Every upcoming Star Trek show and movie, ranked by anticipation

6. Star Trek: Prodigy (Season 1)

Currently airing on Paramount+ and Nickelodeon, Star Trek: Prodigy is another animated entry in the Star Trek canon, this time targeted at younger audiences. The series is a continuation of the The Next Generation/Deep Space Nine/Voyager era, being set just five years after Voyager’s return to the Alpha Quadrant and continuing many of the themes seen in that show. Kate Mulgrew guest stars as the USS Protostar’s Emergency Training Holographic Advisor, based, of course, on Captain Kathryn Janeway.

While squarely aimed at children and containing nothing that youngsters will find too complex or offensive, Prodigy, like its Star Wars animated cousins like The Clone Wars, is perfectly accessible to adults. The show continues the Star Trek tradition of storytelling that fans will find instantly familiar and comforting. Action-packed and often genuinely thoughtful, the series is well-paced and has an immense amount of potential; it’s a show that’s perfect as an introduction to Star Trek. While the original Star Trek: The Animated Series will always hold a place of tremendous affection in the hearts of every Star Trek fan, Prodigy may well grow into the best animated series in the franchise. There’s much here that Discovery could learn from here.

“The data [on measuring Prodigy as a success] is pretty obvious. We’re going to be patient because we think the show is fantastic and creatively just exceeds all expectations. I have no doubt that we’ll be doing more,” Paramount Pictures CEO Brian Robbins told The Hollywood Reporter in 2021. “Alex [Kurtzman] and I have talked about what the theatrical film version of this show is and the likes of that. We’re really excited. Ramsey [Naito] and our [Nickelodeon] team could not be more thrilled to explore more.”