Star Trek: Prodigy has been received well following its first season, but it’s hard to pinpoint exactly who is making up the viewers. Considering that the Star Trek franchise has been around for a few generations now, it only makes sense that they would include content for a younger generation.
Given that one of the main overarching themes across the Star Trek storylines is the message of acceptance and co-existence, it certainly feels on brand for the franchise to stretch the relatability of their content to an even broader, younger, demographic. Beyond that, other sci-fi franchises like Star Wars have already proven that a genre as full of creativity and endless possibilities as sci-fi could easily cater to the interest of kids. That said, like any new, up-and-coming series — especially one that balances its content on the edge between children and adults — the series has a lot of both positive and negative potential. There are a series of pros and cons to the show and the direction that it may take in the future.
The first point is both a pro and a con, depending on perspective. Like Star Wars has done before, the decision to make Star Trek: Prodigy and animated series likely aids in its success among child viewers. Bold colors and softer, less frightening, animated creatures make the content more digestible for young minds, making it seem like a pro. On the other hand, a lot of adults tend to dismiss animated stories, viewing them as childish. Some fans are concerned that animation lightens the tone of the world too much, making this aspect feel like a con to some. Still, the addition of 3D graphics doesn’t seem to distract from the quality, but rather emphasizes it, which is exactly what the hopes for 3D animation are. Further, it should be noted that animation is not solely for child audiences, as Star Trek: Lower Decks has proven.
It’s reasonable to assume that children whose parents or grandparents are Star Trek fans are likely a significant factor in their kids viewing the show, not just the alluring art. However, this could be considered a con of the show. As the series creates a common ground where parents can introduce their kids to age-appropriate versions of stories they love, some might view this as parents pushing their interests on their uninterested kids. That said, if approached respectfully, the series can make for a wonderful common ground of interests across generations of family.
As many franchises tend to do, the Star Trek franchise has wisely aged with its audience. Considering that many original fans have children or even grandchildren now, Star Trek: Prodigy is a way to keep the franchise relevant to both loyal fans and new ones. The storyline of this series has been carefully engineered to bridge the gap between fans with prior knowledge of the world and new fans with no knowledge of the universe or creatures that makeup Star Trek.
A significant pro of the series is how relatable it is to a young audience. Like any great Star Trek story, the series follows a hodgepodge group of friends that are all different beings working together to explore the universe. The only real difference from the usual Star Trek character ensemble set up is that this group of characters are all teenagers. Their younger age allows kids and teens to connect to these characters, and younger kids can look up to them.
Another pro is that the story isn't just one for kids to enjoy, but one for the whole family. Of course, Nickelodeon being involved with the series is a good indicator of its ability to fit the mold of a well-received cartoon. This series was clearly very careful in selecting their approach to this show, in order to do justice to the story arc of the franchise and the loyal fan base. In fact, many adult fans have praised Star Trek: Prodigy for what it contributed to their understanding of Star Trek as a whole.
What's more, the series is just getting started. With the second season already in production, it’s safe to say that, so far, his series has been a success, and thus it could last for a while. The creation of the second season speaks to the potential of the show to, once again, age alongside its audience, eventually creating a whole new generation of die-hard Trek fans. It is perhaps the diversity of the characters from series to series that allows each show to go on as long as it does. This creates new perspectives of the world, and as a result, new story potential.
If the animation, story, and careful attention to structure and tone aren’t enough to speak to the show’s success as a kid-appropriate Star Trek series, the impressive and inspiring cast is an additional motive to watch this series with the family. Featuring rising young actors like Brett Gray and Ella Purnell, the series already possesses a familiar and trustworthy element to appeal to viewers that are completely new to the Star Trek experience.
Most of the cons of the series at this point are based on concern or “what if” questions. The greatest con is the possibility of the series getting too corny as it approaches what are usually darker or more intense storylines. Another potential con is that it may take the story in a totally new direction to keep it kid-appropriate, making it vastly different from the universe that fans know and love. At this point, there’s no real evidence that this is going to be the case, but such potential always exists when adult storylines are altered to fit the minds of children.
Perhaps the greatest con of this series is that it may end and leave kids craving more, similar storylines. Because it is currently the only openly kid-friendly series in the Star Trek franchise, kids may want to branch out to other stories set in the universe, leaving them with no other options that are really age-appropriate. Some parents are concerned that this series might leave their kids wanting to watch the more adult Star Trek storylines that they may not be ready for. That said, if the show is successful, it will likely not only lead to more kid-friendly content being created by the franchise, but it may also encourage the series to continue production.
No matter how individual fans feel about the show’s story, there are a multitude of components of this series that illustrate its significance to the pre-existing story threads of the Star Trek universe, as well as illustrate its capability as a kids show. Whether the whole family is new to the franchise, or whether a pre-existing fan is eager to share their interests with their kids, the complexity of this universe presented in a new, simpler, format makes it clear that Star Trek: Prodigy is a show the whole family can get behind.
Source: Wikipedia - Star Trek: Prodigy