Star Trek: Prodigy Season 2 is headed to Netflix, and I'm sure many fans are thrilled to see the series that has served as a spiritual successor to Voyager return. Of course, showrunners Kevin and Dan Hageman have noted to me in the past they're not necessarily the Voyager show, despite having Kate Mulgrew playing Janeway as one of their leads and the various other connections to the series. The connections will be more evident when more legacy actors factor into Season 2, as CinemaBlend learned in an interview with the creators.
During my discussion with the Hageman brothers ahead of Star Trek: Prodigy's release on Netflix, I asked if they were at all frustrated by the assertions that they are known as "the Voyager show." Kevin Hageman shared his thoughts on the matter and how he gets why people have that impression:
No, not at all. It just was never our intention [to be that]. But, I think when you start with Janeway and Chakotay is very involved in Season 2 and is set up in Season 1. And then, as you saw in the clip, there's a new Voyager. So very naturally, we're like, if there's a new holo advisor, wouldn't it be great if it’s The Doctor? Like how fun.
It is indeed very fun to know that The Doctor is going to appear in Star Trek: Prodigy Season 2. His character was the star of some of Voyager's greatest episodes, and he was at the center of some wild WTF moments as well, so knowing he'll interact with Dal and his friends is a great treat. Plus, who doesn't want Robert Picardo to continue to appear in upcoming Trek projects?
Between Robert Picardo joining and an ongoing story with Janeway and Chakotay that will be resolved in Season 2, it's easy to see why fans believe Prodigy is a Star Trek: Voyager show. With that being said, Dan Hageman confirmed that while the EMH is joining in Season 2, he won't be the only legacy character we'll see pop up in the new season:
We can say in Season 2, we've shown the Picardo, but there are bigger players that are not from Voyager coming into our show…Picardo is the tip of the iceberg.
With Prodigy taking place in the years following Voyager's return to Earth, there are several characters who could be tapped to appear. The fact that Prodigy is an animated series would certainly make it much easier to tap franchise stars, though I do wonder who we might see. Perhaps more guest stars from TNG and DS9, or maybe even some major cast members from the past?
Whoever is on tap, I think I can speak for many when I say it's great to be excited about what's to come for Star Trek: Prodigy once again. It wasn't that long ago fans were campaigning in hopes of seeing it return, to the point they even took to the skies above Netflix to encourage the streamer to pick it up. Fortunately, those efforts were not in vain, and we'll have Season 1 up by Christmas and a new season released in 2024.
Not only that, but the Hageman brothers confirmed to CinemaBlend that the door is still open for Prodigy to continue on Netflix beyond Season 2. As for what that would look like at this point, we're still waiting to see, but it is exciting to speculate in the meantime what is on the way for the upcoming season and what characters may make an appearance.
Use that Netflix subscription on Christmas Day to watch Season 1 of Star Trek: Prodigy, and keep an eye out for an official release date for Season 2 in 2024. Here's hoping for some mild teases along the way and maybe some reveals about which characters from shows could be popping up.
