Star Trek: Prodigy ups the ante with battle in “Crossroads”

Warning: This post contains spoilers for Star Trek: Prodigy “Crossroads.” 

In the 14th episode of the first season of Star Trek: Prodigy, the Protostar crew of juveniles finally discover that Vice Admiral Janeway is not their friend (at least not yet), and Starfleet is the least of their worries right now. With the kids deciding to look for a new way to get to Starfleet, they hide the Protostar and set off on a mission to locate transportation. They end up learning that the Lieutenant Junior Grade from the Comm Relay Station has pointed fingers at them as the reason the station was destroyed, and just as Vice Admiral Janeway realizes she and her crew are on the same planet with the Protostar crew, Dal and his friends run for cover.

This episode brings back Captain Okona (Billy Campbell) from Star Trek: The Next Generation, but he doesn’t have a lot to do so I’m hoping he’ll return in the next episode. He does end up stowing away when Dal and his team make a getaway, but he isn’t much help with the USS Dauntless hot on their trail.

Star Trek: Prodigy hurls the crew of the Protostar into jeopardy.

The crew is on the run from Vice Admiral Janeway and the USS Dauntless, and while they’re trying to make a good escape, Murf emerges from his cocoon, sits on the control panel, and accidentally fires a missile at the Dauntless. That burns Janeway’s biscuits, and she commands her ship to return fire. Before the Protostar can jump to proto-drive, the Dauntless hits it, and the Protostar is left helpless inside the Neutral Zone. Vice Admiral Janeway has every intention of following until her ship comes face to face with a Romulan vessel whose commander issues a warning. Enter the Neutral Zone, and it will be seen as an act of war.

This episode sped by so fast with so much action that it was a blink-and-you-might-miss it twenty-four minutes. The Diviner is fully awake aboard the Dauntless, and his eyes light up when he sees they’re chasing the Protostar, the kids can’t communicate with Janeway on the Dauntless because they know the damage the Protostar can do so they’re really on their own, and Janeway is facing war with the Romulans if she continues her quest to capture the Protostar and its crew.

Written by Lisa Schultz Boyd, “Crossroads” is an all-out action-packed adventure with a little comedy and a whole lot of danger. And on a scale of 1-10, I’d give it a 9 1/2, only deducting half a point because I hoped Okona would serve more of a purpose.