“Ouroboros” Parts I & II
Star Trek: Prodigy Season 2, Episodes 19 & 20 – Debuted Monday, July 1, 2024
Written by Kevin & Dan Hageman, Aaron Waltke (Part I & Part II)
Directed by Sean Bishop (Part I); Ruolin Li (Part II)
An epic and very satisfying season finale wraps everything up for our characters while opening up a whole new set of possibilities.
WARNING: Spoilers below!
RECAP
“I could do this all day.”
Displeased with Solum rejecting her rule and ignoring scientist warnings about the fabric of space blah blah blah, Asencia launches a multi-wormhole attack across the Federation, including one aimed right at Earth. But on Voyager, Wesley isn’t worried, this is all part of his plan. All they need to do is work out the original time/space coordinates from when Chakotay sent the Prosotar back to Tars Lamora and reprogram Asencia’s wormhole machine all while keeping the Vau N’Akat ships from getting through and just generally staying alive. No problem. While Janeway and the Voyager handle the space stuff, Dal, Gwyn, Murf, and Pog are on hero duty down on Solum, awaiting coordinates from the geek squad on the Protostar. Zero, Rok, and Maj’el join Wesley to recap all the timey whimey stuff that brought them to this moment. After some nice montages, Rok has the key insight that leads them to work out the coordinates: It was never Chakotay, because they sent it (and will send it) back in time to Tars Lamora. Mind blown.
“The mission comes first.”
With coordinates in hand, the guys make it to the wormhole control panel but a Drednok destroys it. Gwyn takes on Ascencia as the boys climb higher to reconfigure the machine manually, fighting off bots along the way. Unable to reclaim her heirloom sword, Gwyn struggles with a gloating Asencia spouting off cliches like “How many times must I beat you down for you to know your place” and talking about how she will never give up until this universe bends to her will. Pog resets the machine but of course, there is a loose cable so Dal has to climb even higher. He’s given a 90-second ticking clock while Murf holds off a Drednok, going slimeworm toe to robot toe in an epic fight across the machine. Dal successfully plugs in the last piece only to get zapped unconscious by temporal energy, swooped up by Murf who himself just survived a death-defying fall. Even with the Federation attack thwarted Asencia refuses to give in, pinning Gwyn down at the point of her blade as her younger self and Ilthuran arrive. The gathered Vau N’Akat rally to transfer their psychic will to Gwyn who summons Asencia’s heirloom weapons with her powerup, disarming the big bad. It’s over. The new wormhole is ready for the Protostar and it’s time to celeb… wait, what’s that? It’s The Loom, pouring through the new wormhole. Oh s—t.
“Once more into the breach.”
The Loom pour through the wormhole, attacking the planet and pretty much everything. Wesley assures everyone this was not part of the plan and so the only thing to do is for Chakotay and his volunteer Protostar crew to manually fly through the time monster onslaught. Backing them up is Janeway and the Voyager, clearing a path with temporal shields, remodulated phasers, and extra-caffeinated coffee. The insatiable hunger of The Loom threatens to overwhelm them but the admiral rallies the troops (including a helpful whale) as if the fate of the future depends on them… because it does. Breaking through the wormhole they find angelic echoes of the Protostar surrounding them as the universe begins to stitch itself back together. It’s time for the crew to say tearful goodbye to the Protostar, but thankfully not to Holo-Janeway who gets a last-minute reprieve because she’s got a backup using the EMH’s cloud storage. Dal remembers to leave his original badge behind for his past self and they beam away into a beautiful montage of their many adventures since discovering this ship that changed their lives on Tars Lamora. “Farewell, old friend, and thanks for the memories.” I’m not crying, you’re crying.
“To new beginnings.”
With time fixed, Janeway narrates us through the aftermath as Starfleet helps Solum pick up the pieces and the Voyager returns home where Chakotay is given command, and she can finally retire to her farm. Wesley pops in to say Hi to his mom (and his surprise brother). The Doc publishes his holo-novel (is that what we have been watching all along?). And the kids become real cadets at Starfleet Academy, welcomed as universe-saving superstars. All is well as they celebrate First Contact Day 2385… oh wait, isn’t that… Yep, news flash, Mars is under attack! Janeway is called back into service and she isn’t happy with Jellico’s briefing of a diminished Starfleet pulling back from its mission of peace and exploration, circling their remaining space wagons after the android uprising. With Academy classes cancelled the kids are forlorn until they get a fateful call. Summoned to the docks they are introduced to the Protostar-class USS Prodigy! They don’t have to steal this one, Janeway tells them they earned it as they are all given a field commission to ensign. Pips for everyone! Holo-Janeway upgraded to Command Hologram is on board so all the ship needs is an acting captain. Dal steps up to accept his destiny… as Gwyn’s number one, “That chair never belonged to me.” As the rest of Starfleet pulls back, they are tasked to be a “beacon of light to those beyond our reach.” With a new confidence (and new uniforms) Gwyn and her jubilant crew proto-away. “Let’s reach the stars.” Perfect.
