How Star Trek: Prodigy Survived Cancelation

Star Trek: Prodigy season two debuted on Netflix on July 1, 2024. The streaming service dropped all 20 episodes of the second season, allowing fans to explore the adventures of the crew of the USS Protostar after season one ended a year and a half ago in December 2022. This felt like a miracle as there almost was a point where Star Trek: Prodigy was not only canceled but could have been lost to time.

In June 2023, Paramount+ made the shocking decision to cancel Star Trek: Prodigy. To add insult to injury, not only was the series going to be canceled but the episodes were set to be removed from Paramount+, the streaming service that prided itself on being the home of all things Star Trek. Thankfully, Netflix picked up Star Trek: Prodigy and has given fans another season with their favorite characters. Here is how Star Trek: Prodigy survived cancelation and what the future holds for the series.

Star Trek: Prodigy History

Star Trek: Prodigy was designed to be an animated series that could serve as an entry point for younger fans into the Star Trek franchise. It was announced in 2018 as part of Paramount’s plans to further expand the Star Trek franchise on their streaming service, first titled CBS All Access before being rebranded Paramount+. Star Trek: Prodigy was the fourth Star Trek series to air on Paramount+ after Star Trek: Discovery, Star Trek: Picard, and Star Trek: Lower Decks. As a hook for long-time Trek fans, Kate Mulgrew was announced to be reprising her role as Captain Kathryn Janeway from Star Trek: Voyager.

The first image of the series’ main characters was shown in February 2021, showcasing it would be the first Star Trek series to feature an all-alien crew. In addition, the series episodes would also be broadcast on Paramount subsidiary Nickelodeon after they aired on Paramount+. The hope was that kids and families who did not have Paramount+ would still be able to watch it on television and be captivated to look more into the Star Trek franchise, creating a new generation of fans, which is why Trevor Roth, COO of Roddenberry Entertainment, said Star Trek: Prodigy was so important to the franchise and a great entry point for new fans. However, the series’ future was put into doubt when Paramount+ canceled.

How and Why Star Trek: Prodigy Survived Cancelation

Star Trek: Prodigy Season 2 was announced on November 21, 2021, a month after Season 1 had aired. Like Season 1, it was confirmed to be 20 episodes. This was because when Nickelodeon joined Star Trek: Prodigy, they ordered two seasons, 20 episodes each, of the series due to the animation work that was required to make the investment worth it and to make sure there would not be a long gap in the schedule as animation work on Season 2 could be done while Season 1 was airing.

When Paramount+ canceled Star Trek: Prodigy, it wasn’t just that the series wouldn’t return, but they were also going to remove the series from their streaming service. While Star Trek: Prodigy was available on home video, it was still a depressing blow for fans to think that the series would not be available to stream alongside the rest of the Star Trek franchise. Fans waited four months until it was confirmed that Netflix had picked up the distribution rights for Star Trek: Prodigy, which would be the home of the first season and where season two would air.

This meant that when Paramount+ canceled Star Trek: Prodigy, work on Season 2 had already been underway. Netflix decided to pick up the series as an animated family series based on popular film IP, which has been a big hit on the streaming service from both Jurassic World: Camp Cretaceous and Jurassic World: Chaos Theory to Fast & Furious: Spy Racer.

Why exactly Netflix picked the series up is unclear, but one major factor might have been the WGA and SAG-AFTRA strike. For months, production on many series had ceased, which meant there was a danger of various streaming services running out of content to release. Star Trek: Prodigy season two had already been in production when it was canceled, so Netflix could acquire the half-finished series and, once the strikes ended, get the cast to record their lines and resume production and have a safe bet ready to launch quicker than other series which might have been impacted.

Will There Be Star Trek: Prodigy Season 3?

Star Trek: Prodigy Season 2 feels like a miracle. A season that felt like it was going to be lost to time due to corporate restructuring found a second chance at life, much like how the original Star Trek series became a hit long after it was canceled. With Season 2 dropping all at once, the question now remains as to what the future holds for Star Trek: Prodigy.

That remains unclear, although there are many obstacles in its way. The first two seasons were greenlit close to one another under Paramount+, with Netflix picking up distribution on Season 2. There has been no work on Season 3, meaning new contracts would have to be drawn up for the creative team. In addition, with the long time it takes for animation, it could take between 12 and 18 months, meaning Star Trek: Prodigy season three wouldn’t air until likely 2026.

The series’ current status seems to hint that Star Trek: Prodigy season two is the last one for the moment. During an interview with Collider, series creators Dan and Kevin Hageman told fans they would see what happened but gave hints that it might not be something the future holds. Dan Hageman said this:

“I think Season 3 is outside the sphere, much like the Federation outside Utopia Planitia, and outside the streaming wars. So, we’ll see what happens.

It feels like if the fans show up and there’s an appetite there, I mean, Kevin and I have always dreamt of writing Season 3. Even if it’s not something that comes soon, even later, I think tonally it translates itself to live-action. So, I could see something, like, 10 to 15 years down the road, after all the Trek fans finally get over, their fear of animation and check it out and start wanting it. It could be a possibility then, too.”

In many ways, there is an uncertain but hopeful future is very much at the core of Star Trek. Nobody could have predicted that after Star Trek was canceled in 1969, the cast would return in a feature film, let alone six movies. After Star Trek: Nemesis, it felt like the end for the crew of The Next Generation, but 18 years later, Star Trek: Picard aired. Even Star Trek: Prodigy brought Kate Mulgrew back as Captain Janeway twenty years after Star Trek: Voyager ended. This means that if Star Trek: Prodigy were to end, there is always hope that the characters would return in the future, be it another season, a live-action appearance, or even a feature film.

Star Trek: Prodigy‘s future remains unclear, but what is certain is that for Star Trek, the end is never really the end.