Yes, that was "Time Squared," which I already acknowledged as the sole exception to the normal rule.
Spoilers Star Trek: Prodigy General Discussion Thread
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Yes, that was "Time Squared," which I already acknowledged as the sole exception to the normal rule.
Interview with Brett Gray (voice of Dal) on trekcore: https://blog.trekcore.com/2022/10/interview-star-trek-prodigy-brett-gray-nycc-2022/ , with some insights in the Dal-Gwyn relationship (among other things).
His answers seem quite spontaneous to me. Love his enthusiasm for character and show.
His answers seem quite spontaneous to me. Love his enthusiasm for character and show.
And another interview, with the showrunners (Hageman brothers) this time: https://trekmovie.com/2022/10/17/in...racters-grow-up-to-become-starfleet-officers/
They talk about Okona, crossovers and other things. Maybe most interesting, they state Chakotay will also be in S2 (so after the 10 episodes of S1 yet to come, though Chakotay may be in some of those too), as well as 2 other unannounced legacy characters.
They talk about Okona, crossovers and other things. Maybe most interesting, they state Chakotay will also be in S2 (so after the 10 episodes of S1 yet to come, though Chakotay may be in some of those too), as well as 2 other unannounced legacy characters.
Yet another interview, this time with Kate Mulgrew: https://trekmovie.com/2022/10/13/in...rney-in-upcoming-return-in-star-trek-prodigy/
A few highlights:
"there are several iterations of Janeway. And some of them are shocking, and dark, and unexpected. And then the journey takes a harrowing turn. And that was really fun."
Sounds a bit more like Discovery/Picard - shocking and dark? Did the Dauntless run out of coffee? I hope she's exaggerating. And just which iterations would that be, besides the ETH and the vice-admiral?
"So if I’m trying to find Chakotay, you better believe that the investment is going to be huge. And the payoff is going to be – after many bumps and many twists, and many very difficult turns – rewarding."
The ETH has a soft spot for Dal, apparently:
"This hologram has empathy for these kids. I mean, they’re all in trouble, especially Dal, who has suffered, arguably more than all of them put together." => did Dal suffer the most?
About the ETH teaching the children:
"So I very slowly, but subtly tried to place humor, warmth, and even some degree of discernment. She likes some, she doesn’t really trust others’ opinions."
Interesting. Whose opinions doesn't she trust fully? I would guess Jankom is the most likely (as far as not holding his opinions in high esteem), though Dal (at first rash and prone to ignoring the others, also lies very easily), Rok (very young and thus more naive than the others) and Gwyn (divided loyalties) all have potential issues as well.
About the interview with the Hageman brothers that I linked to 2 posts up, also some things that stand out:
Speaking about Billy Campbell and his character Okona:
"When we were recording Billy, he loved bringing the character back because he looked back and said, “I didn’t do a very good job.” And I think the script was going through changes and so he said, “I would love what you guys could do to give him a second chance.”
"We’ve got some fun surprise characters coming out in the back ten episodes [of season 1] and in season 2 especially. So we’ve been talking very closely with other shows to make sure it all works."
I wonder which surprise characters, other than Okona and Jellico. Romulans and Klingons will be on the show, too, but it is unknown in which context and there are few "named" characters among them (I don't see, say, Martok turning up unless it is a holodeck thing).
About the Protostar crew:
"It’ll be beautiful… You’ll get to see them start forming and being a real crew and calling things out like they should. You’re like, “These kids are starting to get it.”
Sounds good!
"Our hope is the show goes on forever. I would love for it to just keep going. We’ve told Rylee, “We’re not going to replace you.” I don’t want Rok to stay the same age season after season. If her voice changes, we’re going to continue to have her grow up and I want these characters to become young adults and someday adult crew members."
Sounds good (2)! If the show would keep going after those ordered 40 episodes, it may eventually turn into some form of the vaunted "Starfleet Academy" series, though probably in a very different format then present proposals.
"You never know what you’re going get in every episode. So while we do keep a serialized story, we’re always trying to push ourselves. Like, you got a Borg episode, a haunted house episode. Then we will do a comedic one."
