Netflix is poised to lose its sole Star Trek series, Star Trek: Prodigy, as the animated show’s licensing agreements with the streaming giant are set to expire. This news marks another challenging chapter for the series, which was originally developed for Paramount+ before being removed and later finding a new streaming home on Netflix. The show’s creators, Dan and Kevin Hageman, addressed the impending removal, emphasizing that it’s a matter of licensing rather than low viewership or any internal issues with the show itself. Their hope, and that of many fans, is that another platform will recognize the series’ value and pick it up, ensuring that the adventures of the USS Protostar crew can continue to inspire a new generation of Star Trek enthusiasts.
“While the future removal of #StarTrekProdigy on Netflix is disconcerting, it has little to do with lack of viewership or anything nefarious,” Dan and Kevin Hageman stated in a joint BlueSky account. “We’ve come to learn the license for S1 is up June 24, and S2 Dec 31. We hold out hope someone will pick it up. The next generation of Trek fans deserves it.”
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Star Trek: Prodigy first premiered on Paramount+ in October 2021, also airing on Nickelodeon. However, in a surprising move in June 2023, Paramount+ removed Prodigy from its service as part of a broader content purge, despite a second season already being in production. This led to a fervent #SaveStarTrekProdigy fan campaign. Their efforts were rewarded when Netflix announced in October 2023 that it had acquired the series. Season 1 landed on Netflix on December 25, 2023, and the complete 20-episode second season followed with a single-day drop on July 1, 2024. Now, with these Netflix licenses expiring, the future of Prodigy‘s streaming availability is once again uncertain. To make matters worse, Paramount Global Content Distribution has referred to Season 2 as the show’s “Final Season” in some publicity materials, meaning a third season of Star Trek: Prodigy is unlikely.
Star Trek: Prodigy Deserves More Love
As the first series in the franchise specifically aimed at younger audiences, Star Trek: Prodigy successfully introduced the core tenets of Starfleet and the optimistic vision of Gene Roddenberry’s creation to a new generation. The CG-animated series follows a diverse group of young alien outcasts in the Delta Quadrant. This ragtag crew discovers an abandoned experimental Starfleet vessel, the USS Protostar, equipped with an emergency training hologram of Captain Kathryn Janeway (voiced by Kate Mulgrew). Together, they learn to operate the ship, work as a team, and embrace the ideals of Starfleet as they make their way towards the Federation.
The critical reception for Star Trek: Prodigy has been overwhelmingly positive. It garnered praise for its stunning animation, engaging characters, and its ability to tackle complex themes in an accessible way for younger viewers while still offering plenty for long-time adult fans, particularly with its strong ties to Star Trek: Voyager and the return of Kate Mulgrew as Janeway (both in hologram form and later as the actual Vice Admiral Janeway). Prodigy also received numerous accolades, including a Peabody Award for its contribution to children’s and youth programming and multiple Children’s & Family Emmy Awards, including one for Outstanding Individual Achievement in Animation for production designer Alessandro Taini.
The importance of Star Trek: Prodigy extends beyond its critical acclaim. It served as a vital entry point for children and families into the Star Trek franchise, a role that few other modern Trek series are designed to fill. Its existence helped ensure that the values and imaginative storytelling of Star Trek could continue to resonate with and inspire younger demographics. As such, the loss of Prodigy from a major streaming platform like Netflix makes it harder for new fans to discover the show and for its current audience to continue enjoying it conveniently. The hope remains, as expressed by its creators and dedicated fanbase, that another streaming service or platform will see the intrinsic value and beloved status of Star Trek: Prodigy and provide it with a new home.
Star Trek: Prodigy is currently available on Netflix.
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