Star Trek: Voyager may have ended in 2001, but the influence of the series lives on – and now, in new animated series Star Trek: Prodigy, fans even get to see the story continue.
Most prominently, the series stars an Emergency Command Hologram of Captain Janeway (Kate Mulgrew), the erstwhile Captain of the USS Voyager, as a main character, acting as a mentor and helper to the main cast of runaway aliens who discover a lost Federation ship.
But as Mulgrew herself notes, there’s more to the Voyager connections than her involvement in the series.
“Well, of course [it connects],” Mulgrew told RadioTimes.com. “I think as it unfolds, there will be more and more of that.
“You’re hitting on a point that’s terribly important, and it’s that the fans love it by association. They remember very clearly the important and significant moments in Voyager lore, in Next Gen lore, in The Original Series lore. And when that is sparked by a moment or some sort of correlation, it’s delightful.”
In other words, Voyager fans watching Prodigy might note little callbacks that give greater significance to the events on screen, even if they’re not crucially important to the plot.
“If you’re a little newcomer, you’re not only going to enjoy it but your mother’s going to be whispering, ‘Janeway did that in the third season…’,” Mulgrew said.
“Do you understand? It’s going to be an education, and at the same time, it’s a relationship unfolding.”
But that’s not all. As the series continues, it becomes clear that key characters from Voyager are playing a role in the story, including the real Admiral Janeway (an older version of the character we know) and her former first officer Chakotay (Robert Beltran), whose fate is directly tied to the USS Protostar ship used in the series.
“There’s a lot of exciting stuff with Chakotay in the second season,” Mulgrew’s co-star Angus Imrie teased.
“A little tease,” added Mulgrew. “Just a little.”
Altogether, Prodigy is worth a visit from any fans still smarting that Voyager didn’t get the reboot, sequel or spin-off treatment that The Original Series and The Next Generation did. As it turns out, the story did continue – just not in the way you might have expected.
Star Trek: Prodigy begins airing at 6pm on Monday 25th April on Nickelodeon, running every weekday evening until Friday 6th May. For more, check out our dedicated Sci-Fi page or our full TV Guide.
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