I'm not sure if the comedic episode is already in the back 10 of S1 (though it could well be - Billy Campbell thought Prodigy was a comedy), but it looks like we will get a "haunted house (/planet/ship?)" episode, besides the Borg that were already teased in the trailer.
A few highlights:
"there are several iterations of Janeway. And some of them are shocking, and dark, and unexpected. And then the journey takes a harrowing turn. And that was really fun."
Sounds a bit more like Discovery/Picard - shocking and dark? Did the Dauntless run out of coffee? I hope she's exaggerating. And just which iterations would that be, besides the ETH and the vice-admiral?
"So if I’m trying to find Chakotay, you better believe that the investment is going to be huge. And the payoff is going to be – after many bumps and many twists, and many very difficult turns – rewarding."
The ETH has a soft spot for Dal, apparently:
"This hologram has empathy for these kids. I mean, they’re all in trouble, especially Dal, who has suffered, arguably more than all of them put together." => did Dal suffer the most?
About the ETH teaching the children:
"So I very slowly, but subtly tried to place humor, warmth, and even some degree of discernment. She likes some, she doesn’t really trust others’ opinions."
Interesting. Whose opinions doesn't she trust fully? I would guess Jankom is the most likely (as far as not holding his opinions in high esteem), though Dal (at first rash and prone to ignoring the others, also lies very easily), Rok (very young and thus more naive than the others) and Gwyn (divided loyalties) all have potential issues as well.
About the interview with the Hageman brothers that I linked to 2 posts up, also some things that stand out:
Speaking about Billy Campbell and his character Okona:
"When we were recording Billy, he loved bringing the character back because he looked back and said, “I didn’t do a very good job.” And I think the script was going through changes and so he said, “I would love what you guys could do to give him a second chance.”
"We’ve got some fun surprise characters coming out in the back ten episodes [of season 1] and in season 2 especially. So we’ve been talking very closely with other shows to make sure it all works."
I wonder which surprise characters, other than Okona and Jellico. Romulans and Klingons will be on the show, too, but it is unknown in which context and there are few "named" characters among them (I don't see, say, Martok turning up unless it is a holodeck thing).
About the Protostar crew:
"It’ll be beautiful… You’ll get to see them start forming and being a real crew and calling things out like they should. You’re like, “These kids are starting to get it.”
Sounds good!
"Our hope is the show goes on forever. I would love for it to just keep going. We’ve told Rylee, “We’re not going to replace you.” I don’t want Rok to stay the same age season after season. If her voice changes, we’re going to continue to have her grow up and I want these characters to become young adults and someday adult crew members."
Sounds good (2)! If the show would keep going after those ordered 40 episodes, it may eventually turn into some form of the vaunted "Starfleet Academy" series, though probably in a very different format then present proposals.
"You never know what you’re going get in every episode. So while we do keep a serialized story, we’re always trying to push ourselves. Like, you got a Borg episode, a haunted house episode. Then we will do a comedic one."
I'm not sure if the comedic episode is already in the back 10 of S1 (though it could well be - Billy Campbell thought Prodigy was a comedy), but it looks like we will get a "haunted house (/planet/ship?)" episode, besides the Borg that were already teased in the trailer.
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Thanks for sharing this. I hope that as it's a kids' show it won't get too dark! There could be an Emergency Admiral Hologram (like the Emergency Command Hologram but able to command a fleet) and the Emergency Barrista Hologram for coffee-related emergencies.
That would be my preferred outcome.
Gwyn had a dad and wasn't forced to work, Rok might've been new since she's younger than the rest and therefore hasn't been there as long, Jankom was happy repairing things and maybe didn't have to work in the mines as much, and didn't have to be forced to repair things cause he enjoys it, Zero might not suffer physical discomfort from mining work, and Murf I guess can't be forced to do anything anyway - so Dal was the one doing the hardest forced labor the longest. And he doesn't know his parents, or even what his culture is and where he's from.
