The midseason premiere of Star Trek: Prodigy arrives for streaming on Paramount+ on Thursday, October 27th, 2022. But earlier than the USS Protostar returns, Comics Beat received the chance to talk with sequence creators, writers, and government producers Kevin and Dan Hageman.
The Beat caught up with Kevin and Dan over Zoom to ask concerning the upcoming midseason premiere, inquire concerning the New York Comic Con 2022 Murf plushies, and discover out what it’s prefer to work with the subsequent era of Trek expertise!
This interview has been edited for size and readability.
AVERY KAPLAN: Why is Dal / Brett Gray excellent for the captain’s position on Prodigy?
DAN HAGEMAN: I believe it begins with him considering he’s excellent for the captain’s spot. When we went into the present, Star Trek’s at all times been about the perfect of the perfect. What about individuals who begin the worst of the worst?
So somebody who seeks the captain’s chair, in our opinion, is somebody who’s undeserving of the captain’s chair. But, to see that development, that’s why we expect Dal / Brett Gray is the proper particular person for that position.
KAPLAN: Without spoilers, are you able to give our readers a tease of what your targets have been when writing the midseason premiere?
DAN: Speaking of episode 11, a while has handed. What we wish to convey you is a good huge journey sequence – I do know that was a purpose.
Kevin and I do quite a lot of characteristic writing, so once we take a look at episode 1 via 20, we’re considering of that as extra of a film construction than a tv construction.
KEVIN HAGEMAN: It’s virtually like a miniseries that we’re doing with these 20 episodes.
DAN: We’re fascinated by episode 10, we’re fascinated by episode 20, earlier than we even write episode 2.
KEVIN: In the center of the film, the motion or the story begins to escalate, proper? And so, what will be the best impediment – what’s the wedge that’s going to get in the way in which of what our youngsters most need, which is to get to Starfleet? What if Starfleet is looking them down?
DAN: And Starfleet is in danger! The one factor you need is the one factor you’ll be able to’t have.
KEVIN: And then we thought, effectively, god, we’ll have two Kate Mulgrews. We’ll have two Janeways! This goes to be wonderful.
KAPLAN: Can you communicate to the thought of getting a Janeway on either side of the generational battle?
DAN: I believe everyone would need a Janeway on their aspect, first off.
KEVIN: Yep.
DAN: So it appears like, you’re not fairly certain… I’m an enormous fan of The Wire. What I really like about The Wire was there have been sensible individuals on either side of the argument. And that’s what I really like having in Star Trek: Prodigy. You perceive the child’s place, however you additionally perceive Admiral Janeway’s place. So due to this fact, how’s it going to return to a conclusion?
KEVIN: You love either side, proper? Even although Admiral Janeway goes to be an antagonist, she’s not a villain. You’re not going to not like her.
Right away, Dan and I stated, “This is sort of like The Fugitive.” That was a film that we cherished seeing Harrison Ford versus Tommy Lee Jones. But you like Tommy Lee Jones, he’s not a nasty man – he’s simply attempting to search out this runaway.
KAPLAN: What’s it like working with the subsequent era of expertise, each when it comes to actors and behind the scenes (with the youngest employees author ever to work on a Trek sequence)?
DAN: (Writer) Keith Sweet, he’s unbelievable. He began on our desk, and we have been going to maneuver him as much as author’s assistant. But then he wrote a script that simply knocked our footwear off. We have been like, “We’ve got to get him into the room.”
KEVIN: For season 2, sure.
DAN: For the author’s room, we’re very pleased with our author’s room.
We needed individuals who knew Star Trek up and down and additionally individuals who didn’t know Star Trek up and down, and having nice conversations. Because we all know our viewers have been going to be on either side: individuals who knew Star Trek and individuals who didn’t know Star Trek.
KEVIN: And additionally, with the crew or writers that we’ve that like Star Trek, they like completely different reveals. It’s very completely different, somebody who grew up on Star Trek: The Next Generation versus, I kind of grew up on Star Trek: The Original Series.
KAPLAN: What went into the choice to convey again Jellico?
