Spoilers Star Trek: Prodigy 1x06 - "Kobayashi"

[Deks]

It did look like they were in the Gamma, but the ship’s icon wasn’t exactly to scale, and it could be that they’re on the Delta/Gamma border? I’m going to wait fo see it confirmed onscreen if they’re all the way into the Gamma, or just headed there.

Its a bit vague, but from what I could come up with looking at that display when Janeway asked the computer to chart their trajectory, it looked like the Protostar was in the Delta Quadrant, and crossed into the Gamma Quadrant...
Meaning that the Hirogen system was just over 2000 Ly's away from the Delta-Gamma border (I said 'just over' because the Protostar was chased at high warp by the Diviner for a bit before it activated the Proto-Warp).

That was very much my thinking. ‪‪I figured it was possible that Chakotay hid the Protostar in Tars Lamora to help preserve the timeline.

Seems like this would be a plausible description. It also implies the ship was hidden for probably over 20 odd years... and intentional searching for it kept it from others.
Chakotay is pretty good at hiding things.

The author of this episode, Aaron J. Waltke let us know that Dr. Noum, Commander Tysess and Ensign Asencia aren’t Chakotay’s crew from the Protostar.

It makes me very curious about who they *are*, maybe a crew sent to find the missing Protostar?

I hadn't seen any info on those characters (may I have a link?).

If it was confirmed that they aren't originally from the Protostar, then its likely the kids arrived to UFP space and were given a few other people to fill out the ship... or they found a SF doctor, commander and an ensign from another ship which was sent to find the Protostar... or, those 3 were stranded in the Gamma (or another Quadrant) and were trying to get back home.

Ooh... I so want Chakotay to re-assume command of the Protostar. I want to see him as Captain and the kids trained as proper cadets.

 

[Deks]

Unlikely.

The prototype USS Constellation was in service around the time of ST VI (it's listed on a readout screen on board the Enterprise-A). At that time, it was still exactly that - a prototype - since said readout listed the ship's registry as NX-1974.

So it would seem that the Constellation class was brand new in the 2290's, which was decades after the Shenzhou.

Not necessarily.
In reality... we don't know if that was the prototype... and even if it was, it could have been a Constellation class VARIANT (of some kind) which was new for that era.
So, again, this doesn't preclude the possibility that SF had other Constellation class ships in service prior to that one.

That Consettlation class on that readout could have been one of many already in the fleet... just a newly built one and given an NX prefix to serve as a testbed for new technologies... nothing more.

 

[Mr. Laser Beam]

That Consettlation class on that readout could have been one of many already in the fleet... just a newly built one and given an NX prefix to serve as a testbed for new technologies... nothing more.

As far as we know, the only Federation Starfleet ships* that are given NX registry prefixes are those which are the first of their class.

* Notice how I said FEDERATION Starfleet. I'm not talking about the NX class from the EARTH Starfleet. In the days of the Earth Starfleet, NX is just another class name (ships of that era used letters, not names, for ship classes, So you have NX-class starships; DY, Y and J-class freighters, etc.). It isn't until the Federation Starfleet comes into existence that NX becomes the designation for a prototype.

 

[Deks]

As far as we know, the only Federation Starfleet ships* that are given NX registry prefixes are those which are the first of their class.

* Notice how I said FEDERATION Starfleet. I'm not talking about the NX class from the EARTH Starfleet (at that time, NX is just another class name). They're two different Starfleets.

Either way, 'as far as we know' and THUS FAR we have mostly seen new ship of a class being given NX registry prefixes... however, that does NOT preclude the possibility that pre-existing ship designs could be used as testbeds for new technologies and their registries changed to reflect that.

In fact, it would make sense that you'd use an older (but still viable) platform to test new technologies (short of building a whole new design)... depends really on which technologies were being tested.

The registries seem to be a clue in regards to how many ships SF may have built to date... and it fits the notion SF would provide ship registries in that orded (I mean, why not?).

Its still a possibility.

 

[Deks]

Just a gut feeling. Sure, it could have already happened, but given that time travel is involved, it would be more dramatically interesting if we see the events as they happen, and not a flashback.

For right now, anything goes... but I also think that the Protostar already disappeared by 2383 (current time frame) and has been classified as 'missing' for at least a couple of years.
The time travel bit right now indicates the Protostar was thrown over 17 years into the past... and Janeway was already an admiral by the time ST: Nemesis aired.
Meaning Chakotay would have likely been promoted to Captain the same time Janeway was promoted to Admiral.

