'Star Trek: Prodigy' recruits Kate Mulgrew, 'Voyager's' Captain Janeway
Kate Mulgrew, who portrayed Captain Kathryn Janeway on "Star Trek: Voyager" will reprise her character in "Star Trek: Prodigy," the new animated series that will air on Nickelodeon, showrunners announced today (Oct. 8).
The news, unveiled by CBS All Access during a virtual "Star Trek Universe" panel at New York Comic Con 2020, adds a Trek veteran to the new kids' series warping to Nickelodeon in 2021.
"I have invested every scintilla of my being in Captain Janeway and I can't wait to endow her with nuance that I never did before in 'Star Trek: Prodigy,'" Mulgrew said. "How thrilling to be able to introduce to these young minds an idea that has elevated the world for decades. To be at the helm again is going to be deeply gratifying in a new way for me."
Developed by Kevin and Dan Hageman, "Star Trek: Prodigy" follows a group of lawless teens who discover a derelict Starfleet ship and use it to search for adventure, meaning and salvation. The CG-animated series will debut exclusively on Nickelodeon sometime in 2021.
"Kate's portrayal of Captain Janeway is truly iconic, and has resonated with a global audience for many years," Ramsey Naito, President, Nickelodeon Animation, said in a statement. "We can't wait to see her bring this character to life in a whole new way, while continuing to be an inspiration for both new and loyal fans."
The news of Mulgrew joining "Star Trek: Prodigy" capped an hour-long discussion of Star Trek's present and future in the NYCC webcast. (You can watch a full replay here.)
The first half of the event was dedicated to the animated CBS All Access series "Lower Decks." where Wil Wheaton hosted and moderated a panel with cast members Tawny Newsome (Ensign Beckett Mariner), Jack Quaid (Ensign Brad Boimler), Eugene Cordero (Ensign Samanthan), Dawnn Lewis (Captain Carol), Jerry O'Connell (Commander Jack Ransom), Fred Tatasciore (Lieutenant Shaxs), Gillian Vigman (Dr. T'Ana) and showrunner Mike McMahan. Plus a predictable surprise guest: Jonathan Frakes, who portrayed Commander Will Riker on "Star Trek: The Next Generation" and made an appearance in the "Lower Decks" season one finale.
Strangely, just like the Comic-Con@Home panel a few months ago, Jerry O'Connell chose to join the conference call via satellite from a dusty road, seemingly in the middle of a national park somewhere.
The panel talked about the events of the first season and the season finale that aired today (Oct. 8) on CBS All Access and as such, it's full of spectacular spoilers … so you might want to make sure you're all caught up before you watch this thoroughly entertaining virtual panel. It is actually a delight to watch.
Show creator Mike McMahan spoke briefly about what we can expect from the second season, saying: "It's even bigger, it's even funnier and it's still very Star Trek."
The second half of the panel — focused on "Star Trek: Discovery" — was also very enjoyable, although the cast couldn't give anything away about the events of Season 3, which premieres on Oct. 15. They did however, give us a preview of the first two minutes of the premiere episode.
Joining moderator Sarah Rodman of Entertainment Weekly, were executive producers Michelle Paradise and Alex Kurtzman, David Ajala (Cleveland Booker), Blu del Barrio (Adira), Ian Alexander (Gray), Anthony Rapp (Lt. Paul Stamets), Doug Jones (Cmdr. Saru), Mary Wiseman (Ensign Tilly), Sonequa Martin-Green (Cmdr. Michael Burnham) and Wilson Cruz (Dr. Hugh Culber).
The cast talked about a number of things, some new and some that have been covered countless times before, including the technology of the year 3187, which as Paradise explains was chosen because it's the furthest into the future any series of "Star Trek" has gone, even further than "Enterprise." But nothing was given away.
Newcomers David Ajala, Blu del Barrio and Ian Alexander spoke about how they were first introduced to "Star Trek" and while del Barrio and Alexander hadn't watched any until they were cast, David Ajala explained how he had worked with Patrick Stewart on a production of Shakespeare's Othello in London many years ago and it was Captain Picard himself who had recommended Ajala start watching.
Season 3 of "Star Trek: Discovery" premieres on CBS All Access on Oct. 15. "Star Trek: The Lower Decks" is available on the subscription service CBS All Access. Previous seasons of "Discovery" and "Picard" are currently available on CBS All Access and Netflix and Amazon outside the U.S.
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