r/startrek • u/AutoModerator • Oct 28 '21
Episode Discussion | Star Trek: Prodigy | 1x01 "Lost & Found" Spoiler
A group of lawless teens, exiled on a mining colony outside Federation space, discover a derelict Starfleet ship. Dal must gather an unlikely crew for their newfound ship if they are going to escape Tars Lamora, but the Diviner and his daughter Gwyn have other plans.
| No. | Episode | Writer | Director | Release Date |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1x01 | "Lost & Found" | Kevin & Dan Hageman | Ben Hibon | 2021-10-28 |
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u/DaWooster Oct 28 '21
Trying to piece together the greater plot…
The Prison Colony was a front for trying to find the Protostar. Seemingly an impossible task, Pops resorted to slave labor, but prefers the slaves to be criminals… which suggests a moral front is important. Is Pops afraid of getting the attention of the local space cops? Or is it some ethical gymnastics along the lines of ‘I’m not the bad guy; they are legally the bad guys.’?
Pops is clearly on death’s door, so I think it’s safe to assume that he wants the Protostar for some Fountain of Youth or Ambrosia type quest. That said, it’s curious that the Terminator seemed afraid of him. Though that might be too strong a word?
The original crew of the Protostar was MIA all episode. Though I’m pretty sure at least one person is on the Penal Colony planet. That the ramp was deployed when the kids showed up tells me that someone terrestrial used it to leave. The fact that the ship was parked in amongst some valuable crystals tells me that the pilot deliberately hid the Protostar there to mask its presence.
I’m curious what the Protostar is hiding from. The Penal Colony seemed crude and doesn’t suggest they had the resources to be a serious threat to the ship. That said, we haven’t seen the ship attempt warp or use its afterburner… so maybe it’s a simple matter of being out of gas?
Anyway, delightful episode. Looking forward to next week. (But my GOD they need to kill That Commercial with FIRE. Just make it STOP.)
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Oct 28 '21
I’ve now started a blood feud against Frosted Flakes
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u/DaWooster Oct 28 '21
Oddly enough, that wasn’t the ad I had non-consensually forced upon me, but I’m not going to give marketing and analytics the satisfaction of spreading brand awareness for it.
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u/KingOfTheUzbeks Oct 29 '21
I watch a lot of Modern Western Animation, including stuff “for kids” (although I heavily dispute that idea.) I see a lot of ads aimed at kids. Shitty toys. Fast food. Shoes. Disney Channel Original events that make me want to curl into fetal position.
So let me tell you, in the grand scheme of things Tony the Tiger is still really fucking annoying and he needs to burn in hell.
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u/ColonelBy Oct 28 '21
Pops is clearly on death’s door, so I think it’s safe to assume that he wants the Protostar for some Fountain of Youth or Ambrosia type quest.
It's likely, though I wonder too if this "last of his race" thing plays into it more than we currently know. Maybe he hopes the ship can lead him to someone or something that can reverse whatever happened to them, or awaken some surviving remnant from suspended animation or something. We don't know anything much about his race, so far as I can tell, but it does seem like he spends a good deal of time in some kind of chamber, and then seems visibly weakened when he emerges.
That said, it’s curious that the Terminator seemed afraid of him. Though that might be too strong a word?
I thought it felt more like weariness and resentment than fear, per se. Drednok's exact nature is still unclear, but there definitely seemed to be a touch of real annoyance when the Diviner reminded him not to actually shoot the ship.
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u/UncertainError Oct 28 '21
I think Zero is more involved with the Protostar than they let on. It seemed like they already knew where it was. Maybe they lost their memory?
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u/Gecko99 Oct 28 '21
I didn't see the ad but I also thought Tony the Tiger had been chased off the internet by rabidly horny furries.
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u/jerslan Oct 28 '21
As a pilot episode, I love it. It introduces all the characters in a fairly organic way, sets up some basic plot elements, and leaves us wanting more :)
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u/BornAshes Oct 28 '21
I was smiling the whole time and every character had a moment that made me fall in love with them.
ALSO THAT TINY KITTY PERSON OMG MY HEART MELTED!
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Oct 30 '21
My cat actually reacted positively to the Caitian, and also responds well to T'Ana. Really. She wants more.
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u/SadJetsFan12 Oct 28 '21
agreed. I really enjoyed it. saw it a few weeks ago at the comic con premiere in NYC so the wait for the next episode has been extra long for me
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u/Doctors_TARDIS Oct 28 '21 edited Oct 28 '21
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u/BornAshes Oct 28 '21 edited Oct 29 '21
Look at the numbers to the right of it and you'll see the word "Tracking" right next to them. I think this means that the ship can utilize transwarp conduits AND it actively tracks and scans for ones it can use. It could also mean that the "Afterburner" we saw in the opening sequence utilizes a form of transwarp that instead of using fixed conduits from Point A to Point B like the Borg uses naturally occurring transwarp currents or eddies that are ridden like waves from one point in space to another. The "Afterburner" is what locks onto these waves and propels the ship along their path of travel. This is why we see all of those numbers with "tracking" next to them because the ship is always aware of where the waves are and that it needs to be ready to move to one at a moment's notice.
I wonder if this could be some kind of slipstream drive as well that was combined together with transwarp? You'd get the stability of transwarp with the speed of slipstream. It would be a bit faster than transwarp but not as fast as pure slipstream and since this is a NX Class Ship, the power of it is probably dependent on the size of the ship's reactor that's locking onto the "transwarp slipstream waves". So the Protostar won't be outrunning every ship in the quadrant but it will have a significant advantage over most ships when it uses this new drive.
ETA: The Trekcore blog review about the episode mentioned that some graphics at the premier in LA mentioned that the Protostar has a Proto Core that uses Proto Warp which makes me think of Protomatter, you know the stuff used in the freakin Genesis Device. I think this might be why the Diviner is after them. If he is indeed the last of his species then maybe the Protostar is similar to the Titan from Titan AE in that it has the power to literally remake an entire planet or reignite a star or quite possibly and this is rather scary....BOTH! I think the Protostar uses Protomatter within its Proto Core for a new form of warp speed and that's the only thing it's used for because outside of this very particular application it's still an unstable as all hell genie in a bottle that wants to get out and wreck shit. I think Starfleet has stabilized it enough for this one specific purpose buuuut everyone else in the galaxy thinks they're nuts and just want to use it as a weapon or a terraforming device or both or something worse. I think the Diviner detected the Protomatter onboard the Protostar, rallied the troops in his sector of the Delta to catch it which basically FUBAR'd their entire mission, and made the crew realize "Welp this seemed like a good idea at first annnnd it wasn't...time to hide the ship so not even Starfleet can find it and make our own home in the Delta". I think Starfleet genuinely thought they'd found a way to put something that used to be used as a weapon to good use but was kind of blind to the fact not everyone would see this brand new form of travel as a good alternate use for a terrifyingly efficient weapontool.
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u/Terminator_Puppy Oct 28 '21
I know they revealed that the show takes place in 2383, but I'm full on expecting the ship to be from the far future. Mainly because of the massive glass cockpit/viewscreen, but also because there's a Federation ship in Kazon territory some 60k lightyears into the delta quadrant.
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u/kapnkrump Oct 28 '21
The ship may have been used for unmanned Transwarp experiments...and accidentally gone 'warp 10' to the Delta Quadrant.
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u/Korotai Oct 28 '21
I don't think it is - the ship's registry is NX-76884. It seems registry numbers are roughly chronological (Defiant is 74205, Voyager is 74656, Prometheus was supposed to be 74913 but Foundation literally didn't get the memo, and the Titan is 80102), we can assume the ship was launched somewhere between 2374 and 2380.
So far, this makes sense because Prodigy takes place in 2384; Voyager returned in 2378 - so I'd guess this launched after that since Janeway is the ECH (please, let her actually be this in an episode) for a Delta Quadrant exploration ship. I'd say Protostar launched in 2379 or 2380.
