When we last left Star Trek: Prodigy, the young crew of the USS Protostar manage a daring escape from not only dangerous, mind-bending planet but also from the clutches of the ruthless Diviner who set his eyes on the high-tech space ship. In the process, Gwyn chooses a side and the Protostar makes the jump into the big unknown.
One of the aspects of the series is to develop its young characters into future Starfleet members, albeit in an untraditional way. Dal receives his captain rite of passage by tackling the notorious Kobayashi Maru via a holodeck simulation.
For someone who’s been a little annoying and overly cocky on Star Trek: Prodigy, there’s a little satisfaction in watching him struggle with the no-win scenario. The situation allows him to take those first steps in proving he’s worthy to be in charge. It was a lack of faith from his peers that placed the chip on his shoulder. Viewers can be hit over the head with the lesson he learns but that’s not unexpected for a children’s show. However, it is pretty amusing when he pivots approaches and embraces the chaos.
The episode continues to cultivate the connections between the characters so they can grow as a team. It’s easy to sympathize with Gwyn and her difficulties finding a place where she belongs. She can’t go back to family since she disobeyed her father but she feels awkward with the rest of the crew due to their previous antagonistic relationship. Each member takes little steps to welcome her into the fold and she teams up with Zero to find answers behind the Protostar. Gwyn’s colleague has plenty of understanding and forgiveness and they can begin moving forward from the past.
“Kobayashi” is Star Trek: Prodigy’s most direct connection to the franchise’s universe as a whole; more than Janeway and some familiar equipment in earlier episodes. During Dal’s simulations, he assembles a dream team of Starfleet officers from different time periods and shows. Their presence and interactions with the aspiring captain are fun and they create a sense of awe knowing that they are serving as instructors and mentors to Dal.
In the closing minutes, we see another blast from the past with ties to Janeway. He might not be a complete surprise since he was mentioned at the NYCC panel, but the cameo serves as another bridge to tie the new characters to the Star Trek legacy.
From a narrative standpoint, some fascinating threads are unraveled that will hopefully be pursued the rest of the season. Though the Protostar travelled 4,000 light years away, the Diviner isn’t completely out of the picture. He and Drednok haven’t given up on capturing the ship and there’s hints that their relationship might not be as one sided as initially thought. The robotic enforcer has some degree of power over his boss.
In addition, more mysteries and questions about the ship are unearthed during Gwyn and Zero’s investigation. There’s a tease of the previous crew of the Protostar along with some of its unexplained ties to the Vau N’Akat, Gwyn’s alien race. It should be exciting to explore these more as Star Trek: Prodigy continues.
“Kobayashi” establishes exciting storylines to pursue in this next stretch of episodes while strengthening the bonds of the series to the overall Star Trek Universe in fun ways.
New episodes of Star Trek: Prodigy are released Thursdays on Paramount+.
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