ANALYSIS
Saying goodbye… and hello again
That’s how you end a season, with a bang and so much more. Like the titular “Ouroboros,” this episode is a shining symbol of the recurring themes of renewal and hope, which is at the heart of the message of Star Trek. Taken as a whole, the two-parter tied together the season masterfully, without leaving any big lingering questions. Moments from throughout the previous episodes were paid off in big and small ways for the plot and our characters. The episode went beyond, turning into what could work as a satisfying series finale, emphasized by all the callbacks, flashbacks, and artful renditions of the 38 episodes that brought us here. The twist that the discovery of the Protostar was part of a bootstrap paradox, sent back in time by the discoverers themselves was a chef’s kiss on top of this perfect meal. And if you didn’t get how it all tied together, Dal remembering to leave his badge behind just as they found it in episode 1 nailed it. But the episode wasn’t done yet, as they kept going by handing the kids the keys to their own future with a ship of their one… one they earned, with the name USS Prodigy. On the nose? Sure, but still any fan invested in this series, and especially these characters, can’t help but be moved by that last episode.
Watching season 2 as a binge helped bring to light how well-crafted the season was with all the connections, callbacks and foreshadowing. However, the downside to all of that is some moments ended up being less of a surprise and the first half of the episode was slowed down a bit so they could do a lot of recapping, something that would have been more helpful if the 20-episode season had been (as originally planned) spread out over many months if not two years. That being said, some of those stylized moments from past episodes were beautifully done, another example of the masterful art direction of Ben Hibon. And there was still plenty of action spaced in there to not drag things too much, although the whole fight our way through to the sky beam felt a bit familiar. But the real story was what was happening with the characters as everyone rose to their strengths with genuine stakes. There were many emotional payoffs, perhaps best summed up with Rok saying “love you” as the team beamed down to Solum for the big fight. After reminding us in the previous episode that Holo-Janeway version 2.0 was an individual it was nice for her to get a payoff as well, although a bit cruel to leave it to the last second for dramatic effect. As for the big bad, at least Asencia recognized the error of her ways at the end, too late but it was something.
Tying everything into the attack on Mars from the Short Treks “Children of Mars” prequel to the first season of Picard was a surprise, but the seeds were well-planted in previous episodes. The writers and producers of this show wanted to play at the “adult table” of Star Trek and that is exactly what they did by finely weaving in elements of the other shows, past and present, into this new season. Wesley visiting with his mom and getting to meet his brother was just another layer to this and setting that moment in London explaining why Jack ends up with a British accent just shows how much thought these creators put into every frame of this show. And even though they fight against the “Voyager season 8” label, this episode also gave us elements of closure (and future) for those legacy characters. We still don’t know if Prodigy will have a future beyond season 3, regardless, things wrapped up perfectly with how the kids were handed the mission of Star Trek itself, to carry the torch of hope. This was a great setup for a new season (or movie?) for great things – as hinted at by time-traveling Wesley – but just knowing Gwyn, Dal, Rok, Zero, Jankom, Zero, and Maj’el are out there is enough to give me hope.
Final thoughts
What’s there left to say but thank you to the Hageman brothers and everyone who worked on Star Trek: Prodigy. For new fans and old, this episode (and series) just makes you feel young again.
BITS
- Stardate 62314.8.
- Holo-Janeway notes Chakotay is sneaking around by using “old Maquis tricks”
- Pog says the kids’ new notoriety makes him “royalty again” referring to how when learning he was a Tellarite (who are founding members of the Federation) he was “royalty.”
- All of the tech from Solum was packed up in crates destined for the Daystrom Institute, just in case a future Star Trek show needs to unpack them.
- The Doctor notes came up with the idea for an “Emergency Command Hologram,” which he did in the Voyager episode “Tinker Tenor Doctor Spy.”
- The Doctor’s holo-novel of this season’s adventure ends up being called simply “The Mentor.”
- Janeway talking about what an “old friend” had to say about the passage of time seems to be inspired by something Picard said to Data in a deleted scene from Star Trek Nemesis.
- The new Protostar-class USS Prodigy has a slightly different design than the original Protostar, and the registry NCC-81084.
TrekMovie’s Prodigy July binge-watch
This brings to an end our July Prodigy season 2 binge. We have been reviewing individual episodes all month as well as posting four podcasts covering the full season. To catch up check out the guide below.
