Star Trek: Prodigy creators explain why its important to make a show aimed at kids

Star Trek: Prodigy is aimed at kids and families for a reason.

Kevin and Dan Hageman are the executive producers for Star Trek: Prodigy, and along with director Ben Hibon, the trio sat down and answered some questions about the show. When asked by a fan named George about how they balanced appealing to older and newer fans in one in one show, Kevin was very clear with focusing on newer aliens first but not forgetting about past ones.

Kevin says he didn’t want the show to “dive into” Klingons because it’s not exciting enough nor does it holds up to the idea that Gene Roddenberry had to explore new planets and life forms. Hageman did state, however, that to not look at Klingons would be “foolish”. He feels that’s a species that kids should discover through Prodigy.

It should be pointed out that before Star Trek: The Next Generation debuted, Roddenberry didn’t want original series aliens on the new show.

Director Ben Hibon also commented on the idea of a balancing act but wanted to use Prodigy to help facilitate fan interest.

"It’s about giving newcomers enough for them to own, to relatably engage but to also feel like this is their point of entry. And it’s not been done before so they’re a part of that conversation. Then we just bring The Voyager and the classic and the Trek; you know, the feel"

The creators have the right idea on how to balance expectations

One of the biggest issues that Star Trek’s current crop of shows faced (Discovery, Picard, and Lower Decks) is that while the shows incorporated past concepts of Trek, they were solely made for newer fans. The format, the design, and the tone of the shows were all radically different than past iterations, focusing more on bombastic storytelling instead of the diplomatic nature of past series.

It felt like Star Trek was trying to be taken “seriously” like other grittier sci-fi-dramas like The Expanse. It has had mixed results.

Prodigy, on the other hand, appears to be a show that wants to use the old format to help create new fans and if that’s how the show ends up shaking out, then these three men may have just created a brand new series for fans to enjoy for years to come.