The Impact of USS Protostar on Star Trek: Prodigy

Breaking Traditions in the Season 1 Finale

Star Trek: Prodigy broke a major franchise tradition in the season 1 finale, marking the USS Protostar as a unique Star Trek hero ship. When Dal R'El and his fellow prisoners discovered the Protostar underneath the Tars Lamora prison colony, they become involved in an elaborate Trojan horse plot against Starfleet and the Federation. Guided by Hologram Janeway, the young cast of Star Trek: Prodigy learned what it took to be a Starfleet officer and ultimately made some heroic sacrifices that saved the Federation.

Star trek enterprise destroyed protostar

The USS Protostar was a unique Star Trek ship because it didn't use conventional warp drive like the franchise's other hero ships. However, Star Trek: Discovery's revolutionary spore drive meant that this particular franchise tradition had already been broken in 2017. And yet, the USS Protostar is still a unique starship, due to its proto-drive, and its being weaponized by the Diviner in his plot against Starfleet in Star Trek: Prodigy season 1. To save Starfleet and the Federation, the Protostar was destroyed, breaking Star Trek tradition.

Champagne Bottle Protostar.jpg

When it was overcome by the Diviner's Living Construct, the USS Protostar had to be destroyed to save Starfleet and the Federation from destruction. This makes the Protostar the most short-lived hero ship in Star Trek history. Prodigy Broke Star Trek Tradition By Destroying The USS Protostar. While the USS Shenzhou was destroyed in Star Trek: Discovery season 1, episode 2, 'Battle at the Binary Stars' it was never the show's hero ship. Star Trek has destroyed multiple starships over the decades, but never during the ongoing series. A plan to destroy the USS Enterprise-D in Star Trek: The Next Generation season 6 was nixed, allowing the ship to survive until its eventual destruction in Star Trek Generations. Years earlier, the Star Trek: The Original Series USS Enterprise was destroyed above the Genesis Planet in Star Trek III: The Search for Spock. Each of those Enterprises, and the USS Defiant in Star Trek: Deep Space Nine season 7, had racked up a long service record before their destruction. The USS Protostar was cut down in its prime, thanks to the machinations of the Diviner.

Star Trek prodigy USS protostar Chakotay janeway

The Special Attributes of USS Protostar

The short life of the USS Protostar isn't the only thing that makes it a special Star Trek ship. It was a prototype for a brand-new model of starship, powered by a proto-drive, burning up a young star to cross vast distances in a short time. Originally commanded by Star Trek: Voyager's Chakotay, the Protostar was intended to return to the Delta Quadrant to redeem some of the mistakes made by Captain Janeway and the crew of the original USS Voyager. Instead, it fell through a temporal anomaly and ended up in the future, where the planet Solum had been ravaged by a devastating civil war.

USS Protostar flight

Captain Chakotay then sent the Protostar back in time, hoping that it would remain lost forever so that the Living Construct could never be activated. While that plan didn't work, the USS Protostar played a major role in inspiring the next generation of Starfleet hopefuls. If it weren't for the Protostar and the guidance of Hologram Janeway, Dal R'El, Jankom Pog, Rok-Tahk, Zero, Murf, and Gwyndala would never have freed themselves from their tragic circumstances. While the USS Protostar may have only burned bright for a brief time, it's made a huge impact on the cast of Star Trek: Prodigy and paved the way for the franchise's future.

The USS Protostar shines bright as it prepares a proto-jump in Star Trek: Prodigy

The Future of Star Trek: Prodigy

The impact of the USS Protostar will be felt in the future of Star Trek: Prodigy, as the series sets to introduce a brand-new starship, the USS Voyager-A, under the command of Admiral Kathryn Janeway. Whether Voyager-A outlasts the Protostar to also feature in Prodigy season 3, remains to be seen. The USS Protostar may have been short-lived, but its legacy will continue to shape the course of Star Trek: Prodigy and the broader franchise.

The USS Protostar explodes, leaving trails of purple and blue stardust in Star Trek: Prodigy' season 1 finale