We are definitely at a crossroads this week on Star Trek: Prodigy! What an exciting episode! It’s one I’ve been waiting for all season since we got that teaser for it on Star Trek Day! We get a callback to Star Trek: The Next Generation, a high-speed chase, Murf’s new form, and our second contact with Starfleet. I hope your couch came equipped with “Hold-Onto-Your-Butts” grab handles because we’re in for a bumpy ride today. Let’s dig into Star Trek: Prodigy episode 1×14, “Crossroads.”
Hitchin’ a Ride
Our crew knows that in order to best help Starfleet, they need to make some drastic moves. Burying the Protostar in the snow isn’t something I’d have thought of or even considered doing myself. Props to our crew for making the bold choice. This outpost is quite interesting. It made me think of something out of Star Wars, except snow instead of sand, with all the aliens milling about and the trade. Also, let’s be honest: Okana is a dashing Han Solo-type, with his smuggling, fast hunk-of-junk ship, and how he’s just so dang charming.
Also, sending the Protostar to hide in the neutral zone is a stroke of genius. It’s a bold move, but I’m afraid our crew is going to be in big trouble if we aren’t careful. Speaking of the neutral zone, let’s talk about our second contact with Starfleet.
Second Contact with Starfleet
Our crew’s first contact with Starfleet went pretty poorly, which is perhaps the understatement of the year. Their second contact hasn’t gone much better. With the sole witness to the destruction of the relay station being against them, it’s no wonder our crew split at the first sign of Starfleet. Also, our crew has valid concerns considering The Diviner is on the Dauntless! But more than anything, they’re acting like kids would in that scenario. They’re going to get in trouble? Best thing to do is run! But one thing this interaction gives us is a great line from Vice Admiral Janeway that’s good for everyday life: “No buts. In Starfleet, you make it so.” I hope our young Captain Dal takes that to heart. I hope everyone watching takes that to heart.
None of this is even to mention that we’re now tempting a war with the Romulans with them entering the neutral zone. I get Vice Admiral Janeway’s concern about the tech on the Protostar falling into the hands of the Romulans, but still. That’s a pretty big risk, but Janeway’s no stranger to big risk. I’ll be using my “Hold-Onto-Your-Butts” grab handles until next week.
Final Thoughts
“Crossroads” is a particularly exciting episode of Star Trek: Prodigy. It feels like we’re leading up to a mid-season break again. I don’t know if we’ll get the rest of the season now or if we’ll get it early next year. I’ll keep watch, and in the meantime, we’ve got at least one more episode of Star Trek: Prodigy to hold us over.
Quickly, I’d like to highlight some of the more interesting, “show, don’t tell,” things going on in “Crossroads.” The first is that we are steadily getting more backstory about Jankom Pog. Jankom is plucky; he doesn’t let things get to him too much. However, meeting another Tellarite proved demoralizing. Dr. Noum (Jason Alexander) is a jerk to Jankom. Definitely not Starfleet ideals here. Jankom might appear to be quite confident, but we learn that “Pog” is a name given to Tellarites that are “runts,” and those small of stature and vocabulary. It’s a pejorative, and perhaps that gives a clue to how Jankom ended up on Tars Lamora in the first place.
Finally, our favorite cuddly space slug, Murf, has reached a new form! But is it his final form? I love that Murf emerges from his chrysalis and then immediately accidentally fires at the Dauntless. Classic Murf.
Dig Deeper
If you want to dig deeper with our Star Trek: Prodigy coverage, you’ll definitely want to check out our interviews with some of our Star Trek: Prodigy cast and crew. We’ve talked to our showrunners Kevin and Dan Hageman, Zero actor Angus Imrie, and the voice behind my gal Rok-Tahk, Rylee Alazraqui. Tune your hailing frequencies here to Fangirlish for all the latest Trek news and coverage. You can also hear me as one of four hosts of We Are Starfleet, a Star Trek podcast on the We Made This Podcast Network, where we cover all things Trek.
What did you think of “Crossroads”? Leave me a comment and let’s talk Trek.
The next episode of Star Trek: Prodigy will air on November 24, 2022, on Paramount+.