 

[JoaquinSlowly]

Its a bit vague, but from what I could come up with looking at that display when Janeway asked the computer to chart their trajectory, it looked like the Protostar was in the Delta Quadrant, and crossed into the Gamma Quadrant...
Meaning that the Hirogen system was just over 2000 Ly's away from the Delta-Gamma border (I said 'just over' because the Protostar was chased at high warp by the Diviner for a bit before it activated the Proto-Warp).

That seems possible, though the same interview where Waltke mentions the Commander/Doctor/Ensign casting he also hinted that they may not have *quite* made it all the way to the Gamma Quadrant.

Another quick clarification, are they now in the Gamma Quadrant?

I don’t know if they’re actually in the Gamma Quadrant, but they are–gosh, how do I say this without spoiling anything?–they were going towards the Gamma Quadrant. I can tell you definitively that Tars Lamora is on the border of the Delta Quadrant and the Beta Quadrant. So they were kind of going along the border, if that makes sense, riding the border between the Delta and Beta Quadrants, toward the galactic center.

I hadn't seen any info on those characters (may I have a link?).

If it was confirmed that they aren't originally from the Protostar, then its likely the kids arrived to UFP space and were given a few other people to fill out the ship... or they found a SF doctor, commander and an ensign from another ship which was sent to find the Protostar... or, those 3 were stranded in the Gamma (or another Quadrant) and were trying to get back home.

Sure, here’s a link to the interview at TrekMovie, and I’ve quoted the portion Aaron Waltke mentioned them below.

In that instance it was a miscommunication–they misheard and thought the question was whether Doctor Noum (Jason Alexander), Ensign Asencia (Jameela Jamil), and Commander Tysess (Daveed Diggs) were the former crew of the Protostar. I can confirm that they are not Chakotay’s crew on the Protostar, but Chakotay was indeed the former captain. We couldn’t clarify that until now without it being a spoiler.

‪‪I’m predicting they’re on an official Federation mission to find for the missing Protostar.

 

[Commander Troi]

Casting Spoilers/Leaks BIG WARNING

Spoiler

This lines up with a casting leak we got in December 2020, that said there was a Vau N'Akat pretending to be a Starfleet officer.

This leaked before the name of Gwyn's species was publicly known FYI. Which makes it seem more legit.

https://www.theilluminerdi.com/2020/12/01/star-trek-prodigy-characters/

THANK YOU! I knew I remembered something like that!

 

[JoaquinSlowly]

I’ve been so excited to discuss the developments in the overall plot and the implications on the timeline and everything, ‪‪I didn’t mention how much I’ve come to love Murf. Everything from him howling out in the Holodeck, to his near-explosive burp, Murf is amazing.

Also, something about Rok-Tahk’s sweet personality and her interactions with Holo Janeway make me want for her to meet Naomi Wildman. They’re only three years apart, with Naomi 11 in 2383, and ‪‪I can just see them as wonderful friends.

 

[Danja]

Ooh... I so want Chakotay to re-assume command of the Protostar. I want to see him as Captain and the kids trained as proper cadets.

I like things the way they are now.

Kids waiting on Chuckles = Boring TV.

Chakotay may not want it (He hid the Protostar to AVOID messing with the timeline. Now you want him training CADETS?)

I got some SERIOUS Darth Sidious vibes in this ep. The Hagemans are REALLY leaning into Star Wars.

 

[Deks]

I’ve been so excited to discuss the developments in the overall plot and the implications on the timeline and everything, ‪‪I didn’t mention how much I’ve come to love Murf. Everything from him howling out in the Holodeck, to his near-explosive burp, Murf is amazing.

Also, something about Rok-Tahk’s sweet personality and her interactions with Holo Janeway make me want for her to meet Naomi Wildman. They’re only three years apart, with Naomi 11 in 2383, and ‪‪I can just see them as wonderful friends.

I agree, but on that last bit, while they may only be 3 years apart, remember that Naomi is half K'Tarian... and she was apparently maturing at a faster rate compared to say a Human (almost twice as fast).

So, while physically, Naomi would be indeed 11 years old in 2385, she probably already finished maturing in those 5 years and would be equivalent to an 18 or 19 year old human.

This of course would hardly be a barrier between the two in terms of meeting, considering that Naomi befrended a physically older 7 of 9 (who was... 24 or 25 years old at the time).

