Over the weekend, I had the wonderful opportunity to attend the 2021 New York Comic-Con. It was my first time ever attending NYCC and even though I was mostly by myself, I had a great time getting to see as much of the convention as I could. One of the things I wanted to talk about, now that the convention is over and I’m back home in Georgia, is Nickelodeon’s upcoming Television show, Star Trek: Prodigy. A show that was initially announced during the 2020 New York Comic-Con.
Now, please don’t dismiss me when I tell you that I’m not a huge Star Trek fan. It took me a long time to be introduced to the franchise, I was fully engulfed in the Star Wars fandom. With that being said, I do quite enjoy the franchise though my knowledge of the Stark Trek universe is minimal at best. For that, I am sorry. Anyway, now that you guys know my dirty secret, I have to say that Nickelodeon really is putting out something special.
At the request of the crew, I’m not going to spoil anything that I saw at the premiere but you can watch the trailer here if you’d like. While watching the pilot episode, I can say that it made me feel a bit emotional in a way. It just resonated with me in a way that, as both a parent and someone who is overwhelmed by the massive amount of Star Trek content, made me very excited for the franchise’s future. One thing brought up at the premiere was that the show would start off small and slowly go deeper into the lore of Star Trek. Not only will it open the doors for a younger audience but it’s also for people like me who want to learn more about the universe.
Maybe it’s because of Nickelodeon’s Ninja Turtles and Rugrat’s reboot but I really wasn’t expecting the show to look as good as it does. I really do believe that the show is absolutely gorgeous, especially where the scenery is concerned. The soundtrack, composed by Nami Melumand, also helps build onto how epic the show feels. If you don’t believe me, check out the main title sequence over on YouTube. The Hageman brothers also noted that the soundtrack in Prodigy is the first to be composed by a female composer, which I personally felt was huge.
The cast does a great job as well and features some big names, with Kate Mulgrew returning as a hologram version of Captain Janeway. Other big names include Robert Beltran, John Noble, Daveed Diggs, Jason Alexander, and Jason Mantzoukas. Brett Gray’s Dal and Rylee Alazraqui’s Rok-Tahk are probably going to be the ones who steal the show, however.
I had my doubts about Prodigy going into the premiere but walked out of the room feeling incredibly satisfied. While the show is clearly aimed at a younger audience, it’s for everybody. A lot of effort went into making it feel epic. I cannot wait to watch it with my kids when the show is available for streaming Paramount+ on October 28th.