Warning! The following contains spoilers for the Star Trek: Prodigy midseason finale “A Moral Star, Part 2.” Read at your own risk!
Star Trek: Prodigy premiered its final episode before its hiatus and showed the Protostar crew deal with The Diviner. With him securely out of the way, Dal informed them it was time to make the trip to reconnect with Starfleet, but a scene shortly thereafter teased at least one member of Starfleet is already on their trail. It turns out The Diviner wasn’t the only person in space searching for the ship, as Admiral Janeway asked her crew aboard a familiar ship to set a course, and hopefully, find Chakotay.
Yes, the real Janeway (though still not live-action) is now in Star Trek: Prodigy, and that should be exciting news for all Star Trek: Voyager fans. I spoke to showrunners Kevin and Dan Hageman about the huge reveal and asked what they could tease ahead of the Paramount+ series’ return in late 2022. Dan Hageman teased that Admiral Janeway will pursue the Protostar, but that may be more difficult than fans think.
I can tease you there’s a weapon aboard the [Protostar] that will not allow that encounter. So that’s a problem that people are gonna have to overcome.
The co-showrunner later added that both brothers liked the idea of how Dal, Gwyn, Jankom Pog, Zero, and Rok are all coming together as a crew, and now Starfleet is on their tail. Admiral Janeway didn’t seem to have the first idea of all that’s transpired in the series so far, but she’s intent on finding the Protostar and Chakotay.
Admiral Janeway’s arrival in Star Trek: Prodigy is an exciting one and fills a need of the series with The Diviner driven to madness by Zero’s Medusan abilities. Kevin Hageman shared a few details that Star Trek fans might want to know about Admiral Janeway’s ship and how she came into the story during the writing process.
[Janeway’s ship is] the Dauntless 2. So, people should look closely at that. This is not the same Dauntless. This is actually a Starfleet version of it. When we were creating the twenty-episode arc of Season 1, we knew The Diviner was going to be taking a step out, and there needed to be a new sort of antagonist. And Dan and I were like, ‘We have Hologram Janeway. We’re in the same space that the real Janeway could be there.’ And so we were suddenly talking about [how] she could become the sort-of antagonist for the back ten [episodes.] Sort of like Tommy Lee Jones in The Fugitive, right? Where you love Harrison Ford, but you also love Tommy Lee Jones hunting him down and doing his job.
Admiral Janeway will pursue the Protostar and its crew and act as a semi-antagonist in the next batch of episodes (which are hopefully just as good as the tribute-filled one). As mentioned, though, it’s not like she’s aware of the current situation on the ship. All she knows is that Chakotay is potentially on that ship, which apparently was the case based on that corrupted video the Protostar crew saw episodes earlier.
Star Trek: Prodigy fans have yet to see the actual Chakotay, however, and there’s no telling at the moment where he might be. I asked the brothers if the next batch of episodes will pull back the curtain further on where Robert Beltran’s character is, and Dan Hageman gave us an idea of what to expect.
In terms of pulling back that curtain more, I think a little bit. It’s not going to be as dramatic as people want. But, I think the search for Chakotay will continue. It’s definitely something on the top of the mind. It’s the main motivation for Admiral Janeway. She wants nothing more than to find her First Officer.
Fans may not get as many answers as they want on Chakotay right away, but rest assured, the Hageman brothers realize some Star Trek: Prodigy fans are invested in the storyline. Luckily, there’s plenty of other things to love about the series so far, which has served as a show that’s equally as entertaining for adults as it is for children.
Star Trek: Prodigy may eventually get its Janeway and Chakotay reunion, but what exactly does that mean? I mentioned that Kate Mulgrew (who described her return as Janeway as a want and a need) requested the two characters don’t get together when she did Voyager, though fans still wanted to see that happen. I asked the Hagemans about juggling fan expectations while still discussing the dynamic with the actors involved, and Kevin Hageman assured me they’re taking the utmost care.
Yeah, we’re constantly discussing that with her, with Robert, and it’s something that we take very seriously. And we want to make sure we do their relationship justice. And so, I think what fans will really enjoy in the next ten episodes is we’re taking this beautiful relationship from Voyager, and we’re taking it to the next chapter. You know, what happens after that. And we really go to some fantastic places with them.
It sounds like Star Trek: Voyager and Star Trek fans, in general, have a lot to look forward to. We might even get to see the kids officially join Starfleet, provided they can get good recommendations in via Admiral Janeway should they have a face-to-face meeting.
Unfortunately, they’ll have to wait a while for the return of Star Trek: Prodigy, though the upside is that Paramount+ has some of the best shows, including great upcoming Star Trek shows returning in 2022 (with more on the way). Those should keep fans busy in the meantime and make the wait for more Admiral Janeway just a bit more bearable.