Also, where was Rok-Tahk's age mentioned?

 

[Deks]

I like things the way they are now.

Kids waiting on Chuckles = Boring TV.

Chakotay may not want it (He hid the Protostar to AVOID messing with the timeline. Now you want him training CADETS?)

I got some SERIOUS Darth Sidious vibes in this ep. The Hagemans are REALLY leaning into Star Wars.

Chakotay may have originally hid the Protostar to avoid messing with the timeline... BUT, that would only continue to be the case if the Protostar was not yet launched in 2383... and I (personally) don't think this is the case because its very easy to think the Protostar was launched say 2 or 3 years after VOY returned and went missing immediately after its deployment or just a bit after (maybe in 2382).

This still leaves room for Chakotay to return and re-assume command so the kids could be trained by him instead. I also doubt a fully trained SF Commander who will apparently join the Protostar with a doctor and a cadet would allow these kids to control the Protostar by themselves - so, it only makes sense if they are including a SF commander into the mix, they may as well reintroduce Chakotay too (though, depending on how much time has passed, Chakotay would be at least 20 years older vs when that mayday message was recorded - and if we're being honest, he might not be alive anymore - that would certainly be a kick - and the way the initial interviews pointed to things, they probably had to give Beltran a more prominent role on Prodigy [vs what he had on VOY] in order to get him as a voice actor).

 

[JoaquinSlowly]

I agree, but on that last bit, while they may only be 3 years apart, remember that Naomi is half K'Tarian... and she was apparently maturing at a faster rate compared to say a Human (almost twice as fast).

So, while physically, Naomi would be indeed 11 years old in 2385, she probably already finished maturing in those 5 years and would be equivalent to an 18 or 19 year old human.

This of course would hardly be a barrier between the two in terms of meeting, considering that Naomi befrended a physically older 7 of 9 (who was... 24 or 25 years old at the time).

Also, where was Rok-Tahk's age mentioned?

That’s possible, but I believe it’s only early on that she matured at that rate. We seemed to see Naomi’s aging average out to a typical human by the time she was 2, since we see Naomi onscreen not aging at double speed in the last several seasons of Voyager.

Since they happened more or less parallel to real time, a year for a year, and Scarlett Pommers portrayed her with no effort to depict she was advancing in age at that accelerated rate, ‪‪I think it’s just as plausible she aged more like a human than a Kataran (unsure of spelling?). Human/Kataran hyrbids had a *decelerated* gestation period compared to humans, lasting 18 months, so it doesn’t seem like it’s consistently twice as fast across the board.

And they’ve released bios in various official offscreen media for the series, and Gwyn and Dal are 17, Jankom Pog is 16, and Rok-Tahk is 8.

 

[Danja]

This still leaves room for Chakotay to return and re-assume command so the kids could be trained by him instead. I also doubt a fully trained SF Commander who will apparently join the Protostar with a doctor and a cadet would allow these kids to control the Protostar by themselves.

Dal should've learned by now after his experience in the Kobayashi Maru simulation that he doesn't have all the answers.

Where's future Janeway? What of her?

 

[Deks]

That seems possible, though the same interview where Waltke mentions the Commander/Doctor/Ensign casting he also hinted that they may not have *quite* made it all the way to the Gamma Quadrant.

Yeah. I included the possibility in one of my earlier replies that the Protostar either crossed into the G.Q or is very near it (tethering on/near the edge of Delta-Gamma border of the galaxy).

Sure, here’s a link to the interview at TrekMovie, and I’ve quoted the portion Aaron Waltke mentioned them below.

Thank you.
That seems to more or less confirm my thinking that Tars Lamora is NOT in the galactic centre... but further away from it.
The Protostar 4000 Ly jump would have brought it CLOSER to the galactic core, towards Earth and UFP (if the interview is any indication) and is still in the Delta Quadrant.

‪‪I’m predicting they’re on an official Federation mission to find for the missing Protostar.

Could easily be the case... which means, the kids won't be in charge of the Protostar, (what SF Commander would allow that?) but will in fact be trained as proper cadets.
This also leaves room for Chakotay to return as a flesh and blood person... I don't know. I'd really like to see him in a more prominent role as the VOY writers didn't exactly give him that... plus, if I remember correctly, I don't think Beltran would have agreed to return to Trek as Chakotay unless he got a more prominent/useful role.

 

[Deks]

Dal should've learned by now after his experience in the Kobayashi Maru simulation that he doesn't have all the answers.

