Paramount+ canceled Season 2 of Star Trek: Prodigy and removed the show from its platform, but there's still a chance viewers will get to see the finished episodes elsewhere. I've been hopeful that the show might find a new home since the cancelation news broke. But after hearing from the executive producers about a Kathryn Janeway and Chakotay moment that brought a collaborator to tears, I now more than ever want this show show to find a home and get more seasons. Too much? Well, read for yourself.
Many of the participants at the recent Star Trek Las Vegas convention weren't able to speak about their shows due to the ongoing WGA writers strike and SAG-AFTRA strike. However, an animated production like Star Trek: Prodigy falls under different union rules and could be discussed. TrekMovie.com and others attended a panel and heard from co-EPs Kevin and Dan Hageman about what's been planned. With that, they teased a resolution to the ongoing storyline between Janeway and Chakotay, and Kevin it hyped up tremendously during the discussion:
For those of you who’ve seen Season 1, there was quite the tease of Chakotay and Janeway. And I know it’s very unresolved. And we are promising in season 2, we’re going to complete this story, and what we’re doing with them is absolutely fantastic.
I'd like to believe there are a few Star Trek: Voyager fans who, after hearing the sentiments above, are now truly hoping Prodigy finds a new home. Some Janeway and Chakotay fans have waited decades for some clarity regarding the characters, specifically whether they'll ever become a couple. Granted, there are varying opinions on how that should play out. Even actors who play them, Kate Mulgrew and Robert Beltran, have opinions that are being considered for how tying up the arc neatly.
What also needs to be noted, though, is that whatever Star Trek: Prodigy planned for Janeway and Chakotay in Season 2, an aspect of it caused a crew member to become emotional. Dan Hageman shared a touching story about how their voice director had a moment while reading through lines with Kate Mulgrew:
Janeway and Chakotay. I have to share a little story, our voice director [Brooke Chalmers] who sometimes reads opposite the actors. And we had Kate Mulgrew in recording and he was reading for Chakotay. And they were reading this scene together. And our friend Brooke just starts crying as he’s reading opposite Kate because it’s just so powerful.
I don't think there are a lot of children-skewing TV shows that could make an adult cry, but I would certainly put Prodigy in that category. The series proved with its first season that the adventures of Dal R'El and his friends can appeal to viewers of all ages. The show also arguably featured some of the best episodes to be released during the modern Trek era. For those reasons and the new info on Janeway and Chakotay, it deserves another shot now that fans can't stream it with a Paramount+ subscription. Still, there's always the potential that it could find a new and larger audience on a new platform -- should it be picked up.
While the Prodigy co-creators didn't go into specifics, they did confirm that Paramount+ is in "active talks" with other companies that are interested in picking up Season 2. The feeling is that the odds are better than not that it will find a new home and maybe even one that will greenlight new episodes should fans continue to back it as they have post-cancelation. We'll see if it gets saved and is able to continue the journeys of Janeway, Chakotay and more.
Here's hoping Star Trek: Prodigy Season 2 will find its way back onto the list of upcoming Trek shows and that more is on the horizon after that. For now, there are still other series from the franchise to look forward to and a litany of past show to enjoy over on Paramount+.
