Star Trek: Prodigy is back, with season 1 now streaming on Netflix around the world. Season 2 is coming this year, and the showrunners are talking about how it wraps up and what could be next for the animated show.
Move to Netflix could be the best thing for Prodigy
Executive producers and co-creators Dan and Kevin Hageman joined the latest episode of Virtual Trek Con to talk about Prodigy, starting with how the first season had a strong debut on Netflix showing up on Top 10 lists around the world. Kevin talked about how he and the crew feel about the relaunch on Netflix:
“We are so proud. We know how good it is. We all see it. Like everyone on our crew are like, ‘This is one of the best things we’ve got to animate on.’ Then it got cancelled and it was like, ‘What? That doesn’t make any sense.’ So now, it is such a relief. It’s so sweet, everyone is so happy.”
Apparently referring to the corporate tumult at Paramount, Dan Hageman said that in the end the move may benefit the series:
“I think it turned out for the best on Netflix. With what’s going at Paramount right now, I don’t know what’s going to happen over there.”
The doctor gives the provisional cadets a briefing in season 2 clip
Season 2 finale wraps up series, but sets up for more
The brothers also talked about how the upcoming second season ends:
Dan: “The end of season 1 we think is great. The end of season 2 is equally great. And it has this place where it just feels like it wraps up… it really wraps up everything you want out of seasons 1 and 2, but really opens the door to what season 3 could potentially be. Whether that hits now or in five years or whenever the time is right, it’ll feel natural, which I’m really happy about.”
Kevin: “Worst case scenario, we never get picked up again and [even if] there’s no more Star Trek: Prodigy ever, we feel like the end of season 2 is a really beautiful closing. It will feel complete. But what we do is there is a great little promise of something more to come.”
Work on season 2 is complete and both brothers said they don’t know when or how Netflix would decide to order another season. Dan quipped it all comes down to “the veil behind the curtain, the algorithm.” However, if there was to be more, it would not be for a while. Dan explained:
“If we get the call like ‘We want season 3,’ because we are animation it’s going to take minimum two years, more like three years.”
Kevin also noted how with work now complete on season 2, any order for more would require them to reassemble the team, but they can’t be sure everyone will be available:
“So many of our crew can’t wait to come back, but they might be locked into a new job.”
This December tweet from the Hageman brothers marked when they wrapped up work on season 2.
Just mixed our final episode of #StarTrekProdigy S2. Five incredible years of our lives have gone into Prodigy, and we could not be more proud of the work from our amazing team. May this series inspire and welcome all into the Star Trek Universe. S1 on #Netflix this Christmas! pic.twitter.com/Y0L4szLqDs
— Dan & Kevin Hageman (@brothershageman) December 13, 2023
Teasing Janeway/Chakotay
Much of the first season of Prodigy focused on Admiral Janeway’s search for her former first officer Chakotay. Kevin acknowledged that the first season was a “giant tease” for the pair with “all the good stuff” coming in season 2. The brothers were not going to give specific details on the nature of the relationship between Janeway and Chakotay, but they did tease elements of their reunion in season 2. Dan said it was his favorite episode of the season, sharing how others reacted to it:
“I remember watching it with [composer] Nami [Melumad] and she was blushing. She was like, ‘Oh my god!’
Kevin added:
“Obviously there’s going to be a reunion of these two characters. When we recorded the reunion, Kate [Mulgrew] was recording and opposite was our voice recorder Brook [Chalmers] and he read Chakotay. And they read this scene together and Brook was just crying. And Kate was like, ‘That was really good.’ There’s great stuff ahead… I love what we do with Chakotay. It’s totally not what you are expecting. Robert [Beltran] is fantastic… I love what we do with them more than what I have seen them do in Voyager.”
Janeway and Chakotay at the launch of the USS Protostar, from episode 11
Watch the interview
You can watch the full Virtual Trek Con discussion with the Hageman brothers below…
Keep up with news about the Star Trek Universe.
Talk talk talk about how great things are. Just show us! I get it’s the way of things but it’s a bad American thing that’s just seeping through to everywhere else and even music suffers from this now. Years before something is released “oh you’ll love this album it’s the best we’ve ever done blah blah blah”. It means nothing until it’s released.
You must be fun at parties?
Hehehe!
It’s not up to them. It’s up to Netflix.
Whinge’s name is well-chosen.
They will show you, numbnuts. The show just hasn’t debuted yet so all they can do is talk about it.
Is something medically wrong with you? You might need serious clinical help.
You think they’re choosing season two’s release date? LOL. Just don’t read interviews if you don’t want to hear creatives talk about or tease what’s coming up. Be a grownup, it’s never too late to start.
Prodigy, wherever you go, we go!
This all sounds amazing! Can’t wait to see Janeway and Chakotay reunion! I’m just happy the show will at least be able to complete it’s arc no matter what now.
And being on Netflix was the best thing possible. Just like no one talks about UPN anymore, Paramount+ will probably whither away and die soon.
I actually think it’s an OK site but it did Prodigy dirty!
Dude, we agree 100% on this one!
