Two animated shows have come and potentially gone recently. Star Trek: Lower Decks is wrapping up its fifth and final season, which will be done before the calendar turns 2025. The other, is Star Trek: Prodigy. It's future uncertain but the fandom remains hopeful that the crew comes back for at least one more season.
Yet, even if they don't get a third season, Prodigy has put out 40 episodes, to Lower Decks' 50. A close enough sample size that we can grade them against one another. Especially when it comes down to their leading characters. For Prodigy, you have Becket Mariner, the aloof and at times selfish daughter of a renowned Starfleet captain. On the other hand, you have Dal R'El; a hybrid augment orphan who found purpose within Starfleet.
Both characters are depicted as the leads of their shows. Both seemingly are being developed by their respective elders to be eventual captains but only one really looks to be capable of any real leadership.
It may be unfair to compare the characters, Mariner is the lead character in a comedy, and Dal is a character in a more serious, all-ages show. Yet, Lower Decks has three characters who could be great captains Sam Rutherford, D'Vana Tendi, and T'Lyn. We already saw Brad Boilmer take on a leadership role, though that Boilmer was a duplicate. Still, it shows that the original version has the capabilities to become a leader.
Yet, the more and more we see of Mariner, the more and more we see she's just not cut out for a leadership role. Which is actually a nice thing to see in Star Trek. Through five seasons, she's been defiant, counterproductive, argumentative, and generally just unwilling to take things seriously when required. She's been essentially the perfect example of what a Star Trek captain doesn't look like.
Showing that better reflects how impressive the men and women of Star Trek are when they become captains. What it means to hold that rank and what it requires to get to that level. It's something we see in Dal. He's focused, open to criticisms, he seeks to learn and help. He's not someone who runs from responsibilities or rejects the idea of structure. He's the perfect candidate for a future captain.
It's pretty evident that both will likely be captains in Star Trek canon, but's important to note that Mariner never did enough to make anyone think she could be. It's unclear how Lower Decks ends, but if it ends with a time jump to Mariner being a captain, it'll feel unearned. If Prodigy gets a third season and ends with their own time-jump, and we see Dal sitting in the big chair, it'll be the conclusion to a well-crafted story arc where a young man found his calling and embraced it.
Maybe Lower Decks will end with Mariner resigning from Starfleet to live a life unburdened by responsibility. Maybe she'll stay on as a specialist with limited responsibilities. Both endings fit the character fare better than anything. Plus, it's good to show people that not everyone has the same wants and desires as one another. Mariner rejecting a leadership position would be the perfect ending to the series.
And would further highlight the biggest differences between her and her animated colleague from the other show.