Star Trek: Prodigy is back, with season 1 now streaming on Netflix around the world. Season 2 is coming this year, and the showrunners are talking about how it wraps up and what could be next for the animated show.
Move to Netflix could be the best thing for Prodigy
Executive producers and co-creators Dan and Kevin Hageman joined the latest episode of Virtual Trek Con to talk about Prodigy, starting with how the first season had a strong debut on Netflix showing up on Top 10 lists around the world. Kevin talked about how he and the crew feel about the relaunch on Netflix:
“We are so proud. We know how good it is. We all see it. Like everyone on our crew are like, ‘This is one of the best things we’ve got to animate on.’ Then it got cancelled and it was like, ‘What? That doesn’t make any sense.’ So now, it is such a relief. It’s so sweet, everyone is so happy.”
Apparently referring to the corporate tumult at Paramount, Dan Hageman said that in the end the move may benefit the series:
“I think it turned out for the best on Netflix. With what’s going at Paramount right now, I don’t know what’s going to happen over there.”
Season 2 finale wraps up series, but sets up for more
The brothers also talked about how the upcoming second season ends:
Dan: “The end of season 1 we think is great. The end of season 2 is equally great. And it has this place where it just feels like it wraps up… it really wraps up everything you want out of seasons 1 and 2, but really opens the door to what season 3 could potentially be. Whether that hits now or in five years or whenever the time is right, it’ll feel natural, which I’m really happy about.”
Kevin: “Worst case scenario, we never get picked up again and [even if] there’s no more Star Trek: Prodigy ever, we feel like the end of season 2 is a really beautiful closing. It will feel complete. But what we do is there is a great little promise of something more to come.”
Work on season 2 is complete and both brothers said they don’t know when or how Netflix would decide to order another season. Dan quipped it all comes down to “the veil behind the curtain, the algorithm.” However, if there was to be more, it would not be for a while. Dan explained:
“If we get the call like ‘We want season 3,’ because we are animation it’s going to take minimum two years, more like three years.”
Kevin also noted how with work now complete on season 2, any order for more would require them to reassemble the team, but they can’t be sure everyone will be available:
“So many of our crew can’t wait to come back, but they might be locked into a new job.”
This December tweet from the Hageman brothers marked when they wrapped up work on season 2.
Just mixed our final episode of #StarTrekProdigy S2. Five incredible years of our lives have gone into Prodigy, and we could not be more proud of the work from our amazing team. May this series inspire and welcome all into the Star Trek Universe. S1 on #Netflix this Christmas! pic.twitter.com/Y0L4szLqDs
— Dan & Kevin Hageman (@brothershageman) December 13, 2023
Teasing Janeway/Chakotay
Much of the first season of Prodigy focused on Admiral Janeway’s search for her former first officer Chakotay. Kevin acknowledged that the first season was a “giant tease” for the pair with “all the good stuff” coming in season 2. The brothers were not going to give specific details on the nature of the relationship between Janeway and Chakotay, but they did tease elements of their reunion in season 2. Dan said it was his favorite episode of the season, sharing how others reacted to it:
“I remember watching it with [composer] Nami [Melumad] and she was blushing. She was like, ‘Oh my god!’
Kevin added:
“Obviously there’s going to be a reunion of these two characters. When we recorded the reunion, Kate [Mulgrew] was recording and opposite was our voice recorder Brook [Chalmers] and he read Chakotay. And they read this scene together and Brook was just crying. And Kate was like, ‘That was really good.’ There’s great stuff ahead… I love what we do with Chakotay. It’s totally not what you are expecting. Robert [Beltran] is fantastic… I love what we do with them more than what I have seen them do in Voyager.”
Janeway and Chakotay at the launch of the USS Protostar, from episode 11
Watch the interview
You can watch the full Virtual Trek Con discussion with the Hageman brothers below…
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