Cool! 👍
I like an end to a story. I’m glad if S3 doesn’t happen then, S2 wraps it up. I’ve always hated leaving a story incomplete.
But, I hope S3 happens. It’s a great cast with great writers who understand Star Trek.
Agreed about P+. I mean all streaming is in trouble right now but P+ is really shooting themselves in the foot! Happy new year btw! :)
well, it sounds like they finally deliver on the romance they deserved to have
Well we def know he didn’t end up with Seven.
Here’s hoping that after the reunion (which will be kind of cool to see, I must admit), Chakotay uses the same transporter that Lieutenant Xon last used.
…correction: Commander Sonak
;-)
Sadly I think the writing is on the wall that season 2 will be the last. Netflix doesn’t have a great rep as of late of keeping even quality shows going.
Hmm… The Crowne, Stranger Things and Cobra Kai seem to be doing just fine
Cobra Kai is on its last season. Not sure I have heard of the Crowne. Stranger Things is like their go to show. Trek is the go to franchise for P+ but not Netflix.
But isn’t Cobra Kai the perfect model for Prodigy? YouTube couldn’t afford to continue with it after season 2, but then Netflix picks it up and it gets more popular on their platform and has an awesome 6 season total run.
Dude, The Crown is like one of the most successful streaming shows ever.
The Crown is fantastic. Highly recommend. I’m a bit nervous for the final season of Stranger Things, given the large gaps between seasons. Cobra Kai though is probably cheap(er) to produce. My guess would be if they did continue Prodigy, they would shorten future seasons from 20 to 10 so as not to cut production quality.
RE Cobra Kai, I suppose so?
Cobra Kai got multiple new seasons on Netflix, and the Crown is an Emmy winning smash hit.
Netflix doesn’t have the best track record with continuing its own popular shows but has had success picking up shows from other networks and giving them more than one new season.
Now they may indeed never green light S3 but if it brings in subscribers and viewers, they absolutely will.
*fingers crossed*
…I don’t think you get to have an opinion about Netflix if you’ve never heard of The Crown. It’s won 20+ Emmy awards since it’s premiere in 2017…..
that’s harsh, but you have a point.
Maybe the guy was mocking the improper spelling.
Actually you are partially correct. I thought we were talking about an entirely different show since there was an “e” at the end.
I know everything Gillian Anderson is in LOL
I seriously hope that’s a joke because if not that is just the most ridiculous comment ever. I don’t care if the show has 1000 Emmy’s, Netflix is WAY more than one show.
Even Lost In Space got 3 seasons.
True but wasn’t that a long time ago?
The final season was released in December 2021. Not sure if you consider that “a long time ago” ;-)
The way these guys are talking about Paramount, it seems like a real sinking ship. Hope Trek gets out of this unscathed.
Paramount+ as a streaming platform probably won’t exist 18 months from now, but Star Trek as an intellectual property still has tremendous value for them. Star Trek will survive the end of P+, but it will be leased to other platforms similar to Prodigy and the first 10 ST movies are right now.
My question is what happens to the Showtime aspect of the platform?
“The end of season 1 we think is great. The end of season 2 is equally great.” what a strange quote. You don’t often hear showrunners talk about how amazing they think their series is.
Emily, just wait until you see all of my posts I have planned here for January — they are all going to be amazingly great…trust me!
Great… are they dumb? Spoiling series finale? There is no reason to watch it then.
It has a series finale? The series finale is great and wraps things up? Just to ruin it further for you, the finale is going to be set in space!
Seriously, what’s been spoiled?
They don’t spoil anything. It’s also not necessarily the series finale, just the finale to season two.
rewatched S1 right now – and it was even better than the first time. really outstanding work throughout, stories, design, music. if there’s anyone on P+ or Netflix who still has their wits about them, then there has to be a third season order. okay, i know ratings are everything, so: watch prodigy, it’s not wasted time. it’s so good.
I actually enjoyed it more on the rewatch. I watched it each week on P+, but recently rewatched on Netflix, and I found more to enjoy. I recommend anyone who watched it when it was new to watch it again.
I’m def doing a complete binge rewatch before S2 comes out. For most Trek in fact I do that.
At least there will be a (satisfying) conclusion. As the only Trek show in the modern era to get forty episodes out of two seasons, Prodigy will have had a good run if Season is indeed the end. I love this show, and would prefer it continue. If they did continue it, I could see Netflix perhaps paring it down to ten episodes per season.
It’s weird to think about but by the end of S2 technically PRO would have had a longer episode run than Picard.
Because ten-year-olds care about Chakotay-Janeway shipping from 30 years ago?
Gotta have those legacy characters and nostalgia bait. The Doctor will be in too of course, and probably others. Who cares if it’s a show for younger, meant to build new fans… Legacy characters are all that matters.
The hell are you talking about? The show focuses on the young protagonists. The showrunners were specifically asked about the legacy characters and they answered.
You have watching a different show than I am watching then. Bringing in Chakotey, and now the doctor, with two versions of Janeway now as well, were completely unnecessary and show that Emily is 100% right to be concerned.
