Star Trek Prodigy Team Talk Developing Their Unique Characters And Universe

If we’re being honest, the Star Trek line of series has typically followed a very rigid formula. It’s about a captain or commander running a ship or space station trying to traverse various troubles in order to bring peace, stability, or in the case of Voyager, find their way home. Star Trek Prodigy is much different. Because it’s about a group of young beings who find an abandoned Federation Ship and use it to try and escape the Delta Quadrant of space, getting into all sorts of adventures and hijinks along the way.

Creators and showrunners Kevin and Dan Hageman did an interview where they broke down what it was like to truly develop Star Trek Prodigy as something unique in the overall universe:

Dan Hageman noted, “When we started with characters outside of Federation space that we fell in love with, with a completely alien cast, we honestly thought about what they’d look like on a toy shelf. We wanted each one to pop and have something special, and we’re older geeks, going like, “What if Zero had a light inside of them? What if Gwyn has a weapon that can turn into things? What if Rok had a hugging grip?” Really, it was a love letter to taking Star Trek and trying to imagine what it would look like in the hands of a new viewer.”

Kevin Hageman added, “When we came up with each character, we wanted to make sure that each one had a rich story and each one you fell in love with. When I look at other TV shows, in general, when you have that family, there are a couple characters you fall in love with and a few that are on the periphery. We really tried to make each one special, and, from what I’ve been seeing from audiences’ reactions, I’m seeing it work because some fans love Dal, others love Gwyn, Murf, Rok, Zero, or Jankom. It’s across the board, which I love.”

They also noted that while they did stick to Star Trek lore and mythology where they could (as proven by the return of Kate Mulgrew as Captain Janeway…kind of…), they also noted that they were trying to “grab new fans” and that meant making their own lore more than banking on nostalgia.

Source: CBR