There’s also the matter of parallel timelines and alternate futures, which are implied to co-exist in episodes like “Parallels” and “Relativity” — and they can intrude on (or declare war on) one another without erasing their own realities, as seen in the Temporal Cold War of Enterprise.
Even in “Timeless”, Harry Kim points out that the message from his future self shouldn’t exist if it was sent it from their own future which was altered, and Janeway basically says “best not to think about it.” The implication being that those realities likely still exist in some alternate timeline.
In short, unless we have a whole series following the USS Relativity, the overall theme is “time travel is something far more complex than a meager 24th century understanding of it can contemplate.” The Traveler says something similar, when asked to explain how he can cross time and different universes so effortlessly. When they ask if he’s from another time, The Traveler laughs and says:
RIKER: You are from a different time, aren't you?
TRAVELLER: Well, no, not exactly from another time. Although as you understand the concept, yes, perhaps that term fits as well as any.
RIKER: And you have this ability to travel.
TRAVELLER: Yes.
RIKER: And others of your kind have the same ability?
TRAVELLER: Yes.
RIKER: Then why, in all of our history, is there no record of you or someone like you ever having visited us?
TRAVELLER: What wonderful arrogance. There is no record because we have not visited you before.
RIKER: Why not?
TRAVELLER: Well, up until now, if you'll forgive this, you've been uninteresting. It's only now that your life form merits serious attention. I'm sorry.
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You make good points. However, Rok doesn't remember eating anything other than the nutrigoo, and she was used for labour while being very young (she may not even know her parents). Zero was used to kill/drive someone crazy, against his will. Dal may have it the worst of all, but worse than all of them put together, as Mulgrew says, may be an exaggeration.
Another day, another interview (Hagemans brothers): https://www.comicsbeat.com/interview-kevin-and-dan-hageman-on-star-trek-prodigys-midseason-debut/
Many things we already knew, but still some highlights:
About Dal as a captain:
"I think it starts with him thinking he’s perfect for the captain’s spot. When we went into the show, Star Trek’s always been about the best of the best. What about people who start the worst of the worst?
So someone who seeks the captain’s chair, in our opinion, is someone who is undeserving of the captain’s chair. But, to see that growth, that’s why we think Dal / Brett Gray is the perfect person for that role."
Not sure I fully agree (Kirk undoubtedly sought the captain's chair from early on, and people like Picard and Janeway were probably ambitious as well), but given how Dal started I understand the sentiment (he pushed to be captain while not being remotely qualified).
About how they write Prodigy (the process they describe is one of the great strengths of this show IMO, and what is lacking in shows like Discovery):
"What we want to bring you is a great big adventure sequence – I know that was a goal.
Kevin and I do a lot of feature writing, so when we look at episode 1 through 20, we’re thinking of that as more of a movie structure than a television structure."
"It’s almost like a miniseries that we’re doing with these 20 episodes."
"We’re thinking about episode 10, we’re thinking about episode 20, before we even write episode 2."
About Starfleet/Admiral Janeway as antagonist (of sorts):
"And that’s what I love having in Star Trek: Prodigy. You understand the kid’s position, but you also understand Admiral Janeway’s position. So therefore, how’s it going to come to a conclusion?"
About a potential crossover with Lower Decks (they also talk about other options):
"I know Star Trek: Lower Decks is close to our timeline, but… I wonder how you deal with that future aspect. It’s still two years, I think we’re still two years ahead of them.
They’d have to come to us, because our kids were all on a slave planet. Unless, they come to that slave planet and don’t save anyone. Which… is something they might do. “Prime Directive, later!”
Many things we already knew, but still some highlights:
About Dal as a captain:
"I think it starts with him thinking he’s perfect for the captain’s spot. When we went into the show, Star Trek’s always been about the best of the best. What about people who start the worst of the worst?
So someone who seeks the captain’s chair, in our opinion, is someone who is undeserving of the captain’s chair. But, to see that growth, that’s why we think Dal / Brett Gray is the perfect person for that role."
Not sure I fully agree (Kirk undoubtedly sought the captain's chair from early on, and people like Picard and Janeway were probably ambitious as well), but given how Dal started I understand the sentiment (he pushed to be captain while not being remotely qualified).
