Warning: This article contains SPOILERS for Star Trek: Prodigy season 2, episode 9, “The Devourer of All Things, Part 1”
Summary
Star Trek: Prodigycleverly flipped the central meaning ofStar Trek: Voyager’s series finale.As the sequel toVoyagerover 20 years after the other series ended,Prodigyhas taken a lot of inspiration fromVoyagerin its first two seasons. This has mainly included the return of many members ofVoyager’s cast of characters, like Admiral Janeway (Kate Mulgrew) and Captain Chakotay (Robert Beltran). However,Prodigyhas also paid tribute toVoyagerin smaller ways, with little meaningful references sprinkled throughout seasons 1 and 2.
Season 2 ofProdigy, which aired on Netflix on July 1st, 2024, upped the show’s number ofVoyagerconnections exponentially.Prodigyseason 2focused on Admiral Janeway and the young former crew of the USS Protostar as they embarked on a mission to rescue a marooned Captain Chakotay and restore the timeline after accidentally creating a paradox.Much of the first half of the season featuredProdigy’s cast of characters on their journey to locate Chakotay and their former ship, and it was during these episodes that one character cleverly flipped one ofVoyager’s most iconic lines.
Star Trek: Prodigy Season 3 - Everything We Know
Netflix has the option to order Star Trek: Prodigy season 3. Here’s what we know about the young Starfleet crew of the USS Protostar’s return.
1 Gwyn Line In Star Trek: Prodigy Season 2 Flips Voyager’s Finale Meaning
Gwyn parodied Harry Kim in Prodigy season 2
DuringProdigyseason 2, episode 9, “The Devourer of All Things, Part 1,“Gwyndala (Ella Purnell)had one line that was a subtle play off of something Harry Kim (Garrett Wang) said inVoyager’s series finale. While approaching the supposed end of their journey, a hidden planet that they received the coordinates for via a mysterious message. Gwyn stated in her personal log, “It’s not about the journey. It’s the destination.“This sentiment came at the end of Gwyn’s reflection on the toll it had taken on her and her friends to achieve their ultimate goalof finding Captain Chakotay.
Prodigyseason 2, episode 9 was written by Jennifer Muro and directed by Sung Shin.
Gwyn’s line is apt for the crew’s situation, but it also cleverly flips Harry Kim’s “Maybe it’s not the destination that matters. Maybe it’s the journey,” from “Endgame.“Prodigyparodying Harry’s line acts as a tongue-in-cheekVoyagerreference for viewers in the know, one of many in both seasons 1 and 2. However, it also reveals a lot about the differences in storytelling that bothProdigyandVoyageremployed, despite being in the same franchise and using many of the same characters.
Why “The Journey” Matters More In Star Trek: Voyager Than Prodigy
The journey and the destination mean different things to the different shows
VoyagerandProdigy’s distinct reflections on “the journey” are the result of each show using different storytelling mechanisms. OnVoyager, the journey really did matter more than the destination, sinceVoyager’s entire premise was based around the idea of a stranded crew trying to find their way home. The USS Voyager’s journey through the Delta Quadrant was the backbone of the series and allowedVoyagerto tell its most interesting stories. Likewise, much of the character development that was so central to the show could never have happened without the journey the crew ended up going on.
Prodigy’s more serialized storytelling nature means that each season’s ultimate goal is more important than the sum of its parts.
Prodigyis a very different show thanVoyager, despite all their connections.Prodigy’s more serialized storytelling nature means thateach season’s ultimate goal is more important than the sum of its parts. In season 2, this is especially true given the universe-altering stakes that the crew’s accidental time paradox sets up. AlthoughStar Trek: Prodigyseason 2still had several “side quest” style episodes that contributed to the overall plot of the season, the season’s destination was more important than the characters' journey to reach it.
Star Trek: Prodigy
Cast
Star Trek: Prodigy is the first TV series in the Star Trek franchise marketed toward children, and one of the few animated series in the franchise. The story follows a group of young aliens who find a stolen Starfleet ship and use it to escape from the Tars Lamora prison colony where they are all held captive. Working together with the help of a holographic Captain Kathryn Janeway (Kate Mulgrew), the new crew of the USS Protostar must find their way back to the Alpha Quadrant to warn the Federation of the deadly threat that is pursuing them.
Star Trek: Voyager
The fifth entry in the Star Trek franchise, Star Trek: Voyager, is a sci-fi series that sees the crew of the USS Voyager on a long journey back to their home after finding themselves stranded at the far ends of the Milky Way Galaxy. Led by Captain Kathryn Janeway, the series follows the crew as they embark through truly uncharted areas of space, with new species, friends, foes, and mysteries to solve as they wrestle with the politics of a crew in a situation they’ve never faced before.
