Warning! The following contains SPOILERS for the Star Trek: Prodigy Season 1 finale, "Supernova, Part 2." Read at your own risk!
Star Trek: Prodigy closed out Season 1 at Paramount+, and despite a very downer penultimate episode, things turned out alright for Dal, Gwyn, Rok, Jankom, Murf and Zero. As perfect as the ending seemed, Prodigy's showrunners Kevin and Dan Hageman exclusively revealed to CinemaBlend that there was one key change to the original plan for how the season was originally supposed to end, and it ended up changing things for the better.
I spoke to Kevin and Dan Hageman about Star Trek: Prodigy's finale, and in discussing the difference between a "Warrant Officer in Training" and a Starfleet Cadet, I learned something interesting. Kevin Hageman explained that in their original pitch for the finale, they had written that the Augment Dal and friends were actually accepted into Starfleet Academy:
Originally, yeah, we had them getting accepted into Starfleet Academy and our advisor, David Mack, was like, ‘Whoa, whoa, whoa, let’s talk about this.’ And he explained his case and we’re like, ‘Okay, you’re right.’
As some Star Trek fans may know, getting into Starfleet Academy is no easy task. There are individuals who study and wait for years to be admitted, and only the best of the best are accepted. Dal and the Protostar crew certainly showed they had a lot of heart and successfully ran a Starfleet ship on their own while helping people, but that really wasn't enough to fast-track them into positions that others have waited for years to get into.
Dan Hageman continued off what his brother said and noted that while they weren't able to do what they originally wanted to do with the Star Trek: Prodigy characters, it worked out well. Hageman explained how the change actually made things better and what the characters being Warrant Officers in training means for Season 2:
They’ve still got more hills to climb to get to that place they want now that they’ve tasted it they want it. That really is one of the engines of Season 2. As warrant officers, it allows us to actually get them onto a ship they’re almost like consultants, so to speak. I would say that they’re more like Cadets in training, but they’re not Starfleet Academy.
While the Star Trek: Prodigy characters will be known as Warrant Officers in training, they'll effectively be training to become cadets. Starfleet Academy might be the goal for Dal and everyone one day, but for now, they're going to be learning the ropes on Janeway's next adventure.
And ultimately, that worked out for the best. Kevin Hageman noted that being accepted into Starfleet Academy would've put the crew in a radically different place in Season 2 and impacted another upcoming Star Trek series:
They’re doing a Starfleet Academy show, and we didn’t want to get in their way. Also, if you have a Season 1 that’s all these amazing adventures on the stolen starship, and Season 2 is going to be classroom scenes, I think we’ve failed our audience. We needed to find ways to get them back out there.
We shouldn't expect these characters in the Starfleet Academy series, which might be why Vice Admiral Janeway confirmed that Dal, Jankom, Zero, and Murf will join her on her next mission in Star Trek: Prodigy Season 2. As for Gwyn, she opted out of joining Starfleet, but told her friends she'll receive the Federation's help in finding her home world of Solum. Gwyn said she hoped to find her people, as well as meet her father, The Diviner, who is still alive because this is a younger version of him who hasn't yet gone back in time.
As far as what else is in store for Star Trek: Prodigy Season 2, Hologram Janeway managed to send Starfleet on the path to the alternate future where Chakotay is being held captive. Vice Admiral Janeway fully intends to travel to get Chakotay however she can. Prodigy's showrunners previously confirmed to CinemaBlend that Janeway and Chakotay's arc will last two seasons, so it feels like a safe bet he may appear in person in Season 2.
As for the rest, we can only wait and see. Given some of the wild adventures and enemies Janeway faced in Star Trek: Voyager, Dal and his friends won't have trouble keeping busy. Hopefully, Starfleet is all they wanted, and they get a chance to reconnect with Gwyn eventually.
Star Trek: Prodigy Season 1 is finished, but anyone interested can binge the series to their heart's content right now on Paramount+. The wait is on for Season 2, but thankfully, there's plenty of Trek in 2023 to keep fans occupied in the meantime.