Exactly... and as I said, I doubt a SF commander would allow Dal or Gwyn to be in control of the Protostar. As clever as they may be with holo Janeway to assist them, they are still tinkering with an extremely powerful ship and don't know a lot of the stuff.

Plus, they're still kids.

Only Gwyn was trained in ship operations it seems... but none of them have proper command experience or how to deal with situations - right now they are panicking quite a bit... and as fun as that can be to watch [such as hearing them scream exiting TransWarp], I don't think it can be maintained indefintiely.

Where's future Janeway? What of her?

Which one are you referring to?
The one from the alternate timeline who returned in VOY 'Endgame' passed away when the Borg Qeen and Unicomplex were destroyed.

The current day flesh and blood Janeway (from 2383) is probably still in Starfleet and serving as an admiral (she was promoted by the time ST: Nemesis aired, which was about a year after VOY got back).

In fact, SHE could have launched a rescue mission to find the Protostar and Chakotay... and if she's with the ship that will deliver the doctor, commander and cadet to the Protostar, we could potentially see her interacting with her holo self and the kids.

 

[jackoverfull]

By the way...so we have YET another uniform being worn in the early 2380s. By this point I’m starting to think they’re trolling us and Starfeet stylists’ attitude at the time must have been “just wear whatever you want and call it an uniform”.

 

[Deks]

By the way...so we have YET another uniform being worn in the early 2380s. By this point I’m starting to think they’re trolling us and Starfeet stylists’ attitude at the time must have been “just wear whatever you want and call it an uniform”.

Either that, or each ship can have its own uniform style.
Holo Janeway has her own from her VOY days... probably to honor her Captaincy.

Chakotay seemed to have a different style uniform though.
For all we know, there are multiple uniform styles in any given era... and either one can be worn in SF... however, I think each ship usually (at least the majority of the crew) would wear a certain uniform style... or one uniform style would be adopted across SF, but individual ships might be using some other styles to differentiante themselves.

After all, TNG changed uniforms until they settled on a style the VOY crew and Ds9 crew's wore... until FC uniforms took place and DS9 upgraded to that style. VOY remained on the older style uniform probably because they didn't have a need to change it.
A SF uniform is still a uniform.

 

[Danja]

Only Gwyn was trained in ship operations it seems... but none of them have proper command experience or how to deal with situations - right now they are panicking quite a bit... and as fun as that can be to watch [such as hearing them scream exiting TransWarp], I don't think it can be maintained indefintiely.

The whole point of the show is to watch them develop as a crew.

We're only six episodes into the show. I seriously doubt it's going to stay that way indefinitely regardless.

Wouldn't Chakotay want to go home to his time? How would he do that if he was saddled with a group of kids? ("So long ... Thanks for all the fish.")

 

[Deks]

The whole point of the show is to watch them develop as a crew.

You do realize they can still do that with an actual trained SF commander and Captain in charge of the ship itself and the kids being trained as cadets in the field.

We're only six episodes into the show. I seriously doubt it's going to stay that way indefinitely regardless.

There's another 14 episodes remaining.
Its unlikely to stay that way for much longer. It may last until the other 3 SF crewmen join the ship (which could be by the 10th episode, or end of Season 1... who knows).

Wouldn't Chakotay want to go home to his time? How would he do that if he was saddled with a group of kids? ("So long ... Thanks for all the fish.")

Chakotay is probably already IN his time by 2383... if not a year or two ahead of it (depending if the Protostar was launched and lost in the first 3-4 years after VOY returned).
He's still a captain... and the Protostar will need a captain. I doubt that upcoming SF commander will be the only high ranking officer on board - in fact, they could be left on the Protostar until they retrieve Chakotay and his crew.

Then again, Chakotay may just opt to return to UFP and retire after he's found (or should I say, IF he's found). Who knows.

 

[Danja]

You do realize they can still do that with an actual trained SF commander and Captain in charge of the ship itself and the kids being trained as cadets in the field.

They would be waiting on Chakotay. He'll be the one telling the cadets, "Do this" and "Do that".

They left Tars Lamora to ESCAPE from bondage. Tying themselves to Chakotay would means throwing themselves back into it.

Dal has just had a taste of power. I seriously doubt he's just going to casually stand aside.

Protostar has a ship replicator. Chakotay might've just made himself a small ship, scuttled Protostar, and flown off to God-knows-where.