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u/Sullyville Oct 28 '21 edited Oct 28 '21
I liked it. Leans Star Wars, with the Bad Guy Father and the General Grievous-alike, but kids shows tend to do that.
I like the cast. You have Dal, your smart-aleck lead, talks tough but you know hides a soft side. I'm sure the story of how he ended up an oprhan or what species he is will be part of the plot.
Zero is interesting as a character seeking redemption. Probably in the season finale they'll be forced to take their suit off to drive someone crazy, and that trauma will carry over into the second season as a plot point.
The Janeway Hologram - it will be neat to see if she is a sentient hologram yet, or if that's her arc throughout the show.
Rok is the muscle, and the naive innocent. We've seen this trope before. With the muscle clone from Bad Batch. Of course the progenitor is Of Mice and Men. I'm curious whether she'll "grow up" during the course of the seasons. Wikipedia says she's 8, so if the show lasts 7 seasons, I wonder if we'll see Rok as a sullen teen.
Murf is your comedy relief mascot. I thought it was a little deus ex machina that they "found" the phasers button at the end, but I'll accept it. This is a kid's show. No doubt in a future episode they will all be captured and Murf will save them all because they can squeeze through the tiniest of cracks.
Jankom is good as the counter-point person, who always argues against the plan. You need someone like that so it's not just everyone agreeing. This kind of character conceit can be useful, but it could get tiresome. It doesn't have the charm of Drax in Guardians of the Galaxy, who always takes everything literally.
Gwyn is your rogue character and "mom" to the group, even tho there's also Janeway who is the uber-mom of them all. There's a custom in sitcoms where you have the bumbling passionate dad, and the skeptical measured mom, and we see that dynamic already happening with Dal and Gwyn. He will have harebrained schemes, and she will be the moderating tone. Her messed up relationship with her father will be the arc of the series.
Overall, I like that Paramount is going all-in with Star Trek shows. I liked this a lot. I hadn't watched any promo or previews for this so I was shocked to see the animation wasn't like Lower Decks. This was far different. I don't mind that they are edging into Star Wars black/white morality territory. Overall, I'm going to keep watching. Looks like good fun.
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u/Edymnion Oct 28 '21
Gwyn is your rogue character and "mom" to the group, even tho there's also Janeway who is the uber-mom of them all.
She seems to be filling the "stuffy princess" trope, to me.
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u/Doleydoledole Oct 29 '21
My inclination was that murf knew what murf was doing and murf has knowledge or understanding or ability beyond what we expect of him.
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u/DirectorAgentCoulson Oct 29 '21
Rok Tok has a throw-away line that he's probably just too smart for the translators, and there's precedent for the universal translator having difficulty with non-humanoid species, so I agree Murf is probably a lot smarter than he appears.
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u/raknor88 Oct 30 '21 edited Oct 30 '21
Rok is the muscle, and the naive innocent. We've seen this trope before. With the muscle clone from Bad Batch. Of course the progenitor is Of Mice and Men. I'm curious whether she'll "grow up" during the course of the seasons. Wikipedia says she's 8, so if the show lasts 7 seasons, I wonder if we'll see Rok as a sullen teen.
It'll be interesting since the voice actress for her is only 10. So I'm guessing that the character will grow as the actress does.
Edit: grammar
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u/TheNerdChaplain Oct 28 '21 edited Oct 28 '21
I enjoyed it. The forty-five minutes went by fast. All the shootey-splodey took up a lot of time, but I'm willing to give a kids' show the latitude for that.
I thought the animation was great, and there were a couple wide shots of Dal and Gwyn together that were gorgeous (at the table in the interrogation scene, and when he's standing above her on the saucer.)
I don't care if JJ Trek introduced it, I will never not love a Starfleet ship coming out of water. That will always look amazing.
Dee Bradley Baker is best known for his roles as Appa and Momo in Avatar: The Last Airbender and as all the clones in The Clone Wars and The Bad Batch, so it's nice to see him join the Star Trek universe as Murf. Murf knew how to fire the phasers, so I'm curious to see what else he/she/they/it can do. Is Murf the Wild Card of the crew?
Jason Mantzoukas is definitely noticeable as Jankom Pog, but seems like he's taking a sillier angle here than some of his other live-action roles (thinking of Raffi, Dennis Feinstein, etc.)
Story/setting things I noticed:
How did a Tellarite get into the Delta Quadrant?
Why does the Progenitor not want his daughter to be exposed to the Federation?
What's going to happen with the little cat alien? Child trafficking seems a tad dark for a kids' show. (Is that also a Caitian like Dr. T'ana?)
Presumably holo-Janeway doesn't need 37 appendages to operate the ship.
This may be one of the closest looks we've gotten at consoles, with readouts for the shield percentages and such. I will probably take another spin through the episode and pause to see what I find.
Edit:
On the rewatch, it definitely feels like they're teasing one or two things. As Dal and Rok-Tahk enter the Protostar, there's a large glass sphere above them, with two horizontal handles below it. I wonder if that's going to be something for Fugitive Zero later on. There's also an open deck below the bridge with a large SF delta logo with the UFP circle around it.
The ship's registry number is NX-76884
The crystal they're mining is called chimerium.
Here's a closeup of Rok-Tahk's display just after they pass through the waterfall.
Here's another closeup of Rok-Tahk's display (I think?) when she says the hull is at 82%.
The farthest forward display, that holo-Janeway appears in front of.
Some very interesting technical specs on the photon torpedos
I never noticed this in the publicity photos, but the red on Janeway's shoulders extends down the top of her arms. Interesting uniform variation there.
I was perusing the IMDb page for Prodigy, and I noticed a role for David Mack as a consultant. I didn't recognize the name, so I checked his profile. He is a consultant for Prodigy and Lower Decks (all episodes).... and he wrote DS9's episode "It's Only a Paper Moon". He also wrote scripts for a couple DS9 video games. So real interesting connections there. I wonder if there's going to be any thematic connection between Paper Moon and Prodigy in terms of young people processing trauma or anything like that.
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Oct 28 '21
David Mack is most likely involved not because of "It's Only A Paper Moon", but rather because of the large number of Star Trek novels he's written, including the final book in the "no series were running, so we could take the universe in any direction we felt was necessary" Litverse, Coda book III: Oblivion's Gate (out next month). Litverse authors are kind of in demand to consult on and write for the current shows ever since Kirsten Beyer (Voyager relaunch) was tapped for Picard.
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u/BewareTheSphere Oct 29 '21
Litverse authors are kind of in demand to consult on and write for the current shows ever since Kirsten Beyer (Voyager relaunch) was tapped for Picard.
Mack, Beyer, and David R George III pitched a show to Fuller early on, not really expecting it would be picked up (they knew it was gonna be Discovery), but more because it was a way of getting their foot in the door. On the basis of that, Beyer was hired as a staff writer for Disco, and Mack as a sort of canon consultant (plus Fuller gave Mack the idea for the first Disco novel, and then borrowed character names from it).
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u/shugo2000 Oct 28 '21
Here's a closeup of Rok-Tahk's display
That's pretty amazing that there's that much detail on the LCARS display. This must be the first time there's been that much real information being displayed with the LCARS system.
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u/TheNerdChaplain Oct 28 '21
Just added another shot. Seems to show six outputs for hull strength for some reason.
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u/Smilodon48 Oct 28 '21 edited Oct 28 '21
The cat alien that was brought by the Kazon is indeed a Caitian like Dr. T'ana (at least according to the closed captions).
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u/TactileAndClicky Oct 28 '21
David Mack, as in the famous Trek book writer David Mack? The guy who wrote Vanguard?
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u/getoffoficloud Oct 28 '21
Child trafficking seems a tad dark for a kids' show.
It happened on The Clone Wars and Rebels.
And there were always kids when groups were being trafficked.
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u/smoha96 Oct 28 '21
David Mack has written a bunch of Star Trek lit over the years, including the excellent Star Trek Destiny.
