Kate Mulgrew talks nostalgia on Star Trek: Prodigy

Will Star Trek: Prodigy avoid all nostalgia? 

In the 1990s, Star Trek was running full steam ahead before ending its television time in 2005 with the cancellation of Star Trek: Enterprise. Kate Mulgrew’s return to the role she made famous on Star Trek: Voyager has a lot of those fans feeling nostalgic. Back as Captain Janeway on Star Trek: Prodigy, she is in holographic form only, but her CG-animated appearance has fans flocking back to the screens. But is nostalgia the only reason why fans are tuning in and what does Mulgrew think of it?

In an interview with Space.com, Mulgrew was asked if she agreed there was a trap of relying too much on nostalgia. She made it clear that she wasn’t sure nostalgia is altogether a negative. She went on to say that it had a purpose in Trek and that was “to stir up our deepest emotions.”  And that is certainly what Prodigy has planned even if it that does mean eventually relying some on the past and what Mulgrew calls “the wonderful undertones of nostalgia.” After all, Commander Chakotay is expected to return in future episodes of the series, once again uniting two of Voyager’s fan favorites.

Kate Mulgrew wants Star Trek: Prodigy to tackle the Prime Directive in upcoming episodes

But there’s so much more to Prodigy than what you’d ever find on another Star Trek series. These adolescents who’ve absconded with a derelict ship know nothing about the Federation or Starfleet, and that’s where hologram Janeway comes in to help. Along with that help, Mulgrew is hoping the series will cover the serious topics, the ones that challenge us to learn more about ourselves and others.

She’d like to tackle all of the Prime Directive in upcoming episodes, but especially collaboration with one another. With all of the characters being a different species and coming from different backgrounds, there is a lot of dissension at present. Watching them grow and evolve and develop friendships will be teaching moments for the fans tuning in.

Prodigy allows new fans to start from the very beginning, to learn all things about Trek, while also giving longtime fans the opportunity to evolve as human beings and to learn to accept the differences in others. These six characters couldn’t be more different, but then again, so are we all.