Tuesday 15 June 2021

Star Trek Prodigy cast and character names and species revealed

The cast of Star Trek Prodigy, the forthcoming animated series for kids, has been revealed, as have character names and species. The young alien stars of the show include two classic TOS species, and amazingly a species from the Star Trek novels! Continue below for a closer look, including the first still from the series.


The most exciting of these characters for me, as a Star Trek books fan, is that Rok-Tahk is a Brikar, a rocky species which originated from another Trek for younger audiences, first appearing in Worf's First Adventure(ad), a TNG young adult novel in the 90s Starfleet Academy series(ad)! The character featured there was Zak Kebron, who went on to appear prominently in the New Frontier(ad) novel series. Prodigy now makes the species canon; how cool! I wonder if this was by design from the start, or they just had a rock-alien and someone joined up the dots at some point?

Paramount+ describe the new character Rok-Tahk, voiced by Rylee Alazraqui, as:
...an unusually bright eight-year-old girl. Rok is a bit shy, but not when it comes to her love for animals. 
Which sounds like we can expect some exotic animals in the series too; fun! They've also released a still from the series featuring the character, apparently welding:



Also cool is that Zero, who appeared to be a robot, is actually a Medusan in a containment suit. The species from the TOS episode Is There in Truth No Beauty? has had no on-screen follow-up on that single episode and barely more than a mention even in tie-in fiction, so is ripe for exploration.

The character is voiced by Angus Imrie, and described as:
...a Medusan: a noncorporeal, genderless, energy-based lifeform. Since others would go mad at the sight of their true self, Zero wears a containment suit they made themselves to protect others. 

 Certainly an upgrade from the last time we saw a Medusan, stuck in a box!


Jankom Pog is another familiar species, a 16-year old Tellarite, the pig-like species that originated in TOS but has since appeared in Enterprise, Discovery, and Picard. While Enterprise expanded on the race a little, it's still a relatively little-known species compared to the other Federation founding species the Vulcan, Andorians, and Humans.

Pog is voiced by Jason Mantzoukas, and described thusly:
Tellarites are known to relish an argument, and Jankom is no different. Regardless of opinion, he will always play ‘devil’s advocate’ for the sake of hearing all sides. 

Honestly I was expecting this character to be a Talaxian from the look (and would have been glad to get to know that species better too. But I can certainly see him as a Tellarite too. Pog joins a fairly diverse range of looks for the species, which has been reinvented each time a series has used them. He seems to me most aligned with the original TOS look, albeit with the more pronounced tusks seen in the contemporary live-action era versions of the species.




 

The blob alien, an indestructible blob no less, is Murf, voiced by Dee Bradley Baker:
“Murf,” whose age and species is unknown but who is an endearing, indestructible blob with curiously good timing and an insatiable appetite for ship parts.


Then we have the new humanoid species. Gwyn, a new species called the Vau N’Akat, voiced by Ella Purnell.
“Gwyn,” a 17-year-old Vau N’Akat who was raised on her father’s bleak mining planet and grew up dreaming to explore the stars. 
Paramount+ have released a still of this character too:



And finally Dal, described as being an unknown species; I wonder if unknown to even him. He is voiced by Brett Gray:
“Dal,” 17 years old and an unknown species, he fancies himself a maverick, who even in the toughest times, holds strong onto his unwavering hope. 
Paramount+ have released two images of this character (might this signify he is the lead?), one of which seems to show a view from a ship, perhaps the first look at the mysterious Starfleet ship that will feature in the series:




What I find most curious about this group of aliens, who will appear in a series set in the Delta Quadrant, and chance upon a Starfleet ship, is that three of the species originate in the Alpha or Beta Quadrants on the other side of the galaxy (at least they do if the Brikar continue to be from that side of the galaxy in this new canon interpretation of the species). So how do they all end up in the Delta Quadrant? Prodigy's mysteries continue to build!


Prodigy will launch on Paramount+(ad) in the US later this year, and will also be shown on Nickelodeon. In Canada it will be found on CTV Sci-Fi, while other international distribution has yet to be announced. To keep track of all the latest Prodigy updates, check back through my Prodigy tag




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