You’ve identified to me the #1 risk that could prevent this series from getting additional seasons on Netflix. If I were the showrunners, I would make the S3 pitch to Netflix like this:
OK we got enough of the fan service done now to hook in as many traditional fans as we are ever going to get, so we are now going to back off from that and really get back to the core original premise of the show with the young crew, and Hologram Janeway will be the only significant legacy character you will see from here on out — because we know now from the Top 10 Kids show ratings that we really need to cater to that audience and that’s where our expansion of the audience is going to come from…and those kids frankly could give a rat’s if they see Chakotey or some old fart doctor from a Trek show 25 years ago.
That’s the pitch I would make — and I think that likely gets us S3. If they go status quo with multiple old cast tie-ins constantly showing up, I don’t like our chances of getting a S3.
You’re kidding yourself if you think it’s kids that are going to save this show. It clearly got canned by Nickolodean because it didn’t resonate with children and it got picked up by Netflix because it has a built-in fan base.
Yeah…
Good to see you btw! :)
Thanks Tiger2! I’m still always here lurking even when I don’t post and I always like reading what you have to say! I hope you are doing well and have enjoyed the holidays
No, you are ignoring FACTS. It’s already in the Kid’s Top 10 Netflix ratings.
You a kidding yourself by thinking that we are ever going to get a 3rd season if they pander to older fans to try to incrementally increase the viewership that way — that’s a recipe for no new Prodigy.
The Kid’s Top 10 is simply a list of the most popular child-appropriate content, that is content rated PG or lower.
Nope, it’s a stat tied to profiles of kids registered as Netflix viewers. It’s not counting adults. I remember when they started this a couple years back and this was covered in an article I read, and they also send kids weekly emails of interest based on their profile.
Well, I’ve read a few articles that came out back when Netflix introduced the feature. They all use the same language: It’s a popularity measure that only includes content rated PG or lower or the equivalent local age certification in other markets. I also read about the emails Netflix sends out that are indeed individualized based on the content the kid watches on their profile. But those emails are separate from the Top 10.
There was also an interview with a Netflix representative who talked about how the new Kids Top 10 feature introduced her child to a documentary that they probably wouldn’t have watched otherwise. Now you can interpret this in two ways: 1) This documentary was already popular with children and her kid was simply late to the game, so thanks to the Kids Top 10 her child could now watch what all the other cool kids were already watching. OR option 2) She was trying to sell the idea to parents that the new Kids Top 10 can actually expand kids’ horizons by making them aware of content that may not necessarily be popular with their age group (yet) but that is very much age-appropriate and they may come to like it if they give it a try.
Does that mean anything though? My understanding is that the Netflix kids top 10 lists rank content which is aimed at younger viewers that is rated PG or lower. Is there any official confirmation that these rankings only include viewings from children’s profiles? I’d be surprised if Netflix is only using data from children’s profiles to compile these lists but I’ll freely admit that I don’t spend a lot of time researching tv and streaming viewing patterns so I’m more than happy for somebody to correct my assumptions and educate me further on the subject.
Regardless I still don’t see the logic of your pitch. Season 1 of Star Trek Prodigy has pandered to the existing fan base from the outset and yet it’s still made it into the kids top 10 list. Also consider that Star Trek Voyager is a show that has historically performed well on Netflix. Now given the current trend for studios to licence their original content to rival streaming platforms it’s likely that we will see more legacy Trek productions appear on the likes of Netflix in the foreseeable future. You therefore have to ask what incentive would there be for Netflix not to keep Prodigy tied to the wider Trek mythology?
Yeah, the ratings are tied to the profiles of registered kids — that’s how they generate the ratings.
If you don’t buy buy this pitch based on my audience focus argument, then consider the cost of bringing in numerous older, established actors versus not using them at all. True, it’s not as expensive as live action guest stars, but the pay scale if you give Mulgrew two roles, and then have multiple guest appearances — and then bringing in more VOY fan favorites — that adds to the budget of an already expensive show. If this cut, say 7% of the budget, that could be significant in the ROI pitch to Netflix for S3.
Yep — it’s a great show, but the fan service with the old fart characters kids don’t know and could care less about is risky — two Janeways, Chakotay and now the Doctor too? It’s risky, and I would back off on that in the pitch I make to Netflix to fund S3, because I think the suits will be very skeptical of the need for that, which is costly as well.
Well, if this is truly the end of PRD, then I am glad that the producers will tie-up all the loose ends. And considering that a PRD season is twice a long as a typical streaming season these days, we have the equivalent of FOUR streaming seasons, which is a nice thing to have. My only regret was not giving the series a chance early on, due to its animation style (and being a Nick cartoon production). The series actually advanced the overall STAR TREK mythos, by filling the gap between LDS and PIC. Kudos to Kate Mulgrew for really putting some effort into the production, in spite of PRD being a “cartoon”.
There is no guarantee it is the end, especially if it keeps going well on Netflix.
So excited for season 2! The Doctor is one of my favorite characters and really wish he was in season 1. Better late than never!