To be clear, I wasn't thinking 'let's kill Kes'. I actually like it that she was last seen alive (both times!). And I genuinely do find what was done in season 6 insolent. I mean, that was a live lung donor they defamed! And I don't like the implicit idea that old age is a tragedy. What I like about the concept of a short lifer is the 'compressed' life, the chance to observe an entire life, and to put ourselves in the 'long lived alien' position.
But, such a story doesn't 'write itself'. It is very hard to do well. So far, Star Trek has usually followed the path of playing any new concept for maximum drama, even horror (Berman and Braga were big horror fans). So, when Kes left, and later put on another appearance, the priority was to make it dramatic, even disturbing. That might enhance some characters, but it was never the appeal of Kes to me. Indeed, I never really liked the mental powers! For a better way of saying goodbye to loved character, see The Orville's 'Home'. I don't know if the writers on Prodigy are
that good, but if they are on the ball with why kids like this stuff, without dumbing it down, we could get some great storylines.
Icheb certainly deserved better, especially as the only Delta Quadrant native to make it back to the Alpha Quadrant (all the others left the ship at various points in time). But at least his killer was brought to justice, or at least rendered unable to do further harm.
Good point, I hadn't thought of that. I think there was a lot in what they chose to emphasise, which actually has a significant bearing on the appeal of any story. They did say that Icheb had actually had a promising Starfleet career. Now, I would have shown it, possibly in the form of flashbacks by Seven, making her look sad for no apparent reason, then revealing how he died (and Seven's motivation) as she confronts the killer. Now, that would have been an engaging, if sad, story. Instead, they opted for shock alone.
