Star Trek: Prodigy 2×08 “Is There in Beauty No Truth?” takes us to a strange new world, where we seek out a new civilization! Zero gets a new look! We drink the juices of a pig’s stomach, AND we run from a gigantic flying stingray. All of that sounds crazy, but it’s just another day at the office for Star Trek: Prodigy. Let’s dig into my review of Star Trek: Prodigy 2×08 “Is There in Beauty No Truth?”
For the Kids
Star Trek: Prodigy 2×08 “Is There in Beauty No Truth?” teaches the kids in the audience a few important life lessons. The first is that it’s okay to ask for help. Zero is being selfless, not wanting to burden the team with their needs. Gwyn speaking up for Zero shows kids that not only is it important to ask for help when they need it, but it’s also important to look out for those who may need help, but are afraid to speak up for whatever reason. Zero doesn’t have to do things on their own.
The next important lesson in Star Trek: Prodigy 2×08 “Is There in Beauty No Truth?” is the importance of getting all the information before making a decision or signing on the dotted line. Zero gets a new body, which they need! But Zero wasn’t given all the information necessary to make an informed decision. Zero should have asked more questions, and kids need to have an illustration of that importance.
Feel Your Feelings, But Don’t Always Act on Them
Finally, Star Trek: Prodigy 2×08 “Is There in Beauty No Truth?” draws a fine line between feeling all the feelings versus acting on all the feelings. Yes, it’s wonderful to show affection, to feel joy and dance, and to enjoy good food when your “belly is angry.” But as someone with ADHD who deals with emotional regulation issues, it can be easy to let our emotions run away from us without thinking things through. For example, feeling fear might be exciting, like riding a roller coaster, but the Running of the Nazamon is effectively the Ovidia IV version of the running of the bulls! This episode does a great job illustrating all those things in a nuanced way that’s accessible for kids and a good reminder for the adults in the room too. Well done, Star Trek: Prodigy writers’ room!
For the Adults
Star Trek: Prodigy 2×08 “Is There in Beauty No Truth?” gives the adults in the room a nod towards Star Trek: The Original Series. The title is a play on Star Trek: The Original Series 3×07 “Is There in Truth No Beauty?” where the Medusans are introduced to the Star Trek universe. Fun fact: Diana Muldaur appears in “Is There in Truth No Beauty?” as Dr. Miranda Jones. She would go on to play Dr. Pulaski in Star Trek: The Next Generation season two.
It might be a silly aesthetic thing on my part, but the pods where the biotransference occurs in Star Trek: Prodigy 2×08 “Is There in Beauty No Truth?” look like the cryopods the crew of the Nostromo sleeps in on Alien. It works too, as this is a rebirthing scene and the way the crew of the Nostromo wake up from their cryosleep can be interpreted in that way as well. It’s always nice to have a little Alien nod in my Star Trek.
Final Thoughts
Star Trek: Prodigy 2×08 “Is There in Beauty No Truth?” has a lot of sweetness to it. I love that the first thing our crew does once Zero has a body is to hug them. Sure, they might have been able to hug Zero in their old body before, but Zero has never been able to feel it. Zero’s choice to go with their friends is a heart warmer too. They say, “To lose my senses would be heartbreaking…I know where I belong…with them.” Cue the feels!
There’s some humor in Star Trek: Prodigy 2×08 “Is There in Beauty No Truth?” with the Doctor being betrayed by his own hubris. The Doctor loves to go on and on about his novels and artistic abilities, not realizing that most folks find that boring. In this case, it came back to bite him. Finally, we still don’t know what that weird tentacle thing is, but it sure is scary, and can apparently either halt time or interfere with technology to a degree that we lost security footage shipwide. Either way, it’s serious business. We’ve got to get this figured out, and fast!
What did you think of Star Trek: Prodigy 2×08 “Is There in Beauty No Truth?” Leave me a comment, and let’s talk Trek.
All episodes of Star Trek: Prodigy season 2 are streaming now on Netflix.
READ ALL OF THIS SEASONS REVIEW
- ‘Star Trek: Prodigy’ 2×01 Review: “Into the Breach, Part 1”
- ‘Star Trek: Prodigy’ 2×02 Review: “Into the Breach, Part 2”
- ‘Star Trek: Prodigy’ 2×03 Review: “Who Saves the Saviors”
- ‘Star Trek: Prodigy’ 2×04 Review: “Temporal Mechanics 101”
- ‘Star Trek: Prodigy’ 2×05 Review: “Observer’s Paradox”
- ‘Star Trek: Prodigy’ 2×06 Review: “Imposter Syndrome”
- ‘Star Trek: Prodigy’ 2×07 Review: “The Fast and the Curious”
- ‘Star Trek: Prodigy’ 2×08 Review: “Is There in Beauty No Truth?”
