What Star Trek: Prodigy brings to kids, according to Wil Wheaton

Both the first and second season of Star Trek: Prodigy are available now on Netflix, and by now, most fans know the series brought Wesley Crusher into the mix with Wil Wheaton returning to reprise his character from Star Trek: The Next Generation. It was a the perfect set-up for the Traveler, and he fit in wonderfully with the band of kids who were trying to get into Starfleet.

It was a welcome return and gave us a better look at what Wesley's life is like as as a Traveler as opposed to the brief scene we saw with him at the end of Star Trek: Picard's second season. Prodigy was able to build the character more and gave Wheaton more room to grow into the character.

In an interview with Daily StarTrekNews, Wheaton shared his excitement about being brought back to the universe and how "extremely into it" he was. And he's just as into Prodigy. The host of The Ready Room shared his thoughts on just what makes the series so special and why he likes it so much.

"I love that Prodigy doesn’t talk down to kids, it reaches kids where they are. It gives their parents something to watch so they can watch it together. I agree with all the fan feedback I’ve seen saying this was probably the best Trek season since Deep Space Nine… just in terms of satisfying, great storytelling, it’s checking all the different boxes."

- Wil Wheaton

By far, season two of Prodigy was one of the best seasons of Trek. Not only did it bring back Robert Picardo's The Doctor, but we also finally had the reunion between Admiral Janeway [Kate Mulgrew] and Robert Beltran's Chakotay. On top of that, the kids undertook a dangerous mission of their own that resulted in them being accepted into Starfleet Academy. Before they could get settled into their classes, though, they were called for a special assignment and promoted to ensigns. Overall, it was an action-packed season with emotional connections, love, and a lot of laughs.

"I love that at its core, Prodigy is about teamwork. It’s about outsider kids who have no place to call home, all coming together and finding a home in Starfleet. That is just a gorgeous message for kids who feel weird, feel like they don’t fit in — there is a place for you to fit in.  It’s with your fellow weirdos, and the Star Trek world is a place where you’re special and you matter — so welcome aboard!"

- Wil Wheaton

Wheaton sums up what Prodigy is all about beautifully by saying "there is a place for you to fit in." It's a message that more kids and young adults need to see and hear.