for.

I’m not quite as much a fan of the ship landing as often as it does. But I just saw that as another link to Voyager. The fact that Voyager could land was also something I wasn’t a big fan of either. But such small things didn’t ruin the show for me at all. WoK has some holes but that doesn’t make the movie bad.

Gwyn was shown modifying Janeway’s holomatrix (look when she tells Gwyn “that is an upgrade!”), I think she put in security to keep her from being really corrupted.