I hate that the end ofStar Trek: Prodigyon Netflix means that we’re also losing the spiritual sequel toStar Trek: Voyager. As Paramount+’s joint venture with Nickelodeon,Star Trek: Prodigywas designed to introduce theStar Trekfranchise to young audiences while also appealing to older fans with connections toStar Trek: Voyager. The animated series' Delta Quadrant setting ensured thatStar Trek: Prodigy’s main charactersweren’t already familiar with Starfleet, soProdigy’s younger viewers could learn aboutStar Trek’s galaxy alongside Dal R’El (Brett Gray), Gwyndala (Ella Purnell), and the rest of the USS Protostar crew.
Star Trek: Prodigywas an unfortunate casualty of Paramount+ downsizingStar Trek. Paramount+ decided against streamingStar Trek: Prodigy’s second season, and swiftly removedProdigyseason 1 from their catalog. A concerted fan campaign to saveStar Trek: Prodigyled to Netflix buying streaming rights for both seasons and the option to produce a third—but that victory was short-lived. DespiteStar Trek: Prodigyseason 2’s Rotten Tomatoes scorebeing an unheard-of 100%,Netflix hasn’t orderedStar Trek: Prodigyseason 3, and seasons 1 & 2 will leave Netflixafter 18 months.
No Star Trek: Prodigy On Netflix Means The End Of Voyager’s Sequel
I’m Disappointed Other Voyager Characters Won’t Get the Prodigy Treatment
NoStar Trek: Prodigyon Netflix meanswe’re also losing modernStar Trek’s bestStar Trek: Voyagercontinuation. Five years after the USS Voyager’s homecoming,Star Trek: Prodigycaught up with Admiral Kathryn Janeway (Kate Mulgrew), Captain Chakotay (Robert Beltran), and the Doctor (Robert Picardo). Even the USS Protostar itself had origins inStar Trek: Voyager’s aftermath, because the Protostar was built to fix problems the Voyager crew created in the Delta Quadrant, until the Protostar—and Chakotay himself— were lost inStar Trek’s timeline.Prodigyseason 2 brought us the USS Voyager-A and Chakotay’s long-awaited reunion with Janeway.
Star Trek: Prodigy’s focus on its young characters brilliantly reframes Admiral Janeway, the Doctor, and Chakotay as mentors, putting their stories into a new perspective. Chakotay, especially, has more depth and heart than ever. SoI’m genuinely disappointed that we won’t see howProdigyrecontextualizes moreVoyagercharactersthrough the eyes of Dal, Gwyn, Rok-Tahk (Rylee Alazraqui), Zero (Angus Imrie), Jankom Pog (Jason Mantzoukas), and Maj’el (Michaela Dietz). Even Neelix (Ethan Phillips) could’ve been rehabilitated as a guide in the USS Prodigy’s Delta Quadrant mission set up at theend ofStar Trek: Prodigyseason 2, but now we may never know.
The Doctor Will Represent Voyager In Star Trek: Starfleet Academy
Robert Picardo’s USS Voyager EMH Links The 24th and 32nd Centuries
Even though Netflix has opted not to renewStar Trek: Prodigy, I’m glad thatStar Trek: Voyagerwill still be representedin upcomingStar Trekshows. In this case, the legacy of the USS Voyager falls on the holographic shoulders ofRobert Picardo’s 800-year-old Doctor inStar Trek: Starfleet Academy, aStar Trek: Discoveryspinoff set in the 32nd century. So far, we know thatStarfleet Academy’s Doctor is the USS Voyager’s original EMH, and he’ll be teaching Starfleet Academy’s first crop of new cadets in 100 years.
Star Trek: Starfleet Academyhas not yet received a premiere date, but could launch on Paramount+ sometime in 2026.
Perhaps ironically, we actually haveStar Trek: Prodigyto thank for the Doctor being part ofStar Trek: Starfleet Academy.Starfleet AcademyproducerAlex Kurtzman was directly inspired by Picardo’sStar Trek: Prodigyperformanceas the “Emergency Mentorship Hologram”,so the Doctor’s further character development fromProdigywon’t be completely lost. But the return of just the Doctor feels like a consolation prize compared to what we could’ve had inStar Trek: Prodigyseason 3.
We Need Kate Mulgrew’s Star Trek: Janeway To Happen
A Star Trek Project About Janeway Could Be The Next Best Voyager Sequel
If we don’t get moreStar Trek: Prodigy, we need Kate Mulgrew’sStar Trek: Janewayto happen. During a panel at the 2025 Star Trek Cruise,Kate Mulgrew revealed that she was “pursuing talks” to return toStar Trek.Since it’s unlikely Mulgrew would need to pursue further talks to continue voicing thedifferent versions of Kathryn Janeway inStar Trek: Prodigy, this news suggests Mulgrew would play a live-action version of Admiral Janeway in a newStar Trekproject.Star Trek: Janewaywould almost certainly reunite theStar Trek: Voyagercast for new adventures.
Right now, a new live-actionStar Trekshow—or streaming movie—starring Kate Mulgrew’s Admiral Kathryn Janeway in theStar Trek: Picardera is still just a rumor. Mulgrew’s “talks” withStar Trekproducers could mean anything, and withParamount+ reducingStar Trekcontent, I’m uncertain we’ll get that many newStar Trekprojects for a while. But in the absence of moreStar Trek: Prodigy,Star Trek: Janewayis the best hope that we have for a genuineStar Trek: Voyagersequel in modernStar Trek.
Star Trek: Voyager
Cast
In this sci-fi series, the starship Voyager becomes stranded in the Delta Quadrant, 70,000 light-years from Earth. The diverse crew, led by Captain Janeway, embarks on a perilous journey home, encountering unfamiliar species and challenges while adhering to Federation principles in uncharted space.
WHERE TO WATCH
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.