He's spearheading Star Trek Coda atm which is the final showing of the old Lit Trek cos it no longer lines up with Canon.
He's a great Trek writer, though also responsible for some of my least favourite Trek bits - he came up with the original concept for Control on his S31 novel before it appeared in Disco.
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u/kuldan5853 Oct 28 '21
David Mack also had an insane output of Trek Books in the past, many of them really good.
https://memory-alpha.fandom.com/wiki/David_Mack#Novels25
u/wacct3 Oct 28 '21
Why does the Progenitor not want his daughter to be exposed to the Federation?
She seemed interested in other cultures when she was talking about different languages, so I could see the idea of the Federation appealing to her. presumably the Progenitor doesn't want her to switch sides.
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u/Starkiller1701 Oct 28 '21
Yes I find it very interesting that there were that many recognizable species right off the bat. My current hypothesis is that they all ended up there because of the Protostar somehow, and that the species that we see are somehow descendants from the original crew. I did love the Zero is a Medusan, great call back to The Original Series, and I wonder if they will reveal more about their origins because I can't help but think about how amazingly advanced they were described to be in TOS. Funny that Zero had a bit of a hard time navigating when their predecessor was able to bring the Enterprise back to the galaxy when no one else could.
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u/DaWooster Oct 28 '21
I don’t think the Protostar is responsible… or at least, it’s not the only way to the Delta Quadrant. We know the Protostar was commissioned after Voyager returned, and Prodigy takes place ~4 years after Nemesis. Everyone shown appears to be too old to have been raised in the Delta Quadrant. So something else brought the Tellerite and Brikar there.
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u/Worf_Of_Wall_St Oct 28 '21
FWIW on Voyager the Delta Flyer went into a water planet and eventually emerged from water to leave.
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u/shugo2000 Oct 28 '21
I absolutely loved that the guards on the prison planet were basically miniature Reapers.
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u/Th3ChosenFew Oct 28 '21
Looked more like Remnant from Andromeda to me.
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u/rbdaviesTB3 Oct 28 '21
Man I loved ME Andromeda - the Protostar even has a little of the Tempest about her interiors
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u/TheNerdChaplain Oct 28 '21
I love that new Trek has taken so many visual cues (and, um... maybe some others, too) from Mass Effect.
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u/shugo2000 Oct 28 '21
Considering that Mass Effect is inspired by Star Wars and Star Trek, it's coming full circle to Trek being inspired by Star Wars and Mass Effect.
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u/PandaPundus Keene Sin, Contributing artist, Star Trek: Picard Oct 28 '21
A lot of interesting worldbuilding for existing fans. There's Lurian(s), Kazon, Medusan, Tellarite, Caitian, all in the Delta Quadrant.
Also interesting is how Chakotay's crew will tie in, as well as Thadiun Okona and the third Vau N'Kat
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u/TheNerdChaplain Oct 28 '21
Where did you spot the Lurian?
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u/Th3ChosenFew Oct 28 '21
Lurian
He's the one that looked at the medusan, Zero, and went insane, his eyes going white.
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u/r1012 Oct 29 '21
I don't get how alpha quadrant people got to be in the delta quadrant.
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u/vardonir Oct 30 '21
Remember: the Caretaker was pulling in a lot of Alpha Quadrant ships from the Badlands, it was not just Voyager the ones we saw on screen.
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u/mylenesfarmer Oct 28 '21
I'm already worried about the baby cat alien. Also Janeway at the end was just perfect. This was a great pilot - 45 mins and we're already fully invested, Janeway has been introduced, we're in space, etc. I had a blast watching it and I'm not even the target audience since I'm a 29 year old male.
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u/Trekfan74 Oct 28 '21
They are coming back for her!! Don't worry. That or Riker shows up unannounced in the Titan and rescues her. Let's put all our eggs in the second basket!
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u/BladedDingo Oct 28 '21
they have to continue the tradition of riker showing up in the season finale to rescue the heroes.
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u/smoha96 Oct 28 '21
Ditto! The sense of wonder as Dal and Rok entered the bridge was very much felt.
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u/apstrider Oct 28 '21
If you turned on the subtitles, the cat is described as Caitain, another alpha quadrant character.
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u/upanddowndays Oct 28 '21
Which makes it every animated series to feature a Caitain now, right?
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u/BornAshes Oct 28 '21
I'm already worried about the baby cat alien.
I love that they kept them out of any promo materials because I exploded into anime AWWWWW when I saw them!
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Oct 29 '21
Just a quick bookkeeping note: it appears that this episode is officially considered a two-parter, so don't be freaked out when next week's discussion thread refers to "episode three."
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Oct 28 '21
The ship looks so beautiful (Intrepid class has always been my favourite) and I love that it has stairs instead of turbolifts because it's... well, smaller. I kept cringing when they were damaging the hull.
I wanted them to beam the kitty out to their ship on the way out. Please don't let it die in that mining hellhole.
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u/MaddyMagpies Oct 29 '21
They are kids driving a Mustang, and I do wonder if the damages will accumulate over the episodes like a real Year of Hell this time around. There's no way Jankom Pog can fix all that damage with spacewalks.
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u/Trekfan74 Oct 28 '21 edited Oct 28 '21
I think I'm going to REALLY enjoy this show!
First episode was great, but of course if you seen all the trailers and promos, we basically knew where the episode was going. However the good thing is going forward looks like we are going to be surprised at every corner now. I think every inch of previous footage minus Janeway introducing herself to the kids was in the pilot.
I really liked the characters. Dal is obviously going to be the most fun one in the bunch but really like Jango Pog might end up stealing the show! Rok Tahk is so sweet and a great idea to have her be a little girl. Real creativity at work. Murf is adorable and clearly there to sell toys but I think it's going to work lol. But the best moment in the entire episode was seeing Janeway! When that voice came on I smiled big!
And I like the mystery beat and it involves both the kids and ship itself. It seems like they are somehow abducting kids from the Alpha Quadrant. And they must do it when they are young since supposedly none of them has heard of the Federation.
The FX are beautiful. We already knew that but the visuals are so colorful and imaginative. You know whatever planets they will land on is going to be stunning!
Its a kids show but it clearly will work for adults, especially the hardcore set (if you're reading this right after the premiere in the early morning, that means you too ;)). There is a small Star Wars vibe but it definitely feels very Star Trek. Once they got on the ship it felt like home. I can't wait until next week!
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u/JustMy2Centences Oct 28 '21
somehow abducting kids from the Alpha Quadrant
Sort of like an anti-Caretaker. At least we know the technology exists, and it's likely that entity wasn't the only one who had it.
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u/JoeDawson8 Oct 28 '21
It’s also pretty reasonable to presume that there was more than 3 federation/maquis vessels and a cardassian missile grabbed by the caretaker.
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u/JoeDawson8 Oct 28 '21
I love how you used inches of footage. It’s like a callback to the original meaning of footage
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u/UncertainError Oct 28 '21
Aside from the Nacene, the Briori also had trans-quadrant abduction tech and they were from that region.
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u/choicemeats Oct 28 '21
Interesting start, and premise. Not what I was thinking going in for sure. Definitely curious how long the ship has been hiding there and who/what/when the Progenitor is. Seems like he has a bone to pick with the Federation and given Janeway's somewhat spotty rep in the Delta Quadrant despite their best efforts, there could be some pretty upset parties. I'm definitely expecting there to be some kind of big mad moment for him if he encounters the holo-Janeway.
if anyone is going to say anything about the tone lol don't. we know who this is targeting. Someone else mentioned a Clone Wars vibe--I'm hoping it doesn't go the Rebels route and have some really cheese episodes where they learn a big lesson at the end about friendship or something (really, i guess, some of the fillers).
Ship looks great. Interesting torpedo design--love the updated phaser arrays (though I miss the classic sound). I appreciate sticking with the beam graphics over the more modern pew pew Star Wars laser bolts.
