RED ALERT! This interview accommodates spoilers for Star Trek: Prodigy season 2, all 20 episodes of that are presently out there for streaming on Netflix as of in the present day, Monday, July 1st, 2024.
In the event you want to stay unspoiled — which is particularly beneficial for followers of Prodigy season 1, Star Trek: The Subsequent Technology and Star Trek: Voyager — please return to this interview AFTER you’ve considered all 20 Prodigy season 2 episodes.
It’s been a protracted street, getting from there to right here. However in the present day, all 20 episodes of Star Trek: Prodigy season 2 arrive for streaming on Netflix. That is the primary time that a complete season of Star Trek episodes has been beamed over in a single batch.
Nevertheless, that’s simply one of many outstanding points of the stellar season, which can have Trekkies of all stripes speaking. To rejoice the season’s launch, Comics Beat caught up collection creators and govt producers Kevin & Dan Hageman.
The Beat requested all concerning the new season with a set of spoiler-laden questions. Learn on to study extra about integrating the collection’ characters into Starfeet, non-Trek inspirations and a touch of what we are able to see in a hypothetical (however very a lot deserved) season 3!
This interview has been edited for readability and size.
AVERY KAPLAN: What was it like telling a Star Trek: Prodigy story that was totally built-in with Starfleet from episode 1?
KEVIN HAGEMAN: Season 2 was nice. They’re there at Starfleet, we get to go extra Star Trek. That was all the time the concept: we’re bringing folks into the world of Star Trek. So when season 1 began – these have been characters who didn’t know something. And now they’re in there.
The exhausting half for us is, whereas that’s enjoyable, whereas they’re on an even bigger ship, we didn’t need this to change into Star Trek: Decrease Decks or Star Trek: Starfleet Academy. They used to have a ship, like Dal R’El (Brett Grey) stated. They used to have adventures! How can we take pleasure in them enjoying within the grownup world, however then how can we get them again onto their very own journey once more?
AVERY: Did you’ve gotten a favourite line studying this season?
DAN HAGEMAN: There’s one within the “Cracked Mirror” episode the place Chakotay (Robert Beltran) says, “As a result of it doesn’t matter what actuality we’re in, I might by no means harm you.”
KEVIN: I don’t know if a selected line. I simply bear in mind being within the recording sales space with voice director Brook Chalmers, who was studying reverse our actors. It was a second within the “Cracked Mirror” episode the place Kathryn Janeway (Kate Mulgrew) and Chakotay lastly meet. And Brook was studying for Chakotay reverse Kate, and we have been simply… Brook had tears in his eyes, studying reverse her. It was so highly effective, it was so good.
AVERY: I do know you talked about The Fugitive when discussing Prodigy season 1.5. Is it truthful to say there are some non-Star Trek cinematic influences on Prodigy season 2 as nicely?
DAN: Sure, sure sure sure. We have been simply speaking about The Final Starfighter.
KEVIN: Again to the Future. The Chakotay stuff on the island was impressed by the outdated Disney film The Flight of the Phoenix.
AVERY: Did you all the time know you needed to carry Wesley Crusher into Prodigy?
DAN: Properly, the author’s room did. I believe the author’s room introduced as much as us. We had Jennifer Muro in our room, and she or he had a poster of Wesley Crusher on her teenage bed room wall. And he or she’s associates with him now, no matter it’s.
And it simply began making a variety of sense. He was the unique prodigy, he was a child on the ship, and he’s a time lord. In a time journey episode, it simply all fell collectively.
KEVIN: And nobody’s executed something with him!
DAN: His exit off of TNG was very brief.
AVERY: What was it like working with John Noble to carry such a unique aspect of his character (form of) to the display screen in Prodigy this season?
KEVIN: It was great. There’s some individuals who have been like, “Ought to we rent a youthful actor for a youthful model of the character?” I stated, “No, it’s John Noble. We’ll let John mess around with it.”
And I believe it’s not simply the youthful Diviner, he’s gentler. He was an astronomer. That’s why I like his stunning and tragic story, that he used to have a look at the celebrities.
DAN: He beloved the complexities. How do you play a personality that might be an authoritarian mastermind?
AVERY: Did somebody specifically provide you with the notion that whalespeak ought to come by means of the common translator musically?
DAN: That was [ship computer voice actor] Bonnie Gordon’s thought. She was considering: it comes by means of the ship’s pc, but it surely has slightly bit of various cadence.
AVERY: Have been there any Star Trek Easter eggs you have been particularly excited to incorporate?
KEVIN: Wesley Crusher, that was a kind of issues the place we have been like, “We now have to maintain him a secret.” Loads of the occasions, you have to present all of your toys to get folks excited to come back watch your season. And we stated, “Let’s let folks know The Physician (Robert Picardo), and provides this, give that. However let’s maintain again Wesley. We’d like to have one enjoyable twist/shock.”
DAN: I don’t know if that’s an Easter egg. Every part is simply straight ripped-off of Star Trek, so I don’t know if that’s an Easter egg. Maj’el’s headband, when she has to cover, that’s very a lot Spock.
AVERY: Do you’ve gotten any remark or further perception into Bribble?
DAN: I bear in mind there was a variety of argument within the room.
KEVIN: Between me and Dan, really.
DAN: Between me and everyone. I believe it was me and everyone.
I all the time noticed Bribble as a child Rok-Tahk (Rylee Alazraqui). And he or she creates part-Tribble, part-her into this little cute factor. And everybody stated it was tremendous creepy to have slightly tiny model of your self! However I adore it.
I believe we simply left it unsaid. There’s by no means ever like… However I believe design-wise. It’s bought these large eyes.
AVERY: Are you able to converse to the reveal that Gwyn takes the middle seat on the conclusion of Prodigy season 2? Was this all the time the plan?
DAN: Yeah. Even within the pilot, when we have now Gwyn (Ella Purnell) strapped to the chair. We have been like, “This can be a trace.”
It was slightly completely different, although. As a result of I believe that Kevin and I… We love Star Trek, however we’re mistaken on a variety of issues. Initially we thought Dal and Gwyn are going to be co-captains. And David Mack stated, “That might be ridiculous. No navy would have two captains!”
KEVIN: Think about a battleship with two captains… And breaking down season 2, we simply beloved the parallel between Dal and Gwyn’s relationship and what Chakotay and Janeway have. And Dal studying from that, and realizing…
In fact, Dal would have much more enjoyable being the Quantity One, and beaming down on that planet and being within the center within the adventures. And Gwyn can be the far more degree headed chief on the starship.
AVERY: And Dal would match so nicely into that Riker legacy so nicely, of, “I’m right here to embrace it!”
DAN: If we have now a season 3, Dal ought to have a Riker beard. Dal as primary simply thinks that’s what you’ve bought to do.
AVERY: Whether or not we get to see them or not, do you’ve gotten future adventures for the crew in thoughts?
DAN: Yeah. I believe the one factor we’ll tease is that, if and after we can get to a Prodigy season 3, I like the concept that time has handed. We open up and also you see Rok typing away, and she or he turns and she or he has an eyepatch. And it simply makes me go, “What occurred there?”
KEVIN: What occurred in between? Or, you recognize, I need Murf (Dee Bradley Baker) to be like an adolescent. I need to see teenage Murf, taller, completely adolescent. Puberty: what does that appear to be for Murf? We wish these children to develop up.
DAN: There you go. A beard on Dal, an eyepatch on Rok, Murf is taller.
KEVIN: Sometime, to see them as adults.
DAN: Jankom Pog (Jason Mantzoukas) is four-fifths cyborg.
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