Star Trek Prodigy is an excellent show even though it is being marketed for kids.

I've been incredibly surprised by Star Trek: Prodigy. This is an animated show that has been airing off and on for two months now, and it has surpassed my expectations. It's currently on its mid-season finale break until literally all the other Trek shows finish running their seasons. But the story (thus far in 10 episodes) has gelled the crew of kids together in a way that illustrates far more maturity than what we get with Lower Decks.

And to be clear, I still love Lower Decks. However, Prodigy takes its Trek a bit more seriously, and it knows when to go darker with its storylines. It also borrows one thing from Lower Decks, that being its criticism of the Federation. Starfleet does whatever it wants, and it doesn't really check on the consequences of its actions. This is an excellent point, and I can't say that it is wrong.

(Minor Spoilers Ahead) Star Trek: Prodigy is also kind of retconning the character of Chakotay from Voyager. He's actually become...shall I say it? Interesting? We've learned a lot about Chakotay's involvement in the creation of the Protostar (the ship the kids are flying around on), and with the series' main villain, who wants to use it as a weapon against Starfleet. I thought all of these developments were interesting. It's a fun mix of great new characters and storylines mixing it up with older series references and callbacks that are satisfyingly executed.

That being said, has anyone read the novel, Boogeymen, that is a Next Generation book with the main character being Wesley Crusher? It had within its pages the idea of a hybrid computer program/race that when transmitted (even through an innocuous communication) could infect and ultimately bring down the computer it was transmitted to. When I think about what they're doing with Prodigy, I can't help but think that this book may have provided some inspiration for this show. Building on works of the past is commendable, and I like that some of the old "written" material may have relevance in today's "nu Trek."

The final thing I can say about this show is that the characters are all showing amazing growth. Rok is clearly becoming a science officer. The miners finally got to talk to each other using the translator, and it made me realize how significant communication actually is with any kind of government. I suppose it should have been obvious, but it was a good reminder that any organization can intensify its strength through excellent communication. Now that the miners can communicate, it's clear that changes will be on the way.

Anyone else watching Prodigy? If so, what do you think so far?