Ep. | Title | Review | Podcast |
201 | “Into the Breach, Part I” | Review | Podcast |
202 | “Into the Breach, Part II” | ||
203 | “Who Saves the Saviors” | Review | |
204 | “Temporal Mechanics 101” | Review | |
205 | “Observer’s Paradox” | Review | |
206 | “Imposter Syndrome” | Review | Podcast |
207 | “The Fast and the Curious” | Review | |
208 | “Is There in Beauty No Truth?” | Review | |
209 | “The Devourer of All Things, Part I” | Review | |
210 | “The Devourer of All Things, Part II” | ||
211 | “Last Flight of the Protostar, Part I” | Review | Podcast |
212 | “Last Flight of the Protostar, Part II” | ||
213 | “A Tribble Called Quest” | Review | |
214 | “Cracked Mirror” | Review | |
215 | “Ascension, Part I” | Review | |
216 | “Ascension, Part II” | Podcast | |
217 | “Brink” | Review | |
218 | “Touch of Grey” | Review | |
219 | “Ouroboros, Part I” | ||
220 | “Ouroboros, Part II” |
Season 2 of Prodigy is available to stream on Netflix globally (excluding Canada, Nordics, CEE, Netherlands, Spain, Portugal, Poland, Russia, Belarus and Mainland China). The season will debut on August 17 on SkyShowtime in the Nordics, the Netherlands, Spain, Portugal and Central and Eastern Europe. Season two has launched in France on France Televisions channels and Okoo.
Keep up with news about the Star Trek Universe at TrekMovie.com.
This was a fantastic season of not just Star Trek, but TV as a whole. The plotting was meticulous, character growth and development was both beautiful and logical, and the Hageman brothers were even able to not only give Chakotay more to do in a single season than he did in all of Voyages, but completely redeemed his character. I was also floored by how the season ended with direct ties into PIC. The way they writers conveyed the enormity of the attack on Mars, and how strongly it affected the Federation was heartbreaking. I actually wouldn’t mind seeing some exploration of the Federation during this period, something I really didn’t care much about until this episode. There was also a cherry on top with Wesley visiting his mother and meeting his baby brother.
I do have a couple of complaints/nitpicks. If the Protostar was always destined to be sent back but Dal, Gwyn, et al., why was the timeline collapsing. We’ve seen many a bootstrap paradox before in Trek, and none caused this kind of destruction of the fabric of reality. Speaking of which, I really wasn’t a fan of the Loom – they felt far more like a cross between a Doctor Who and Stephen King creature/villain, than something you’d find in Star Trek. Finally, and I understand why the writers did things this way, I was disappointed with how the Travelers were portrayed, basically abandoning this universe because they didn’t feel like trying to fix it. I get it that the writers wanted to make them focus heavily on Wesley, but I feel like they could’ve come up with another way to do that.
With all that being said, I’ve really enjoyed Prodigy, and while I’d love for it to come back for a season 3 (and more!), season 2 successfully wrapped up all the remaining plot threads left dangling in season 1, and Ouroboros does act wonderfully as a series finale. Of all the Trek shows we’ve gotten, Prodigy belt like the most confident coming out of the gate. It knew exactly what it wanted to be, and executed that wonderfully. Even if this season is it, I’m so glad we’re got to spend these 2 seasons (and in the reality that is streaming, with most shows only having 10 episode seasons, Prodigy having 20 episode seasons made these 2 seasons the equivalent of 4 when compared to other shows) with these characters and stories.
The andromeda episode with the same same was better more interesting story then this trek episode with the same name sadly
The best Star Trek since TOS and TNG, hands down.
A shining example of how you can have a prestige looking show without losing story and character, this also featured the best acting that Beltran and Mulgrew have done on any Voyager episode. Really, all the voice acting was phenomenal. The animation and art was breathtaking, including the tactile detail on the speeder hulls, the heirloom integrated costumes of the elders, the Medusan world as the approached from space, combined with amazing sound like the hollow/squeaking as Gywn and Maj’el talked on the outside of the Protostar that provided such verisimilitude. This season’s narrative embodied the best of Star Trek’s ideals, deftly connected to canon without falling into fan service, and embraced diversity without being preachy. Just an amazing ride.
Well put and I completely agree. To be honest I struggled with S1 finding it too much of a kids show but S2 was wonderful. Congrats to everyone involved and fingers crossed for more.
Loved this season, felt like it recaptured the true spirit of Star Trek from the 90s.
I’ve been wondering if that’s because it was approached as more “kid friendly.” Most of the newer series have been a bit too dark and complex for kids, but I started watching TNG when I was in single digits, and understood it. The 80s & early 90s were all about those “moral lessons” right? So, since it’s “for kids” it really was getting back to a lot of that (but with better writing, I think, or at least .. options for better writing more cohesive stories – I don’t wanna diss those other writers). We’ve always been able to handle characters dying, even if sad, but “back in the day” those deaths weren’t gruesome, bloody horror shows.