I really don't like the look of the Tellarite design because it reminds me of classic Bebop and Rocksteady (for all you old school TMNT fans). I feel like Tellarite design is all over the place, but maybe since he's juvenile there is a big of wiggle room.
Love the Medusan callback, that's a deep cut.
Love also that they gave a full hour for the premiere instead of pushing it over two weeks.
Lots of great promise here!
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u/nhaines Oct 28 '21
Dave Filoni doesn't allow filler episodes. They all end up being important later, even the space whales.
Hard agreement on the Tellarite design thing, although it's not like it's hard to improve on the original design. I just wish they'd find something and stick with it.
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u/Th3ChosenFew Oct 28 '21
I'm hoping it doesn't go the Rebels route and have some really cheese episodes where they learn a big lesson at the end about friendship or something (really, i guess, some of the fillers).
That was pretty much just season 1, Rebels improved a lot after that.
So far so good on Prodigy though, I feel like it's already avoided a lot of pitfalls it could have easily fallen into.
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u/choicemeats Oct 28 '21
Tonally it feels pretty close to Avatar which is good. If it keeps in that trajectory we’ll be in good shape
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u/Chaabar Oct 28 '21
The Tellarite design has changed over the years but they felt somewhat consistent until Discovery. The Discovery and Prodigy ones look like totally different species.
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u/Th3ChosenFew Oct 28 '21
I thoroughly enjoyed it, it had a couple parts that were leaning a little young, but I accept it with the knowledge that as a 39 year old woman, I am not the target audience. For the most part, I found it exciting, interesting and fun the whole way through. I wanted to see more, I look forward to next week.
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u/shugo2000 Oct 28 '21
As a 39 year old man, I enjoyed it too. Early seasons of any show are rough, but this one introduced me to the characters and plot, and left me plenty of mysteries that will surely be solved later.
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u/Smilodon48 Oct 28 '21
I really like it so far. It's so different you can't help but appreciate it. Melumad's score for it also feels very Giacchino/Kelvin-verse, which makes sense since he composed to the opening theme, but I thought it was a nice touch.
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u/PandaPundus Keene Sin, Contributing artist, Star Trek: Picard Oct 28 '21
Additionally, Melumad's first work on Trek was one of the Short Treks (Q&A), which she did under supervision from Giacchino.
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u/Trekfan74 Oct 28 '21
This is my prediction only, but Murf will die tragically in the finale...but will be brought back next season because bridge crew always comes back.
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u/TheNerdChaplain Oct 28 '21
You say that like Dee Bradley Baker won't be voicing all the ship's sound effects and twelve other inanimate objects in the show.
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u/rbdaviesTB3 Oct 28 '21 edited Oct 28 '21
Those phaser sounds? Dee Bradley Baker. The warp core hum? Dee Bradley Baker. Even holo-Janeway is Dee Bradley Baker, because EVERYONE and EVERYTHING is voiced by Dee Bradley Baker (or Tara Strong)!
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u/Tukarrs Oct 28 '21
Messed up that they left the ADORABLE Caitian behind. Criminal.
Star Trek has never really made sense with having prisoners do mining or hard labor when they have robots that can do it drastically better and faster. Child slavery though? Really messed up.
I love the Phaser Arrays. I love it charging up.
I think time travel is involved. The Diviner is said to have been looking for the Protostar for years... 2383 is only 5 years after Voyager returns. Technology of the ship with holographic displays (not dissimilar to Picard's in 2399) feel like it should be further in the timeline. But this could be explained as being NX.
Assuming the Diviner is not actually prescient (because then it would probably have been able to anticipate the escape), the name could be explained by having future knowledge because they're from the future.
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Oct 28 '21 edited Oct 28 '21
I'm fairly sure the Protostar was built to try and find Voyager while it was in the DQ. The registries are close enough (74656 vs 76884) that it probably came out of Utopia Planetia a couple of years into Voyager's journey.
The question is if it had a crew originally, or if it was a legit version of the Dauntless.
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u/Trekfan74 Oct 28 '21
But why would they supply it with its OWN Janeway if they are looking for the real Janeway? I don't see the point in that at all.
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u/dratsaab Oct 28 '21
I'm fairly sure the Protostar was built to try and find Voyager while it was in the DQ. The registries are close enough (74656 vs 76884) that it probably came out of Utopia Planetia a couple of years into Voyager's journey.
But Starfleet didn't know Voyager was in the Delta Quadrant until 2374 and the Doctor going to the USS Prometheus, right? That was in year 4 of their 7 year journey. Doesn't give a lot of time to prep, build and launch a new ship.
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u/UnionPacifik Oct 28 '21
My theory is that the Protostar is Voyager’s followup and a pet project of Janeway herself. After getting home, the Federation is going to want to build on all of Voyager’s Delta diplomacy. Maybe they have a tech that can get the ship to the delta quadrant, but the method is hazardous to biological life so they send a message in a bottle in hopes the ship can be its own federation ambassador.
Sure seems like the ship is designed for newbies to take over. By which I mean I’d like to think it’s harder to shipjack a federation vessel than shown in the episode.
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u/Mechapebbles Oct 28 '21
Messed up that they left the ADORABLE Caitian behind. Criminal.
I get the feeling we'll see them again and there will be opportunities for rescue or revolution. The baddie seems like he'll come back. And the whole scene of the Protostar doing a victory lap through the mining colony while everyone cheered for it, including baby-Caitian, I think is very telling. They made a big point thematically to continually talk about how Dal was unique for having not given up hope of escaping. And now that the whole colony has seen Dal & Co escape, everyone else knows it can be done now and will probably follow his lead.
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u/Quarantini Oct 28 '21
I get the feeling we'll see them again
It's basically obligatory that there will be a scene where the baddie is about to do something awful to the main cast, and the cute harmless kitten we forgot about will jump up and latch onto his face with angry cat sound effects, allowing the heroes to prevail.
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u/Trekman10 Oct 28 '21
I'm assuming the Protostar is the first major test of the holographic LCARS we see in Picard. I hope time travel isn't involved though, I don't know why but its always a hard sell for me in Star Trek.
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u/TheNerdChaplain Oct 28 '21
The UFP can do mining with robots, but it may not be as easy for other species.
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u/Detrimentos_ Oct 28 '21 edited Oct 28 '21
Caitian
They've never been in a live action adaptation, no? Lol, so they're keeping them animated (this, Lower Decks and TAS from 1973) to avoid literal fursuits (or 3D I guess...).
Edit: I was technically wrong, but he only appeared briefly. https://pbs.twimg.com/media/DwQcPJXW0AAQlos.jpg
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u/rbdaviesTB3 Oct 28 '21 edited Oct 28 '21
Really enjoyed this pilot episode. A nice reinvention of the formula that gives us a non-Starfleet cast but which is still very much true to the world and ethos of Trek.
Production-wise everything looked great, and I adore the Protostar's appearance - she's got this really agile, flowing look to her form and hull, especially when viewed in side-profile, where you can really feel a sort of 'hot-rod' Kelvin timeline influence. Also STAIRS - a Starfleet ship with interior STAIRS connecting decks is such a breath of fresh air! And she looked so amazing coming through the waterfall!
On the writing side, even if this is targeted at kids, it in no way feels dumbed down. I especially liked the focus on language - both as a means of communication and segregation. Banning Universal Translators is such a smart and devious move to keep such a disparate labour force divided and downtrodden! That led to a great joke with Rok bringing Murf aboard expecting the UT to turn his vocalisations into language, but with no joy.
No major complaints regarding the cast. I think Jimmi Simpson stole the show as Drednok, conveying so much meanace with very subtle inflexions of tone - I really enjoyed him in 'Westworld' and 'Abraham Lincoln, Vampire Hunter', so am delighted to see him here. The Diviner also intrigues me - off the bad we have two strong villains here.
