Why Star Trek needs a live-action series like Prodigy

Star Trek: Prodigy is considered by some to be the best newest Trek.

When Star Trek: Prodigy debuted, viewers weren’t quite certain what to expect out of a CGI-animated series. It didn’t take many episodes to see that this was a special kind of show, one that, even though animated and created to draw in a younger audience, easily connected with long-time Trekkies. As Whatculture explains in its “10 Reasons Prodigy is the Best Series of the Kurtman Era,” the series has managed to join both the old Star Trek and the new and give viewers a fascinating view of the galaxy. And now it’s time to bring this type of series to live action.

No, I’m not talking about another series geared toward a younger audience, but more one with the same elements as Prodigy. An all alien crew has only been done in this series and with aliens that aren’t as familiar to Trekkies like Vulcans, Klingons, and Trills. It has been fascinating to see these species interact with one another and grow into their own strengths while learning to adapt to their limitations. Bringing a live-action series with aliens either from the United Federation of Planets or trying to become a part of a world they don’t understand would inject a boost of energy into the franchise.

Star Trek: Prodigy has opened new doors that could bring fresh content to live-action.

Most of the Star Trek series that included starship exploration focused on traveling the galaxy and making first contacts. Voyager’s main focus was on bringing the crew home after they’d been trapped in the Delta Quadrant, but the crew still managed to experience a fair share of similar experiences to the Enterprise crew. Prodigy is different in that this is about aliens learning about space travel for the first time, learning about Starfleet, and the Federation while trying to survive.

Imagine a live-action drama with a full cast of aliens who know little about the world around them. They’re stuck together aboard a ship they know nothing about with individuals they know nothing about. The one thing that they do know is the United Federation of Planets is supposed to be able to help them.

Another possible scenario would be a ship filled with aliens we are familiar with, all of whom are members of Starfleet. Perhaps the captain could be an Andorian or a synth like Soji. Maybe even an ex-Borg who has managed to overcome the atrocities they’ve experienced and become an important part of Starfleet.

However this could happen, it’s important to open the doors of live-action Star Trek to welcome different species aboard the starships in command and supervisory capacities. Humans make up an important part of Starfleet, but with the planets united, there should be more diversity of species aboard those ships whose duties are to explore the galaxies.