DAN: We needed to discover, “who could shut Admiral Janeway down?” And then we have been like, “It’s gotta be Jellico.”
KEVIN: We all love Ronny Cox, you recognize. That was really very easy to return to that, as a result of we have been speaking about, “Who in this time period would be an Admiral who would be above Janeway?”
DAN: I believe we really went out and received an inventory of who have been the lively admirals at the moment. The record was like, there’s 3 characters… and once we noticed Jellico’s identify, we have been like, “Oh, that’s easy.”
KEVIN: You know what’s nice, once we report with Ronny, he’s similar to, the nicest man on this planet. And he’s identified for enjoying essentially the most hardass, powerful villain guys.
KAPLAN: Did you get a Murf plushie at NYCC?
Today’s the day! @NY_Comic_Con attendees, get your free Murf plush on the #StarTrekProdigy pop-up! Find it on the interior roadway whereas provides final. #NYCC #StarTrekNYCC pic.twitter.com/VrYKmeSOkD
— Star Trek on Paramount+ (@StarTrekOnPPlus) October 8, 2022
DAN: Yes, however – I received 3 of them, and they’re already all gone. One of them went to our author’s assistant who simply received married, and I needed to give her one. And the opposite two went to my kids.
So I suppose technically I’ve two in my household possession, however I don’t know. I would like one other one.
KEVIN: But you’re not a nasty sufficient dad who’s going to simply, take it away from their mattress and put it on your workplace desk.
KAPLAN: How was the Prodigy author’s room pizza social gathering?
KEVIN: That was unbelievable! Because, with that author’s room, it had been a yr and a half to 2 years, so it was such a pleasure to have the ability to come again and eat pizza.
Pizza Party — verify. Thank you everybody for popping out. Congrats @TrekProdigyRoom for reaching your first 10k followers. Vegas at 100k. #startrekprodigy pic.twitter.com/XaRlgrrNkL
— Dan & Kevin Hageman (@brothershageman) August 9, 2022
DAN: It was one of many first instances seeing quite a lot of the individuals within the season 2 author’s room, which was completed throughout COVID. So it was the primary time we had all of us coming collectively.
And then we had writers from season 1 coming in. It was unbelievable, it was nice. And we tried honey on pizza for the primary time, which is a brand new factor.
KEVIN: Show runners are completely different about it, however for me, to have writers in a room collectively is magical. And we didn’t have that for season 2, in any respect. So it was particular, coming collectively.
KAPLAN: Is there any probability of a crossover with one other Trek sequence, and in that case, is there any you’d significantly hope to crossover with?
DAN: I believe we would like it greater than all of the followers, wanting a crossover. The query is, who would it not be with? And, it doesn’t matter.
I do know Star Trek: Lower Decks is near our timeline, however… I’m wondering the way you cope with that future facet. It’s nonetheless two years, I believe we’re nonetheless two years forward of them.
They’d have to return to us, as a result of our youngsters have been all on a slave planet. Unless, they arrive to that slave planet and don’t save anybody. Which… is one thing they could do. “Prime Directive, later!”
KEVIN: Or Star Trek: Deep Space Nine’s “Trials and Tribble-lations.” I really like stuff like that. So, that will be actually cool to one way or the other take our present, and for them to return throughout the TOS or TNG Enterprise can be wonderful.
DAN: And we hold pushing live-action Ella Purnell and Brett Gray.
KEVIN: Yeah! Brett seems similar to Dal. Ella with some make-up may completely pull off a live-action Gwyn. Yeah, we could be pushing for that, some day.
[Editor’s Note: Purnell and Gray told The Beat and other outlets they would be willing to appear as their characters in live action during a NYCC ’22 roundtable.]
KEVIN: We’d should eliminate Brett’s little ‘stache on his lip, although.
DAN: We’d should pay further for that.
KEVIN: Yeah, I don’t know if he’s prepared to half with that.
DAN: He’s not gonna wish to try this.
The midseason premiere of Star Trek: Prodigy might be launched for streaming on Paramount+ on Thursday, October 27th, 2022.
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