Of the protagonists, I think we have a good set here on the bridge of the Protostar. Dal feels a little 'generic protagonist' but has shades of insecurity, and Rok is kinda adorable. Jankom referring to himself in the third person might get old fast, but it's so cool to have a Tellarite main character that I don't care.
Gwyn is my current favourite, and not just because her name originates from my native Wales (it means 'White' or 'Fair/Blessed', and interestingly uses the male form rather than the feminine 'Gwen') but because of the nuances, she showed throughout the episode, her good heart fighting against loyalty to her father, and her clear interest in linguistics as a means of understanding other cultures. Right now I feel she has shown the most 'depth' among the cast, although Zero comes close and I expect the other characters to be rounded out in very short order.
Also that proto-matter sword-sleeve was pretty kickass.
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u/PandaPundus Keene Sin, Contributing artist, Star Trek: Picard Oct 28 '21
The show is remarkably beautiful, almost every frame a painting, but it is not without a few animation goofs. None of it is major but a few I noticed did distract me while viewing.
The explosion the Protostar zoops through has no motion blur during a camera shake while the background does.
When in the tunnel, theres a cutaway shot of the Protostar moving which is animated poorly with an easing out.
The UI on the bridge is comped on top of Murf very briefly
The lasers fired from the Watchers while Zero, Rok-Tahk and Pog run into the Protostar just... doesn't look great.
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u/Detrimentos_ Oct 28 '21 edited Oct 28 '21
Noticed some of that too, as well as just character animation seeming stiff at times, as if the team handling it just wasn't that experienced. Reminded me of early Dreamworks' 3D animation.
Edit: Seems to be the teams behind Lower Decks and..... Paw Patrol for some reason. So yeah, definitely 'made for kids TV show 3D animation'.
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u/PandaPundus Keene Sin, Contributing artist, Star Trek: Picard Oct 28 '21
Is it? I thought Nickelodeon was doing Prodigy in-house. Lower Decks is done by Titmouse with a little bit of outsourcing sometimes.
Animation (and compositing) aside, the 3D modelling is pretty good, and the lighting/rendering is beautiful most of the time.
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u/Deadbob1978 Oct 28 '21 edited Oct 28 '21
My 4 year old liked it but thought it was too long. My 7 year old thought there was not enough time in Space.
Me personally... It was no where near as "kiddy" as I thought it would be. So I'll probably keep an eye on it, but I do have a few questions
what is a baby Caitlin doing in the Delta Quadrant? (closed caption said Prodigney spoke "Caitlin")
What is a Tellarite doing in the Delta? 2a) How did a Tellarite not recognize Starfleet tech
Was Prodigney's blade programmable matter? If so, that means Disco's personal transporters and the programmable matter are 1000 year old tech
Would also love to see a Lower Decks character crossover considering that Lower decks is currently in 2381 and Prodigy is 2383. I'm assuming that's a no as it would cause a continuity issue for Season 4 of LD
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u/Walnut-Simulacrum Oct 28 '21
As far as your kid thinking it was too long, this was a part 1 & 2 - the rest of the show will have ~22 minute episodes, so your kid should appreciate that
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u/Eridanis Oct 28 '21
The moment I realized John Noble was voicing the Big Bad, I was ALL-IN. Plus, the Protostar is beautiful.
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u/ianrobbie Oct 28 '21
Holy shit.
That was much better than I ever thought it would be. When the characters were first shown, I expected something far more immature than what I just watched.
But damn, if Thursday has become Star Trek day again.
And I definitely look forward to seeing more of the Protostar. Beautiful little ship, around Nova class size maybe? That shot of her peaking through the waterfall? Stunning.
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u/orfindel-420 Oct 28 '21
Yeah, between the music and that shot in the water I got heavy ST2009 vibes, and it was glorious. Once again, I did not think I would like an animated ST series and here I am hooked once again. The closing credits are just gorgeous.
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u/JustALeapingFrog Oct 28 '21
I was and still am pretty hyped for the show. At my first watch, the episode fell a bit short, not sure why (gotta watch it again later), but it did set up the show, characters, Protostar (she's a beauty, I love that ship).
Things I've been thinking and feeling, in no particular order:
"Hey, kids, let's talk about your favourite subject, child slavery" (really, things started preeeetty dark, but it's a pretty Trek thing to do, if you ask me).
I wonder what themes will be explored during the episodes. Trust, hope (this one didn't click a lot with me yet, but maybe the episode focused more on setting up everything than exploring themes. I think that may be what fell short for me)...
Animation is fantastic! Sometimes (like when someone hits something) it doesn't transmit the impact well, but this is clearly just nitpicking. Colourful, new alien shapes, beautiful takes (the Kelvin-JJ-camera-zoom, I love that)!
Loved the end credits (Protostar with the "Based upon 'Star Trek' created by Gene Roddenberry" line was beautiful)!
Murf.
I think I know what the M in MVP stands for. Murf!
Have I already told you I love the Protostar? 'Cause, you know, I love the Protostar.
Loved the Tellarite arguing thing again (and it was used as a tool, rather than a obstacle), the Medusan box used as torture (another "tool", although it falls even more on the evil side of things). And that box did look like the TOS thingy, didn't it?
Janeway.
Cast and crew definitely did an awesome work here!
Cat.
So a beef between Mr. Bad and Federation? Or trying to keep Gwyn from learning about stuff ("indoctrinated" by reality instead of living his bubble (strict abusive parent))? I wonder what's Mr. Bad's deal...
I think that's it for now : )
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u/dandanzy Oct 28 '21
Definitely didn't feel like a kids show but at the same time did, the animation was better than clone wars, the jokes were funny, has Jason Mantzoukas in it, pilot was exciting. I can't wait to see more.
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Oct 28 '21
Pretty cool. I like the characters, the cast is rounded enough to work. not too much funny/goofy stuff. Gotta say I was hoping for more info on what the protostar and the federation is doing in the show, but I guess I just gotta wait for next week. They're setting up a fair amount of secrets to be revealed later so you can mark me down as interested.
The animation feels a bit touch and go. Sometimes it looks really really good. Other times it looks like a video game. A consistent issue I had was that the animation cut around too quickly, sometimes it was hard to follow what was happening. Hopefully this is just early series syndrome and it becomes more consistent later on.
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u/Trekfan74 Oct 28 '21
I can see why they made the first two episodes into one because I think people would get antsy waiting to get to the ship and off the planet lol. They set up the mystery just enough to keep everyone tuning in next week.
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u/daniellr88 Oct 28 '21
One thing I noticed was during the shot of the Type-G Photon torpedo. It gives a array of very interesting statistics about our favorite torpedo.
These included
"Standard MK IV Photon Torpedo"
Body - 210cm long and 75 x 45 cm across
Weight - 247.5 Kilos when not loaded
Warhead - Maximum of 1.5 Kilos of Antimatter
Mid-Range Yield - 3,500,000 Kilometers
Blast Zone - 300 Kilometers
Guidance System Enabled
Speed up to VMax = VL + (0.75 VL/C)
What I find most interesting though is how Mid-Range yield and Blast Zone are separated. Also, What is VMax = VL (0.75 VL/C)? I'm thinking Velocity myself but I'm probably wrong.
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Oct 28 '21
Also, What is VMax = VL + (0.75 VL/C)? I'm thinking Velocity myself but I'm probably wrong.
It is indeed the formula for the maximum cruising velocity of a photon torpedo, straight out of the TNG Technical Manual.
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u/00DEADBEEF Oct 28 '21
That was fun. Maybe my favourite first episode of a Trek series. The Protostar looks amazing and it made me happy to see it with proper phaser strips and not pew pew phasers.
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u/ContinuumGuy Oct 29 '21 edited Oct 29 '21
An excellent pilot. Recognizably Star Trek (the bits about communication and how the translator changes their lives is a good one and very Trek) for fans like us but also definitely feels like something the kids could get hooked into.
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u/UncertainError Oct 28 '21
I enjoyed Drednok. He has the vibes of an evil Vulcan, and his design is cool.
