Unless you’ve been living under a rock, you’ve probably been aware that most streaming services are culling their products. Whether it’s long-lived series or one-hit wonders, nothing appears to be safe as major studios look to tighten their belts. This practice is not only a major factor in the dual WGA/SAG-AFTRA strikes, but it also means that now plenty of series are now without a home. That includes Star Trek: Prodigy, which was unceremoniously yanked off of Paramount+ after its debut season.

While work on the second season of Prodigy is near completion, the series has yet to find a new home. It truly deserves to be viewed by as many people as possible. Not only does it provide a great entry point into the world of Star Trek, but it also manages to blaze a few paths that no other live-action series has been able to take. That’s not even mentioning the way it pays homage to one of the most underrated Star Trek series throughout its entire first-season run.

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‘Star Trek: Prodigy’ Utilizes a Unique Element to Sell the Franchise’s Core Concept

Perhaps the most unique element of Star Trek: Prodigy — and the one that sets it apart from its fellow Trek series — is that none of the main characters are human. When the series begins, Dal (Brett Gray), Rok-Tahk (Rylee Alazraqui), Jankom Pog (Jason Mantazoukas), Zero (Angus Imrie), and Murf (Dee Bradley Baker) are prisoners on an asteroid that’s far out of reach of the United Federation of Planets. They’ve never known a moment of peace or happiness; all they know is brutal work in the mines of Tars Lamorra. So when they discover the buried U.S.S. Protostar, they hijack it and manage to escape.

Yet the makeshift crew still has some hurdles to overcome. Of particular note is the fact that until they step foot on the bridge of the Protostar, none of the main characters understand each other. Communication is key to the core of Star Trek; after all, every starship is populated by a number of human & alien beings. An understanding is ideal for living together on those starships, as well as dealing with Starfleet operations — no matter how dangerous or routine those operations might be. This spirit of cooperation has been baked into the franchise ever since Star Trek: The Original Series, which made its debut during the Civil Rights Movement of the 1960s; seeing the Russian Patel Chekov (Walter Koenig), the Japanese Hikaru Sulu (George Takei) and the African-American Uhura (Nichelle Nicols) working together was a major thing to see back in the day.

Over the course of Season 1, the Protostar crew starts to build those bonds of friendship. Rok-Tahk starts to overcome her shyness, discovering a love of science. Pog overcomes his cantankerous nature in order to work on the Protostar. Dal starts to become more of a captain, putting others’ needs before himself. But the biggest moments come from the bond between Dal and Gwyn (Ella Purnell), who is the daughter of the Diviner (John Noble) — the being that imprisoned Dal and his friends in the first place. Gwyn served as a translator for the Diviner, allowing her to access a wide variety of alien languages which proves useful on the Protostar‘s journey. More than that, she is compassionate when her father is cruel – the Diviner infected the Protostar with a virus that’ll cripple every piece of Starfleet technology, thus separating a once great union.

‘Prodigy’ Takes a Page From ‘Star Trek: Voyager’s Book

Throughout its first season, Prodigy utilizes elements from Star Trek: Voyager. One character, in particular, plays a major role: Captain Kathryn Janeway (Kate Mulgrew) or at least a holographic version of her. Though merely a hologram, this Janeway still possesses a sharp wit and no-nonsense demeanor that her flesh and blood counterpart had. She even has a fondness for coffee (or well, holographic coffee). Holo-Janeway also serves as a mentor to the Protostar crew, teaching them about the ins and outs of Starfleet. One can’t help but see the parallels that the real Janeway and the rest of the Voyager crew went through; much like the Voyager the Protostar is stranded in a deep part of space, with a crew that’s trying to survive.

Eventually, the real Janeway — who at this point in time is a highly decorated Starfleet admiral — learns of the Protostar‘s existence. However, she is tricked by the Diviner into believing that the Protostar‘s crew stole the ship, leading to a wild goose chase. It turns out that there is a reason for Janeway’s doggedness; prior to its disappearance, the ship was captained by her old friend Chakotay (Robert Beltran). Prior to Prodigy, the only other character from Voyager that made a reappearance was Seven of Nine (JerI Ryan). For Prodigy to go all in on Voyager proves that the series still has relevance within Star Trek canon, as well as being worth a rewatch.

‘Star Trek: Prodigy’ Proves That the Star Trek Franchise Is Versatile

With its appeal to younger audiences as well as its approach to the tried-and-true concepts of Star Trek lore, Prodigy proves that the Star Trek franchise truly has something for everyone. Star Trek: Strange New Worlds and Star Trek: Picard appeal to longtime fans of the franchise. Star Trek: Lower Decks takes a tongue-in-cheek approach to things fans have taken for granted, while Star Trek Discovery launches an entirely new corner of the Star Trek universe. Given that the franchise hasn’t had much luck on the silver screen, its transition to streaming is quite admirable.

For Paramount to remove Prodigy and take away a potential opportunity for young fans to discover Star Trek is entirely short-sighted, especially given that there’s been so much work contributed towards a Season 2 — and the fan response to what’s been teased so far is overwhelmingly positive. Hopefully, the animated series finds a new home for its second season.