Yes. TOS-ENT rarely felt condescending to the younger audience. I don’t have a great grasp on what kids gravitate to nowadays though, so all I can say is I still think Trek should try to be a family show. It can have death and violence to your point, but the secret to the franchises that have lasted is that they all appealed to kids and their parents and then that love was paid forward and recycled as everyone aged. Graphic sexual assaults and explicit gore don’t do much for the franchise in my book.
Prodigy’s a game attempt to be such a show, but with the tactic of having childish and somewhat broad characters front and center.
I do like that they branched out with some darker, more adult shows too – I liked Picard & DISCO – they’re just not the kind of thing I re-watch or melt into, and I think it’s that sort of … wholesomeness that does it. I think, if I was a kid now, with all of these shows coming out in various styles, I’d be excited that I can “level up” to the darker shows eventually (or sneak watching them while my parents are out). Even before DISCO, I wondered what it’d be like to have a full horror-style Trek – the darkest episodes of TNG-VOY were usually my favourites as I got older.
Well put. That was when Trek was at its peak and it’s so great we finally got a show that has matched that era again. Prodigy is Star Trek at its best and something to revisit for years to come as those other shows.
Obviously I want this show to continue. It’s so good, and the ending sets things up for a very promising season 3. That being said, if this were to be the end, it went out on a very high note IMO. These episodes wrapped up the two-season arc very well, and that montage at the end was so emotionally satisfying (to the point where it would be up there with some of my favorite series finale sequences of any show if it has to serve that function). Wonderful job from all those involved with the show.
I had a good time with this finale, and the coda wrapping up storylines. Would love to see this come back.
My heartfelt thanks to the exhaustive and fast paced work of the TrekMovie team doing these recaps and reviews so much faster than would otherwise be expected. Well done!
Overall I didn’t like where the story went this season. The show really worked best when it was just this group on their own. The timey whimey stuff seemed a bit too advanced for the target age to me. Unless their target age was teenagers. Because of this part of me is fine with the show being dropped. It’s unfortunate as from the first 10 episodes this was the only Secret Hideout show that had potential.
Well… It is what it is.
I think their target audience is broad family, even if they call it a kid’s show. Pog, Dal, and Gwen are teenagers. Rok is younger; Zero seems older (non-corporeals age differently). Who knows how gelatinous blobs age, but cutely! It gives a nice mix so there’s something for everyone.
Season 2’s time travelling got a bit complex, but having the youngest character explain it helped. The broader involvement was kinda necessary, because all of season 1 was really leading up to the Quest for Chakotay – and I’m glad it was the kids who found him (twice!).It does look like they have it set up for Season 3 to be them back on their own again though, which is also nice.
All good things…
I completely loved this season and the two parter was some of the best of NuTrek has made. The way they left off with Janeway and Chakotay’s stories was perfect with Chakotay now in charge of Voyager and Janeway dealing with the Mars fallout. I really loved that Wesley got to connect with Beverly…and his new baby brother.
But the kids stories were fantastic. Yes Dal leaving his combadge on the Protostar was perfect. Full circle. And so many people complained about the kids not going off exploring on their own ship just for the season to end with them doing just that. It’s all so well crafted and put together. They really understood both the spirit of Star Trek and their own show.
I really hope we get a season 3. Not holding my breath but if any show deserves more seasons, it’s obviously this one. They did a terrific job and I can’t help but to smile knowing this little kids show is now part of this amazing universe, left their unique stamp on it and we’re all the better for it.
Anyway thank you to everyone who has worked on it, it was obviously a labor of love. And thanks to TM who delivered not only 20 reviews but in one month when most of us probably finished the show in a week lol. But I read every one of them.
I said this many times now but Prodigy is my favorite show in the modern era and will probably stay that way for years to come. It’s just so good.
This show has helped renewed my faith in Star Trek that I truly haven’t felt since Enterprise ended. It was such a great story with lovable characters, old and new and captured the spirit of Star Trek again. It really leaned into both story and science again and treated its audience of every age with respect. It didn’t dumb down things like the Abrams reboot movies frustratingly did and made everything about inane explosions or one dimensional comic book villains, Nor was it ultra dark with seasons that felt disappointing with incoherent plots like Discovery and Picard did nearly every season minus season 3 of Picard. And that still had flaws.
Prodigy had the right balance of story and character arcs. It went out of its way to make the season about these young characters while presenting a compelling story to both find Chakotay and save Solum. I loved nearly every episode and was so happy to see Janeway, Chakotay, the Doctor and Wesley again. All the actors did such a great job and returned to their roles as if they never left; Kate Mulgrew especially.
I hope we see them all again in season 3. If any show deserves more seasons, it’s certainly this one.