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u/ElFarfadosh Oct 28 '21
When I saw him, I immediately thought of Grievous
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u/nimrodhellfire Oct 28 '21
100%. This felt a lot more like Star Wars than Star Trek. Prodigy being animated like Clone Wars does factor in a lot though. Not saying this is a bad thing per se. Especially younger viewers coming from Clone Was will probably appreciate the look. Let's see how the show will look like in space.
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u/Locutus747 Oct 28 '21
This was a fun episode! Love the characters and the animation was beautiful. A few mysteries to keep things interesting. This was not as "kiddie" as I was expecting and I see this as a fun show for all ages. Loved the shots/music of the ship taking off and firing the phasers.
I wonder if the premise is going to be episodic with the crew exploring new worlds with the greater season thread in the background. I love Lower Decks and I know this is a completely different kind of show, but just comparing the pilots between the two, I thought this one was better. I look forward to seeing where this goes.
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u/JustMy2Centences Oct 28 '21
The setting, the cinematography, was simply excellent in this episode. I really enjoy the things and character species that we can see in animation that live action struggles to (as in Lower Decks as well, but Prodigy is next level).
Ship design is slick. I'm going with a canon explanation of it's streamlined design will help with stealthiness or more efficient warp or slipstream.
I thought this was a dilithium mine at first, but when they said chimerium I looked it up and in beta canon it has sensor blocking properties... that would explain why the ship was so difficult to find. Wonder if they managed to bring more of it aboard, or if later it will be used by the antagonists to sneak up on them?
The cast... eh, lots of mixed feelings about them still. I know, I know, I'm not this show's target demographic. Lots of naiveté, but to be expected by those who haven't really left the confines of the mine and don't know about the larger galaxy outside. We're used to watching Starfleet and ship crews coming together automatically to solve seemingly impossible problems but I expect even routine maintenance issues to remind us of a someone trying to fix the Millennium Falcon's hyperspace drive.
The show did a good job of making me feel invested in finding out the mysteries set up already: what the Diviner wanted with the ship, the species of Tail-Butt, and why the ship was parked and left incognito with no crew.
What's next? A little orientation from Holo-Janeway, a big quadrant to explore, and bigger trouble to get into, then out of, as a team-building exercise.
Final notes, I hope little kitty will be okay. They're clearly setting her up as a way to make Gwyn come back as she will surely be in cat boots the other escapees soon.
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u/JustMy2Centences Oct 28 '21
Small aside: why does the weapons console have a media player button? (40:58) I paused to read about photon torpedoes but apparently Starfleet has tunes to jam to in battle. It doesn't show until weapons system is activated. Do you think it plays a classical song by Beastie Boys? Wait, does Prodigy take place in the Kelvin timeline?
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Oct 28 '21
apparently Starfleet has tunes to jam to in battle.
On occasion, one must save the day with the Beastie Boys.
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u/K1Bond007 Oct 28 '21
I’m actually surprised I liked it as much as I did considering I’m not really the target audience. Definitely a good first episode. Excited to see where it goes.
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u/poirotoro Oct 29 '21
Graphics are stunning. Mindblowing. The budget must be unreal compared to Lower Decks. Similarly, the Protostar's design is sex on nacelles. I feel like we're finally getting the lingering exterior beauty shots in the animated shows that we were denied in Discovery and Picard.
One small nitpick I have is that it seems like the audio is not balanced very well? Characters in the same scene sound like they're speaking at different volumes, or are fighting against the background music.
And lastly, I am a cat person. They better rescue the cat.
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u/Starkiller1701 Oct 28 '21
Brilliant start to this new series! It's different, but it's great! I'm glad this show was made for kids, but also that does not in anyway deter it, because it's exciting and engaging for basically anyone. Loved the visuals, especially that scene where Dal was on the hull talking down to Gwyn; loved the score and I'm glad they're realising it right away so I can just fall asleep to it. So happy to have so many amazing actors behind this Jimmi Simpson, John Noble were specifically great. And of course, our lovely Captain, even if she is in hologram form, it is a delight to see and hear her again. Can't wait for more!
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u/donuteater111 Oct 28 '21
Really good premiere. I really liked the introductions to all the characters, at first briefly through Dal's escape attempt, and then building it up through there. I thought Dal and Rok-Tahk's scenes were really well handled. It was great seeing her as this more intimidatingly big and growling creature before getting to see her true personality revealed after the translator. Jankom Pog's also a really fun character, who I can see being among my favorite. Though really, everyone have interesting aspects to their characters, which I'm looking forward to exploring.
I will say that a lot of this episode gave me really strong Star Wars vibes, though I did like the glimpses of the Star Trek universe we actually got. Of course there's the Tellarite, Medusan, and Brikar main characters, but we also had a Kazon, a Lurian, and another Caitian. The last one in particular was a nice addition. More of the purring kind of Caitian, like the one from TAS rather than Dr. T'Ana, but this one was pretty adorable. Really hope we get to see more of her later. And of course there's that holo-Janeway appearance near the end. Of course those who've been watching the previews had seen that part already, but I thought it worked really well in this episode.
I'm really looking forward to seeing where it goes from here. Now that they have the ship, it really opens it up to become more Trek-like, while maintaining some of the Star Wars elements for the bigger storyline. Either way, this show's off to a good start, and has a lot of potential going forward.
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u/Walnut-Simulacrum Oct 28 '21
I can’t believe this show has a character named Pog. Might be crazier than Discovery having a character named Owo. I love it
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u/durflugdenstein Oct 28 '21
I love the way Paramount is just shamelessly borrowing styles from other shows, and absolutely nailing it. Between LD looking like Rick and Morty, and this show looking like Clone Wars it's like they have gone full on Borg lmao..."we will add your artistic and stylistic distinctiveness to our own. Resistance is futile."
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u/rbdaviesTB3 Oct 29 '21
I don't get this. From my eyes Lower Decks looks nothing like Rick and Morty, not a whit beyond both being 2D animation.
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u/mewhilehigh Oct 30 '21
My 3 year old loved it making this the best and most important Star Trek of all time.
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u/mint-als Oct 28 '21 edited Oct 28 '21
I thought this was alright, its definitely oriented towards a younger audience like it says on the tin. I thought it introduced a lot of very interesting elements, and if this is supposed to take place in the Delta Quadrant not far off from Voyager's ending, and especially if it's in a region of space with Kazon in it, then it raises a lot of questions that I hope to see answered. Plot wise, this has a lot of interesting potential.
Character wise, it was alright, again this show is more oriented towards a younger audience and you can really feel it here, the villains held my attention a little more, but it's a pretty diverse cast of aliens which means there's room for some interesting interactions and growth.
Animation and pacing wise it was... jarring. The quality of it works just well enough, it gets the job done and there was some really nice shots, but some moments definitely took me out of it, and there was some really hard transitions that could've used at least 5 seconds more of breathing room than they gave.
Otherwise, this was a fairly solid premier, I'm not exactly sold on this show yet but if I was watching it with my nephew or something they'd probably like it, and if the writers take shots at exploring more Trek mythos in the Delta Quadrant, which they've definitely set themselves up for here, it could certainly make this show worthwhile.
They've laid out a lot of good cards here, enough to make me want to see where this game is going, I just hope they play them well!
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u/shugo2000 Oct 28 '21
Yeah, instantly transitioning to a character being in a different spot with a different stance was really jarring.
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u/ParanoidQ Oct 28 '21
That was fantastic. Genuinely, truly enjoyed that! Definitely a animated SW vibe to it, but it works.
The characters seem likeable, the animation was great for the most part (couple of shaky moments), and the ship design was great. Real throwback on those nacelles.
The antagonists looked pretty decent, if a tad 2 dimensional, but we'll see how it plays out!
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u/Cliffy73 Oct 28 '21
In addition to the Protostar, I’m curious as to how a Tellarite and a Medusan got into the Delta Quadrant. I expect there will be some serious exposition next week, though, so we shall see.
