Movies News Talk
Subtle allusion to Star Trek: Discovery, a secret unknown to the young Starfleet hopefuls of the Uss Protostar, marks season 2 of Prodigy. With Wesley Crusher (Wil Wheaton) helping the Protostar crew to save the timeline, the show deftly weaves in references from Star Trek canon. In "Observer's Paradox," episode five of season two, Murf (voiced by Dee Bradley Baker) unintentionally brings up Star Trek: Discovery via a conversation with Gillian the whale, who translates for the Protostar's security chief.
Researcher Jörg Hillebrand, known for his work on Star Trek: Picard season 3, noted on X (@gaghyogi49) that Murf employs the terms "mushroom" and "disco." The mycelial network driving the Uss Discovery's spore drive—which allows instantaneous jumps—is known as "mushroom." The USS Discovery is called "Disco" for short.
Fans of Star Trek understand the reference, but the USS Protostar crew is still uninformed of its significance. Lieutenant Spock (Ethan Peck) the adopted brother of Commander (now Captain) Michael Burnham (Sonequa Martin-Green) deleted the USS Discovery from Starfleet records in Star Trek: Discovery season 2. This was undertaken to stop Control, a genocidal artificial intelligence, from ruling the galaxy. To prevent this disaster, the Uss Discovery headed 930 years into the future.
Long after events of Star Trek: Prodigy, the USS Discovery will resurface in 3189. By means of his actions, Spock guarantees that the history of the USS Discovery stays secret from Star Trek: Prodigy's protagonists. The USS Discovery's existence was known only to high-ranking officials, including Admiral Robert April (Adrian Holmes) in Star Trek: Strange New Worlds; late 24th-century suppression of such knowledge has been documented.
Second season of Star Trek: Prodigy carries on the USS Protostar's time travel exploits. Including this secret Star Trek: Discovery reference gives the narrative more complexity and suggests a wider relationship inside the Star Trek universe. But the crew's ignorance of this link emphasizes the influence of Spock's actions and the results of changing history.
The USS Discovery's legacy permeates the Star Trek universe even though it is not noted in Starfleet records. Future Star Trek projects will probably investigate the effects of its deeds and the secrets it carries more. Star Trek: Prodigy's hidden Easter egg reminds us of the interdependence of the Star Trek chronology and the aftereffect of past events.
Fans of Star Trek: Prodigy should not miss season two. The show is interesting and fun because of its investigation of time travel, varied ensemble of characters, and subdued references to the Star Trek legacy. This deep-cut Easter egg referencing Star Trek: Discovery shows how closely the show relates to the larger Star Trek universe and improves its appeal even more.