Welcome to a new run of Star Trek with the second half of Prodigy’s first season coming online. This week’s episode brought out a famous and formidable adversary with “Let Sleeping Borg Lie.” The young crew finally discovers the weapon hidden on the Protostar. Unfortunately, it evades any practical way of destruction. And in the ship’s path is a large Borg ship, though the inhabitants are asleep. The kids decide to see if they can get information on how to destroy the weapon, much to Janeway’s chagrin. As Zero starts to link into the hive mind, the Borg awake and the Protostar crew are captured. With the help of Gwen, Zero recovers from having giving into the Borg and just in time to free the crew and get off the ship, but with no information on how to destroy the weapon. And here we go with our thoughts on the newest Prodigy episode…
Music
Mr. Daps: “The music this week was enjoyable enough. I did find it weird that they didn’t harden back other times the Borg appeared. I kind of think that might have been a bit of a miss. They did a nice job using the music to aid in the storytelling but… the Borg themes really are pretty awesome and iconic so I would have liked to see a return to them.”
Murray: “I really liked the music this week. It had the right amount to convey some suspense while keeping it light enough for being a kids show. It was interesting that no common themes from previous Borg encounters seemed to be used.”
Design
Mr. Daps: “The design this week was one of the stronger elements of the episode I thought. There were a lot of good choices made. It was interesting seeing the Borg ship from a different perspective, mainly animation. I thought that was done very well. It was also to learn some more about the Borg and the different species they have assimilated. This really does make them that much more of a threat, but the way it was done wasn’t as scary as if done in a live-action way. In other parts of the show, I want to see more of the Dauntless.”
Murray: “I was very impressed by the Borg ship and its detail. I could fully see some elements I hadn’t noticed in other shows and movies. I also wondered how they would handle some very creepy villains in a kids show, and I think they made some good decisions. Having more exotic aliens as Borg helps to alleviate some tension. It also made it a more interesting take on the Borg to see the non-humanoid forms of Borg.”
Story
Mr. Daps: “This story was very interesting to me. It was interesting that as central as the Borg were to the storyline this week, they really could have been any really advanced species. It was interesting to see and learn more about them but it also was kind of weird to watch and realize that at the end of the day… the fact that they were Borg didn’t matter as much as it could have. It also led me down the thought path of wondering if they are setting up a Section 31 arrival at some point. It also makes me wonder if there is a connection between this Borg cube and the one found in the first season of Star Trek: Picard. Overall though, there were some really big things to come out of it. The crew of the Protostar learned that they can do good with what they have and who they are. Janeway continues to follow her search for Chakotay and makes a dismaying discovery. Finally, the threat of the Diviner is continuing.”
Murray: “The story had a great progression. The kids were full in hubris to take on the Borg, and then realized how formidable a foe they are. I do appreciate that background given in this show isn’t so long of an exposition and fits with the stories. So, Janeway’s warnings of the Borg were welcome. Then there was the resolution, which gives a great message to a kids audience, and fit well within it being a Trek show. The answers did not lie with the Borg, and I think that’s ok too.”
Hit or Miss?
Mr. Daps: “I thought this week was a hit. It was fun to see a different approach to the Borg in the episode. I really like how they are connecting to classic Star Trek in new ways instead of just rehashing old stories. I also like the number of unknowns and questions this episode (and the series) brought up. I am looking forward to seeing how this develops and what the endgame ends up being for the crew of the Protostar and the real Janeway. I presume an alliance of some sort at some point against the Diviner. I can’t wait to watch it play out, though!”
Murray: “This was a big hit with me. The Borg are some of my favorite enemies in Trek lore, and this was a wonderful new perspective on them. It also showed how resourceful and capable the Protostar crew is, but still need to learn a lot. It was overall something that felt like classic Trek while keeping it friendly with kids.”
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