Across The Universe: Captain Janway’s Introduction to Prodigy, New Mission For Lower Decks & More

As production continues in the expanded Star Trek Universe, Across The Universe is rounding up the more insightful news from the past month as we find out more about Kate Mulgrew’s involvement in Prodigy; Mike McMahon gives a little more details on Lower Decks and more as Discovery and Strange New Worlds continue production in Canada!

Since she was announced to return to the franchise, there have been a lot of questions over Kate Mulgrew’s part in Prodigy. Questions that were answered recently when it was revealed her inclusion in the story of rogue teens finding a Starship was not as Janeway, but a hologram of the former Voyager Captain.

Acting as the Emergency Training Program on board the yet unnamed vessel, Mulgrew shared a little bit more insight into how her Janeway replica ends up on the show.

Speaking briefly on Prodigy while promoting her Amazon Prime series, Mr Mercedes, Mulgrew revealed that the teenagers are prisoners who stumble upon a buries Starfleet ship after breaking out. “They go in and of course the prison guards are coming after them. And they can’t get it up and the shields won’t run or the thing won’t do…” Mulgrew continues, “And suddenly somebody hits a button and ‘Hello, kids. I see you’re a little bit stuck here. Can I help you out?’ And it’s Captain Janeway in a holographic form.”

Information on the show has been a slow drip for Prodigy. We first knew of the base plot some time ago before only learning it was set in the Delta Quadrant with a holo-Janeway on First Contact Day. The group – of which we’ve seen, but don’t have any names for yet – being prisoners is another new piece of information and likely hints at the first episode setting up the series with their introduction before finishing with ETC Janeway.

Set up as a “gateway” show for younger audiences, Prodigy is set to target the young adults and teenagers watching Nickelodeon and will make it’s debut on Paramount+ (formerly CBS All Access) before launching on Nickelodeon in the US. No UK broadcast information has been shared yet, however a similar deal between the streaming giants and Nickelodeon UK is logical.

Though far away from the UK’s wonder where it;’ll air, Mulgrew is more focused on what it can do for the next, next generation. “I think it’s really, really, going to capture the imagination of little kids.” She added,”And if they can sit with their mothers who watched me in live action, and their fathers who loved the other guys, then we’ve got a family affair and that that will bring it full circle.”

On the more adult side of the animated Trek world, Mike McMahon has given away a little more information as production continues on Lower Decks second season.

Season One ended with some quite big character moments. Mariner and her mother coming to terms that they need to work together, Rutherfords memory being reset after removing his implants and Boimler on board the Titan with Riker after his transfer.

“I like to write for the streaming era. I like to write show assuming that you’re going to watch season 1 and go right into season 2 so we wanted to keep the energy from the end of season 1,” McMahon told IGN, “We’re not just airing it on a network and hoping you catch it on VHS like I had to do it in the ’90s.”

As noted in our last edition of Comms, the show will be following those paths and McMahon has confirmed that they’ll be following up each characters stories as well as focusing more on Rutherford and Tendi.

Though the most interesting element of the show doesn’t take place on the “hero” ship, but with Jonathon Frakes as a much more comedic version of Captain Riker as Boimler adjusts to a more active environment. “The Titan is a whole different beast and what does that mean for our Boimy Boims? You know, he’s not with Mariner or Rutherford or Tendi and what is that new group like over there? How is he experiencing it and how are our other Lower Deckers experiencing him not being there?” McMahon told ScreenRant, “All that stuff is how we wrote season 2. It’s very funny.”

McMahon also revealed to Screenrant that they’re working on colouring and score for season 2 with aims to launch in August. Unlike the first season, it’s expected that Lower Decks will feature on Amazon Prime Video in the UK with the same “next day” rule as other shows.

Elsewhere in the star Trek Universe, Discovery Showrunner Michelle Paradise noted on May 15^th that the fourth seasons writing duties were complete as the show continues to film in Toronto.

Season three ended with Burnham finally making it to the Captains chair, but speaking to Variety, Alex Kurtzman notes that her Captaincy isn’t the end of her journey.

“Just because she has the chair doesn’t mean that she’s necessarily ready for certain things. And there are choices that she now has to make as a captain that she wouldn’t have to make as just an officer on the ship.” Kurtzman explained, “So every story was calibrated to what new door does this open to her experience of being a captain and what new challenge does she have to face.”

On the ground the show suffered a minor set back as a key crew member made contact with a COVID positive individual off set, however production resumed early May. The self isolation only effected Discovery due to Strange New Worlds filming in CBS’ purpose built studio in Ontario.

Anson Mount spoke to Radio Times and revealed that filming for the Strange New Worlds passed the half way mark, but the COVIC restrictions both on set and in Canada had meant that the cast had t get to know each other without outside interaction.

“Normally I’d be throwing barbecues and we’d be going to the park,” Mount commented, “And you can’t do much of that right now, particularly during the lockdown in Ontario but we’re surviving.”

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