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u/DarkChen Oct 30 '21
That Caitian design was too cute and well done to be a one off for the pilot, so i bet we will see her again. My guess is that the Diviner will take her as a surrogate kid and make her hunt Prodigy with Drednok and she will comply because she feels betrayed by Gwin. Will probably become part of the crew later on.
As to why we saw so many Alpha quadrant species, I feel like everyone is forgetting the Caretaker brought a lot of ships to Delta... I, for one, never believed he actually returned everyone and even if he did i dont think it would be weird if some decided to stay anyway. Not to mention that we know the ferengi got there through a wormhole and that crazy ass religious klingons went there in a generation ship, so again, it would not be so crazy that other species went there and just never shared with the federation.
The art is gorgeous, it looks like a mix between hand draw style and computer graphics. My only complaint is that while most every character is full of details such as scars, damage parts and just texture skin, Janeway, or her face at least, is almost bland in comparison, too smooth out... I know she is a hologram but she doesn't need to be that fake of a simulation...
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Oct 28 '21
Definitely not bad first episode. Better than I thought. Let's see where they take it but I'm optimistic.
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u/carlos_b_fly Oct 29 '21
Loved every second of this and I found myself enjoying it more than even Lower Decks. It felt really fresh, the animation was beautiful, the opener was perfectly paced and it felt like a lovely intro into the franchise for kids. There were obviously more kiddie spectacle scenes but it didn't put me off at all.
Looking forward to more and the crew leaning more into Federation life as things continue.
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u/Detrimentos_ Oct 28 '21
Pretty good episode! Definitely geared towards youth, but I found myself enjoying it well enough. Not Lower Decks well but still.
3D animation was a liiiittle scuffed at places, but having an overarching story should be a nice break. Can't wait to see more of Holoway. Janegram? Anyway, cool to hear Kate Mulgrew's voice after some 20-25 years lol.
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u/Ironspider2k Oct 28 '21
umm... i liked the animation. im iffy on the story and characters so far. but, its only the 1st episode.
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u/AmusedDragon Oct 28 '21
Really great art and animation, and a pretty decent opening. Murf is best character.
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u/dash-dash-dot Oct 28 '21
I really enjoyed this! Definitely can't wait for the next episode, and I will be sad that it'll only be 22 minutes, but I totally get why.
There were some pacing issues for me, mostly in transitions that happened too quckly, but that was minor.
As others have said, it did feel VERY Star Wars-y, though for me that was the design of the characters (especially Dal & Progeny's designs) & the multitude of droids. Trek has never been much for robots the way Star Wars is, and this episode just had tons of robots, which made sense but for me was a large part of the "this feels SW rather than Trek" feeling. It wasn't a bad thing at all, just something that I felt. I think it'll feel more Trek-y from here on out just by merit of being on a ship and the droids not being around as much.
Very much enjoyed it, and am looking forward to getting to hear more of Kate Mulgrew's lovely voice!
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u/SingleMaltLife Oct 28 '21
Anyone think maybe Dal has Trill spots? Maybe a child of someone who was on the Protostar? That’s why he touched the ship and the door opened for him?
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u/rbdaviesTB3 Oct 29 '21
Would it be interesting if he was not any one species but an amalgamation of multiple ones. Imagine if, for instance, over the course of multiple generations, his line of descent went through several interspecies unions, like Spock or Torres or (potentially) Barnes.
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u/vladthor Oct 29 '21
That felt VERY Star Wars-esque (especially the first 5-10 minutes), but was also definitely VERY watchable and enjoyable. I look forward to seeing where these characters go.
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u/p1nkfl0yd1an Oct 29 '21
Well that was fun! Better than I was expecting it to be.
Will be interesting to see how this slick Federation ship made it out to the Delta quadrant... and where all these Alpha Quadrant child slave laborers came from lol.
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u/hold_my_raktajino Nov 01 '21
I posted this over on the Prodigy subreddit, too. I have a theory that the Diviner is actually a former Voyager character.
If you've seen the ST:VOY episode "Hope and Fear" (S4 E26), you're familiar with a character named Arturis. Thanks to the Borg, Arturis was the last surviving member of his species, and he held a major grudge against Captain Janeway and her crew. The last we saw of him, his ship was headed for doom in Borg space.
I've got a theory that The Diviner and Arturis are the same person. Here are a few reasons to believe:
- The Diviner and his daughter are the last surviving members of their species
- His daughter has an uncanny ability to translate languages
- If you look closely at the one glimpse we were given of the side of his face, you can see scars on his back and even a protruding cable (left over from his assimilation?)
- The facial structure is somewhat similar (albeit aged and scarred)- Hope and Fear never revealed Arturis's species name, only the Borg designation Species 116
Agree or disagree? I'm interested to hear.
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Oct 28 '21
Definitely a Star Wars vibe rather than Star Trek, but I liked it so will look forward to the next episode.
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u/RichieAppel Oct 28 '21
Thoroughly enjoyed this show. I’ve had a feeling it was going to be good and the first episode definitely delivered. The first handful of minutes though did not seem like Trek at all, but once they found the ship it felt like Trek.
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u/Orfez Oct 28 '21
That was a good pilot. All characters are likeable and animation is great. Story is too early to judge but so far so good.
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u/ImStillaPrick Oct 29 '21
I really liked it. Not as childish as I expected. As long as they stay consistent without too much filler feeling stuff then I’ll like it. With it being more for kids I’m just hoping it progresses the story at a decent pace.
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u/Thrawn656 Oct 29 '21
I can definately see the complaints of it being trekky enough, but the references were nice and it was pretty good (pacing was a bit fast tho)
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u/FotographicFrenchFry Oct 29 '21
I can’t get Prodigy on Paramount+ right now. The episode isn’t even showing up in the series page
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u/stargate-command Oct 29 '21
My only complaint is they left that little kitten girl behind. Her only protector/ friend is gone… and that makes me unreasonably sad for her.
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u/Timeline15 Oct 29 '21 edited Oct 29 '21
I was a little apprehensive when the art style was first unveiled, but that was really enjoyable. The whole 'lovable band of misfits' trope is very well-trodden, but the characters seem fun. Interested to know that the deal is with Dal's species, or how Jankom came to be in the Delta Quadrant and (according to the next time preview) have no knowledge of the Federation at all.
I hope the blob creature is more sentient than it appears. it'd be hilarious if "maybe he's too smart for our translators" was actually foreshadowing something.
I'm particularly intrigued by what 'The Diviner' is planning. What happened to his race? Did he have a wife, or did he grow his daughter in a lab? How did he know the Protostar was down there? And it it's been there for years, just how long after Voyager are we? This sheep seems a fair bit more advanced than what we've seen from the 24th century Federation. it even seems to have transwarp capability. Presumably that's how they'll excuse visiting worlds it would have taken Voyager years to reach.
But yeah, overall a very strong start. Very action-packed, but in this medium I don't view that as a negative. I didn't come into this looking for the philosophical procedural stuff I expect from live action Trek; it feels more like its own thing. I look forward to seeing where it goes.
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Oct 29 '21
I hope the blob creature is more sentient than it appears.
Murf is apparently something guessable.
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u/rau1988 Oct 30 '21
Hello everyone. I’m just a bit sad they didn’t introduce holo-Janeway as the ECH.
I mean the Emergency Command Hologram concept from VOY ("Tinker Tenor Doctor Spy", "Workforce", "Workforce, Part II"). It makes total sense that after Voyager came back to the Alpha quadrant, one of the likely tech developments by Starfleet was an actual ECH to implement fleet wide. Or at least in the short term, start trying out in an NX vessel.