About how they write Prodigy (the process they describe is one of the great strengths of this show IMO, and what is lacking in shows like Discovery):
"What we want to bring you is a great big adventure sequence – I know that was a goal.
Kevin and I do a lot of feature writing, so when we look at episode 1 through 20, we’re thinking of that as more of a movie structure than a television structure."
"It’s almost like a miniseries that we’re doing with these 20 episodes."
"We’re thinking about episode 10, we’re thinking about episode 20, before we even write episode 2."
About Starfleet/Admiral Janeway as antagonist (of sorts):
"And that’s what I love having in Star Trek: Prodigy. You understand the kid’s position, but you also understand Admiral Janeway’s position. So therefore, how’s it going to come to a conclusion?"
About a potential crossover with Lower Decks (they also talk about other options):
"I know Star Trek: Lower Decks is close to our timeline, but… I wonder how you deal with that future aspect. It’s still two years, I think we’re still two years ahead of them.
They’d have to come to us, because our kids were all on a slave planet. Unless, they come to that slave planet and don’t save anyone. Which… is something they might do. “Prime Directive, later!”
Oh, that would set so well with fans. But, would be very consistent with the Prime Directive and the admonition that non-interference is "the only way."
This is one aspect that I do appreciate and why I think an Academy based series spin off from this series has the most potential.
It would be very inconsistent with Mariner though, a perfect "screw the Prime Directive" moment. Moreover, it may not even apply as there are people from Federation member races among the slaves/miners. I think they were being firmly tongue-in-cheek, a crossover would require the Lower Decks characters to come to Prodigy (unless time travel shenanigans are involved, in which case any past or present show is fair game).
It would probably be better than the Starfleet 90210 style show that may otherwise be the expected outcome of a Starfleet Academy show, having characters that are both behind and far ahead of their fellow students (and with a whole recorded history behind them).
Hooray.
Who the hell is expecting that? I hear about it so often and I'm like "That is far and away the last thing I think off when talking Starfleet Academy. I need to mail copies of Space Cadet for different ideas on how to write this series.
The description for the third prodigy book coming out next year is interesting, may accidentally spoil an upcoming plot point in the series?
https://www.simonandschuster.com/bo...a-Rose-Clarke/Star-Trek-Prodigy/9781665921206
https://www.simonandschuster.com/bo...a-Rose-Clarke/Star-Trek-Prodigy/9781665921206
The crew is on their way to Starfleet. Their shuttle is cramped, and everyone is cranky. That’s when Murf spots a moon that isn’t on their charts. Murf really wants to go there, so the crew decides to make a stop to stretch their legs and get some supplies.
But a small detour turns into a big dilemma when the inhabitants of the moon ask Murf to stay with them. The rest of the crew begins to wonder if this is a sign. Could it be time for each of them to go their separate ways?
But a small detour turns into a big dilemma when the inhabitants of the moon ask Murf to stay with them. The rest of the crew begins to wonder if this is a sign. Could it be time for each of them to go their separate ways?
There have been posts I've read on this forum and on Reddit, where people express the expectation (or sometimes hope) that a Starfleet Academy series is quite likely to end up more in a soap-like territory where the (romantic) relations between the students are the focus of the show. Only with some (alien or starfleet) conspiracy thrown in on top.
I don't know to what extent those tie-in novel would track with the show, but:
It's curious they're on a shuttle. Dumped the Protostar? And I can't see them go separate ways before episode 40, if then.
Shows a severe lack of imagination.
I have no desire to watch a Star Trek show based around hot young people fuckin, but DIS/PIC have been way too chock full of "saves the galaxy" season arcs. I'd very much prefer a lower-stakes seasonal arc for an academy-based show.
Well sure, but like I said the inter-relational drama is not the only way to tell this story. I don't mind the high stakes, and no, I don't get bored of it or whatever. But, lower stakes are fine too. Find a balance, please.
Sometimes watching a show about someone simply trying to get from point "A" to point "B" can be quite entertaining.
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