Stardate unknown: Welcoming what she assumes is a fresh batch of cadets to the Protostar, the hologram of Captain Janeway offers an introduction to the Federation’s history, purpose, and structure, and that of its Starfleet as well. While Zero, Rok-Tahk, Jankom Pog, and even the gelatinous life form nicknamed Murf immediately find this appealing, Dal is annoyed by their enthusiasm – to him, the Federation sounds like yet another group of authority figures who will tell him what to do, and he opts to set the ship on a course further away from Federation space. When the hologram of Janeway tries to warn him of what lies in his path, he shuts her down quite literally. He also throws Gwyn in the brig, and claims the captain’s quarters for himself. He’s ready to claim the privileges of authority for himself, but his distrust of the nearest authority figure – namely Janeway – leaves the Protostar in a catastrophically dire position near a dying star.
written by Chad Quandt
directed by Alan Wan
music by Nami Melamud
Star Trek: Prodigy main theme by Michael Giacchino
Cast: Brett Gray (Dal R’El), Ella Purnell (Gwyn), Jason Mantzoukas (Jankom Pog), Angus Imrie (Zero), Rylee Alazraqui (Rok-Tahk), Dee Bradley Baker (Murf), Jimmi Simpson (Drednok), John Noble (Diviner), Kate Mulgrew (Captain Janeway), Bonnie Gordon (Ship Computer)
Notes: The holographic “slide show” used by Hologram Janeway to illustrate the histories of the Federation and Starfleet are packed with easter eggs, including line-art representations of Archer’s Enterprise, Janeway’s Voyager, the Defiant (Star Trek: Deep Space Nine), Discovery, the Enterprise-D (Star Trek: The Next Generation), and the Enterprise and shuttlecraft Galileo from the original Star Trek, along with humans, Vulcans, Andorians, and Tellarites (the Federation’s founding member races), and the accompanying lines are actually one of the better introductions to/explanations of the Federation in the history of the franchise. (Technically, since all records of Discovery and its mission were purged from official Federation history, Discovery shouldn’t appear in this lineup of famous ships.)
LogBook entry by Earl Green