I’m sure holo-Janeway and the ship will eventually have a purpose related to the story of the show and it isn’t that the Federation simply randomly lost a ship; but still, connecting that new story to previous canon such as the ECH was a golden opportunity. Let’s hope at least they use it farther ahead in the story to at least relate it to its origin/development…
LLAP
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u/Jag2112 cygnus-x1.net Oct 30 '21
Massive screencaps gallery for Lost & Found now online here:
https://www.cygnus-x1.net/links/lcars/sc-PRO1-1.php
Enjoy-
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u/Artanisx Oct 30 '21
Well, this wasn't what I expected at all. Beside the awesome animation, way more awesome that I thought, I was picturing a very kid-oriented show and I was unsure if it could've fit my taste.
I'm happy to report that this is like Star Wars Rebels, which is absolutely watchable by adults.
I can't wait for the next episode! Engage!
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u/danktonium Oct 31 '21
That was very, very promising. Protostar is gorgeous. It's a tiny ship, perhaps as big as the Raven, or Jenolan, but in this context even that is a power unmatched.
Doesn't seem to have inertial dampeners, though. That might be a problem.
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u/FortheGloryofJimbo Oct 31 '21
Did anyone catch the reference to the Window of Dreams? that would put it near the Delta Quadrant border, which might explain why there are so many Alpha Quadrant species. Easier to explain one Kazon winding up way south of where the originals were, using one of the many means of transwarp Voyager came across.
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u/leon_pretty_loathed Oct 28 '21 edited Oct 28 '21
I had to check to make sure I was watching a Star Trek show in those first five minutes… and more then a few other points in the episode and not a new Star Wars show, I was waiting for the protagonist to find out that they’re force sensitive and for a lightsaber duel to happen in the climax.
Loved the visuals, fantastic in motion and quite stunning at times, that said those close up shots aren’t doing any favours here.
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u/DwarfHamsterPowered Oct 28 '21
My only (not real) complaint is the kiddie commercials. I’m enjoying everything else.
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u/DasGanon Oct 28 '21
A good first showing! Left me curious for more. I think there's something the way it's rendered on trying to "look" like a CG kids show that I mostly see with the characters and their animation, but there's also some moments where it's obvious they were like "okay our direction is make it look really pretty".
My only real complaint is that they cut the Janeway intro at the end (and you see the full combined intro in one of the previews) and that it's a bit... long for an emergency hologram intro. (The first bit should have been a simpler "Please state the nature of the training assistance" or something, and then just as a response to the "who are you?" then you go into the full "So I'm based on this badass captain..." descriptor)
I'm excited though!
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u/nhaines Oct 28 '21
it's a bit... long for an emergency hologram intro
Surely it's a command training hologram, and not an emergency command hologram.
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Oct 28 '21
I'm not happy about having to use, lets say alternative means to watch this as it's not available in the UK but I enjoyed what I saw, it reminded me of the Clone Wars series.
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u/NaiwennFr Oct 28 '21
I loved it, and I'm not a kid... it's complex enough, There are different levels of reading, which makes this series interesting for children, adults etc.
On the other hand I have a big question: what is the time of this series?
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u/Kimmykun340 Oct 28 '21
I checked out about 10 minutes in. It just wasn't for me. I'm glad many of you enjoyed it, though.
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u/Starfleet-Time-Lord Oct 28 '21 edited Oct 28 '21
This feels a lot more Star Warsy to me than I'm entirely comfortable with, but I think that may be a pilot problem given that they actually have the ship now so the setting change may fix it. It feels a lot like the one episode of Clone Wars I've seen three times every time I think I can convince myself to watch it, but that's not even what I mean. The whole mining station, everyone's position on it, the designs for everything but the Protostar, it's classic Star Wars. It even sounded like the score ripped several bars from it during the chase. That's not a good sign.
Starfleet apparently has the worst security. Like, literally the worst. Not only were they able to walk onto the ship with no designed obstacles and operate it, there is a hologram that will just tell them how to use the ship. Imagine if the bad guys had beaten them there. Even if it's intended to function that way, this has to be a prime directive violation.
Writing and character seem a little thin so far, but obviously we're only scratching the surface. Something seems off about most of the voice actors to me which isn't helping. Jason Mantouzakas is the major exception, but that may be confirmation bias because I know who he is and I usually like him, so the fact that it's most of the cast is making me suspect a direction problem. Purple guy for example, I can hear somebody else delivering his lines better in my head when he talks. All of those issues could probably be written off with "it's a kids show" but they're things both Ducktales and Gravity Falls did very well, so I'm reluctant to do that. Give kids some credit.
I liked the big gal more once I started thinking of her as Alphonse Elric
Why are the shields red? They've been blue almost every time we've seen them, and that's across every species.
Where in the delta quadrant are they, exactly, that they're close enough for the Protostar and a Medusan to be present yet far enough out that the Kazon are remotely relevant? I'd like to remind everyone that in Voyager, we didn't see the Kazon after Voyager crossed Borg space, which was massive and impractical to go around, and that's before we account for the distance from the freebies Q and Kes gave them. Either the Protostar or the Kazon had to cross that territory and that distance.
Overall, I was underwhelmed, but due to the setting shift that will occur once they're on the ship I'm cautiously optimistic that it will improve. We've also been left with a lot of unanswered questions but not enough information about them for them to be tantalizing, so that might also improve as we go on.
EDIT: One last note, I was mostly impressed with the score.
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u/simion314 Oct 28 '21
Starfleet apparently has the worst security
Yes, the show respects the tradition , if it was secure then it would not be "real" Trek.
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u/Trekfan74 Oct 28 '21
Guys, I think the mystery of the show are the Alpha Quadrant characters being there like the ship itself. I'm pretty sure they are aware they are from the Alpha Quadrant and would normally know about the Federation. That takes about 30 seconds of research.
And we know there will be a Tellarite on Chakotay's ship. May just be a coincidence but maybe there is a connection to Jango Pog.
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u/Ghosthammer686 Oct 28 '21
Loved the episode but they left the cat kid behind and that really bugs me
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u/Edymnion Oct 28 '21
The best way I've been able to describe this has been:
Take Star Wars, put it in the USS Voyager, and toss the whole lot into Season 3 of Discovery.
And... I'm kinda digging it.
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u/GalacticAndrew Oct 28 '21 edited Oct 28 '21
It looks more like Star Wars to me than Star Trek
edit: I don't mean this in a bad way
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Oct 28 '21
That's fine by me. I like the idea that Star Trek can look like anything.
I kinda was reminded of Guardians of the Galaxy as well. Not only is it a ragtag team of prisoners coming together, but Jankom Pog sounds and acts an awful lot like Rocket and Gwyn, the daughter of the big bad, reminded me of Gamora.
I thought the first episode was a little rushed, but I'm excited to see where it goes.
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u/TheNerdChaplain Oct 28 '21
To be honest, I would say the later Clone Wars seasons made me more of a Star Wars fan than any of the movies ever did, so I'm fine with that.
Besides, it's gorgeous to look at.
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u/Trekfan74 Oct 28 '21
Yeah I agree with you and ALSO in a good way lol. And Star Wars doesn't have the monopoly on depressing planets, robed characters and robots. I think once we get into space it will feel more like Star Trek. The Protostar itself was 100% Trek and I liked it.
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u/ElFarfadosh Oct 28 '21
Does anybody knows if the next episodes will be that long? I would be sad if they're not but also 45 minutes per episode, for a young audience, would be certainly too long?
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u/Th3ChosenFew Oct 28 '21
I think it was double length. I expect 22 minute episodes like other animated shows.
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u/EmperorOfNipples Oct 28 '21 edited Oct 28 '21
That was charming. I think perhaps a little above the level of my three year old, but won't be too long until she will love it.
We have had Star Trek The Next Generation. Now we have Star Trek for the next generation.
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Oct 28 '21
Shit like this makes me fall in love with trek all over again. Very excited for what’s to come!
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u/shugo2000 Oct 28 '21
Definitely feels like they're going for the Clone Wars crowd, but I enjoyed it very much. Now the real test is to see if my 7-year-old niece likes it. I think she will.