That’s a wrap on Star Trek: Prodigy’s first season! I’ve got so many thoughts on Star Trek: Prodigy episode 1×20 “Supernova, Part 2” that it’s hard to condense them into this introduction. I’ve also got a ton of thoughts on this first season of Star Trek: Prodigy as a whole. Use those “hold onto your butts” grab handles one last time this season. We’re in for a bumpy ride. Let’s dig into my thoughts on Star Trek: Prodigy episode 1×20 “Supernova, Part 2.”
Going Supernova
I wasn’t too surprised that with a title like “Supernova” that we’d be blowing up the ship in order to stop the living construct. It’s dang near a Star Trek trope to have to blow up the ship, but this time, it’s a necessity. But gosh, it’s such a Janeway thing to do, even in hologram form, to make the self-sacrificial choice for the good of the crew. Janeway’s always done that, in every reality. Watch the finale of Star Trek: Voyager, “Endgame” to see how it’s done.
I’m not ashamed to admit that I did more than my share of ugly crying watching the first half of this episode. I felt my heart break along with our crew when they discover what Hologram Janeway has done for them. But what this does is not just a handoff, but it’s a classic trope of the hero’s journey–the death of the mentor. And while our crew will have the benefit of training under Vice Admiral Janeway, I would argue that Hologram Janeway is a wholly different being. And just like with The Doctor on Star Trek: Voyager, we could have a completely different discussion regarding the sentience of holograms.
Warrant Officers
I was expecting entrance to Starfleet Academy. I was not expecting our crew to be made warrant officers-in-training. This is an interesting development. What this means is that our crew gets to go explore space without being bound to Starfleet Academy. I’m definitely down with that! Now, what kind of ship will they be on? Is the Protostar class the ship they’ll be on or are we getting a new Voyager? They’ve got to go get Chakotay and his remaining crew from the future. How can we do that? I can’t wait to see how that works out. Plus, it gives them opportunity to connect with Gwyn again, and I’m definitely here for that! Speaking of which…
GWYN AND DAL ARE CANON!
Okay, I’ll admit that I wasn’t really shipping Gwyn and Dal before last week. And I actually really liked how they played that scene in “Supernova, Part 1” with Dal misreading Gwyn’s intentions. It did something that I think is really important for a younger person’s show. First, it shows girls that you don’t have to baby a guy’s feelings if he expresses interest and you don’t reciprocate. Gwyn shoots straight with Dal in that scene. She tells him that she isn’t trying to say she likes him and that he’s mistaken.
Second, this also shows boys that if a girl says no, that means no, and you need to back off. Sure, Dal is embarrassed, but he owns it. And he moves on, respecting Gwyn’s lack of reciprocation. That shows a lot of maturity, and what an important thing for young men to see and to model!
Now, all that being said, I still wasn’t sure that Gwyn didn’t have feelings for Dal. They obviously have a close friendship, but frankly, with all the crazy stuff with her dad, Gwyn ain’t got time to think about that sort of thing. As the great philosopher, Short Round once said, “Hey Dr. Jones, no time for love!”
What I really like about how they reveal Gwyn’s feelings for Dal is that she needed time to process and think about it. I’m sure there will be much fanfic out there speculating on what happened during the month it took them to get back to Starfleet, but what Gwyn really needed was a bit of time. Those feelings were there. She just needed to think about them a little longer. Their kiss was sweet, and now we’ve got a long-distance relationship to work with. Mr. Nerdy Blogger and I dated long distance, and the communication skills we formed during our time apart have served our marriage well. Considering that Gwyn is extremely skilled in that area and Dal, not as much, I think this will be good for both of them. I can’t wait to see what happens next for them!
Final Thoughts…
There are so many things that I can point out that are just gorgeous little nods and touches. They were the finishing seasoning to an already delicious season of Star Trek. First up, I’ve got to give kudos and the highest praise to Nami Melumad, the composer for Star Trek: Prodigy. Her music, to use another food analogy, is the icing on the cake. In Star Trek: Prodigy episode 1×20 “Supernova, Part 2”, I particularly enjoy the variation on Jerry Goldsmith’s “Klingon Battle” theme from Star Trek: The Motion Picture. It’s a wink and a nod to the older Star Trek fans in the room, so I give a wink and a nod back to you, Nami. I can’t wait to hear what you’ve got cooked up for Star Trek: Prodigy and Star Trek: Strange New Worlds season 2.
Second, I adore that real-life Star Trek science advisor, Dr. Erin Macdonald makes a cameo appearance in “Supernova, Part 2.” She’s the Starfleet officer that asks Rok-Tahk if she’s considered studying xenobiology. Do you know who else is a xenobiologist? Captain Michael Burnham. I’d love for there to be a little Easter egg in Star Trek: Discovery where we see Michael catching up on the works of Dr. Rok-Tahk. That would be such fun. I doubt we’ll see it happen, but a girl can dream, can’t she?
If you want to dig in deeper with Star Trek: Prodigy, I highly recommend checking out this week’s episode of The Ready Room with Wil Wheaton, where he sits down with my captain, Kate Mulgrew to talk Star Trek: Prodigy episode 1×20, “Supernova, Part 2.” We get to hear from some of our other Prodigy cast and crew as well. You also get a sneak peek at Star Trek: Picard’s final season, which will premiere on February 16, 2023, on Paramount+. Keep your hailing frequencies tuned here to Fangirlish for further Trek news and Picard coverage during this rare Trek downtime.
…and Predictions for Season 2
Finally, I’ve got a few further speculations to make on season 2. Aside from what I’ve already mentioned about our crew being out in space, rather than at Starfleet Academy, I’ve got a few more ideas mulling about in my head. Here are a few things I think we might see in season 2 of Star Trek: Prodigy.
– Gwyn vs. Asencia in our quest to save Solum. The Unifier vs. The Vindicator.
– Vice Admiral Janeway goes on the hunt to the future for Chakotay.
– Vice Admiral Janeway and Chakotay are FINALLY canon!
– The return of The Diviner, but it’s a young Diviner and we finally learn his real name.
Some folks like to say, “No, I will not be taking questions at this time” after dropping some potentially hot takes like that, but I welcome them. I want to hear what you have to say about Star Trek: Prodigy episode 1×20, “Supernova, Part 2.” Leave me a comment and let’s talk Trek.
All episodes of Star Trek: Prodigy are streaming now on Paramount+.
