Star Trek: Prodigy release date: cast, plot and trailer for animated Star Trek series
An upcoming series hopes to make a new generation fall in love with Star Trek.
Fans of Star Trek have been rather spoiled for choice of late – with numerous projects currently airing and more in the works.
And with its latest new show, the franchise is boldly going where it has never gone before: into the world of children's entertainment.
Animated series Star Trek: Prodigy – which was announced during a Comic-Con@Home panel in 2020 – is being billed as a way for kids to get into Star Trek and will arrive in the UK on Paramount Plus when the streaming service launches here in 2022.
Set in the Delta quadrant, the show is the brainchild of brothers Kevin and Dan Hageman and will feature a brand new cast of characters alongside some returning favourites, notably including Star Trek: Voyager's Kathryn Janeway who is once again played by Kate Mulgrew.
Speaking to Variety about the origins of the show, Dan Hageman recently explained to Variety, "It was just about the perspective [of the characters], which kind of stems from our own fears about doing a Star Trek show.
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"I would think, ‘I could never write what they say on the bridge, these characters have all been through Starfleet, they’re the best of the best.’ So the very first thing was, what if we just take kids who don’t know any of this? You give them a ship, and they learn about the ship, they learn about the procedures. It felt like a totally new way into Star Trek that would be relatable."
Here's everything we know so far about Star Trek: Prodigy.
When is Star Trek: Prodigy on TV?
In the US, the show will first air exclusively on streaming service Paramount Plus from 28th October 2021 before getting a broadcast on Nickelodeon at a later date.
UK fans will have to wait a little longer, but it's been confirmed that the series will be available on Paramount Plus as soon as the service is launched in the UK in 2022, when the streamer will become part of Sky's offering.
What is Star Trek: Prodigy about?
According to StarTrek.com, Prodigy "follows a group of lawless teens who discover a derelict Starfleet ship and use it to search for adventure, meaning and salvation."
The CG-animated series is set in the Delta Quadrant in the aftermath of Star Trek: Voyager, but will reportedly connect to other parts of the franchise as well.
Speaking during a TCA Paramount+ panel in August 2021, Dan Hageman explained, "There may be some characters that these characters come across from Voyager, but there are also other characters from the wide world of Gene Roddenberry."
Who is in the cast of Star Trek: Prodigy?
The bulk of the cast is made up of Star Trek newcomers, with Rylee Alazraqui (Home Economics), Brett Gray (On My Block), Angus Imrie (The Crown), Jason Mantzoukas (Infinite), Ella Purnell (Army of the Dead) and Dee Bradley Baker (SpongeBob SquarePants) voicing the young aliens who serve as the show's main protagonists.
Alazraqui plays Rok-Tahk, a bright but shy eight-year-old Brikar girl who loves animals, Gray is 17-year-old maverick Dal, a member of an unknown species, and Imrie voices Zero, who is a Medusan – a non-corporeal, genderless, energy-based lifeform.
Meanwhile, Mantzoukas is a 16-year-old argumentative Tellarite called Jankom Pog, Purnell voices a 17-year-old Vau N’Akat dreamer named Gwyn, and Baker stars as Murf, an endearing, indestructible blob whose age and species is unknown.
Perhaps most excitingly, Star Trek Voyager star Kate Mulgrew returns to voice a new animated Captain Janeway – the design of whom was created by Ben Hibon and brought to life by Nikie Monteleone.
Speaking about the character's new look on Twitter, Mulgrew wrote, "Doesn't she look absolutely fantastic? A huge thanks to the #StarTrekProdigy team for bringing this next iteration of Captain Janeway to life. An honour to be back among my Trek family with a new show targeted at the next, next generation!"
And talking about returning to the franchise in August 2021, Mulgrew added: “Star Trek is never far from me. Janeway defined an era for me, and as it turns out, the rest of my life… I love her. When a character defines a part of her life, you are in turn greatly deeply, which I am. She has never left me and I am thrilled to be back and to be introducing this to children.”
She also teased that the new iteration would be "full of her humanity and full of her levity" and said that the character is excited to be able to help the new characters on their first voyage.
Mulgrew isn't the only legacy character to return, with Robert Beltran returning as Captain Chakotay, while some other big names will be making their Star Trek debuts in recurring roles.
This includes Seinfeld's Jason Alexander as Tellarite Doctor Noum, Hamilton's Daveed Diggs as Andorian Commander Tysess and The Good Place star Jamila Jamil as Ensign Asencia, a Trill.
Westworld's Jimmi Simpson and Lord of the Rings actor John Noble also both join the cast, playing villains The Diviner and Drednok respectively.
Meanwhile, Kevin and Dan Hageman, who have previously worked on Lego's Ninjago series and Guillermo del Toro's Trollhunters on Netflix, will serve as showrunners on the project while Ben Hibon (Codehunters) directs, co-executive produces and serves as the creative lead on the series.
Is there a Star Trek: Prodigy trailer?
Yes – there have been a few glimpses at the new series so far, including the below first teaser trailer which was released in June 2021.
In August 2021, Nickelodeon unveiled a first look at the opening credits for the series, which included a closer look at the ship.
And a full trailer was released in September to coincide with Star Trek Day, with fans given a closer look at the new characters and their introduction to Captain Janeway and Star Trek.
Star Trek: Discovery is available to stream on Netflix. Looking for something else to watch? Check out our guide to the best TV series on Netflix and best movies on Netflix, or visit our TV Guide.
